Last summer was all about slurping bottomless Aperol Spritz's and enjoying the Mediterrannean Sea. This year, it is all about slurping endless Pad Thai and enjoying the island life of Phuket. We visited Thailand for 5 days earlier in March this year and what a fabulous 5 days it was. This trip was originally going to be a group travel trip through our lovely friends at Trekkup - however due to lack up uptake; we went at it alone - and it was quite possibly one of our favourite trips yet!
Flights & Transfers
We flew direct from Dubai to Phuket on Emirates Airlines. Return flights in economy cost approx. AED6000 for the two of us, with a return flight back from Bangkok and including an internal/dosmetic flight with Air Asia to the capital also. Flights run up to x4 times a day. It is an easy route and you'll be in your final destination within 5 hours. Alternatively, you can enjoy one of the many budget flights with Fly Dubai, where prices start at AED2000pp return. However, they only fly to Krabi and Pattaya - so you'll have slightly longer transfers if choosing to stay in the neighbouring cities of Phuket and Bangkok. Transfers are very easy to get hold of, with many taxi companies awaiting your arrival - they will literally take you anywhere around the island. Prepare yourself for a 45-60 minute journey however, as traffic around the island is chocker-block, so a simple journey can take triple the amount of time. In order to ensure you don't get scammed; avoid the black/limousine style taxis by all counts. In addition to this, only get in a yellow cab with a green roof - avoid the yellow cabs with pink roofs, or are fully pink in their paint job. Yellow cabs are operated by the government, so therefore have a standard charge per kilometre. The pink cabs follow a similar concept to Uber, so can charge as little or as much as they like, as they aren't on a metre.
Accomodation
When staying in or around Phuket, there are many beautiful and affordable resorts to choose from. What you will get for your buck will really stretch far - you will instantly feel as though you are in paradise for a fraction of the price back at home. We made use of our Marriott Bonvoy Points and spent 25,000pts a night (equal to $200) for a deluxe sea-view room at the Westin Siray Bay. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here (despite only being there for 2 nights - 1 night at the start of our Phuket stay, and the other night at the end, 3 days after our sea expedition...but more on that in a moment). The staff are incredibly attentive, the service is premium, the food and beverage quality is delectable and the comfort and decor of the room is pretty, yet practical. One of the perks of being an Elite Bonvoy member is that as well as being well looked after; we got to enjoy an additional 15% off our entire bar bill. Thailand is incredibly cheap to begin with - with a beer avergaing $2-3. Thailand is traditionally very much a serving culture, and we haven't experiened this level of high-class customer-centric service on our travels for a long time! It did however feel very different in Bangkok (which in my opinion feels just like any other big Asian city), but as a tourist you really do protected and valued in and around Phuket. One other perk about this particular resort, is it offered free shuttles buses to Phuket Town Centre and the beach - the journey only takes 10 minutes and the bus schedule operates 4 times a day.
Sea Kayaking Expedition: Days 1-3
Now the reason why we only stayed in Siray Bay for 2 nights (for the beginning and end of our time in Phuket), is because we had plans to go on a 3-day sea expedition with the team at John Gray's Sea Canoe. Tourists typically tend to follow in Leonardo Dicaprio's footsteps by frolicking toward Phi Phi Beach, Maya Bay and James Bond Island - whilst these islands are stunning; Adam and I always make every effort in our travels to find things 'off the beaten path' (or shore in this instance). There are over 100 islands (Koh in Thai), so why do people only stick to the same 5? We spent x3 days with our trusted team of guides and local fishermen to help us find as many unclaimed islands as possible - sadly not for real estate purposes, as beautiful as they were.
We started our first day of the tour from Ao Po Pier, where we spent an hour on a ferry boat, taking us to Hong Island - we then met our guides, had a delicious welcome lunch with fresh fish and papaya salad, which was caught and prepared that morning (washed down with a couple Changs for good measure) and then proceeded out on our kayaks. This first day was very much guide heavy, as they were getting us used to navigating around the shallow lagoons and bat caves - the sights were wonderful indeed, and it was the first time on our travels where we truly lived in the moment - hence the minimal supportive photos. It was just us, our guides and the pleasant sounds of nature - the river monkeys catching fish, chirping indigenious birds, coral crabs, bats and the splashing of the low tide aginst our plastic canoes.
After enjoying a day at Hong Island, we headed to a private island - which would be our home and camping spot for 2 nights - literally sleeping on an untouched island, under the stars, surrounded by nothing but bioluminescent plankton and the sound of Andaman sea waves crashing on the shore. It was dreamy, until we faced the reality of trying to work out where to s**t outside.. Despite the anxiety, it actually felt pretty cool to stay on the island where reality TV series, Survivor was filmed.
A few hours later; we unpacked, pitched up our tents and enjoyed a local BBQ on the beach. As well as being our sea expedition guides; these boys also provided endless entertainment, were excellent chefs and even better fishermen - meaning we enjoyed fresh, delicious local cuisine every night! Our first night featured a delicious Pad Thai, with fresh coconut water, cream, chillies, lemongrass shiitake mushrooms and sticky rice. We lapped up our freshly caught oysters. The boys hacked away and cracked open the shells, grilled on a BBQ and we gobbled them down smothered in a homemade, peanut satay and chilli sauce = wow! Dessert featured many fruits which were found on the island, along with Thailand's famous mango sticky rice. Washed down with a few beers, whilst enjoying the incomparable sunset; it was heavenly. Once the stars came out, our guides then asked us to join them in the water for our next surprise - thousand of bioluminescent plankton lit up the surface, and we enjoyed our own private disco with Mother Nature. Our last surprise before bed was a celebration called Loy Krathong. With Thailand being a Muslim heavy country and our trip taking place over Ramadan - our guides crafted together a water bird, all made from banana palms and sustainable material. The tradition is to light the bird with incense sticks, make a wish and send the boat-like material to sea under the light of a full moon. This was a lovely tradition to be a part of and you could really see how much the boys enjoyed teaching us about their culture and local island traditions.
Day 2 and 3 had a very similar concept to the above. We kayaked hard from island to island - each trip taking about 1-2 hours of solid sea kayaking. It was difficult and no mean feat, and my arms definitely felt a wee bit pumped by the end of the trip. We enjoyed snorkelling with local dory fish, trekking through sea caves and grottos, climbing volcanic rocks and cliff diving, whilst truly embracing local life. We dine at unheard of outlets - literally being the only white people and foreign accents in town; but were welcomed with open arms.
In total we visited 12 different islands and Kohs - you find the full itinerary hosted by John Gray and his team by clicking here, along with many other fun day trips and expeditions. We honestly could not recommend them enough. If you have little time in Phuket and want to make the most out of every inch of the island, whilst avoiding clueless tourists and instagrammers in the wild and tasting local life; then look no further!
After an incredible 3 days, our despression loomed in like the tropical storm that night; as our driver took us back to resort life. Everything felt so different - there were loads more people and things felt much more commercialized. We actually enjoyed no phone or internet signal for 3.5 days and being totally 'off the grid'. What we didn't enjoy however, was our morning baths in the sea and desperately needing a shower before our couples's spa treatment. This shower felt as though I was reborn, as we washed away 3 days worth of sea salt superglued to our hair and sand in every crook, cranny and crevice. And with that we proceeded to the spa and enjoyed a 150 minute treatment for 5000bhat - we divulged in the Hope Package at the Heavenly Spa at Westin. Still much more than you would pay for a traditional Thai Massage in the town centre, but still worth every penny. Our skin was smoothered, muscles released and relaxed and thoughts uplifted with an aromatic scrub and relaxing signature massage. We started with a thai herbal steam room session, followed by and aromatic milky bath, then rubbed down for dear life (possibly losing a layer of skin in the process) with an exfoliating body scrub and finished with a side-by-side massage.
As good as it was to have a well-deserved wash and pamper session; we also felt that we wasted an afternoon. Our time in Thailand was very short to begin with and that precious time could have been spent visiting the iconic Big Buddha or the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. Whilst we visited Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary when in Bangkok and saw endless Big Buddha's; we felt as though we could spa anywhere in the world - let's not waste our time on missing out on local culture.
We dined our last Phuket supper at Seasonal Tastes - the local buffet restaurant in the resort. Whilst the food was delicious, nothing compared to the local seafood we had spent the last 3 days eating by local mumma's who were masters at fishing, herbology and spice.
Bangkok
Day 4, we woke up early and headed to Phuket Airport for a domestic flight on Air Asia to the capital. Whilst the flight ws comfortable, it is a budget flight for a reason - we had to pay extra for our checked-in luggage and the flight was 2 hours late. The flight route runs at least 20 times a day, so there is no pressure from the airline to ensure the aircraft gets in on time. Phuket airport is very busy, as many travellers and tourists flock there to then head toward Bangkok and Chang Mai.
When finally arriving in Bangkok (just a short 45 minute flight later), we headed straight to the Sheraton - another hotel which was booked through Mariott Bonvoy points. 55,000pts for 2 nights and nowhere near as welcoming and luxurious feeling compared to Phuket. The location was central, right on the river and easily accessible for many taxis and tour operators, as well as being immediately adjacent to the famous IconSiam Mall. The hotel was however a bit dated in its decor and posessed a musky/damp smell with the AC. We didn't overly mind as the stay was essentially free and we barely spent any time in the room, as Bangkok saw an action-packed itinerary. Which was very much the case as we dropped off our bags, freshened up, changed our clothes and were back out the door again within the hour, ready for our Bangkok By Night - Tuk Tuk and Food Tour. This tour was actually a collaboration we did with Get Your Guide, but will typically cost you approx. AED200 per person. And it really is a great tour. Thailand is incredibly hot and humid, so you really appreciate the wind in your hair and breeze that a whizzing Tuk Tuk provides. We got to enjoy Wat Arun (one of the famous temples in the city centre), along with endless Michelin Star Food Stands. The street food is truly incredible. Even though we picked up dysentary previously in Nepal; we knew we had to risk the dodgy back alleyways in Bangkok, as the aromatic scent and greasy fumes were just lurring us in.
If you are planning a visit to Bangkok and their famous China Town Markets; you MUST visit Jay Fai - a 70+ year old veteran in the culinary world, who stands in the same spot for over 12 hours; whipping up her famous Michelin Star Awarded breakfast egg omelettes. Whilst this place may look quaint and unheard of; ALL locals very much know this spot exists. The outlet operates a strict walk-in only policy, and queues to get a table start from 6am; with all tables fully booked by noon (if you're lucky). The restaurant opens from 7am-10pm. There are still many locals who queue-up on the daily and still haven't been lucky enough to get a seat. Whilst Jay Fai is only really famous for a simple omelette - this omelette will cost you approx. 1000bhat. We cannot comment on how delicious it is, but it has indeed won many awards!
There are many weird and wonderful delicacies available throughout Bangkok. One of them being the famous Scorpion lollipops. Typically, sellers are not allowed to showcase them on their stand, with strict wet market rules following on from the pandemic, but we got lucky with this street stand in particular. Deep-fried scorpions may be the most badge-of-honour-worthy snacks of them all. If you really can't resist, do make sure the stinger has been removed before crunching down on it. A scorpion will typically cost you 50bhat, which is very cheap. We didn't have the guts to try, but we were very intrigued.
What we particularly liked about this tour is the blend of street food sampling and culture. We got to tick all the major sightseeing spots, such as The Emerald Buddha, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, The Reclining Buddha which stands at 60m long and 15m high and finally The Grand Palace. Despite wandering around in 35 degree heat; it was worth every minute, as we saw some truly spectacular sights and learnt alot about Buddhism and Hinduism.
Pattaya Elephant Sanctuary
One tradition which most people do in Thailand is seeing the elephants. This was something we really wanted to do, but had to ensure that the santuary was ethical and it wasn't associated with, or promoted animal tourism. Whilst organizations such as PETA and animal rights activists are cracking down on the tourism trade amongst animals; Thailand is still home to so many sedated tigers and tortured elephants, just for the sake of a tourist pic.
We came across Patayya Elephant Sanctuary through a google search and it had glowing reviews. Chang Mai is the most popular and well reputed elephant resort; however it was a 6hr drive north from where we were staying, and we had no desire of hiring a rental car in Bangkok. Patayya is a 2hr drive away from the capital - a nice drive of that, along a scenic route with rice fields and hilltops. Upon arriving to the reserve; we were instantly greeted by the caretakers who each are given one elephant to look after. We got to learn about their stories, and understand the troubled past each gentle giant had faced, along with being shown war wounds and scarring evidence. We started our day by feeding the elephants - we trekked through the forest and foraged for sugar cane, pineapple and of course bananas; all things our elephants loved. After their unlimited breakfast buffet; we walked them to the lake for bathtime. It was clear to see that the elephants have complete free-roam, with some of them wanting to join us to the watering hole and others preferring to make a mud-bath and lie in the sun. The caretakers were never forceful of the elephants for the sake of tourist enjoyment; which we respected. After a long (and slow) 45 minute walk, we reached the water - we then had to strip down into our bathing suits and get in with the elephants. Taking a bath with an elephant was bizarre, unique and fun. I had the joy of taking care of little Frank. The sanctuary's youngest but most naughty elephant. He was found walking the streets of Bangkok, as he escaeped his Mahout at the age of 1, after being severely beaten with a bullhook - a barbaric device covered in nails which is hit repeatedly into the animal's skull. Frank utterly hates baths. I felt like a mother to a 6000kg toddler, who was trying everything possible to avoid being washed - I was trunked in the face on multiple occasions (which really hurt by the way) and squirted endlessly. It was fun and enjoyable and an amazing memory to look back on however.
We love that the animals felt happy, are well cared for and have free-roam in a gorgeous, spacious sancturary to live out their days. They are too vulnerable to ever be released back into the wild, but this is a good home and rehabilitation centre nonetheless. Whilst this still promotes some level of animal tourism and the centre doesn't operate a volunteer programme; we were well assured that the money we spent will be regenerated back into the centre for essential medical supplies, food, vet care and being able to buyout more elephants from violent Mahouts.
Our Thailand trip was short, but sweet. We saw everything we wanted to - spent x5 days as a local and barely had to take any annual leave. With it being a short, 5hr flight from Dubai; we are confident we will revisit again soon and explore the northern side of the country - a part which equally posesses as much culture as the popular southernly islands. What we loved most about Thailand, is there is literally something for everything. We saw couples, seniors, families, gap-year students, party-goers, photographers - you name it!
Our entire trip, including flights, accomodation, transfers, tours, food, drink and spending money cost AED5500 each. An absolute bargain which we would relive again tomorrow! We felt our time in the country was worth every penny - purely due to genuine kindness and service from the local people, the multitude of tours available, the enriching cultural traditions and gastronomically tantalizing food!
If you need any assistance in booking your upcoming Thailand trip from Dubai; we are more than happy to help you. Just reach out via the contact us page or through instagram.
That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by and having a read. We hope this article has motivated you to start seeking out a vacation?
Take care, be safe and keep on discovering.
Danie and Adam
xxx
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