14-Day Cultural Tour of Thailand’s Islands

Below is a brief summary of our 2018-2019 family trip to Thailand and Cambodia.  Each year on Christmas we pick a new place to explore and spend time together.  As the kids get older and we see them less often, Trish and I really look forward to sharing these quality experiences with them.  

Christmas is high season for SE Asia and so we knew there would be crowds.  We are a very active family and prefer that most of our activities include getting out and moving, exploring and adventuring.  We prefer to have a private adventure with a knowledgeable guide, rather than a group tour where there is a need to cater to the least active of the group.  With that caveat, here is the report:

Day 1 – Arrival into Bangkok

The lines at Immigration in Thailand can take over an hour to get processed, we paid for a Fast Track service which was well worth it.  After 24 hours of travel, the last thing you want to do is wait in an extended queue.  A guide with our name placard met us as we got off the plane and led us directly to the immigration officer with no wait, and then immediately to the baggage claim.  VIP service indeed. 

We arrived late in the afternoon and went directly to the hotel where we had Two Bedroom Suite and a Grand Deluxe Room for the six of us.  Highly recommend the hotel.  Great service, city views, comfortable beds, and an amazing breakfast buffet.

Day 2 –Bangkok Biking

Most of us woke really early (the effects of jetlag) and I went for a 5:30 AM run in Lumphini Park.  I was shocked to see hundreds of joggers out getting their morning exercise, running circles around a 1.5 km loop surrounding the park.  It was impressive.

At 8:30 AM we were taken from the hotel to our private tour of the city and countryside on bicycles.  Our guide, Aon, spent a few minutes getting to know us, and we were off.  The traffic on the streets of Bangkok is madness.  Motorcycles, tuk-tuks, autos, buses, and pedestrians all vying for a finite amount of tarmac.  Add seven bicycles to the mix and the scene is comical with the weaving and bobbing of bodies and machines.  Miraculously, we survived thanks in large part to Aon’s deft guidance.

First stop was the Farmer’s Market.  The hustle and bustle of commerce were fun to see.  Every type of fresh produce was available, as was live, dying, or butchered livestock and fishes.  Not a place for the animal lovers and the smell was a bit horrific as the day’s juices covered the concrete streets.

Leaving the market, we boarded longtail boats with our bikes, crossed the Chao Prava river, and biked country trails which were elevated above the jungle floor.  We had a good Thai meal at a local restaurant, returned to the boats and biked back.

Highly recommend this tour company.  Ohn was delightful, knowledgeable, and a charismatic hostess- She got the most family votes for the best guide of the trip.

We stayed at the hotel the second night.

Day 3 – Travel to Chiang Mai

We were picked up for our short flight to Chiang Mai, which is an hour flight north on Bangkok.  Upon arrival, we were met by our guide for the day, Nancy.  The itinerary was seeing the Thai temples of Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Pra Sing, and Wat Prathat Doi Suthep.  Lots of ornate buildings, old architecture, tons of Buddhas, history, and symbolism.  At every stop, there were street food stalls and local merchants catering to the crowds.  We found the coveted “elephant pants” for Bridget and Camdyn and a pretty neat high-end jade store where Trish picked out a belated birthday necklace.

By the end of the day, we had seen our fair share of Thai temples and were dropped off at a beautiful resort for the night.  The resort was cottage style with cabana rooms that were nestled next to pools that weaved throughout the resort.  The service here was also excellent- less refined than the last hotel but more genuine.  Most of the breakfasts and dinners during our stay in Chaing Mai were here, as the hotel was a bit remote from downtown.

Day 4 – Elephants!

The next day we were picked up and taken to the Elephant Sanctuary.  We spent the morning feeding them sugar cane, bananas, and protein balls for dessert.   We learned about their lifestyles and behaviors and Gavin, Tegan and Camdyn ended the afternoon joining them in the mud for a good scrub down.  The ability to interact directly with the animals in their natural habitat was a real treat.  They truly are amazing creatures – big and beautiful.  One of them was pregnant and we could see the baby move like some wild alien in her belly.

We returned to the hotel, where everyone got a massage- except for me.  I went for a run.

That night, Tegan, Bridget and I went to the Sunday Night Street Market. Absolute mayhem, which was part of the fun.  Part food market, part street fair, part circus, all in an open air and festive environment, the play was humming!  There were times when it was hard to push through the crowds as space was defined by all of the merchant stalls that lined the streets.  We ate, shopped and people watched.  It was a fun evening.

Day 5 – Ah, Nature? 

Nancy was once again our host for the day and she and her driver picked us up for what I thought would be a great hike up some mountain where we could stretch our legs and enjoy some wild.  After all, it was described as “one of the most fertile troves of natural treasure in Chiang Mai, DoiIntanon National Park. The invigorating mountain air, the fresh, cool climate, makes it a rejuvenating break from the city.”  We did get to Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s tallest peak at 2,565 meters, but it was slow-go as it was December 31and half of Chaing Mai had the same idea.  Once at the top, the destination was a street food market and a couple of .5 km loops through the forest.  And it was swarming with bodies.  We actually couldn’t get off the hill fast enough.

We stopped briefly at the Twin Chedi - built by the Thai Airforce to honor King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit, and at the summit - the shrine of Chao Inthawitchayanon, the former prince of Chiang Mai.

On the way back, we stopped at the impressive Wachiratharn Waterfall which was probably the best part of the day, as we were left to explore it on our own and we were able to climb to the top where the crowds preferred to remain below.

We’d skip this day again.  Even without the crowds, the trip didn’t warrant the time.

Back to the resort.

Day 6 – Travel to Phuket

After a private shuttle and a quick two-hour flight south, we landed in Phuket.  Phuket is an island province of Thailand known for its beautiful beaches and iconic pinnacle rock islands off its coast.  We had Googled pictures of the resort online and were excited to be right on the beach in a resort with many pools and water slides for Camdyn- The Centara Grand Resort. Upon arriving, however, we were dropped off at the Centara Karon Resort- a third rate sister facility which was a 5-10 minute walk to the beach and which overlooked a crowded and unkempt street.  Rooms were extremely dated, plumbing questionable, service and attitudes were poor.  It was such a contrast to what we had experienced in the first two locations that I thought that it must be a mistake.  There were two "Centara" hotels close to each other.  The issue turned out to be the word GRAND in our itinerary, which despite also having the word Karon in it, would show up as the nice beachfront property when we Googled it when previewing the itinerary.  The "Karon" had no Grand it it’s name and we now know why.

I placed a call to our trip planner at the travel company to try and remedy it.  To his credit, he found a place an hour north, but that would cost us another $3,200.  We were told that it was a four-bedroom house on the beach.  We booked it- not willing to spend more than the single night at the “Karon”. 

Day 7 – More Phuket

We arrived the next morning to the four-bedroom house with its own pool as part of the resort.  It wasn’t “on the beach” as there was another house between it and the sand, but it wasn’t far and the facilities were so much better.

The beaches in Phuket are gorgeous- clear water, blond sand, and almost empty, but the waves (at least in the two places where we stayed) are small or non-existent and any swimming exposed you to painful (but not debilitating) jellyfish stings.  So unless your idea of fun is laying on the beach, there wasn’t a lot to do.

Day 8 – Island Exploring, Kayaking, Swimming- Phuket area