Holidays in Thailand are holidays about golden Buddhist temples, a bloody history and a frenetic marketplace culture. Holidays in Thailand can also be about luxury resorts or sailing round the islands or discovering the culture, but they are always about friendly smiles and idyllic white beaches whether you go to Phuket or Bangkok.
Most holidays in Thailand begin in Bangkok, both a climate controlled consumer mecca and a hot, humid and colourful market place. No holidays in Thailand should be without an attempt at bargaining, of visits to some of the ancient, golden roofed temples that poke out above the newer buildings, Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Traimit and the Grand Palace come highly recommended. No holidays to Thailand should be without a few meals from street vendors, some cheap pampering and seeing some graceful local dancing. And if you’re not a shopper or a dancer, maybe consider ducking off to see some Muay Thai boxing before the end of your holiday in Thailand.
Thailand has hundreds of islands, but the two most popular for island holidays in Thailand are Ko Samui and co. in the Gulf of Thailand near the Ang Thong Marine Park and Ko Phi Phi and co. in the Andaman Sea near Phuket..
For island holidays in Thailand about relaxation, luxury, walking along footprint-less sand and warm waters, Ko Samui and Ko Tao are the best choice. Ko Tao is also a good choice for low budget holidays in Thailand and people who like diving and snorkelling.
On the other side of Thailand, the Andaman Sea Islands are the ones that look like giant limestone daggers with a sprinkling of bright green alfalfa jungle on top, plunging deep into sandy turquoise seas, and these provide the best backdrops for sailing or island hopping holidays in Thailand.
Phuket is another popular destination to add to itineraries of holidays in Thailand. It’s the coast’s busiest hub, so has some of the heartiest nightlife as well as some spectacular beaches: Katanoi, Surin, and Patong are recommended by World Reviewers. The Ko Phi Phi islands, used as a location for ‘The Beach’, are some of the best known and still most beautiful and an old favourite for holidays in Thailand. You can only stay on Ko Phi Phi Don, the larger island; Maya Bay, where ‘The Beach’ was filmed is on smaller Ko Phi Phi Lee. Ko Lon, Ko Lipe, Ko Lanta and rocky Krabi are quieter islands to base your Andaman island break on, all offering a mix of local hospitality, tropical beach vistas and watersports, and there’s the choice to stay on one or hop between depending on time restraints. Wherever you choose to stay it’s worth factoring in a day trip into your holidays in Thailand, to Phang Nga Bay, and see James Bond island and Koh Pannyi island, which still has its traditional stilt fishing villages built over the water.
The best time for holidays in Thailand is between December and February but as far as the weather goes, Thailand is pretty blessed all year round.