I am a planner and traveler, so when it’s time to organise a trip I’m like a kid in a candy shop. I was on a mission to pull together an itinerary for a holiday in Thailand for myself, my aunt, cousin, and friend for two weeks.

We were looking for more of the chilled side of the islands rather than the party side. After a lot of research and help from Meghan’s blog I had settled on Koh Lanta for beach and Chiang Mai for culture with a few excursions in between.

Since I was planning for others, I put together I detailed itinerary (both word and excel documents were sent to each person traveling, with probably more detail than any of them wanted, but then again they did put me in charge of planning). Here is a more visual version of that itinerary with a detailed day to day itinerary included below –

Day 1-3 were travel intensive, overnight flight from London to Bangkok with a transfer then to Krabi airport. Since we got in late we stayed for one night in Krabi town before carrying on the next day to Koh Lanta.

Day 4-6 were spent on the beach, in the water, and cruising around the island on our scooters. Dreamy! Sunset Bungalows was a great choice, standard beach accommodation, but the family running it was lovely and we felt right at home there. Staying right on the beach has it’s perks, especially the sunset massages right next door. The beach was lovely, Koh Lanta doesn’t have the picturesque beaches that you find when you search Thailand on Instagram, however there are boat tours to remote islands nearby and was a great day out. The cherry on top of the cake was finding Pure, just down the street from us. The first of its kind on the island, the food was fresh, healthy, delicious and in that heat the smoothie bowls were heaven. Koh Lanta is a great choice if you’re looking to relax and enjoy yourself.

Day 7-12 started with a bit more traveling, back to Krabi and a short flight to Chiang Mai. Before diving into part two of the trip, we decided to have an adventure and spend one night in a treehouse. This place was unlike anywhere I’ve ever stayed, the architecture of each of the treehouses was so unique. I can’t say I had the best night of sleep, but it was certainly an experience I won’t forget from taking a dip in one of the swamps, to bike riding into the sunset, and drinking in the treehouse, such a laugh.

After that we checked into the beautiful Amata Lanna back in Chiang Mai, which felt like paradise walking in. The rooms were ornate, comfortable, and just a bit of luxury. Chiang Mai is an incredible city to explore, the temples, the people, the music, the food, and the elephants, what’s not to love? One of the most memorable parts of the trip and something I will never forget was our visit to the Patara Elephant Farm. Elephants are magical creatures, I have always felt a connection to them, so I struggled in deciding whether or not to go on one of these excursions and tried very hard to pick one where the animals are being looked after. The program offered here was called “Elephant Owner for a Day”, created for everyone to learn and interact with elephants as what an owner would do daily. You’ll have to make your own decision on this, but I found it to be a wonderful experience where the team and the elephants are family. I will never forget my day with ‘Calm’.

A few things not to miss in Chiang Mai…1) a night out at the North Gate to listen to music 2) eat loads of great food, my favorite (and the cheapest) pad thai was from J-UAN Restaurant & 3) take a cooking class, we went with A lot of Thai home cooking on our last day!

FULL DETAILED ITINERARY

• Day 1 (Friday, 1st April): Travel day, depart from London, Thai Airways
• Day 2: Flight transfer in Bangkok (BKK) to Krabi (KBV)
  • Taxi available at airport, 24 hours service (400 baht to hotel)
  • Hotel: U Residence Hotel (1 night)
• Day 3: Travel from Krabi town to Koh Lanta
  • Private transfer (with aircon) arranged by Sunset Bungalows (2,500 baht for 4 of us), journey time 2.5 hours with multiple ferries
  • Hotel: Sunset Bungalows (3 nights)
• Day 4 & 5: Enjoy Koh Lanta
• Day 6: Travel from Koh Lanta to Krabi Town
  • Taxi arranged by Sunset Bungalows on arrival to hotel in Krabi
  • Hotel: Sleep Whale Express (1 night)
• Day 7: AirAsia flight from Krabi (KBV) to Chian Mai (CNX)
  • Taxi: Treehouse Hotel arranged pick up (1500 baht total). Journey time 1.5 hrs with complimentary stop at Sticky Waterfall and the fresh market to eat lunch
  • Hotel: Rabeang Pasak Tree House Resort (1 night, 1 treehouse (Coconut House))
  • Dinner ordered (served 6:30PM), eat at treehouse (300baht/person)
• Day 8: Treehouse to Chiang Mai, leave after breakfast
  • Breakfast ordered (served 8AM-10AM), eat at treehouse (150baht/person)
  • Hotel: The Amata Lanna (3 nights)
• Day 9-11: Enjoy Chang Mai, top things to do –
  • Explore old city and temples
  • Patara Elephant Farm (5,800 baht/person)
  • A lot of Thai Home cooking class (short course 4.5 hrs, 1,200 baht per person)
  • Get massages!
• Day 12: Travel home, Thai Airways

If you need help in planning or have questions do let me know! x

< Traveled April 2016 >