Toppers of Thailand
Flying directly to Thailand, for both a sun-drenched beach holiday and a round trip, then you are in the right place. Even better: combine the two.
Most tourists start their tour in Bangkok and end their holiday with a few days at the beach on the island of Phuket.
Chiang Mai
From Bangkok you can be in Chiang Mai after an hour with Bangkok Airways, a young university city full of life. The daily attraction is the night market: Thai families and tourists crowd here between the thousands of stalls with clothing, gadgets, souvenirs and knick knacks, but especially with local delicacies that are prepared à la minute. In the old center you will find most guesthouses and a few small boutique hotels. The larger luxury hotels are located a little outside the center along the river Ping.
Chiang Mai is 45 times smaller than Bangkok, yet the city has more temples. It is wonderful to ride around in a bicycle rickshaw from one temple to another and enjoy the serene atmosphere. In the morning and evening at six o'clock you can listen to the monks reciting in most temples. You can get a foot or body massage on every street corner in Chiang Mai. For just 10 euros, a masseur or masseuse will thoroughly treat you for an hour: not always gentle, but relaxing and efficient.
From Chiang Mai you can cross to the very north of Thailand, about 200 km by road. Chiang Rai is mainly a base for visiting the Golden Triangle, the area where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet and which was notorious for opium cultivation.
Mae Salong is a place that was barely accessible by car 18 years ago. The town is located on the border of Burma, which is one mountain away, to be precise. Mostly Chinese ex-members of the Kuomintang rebel group, who fought against Mao in the 40s, live here. Every tour in Northern Thailand includes a visit to the hill tribes that have managed to preserve their own culture and lifestyle, such as the Padaung, who are known for their necks stretched by rings.
Those who want to relax after a week of touring are spoiled for choice. For many, the South of Thailand is equivalent to the famous islands of Phuket or Koh Samui, but for those who don't want to stay in one place, there is a much more interesting way to explore the South: island hopping.
Krabi
Krabi has a unique location on the dazzlingly beautiful bay of Phang Nga, which was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. Usually, Krabi refers to the handful of beautiful beaches, of which Ao Nang is the best known and most developed. It is located 18 km from Krabi and with a songthaew, a typical Thai taxi, you are there in no time. The kilometre-long family beach Hat Noppharat Thara is located within a natural park of which the island of Koh Phi Phi is also a part. On the south side it merges seamlessly into Ao Nang, which with its white sandy beach lined with many hotel resorts, bars, restaurants and shops is actually the Krabi for many people.
Tropical paradise on Railay beach Krabi, Thailand. Railay is a small peninsula located between the city of Krabi and Ao Nang in Thailand has beautiful beaches and quiet relaxing atmosphere.Even further south it gets really interesting: the beaches of Hat Tham and Rai Lei can only be reached by longtail, a beautiful wooden proa with a high prow to which the Thai sailors tie a flower garland. The most beautiful beach in Krabi is located at the very tip of the headland. You get there by renting a boat from Rai Lei, or by climbing along the beach and over the rocks. Koh Phi Phi is an hour and a half boat ride from the pier in Krabi. This island became world famous because of the film The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. Adventurous travelers trek to Than Bokkharani National Park, about 50 km northwest of Krabi.
Phuket
But the majority of Thailand travelers still choose Phuket, an island in the south of the country that is connected to the mainland by a long bridge. Phuket is so popular because it is flown directly from all over the world, since the end of October also from Brussels with Jetairfly. Phuket is the fun island par excellence, the largest in Thailand.
You will find extensive sandy beaches, a vibrant nightlife, shops, bars and restaurants galore and endless possibilities for an active holiday: diving and snorkelling, excursions by sea canoe between the limestone rocks in the bay of Phang Nga, a nature safari by jeep or on the back of an inland elephant. Moreover, the choice is also on hotels huge: from five-star paradises to simple bed and breakfasts. The largest concentration of hotels is located near the capital Patong and Patong Beach.
Racha Islands
The further you go from Patong Beach, the more beautiful the nature and beaches become. The relatively unknown archipelago of the Racha's is located 20 km south of Phuket. The largest island, Koh Racha Yai, offers everything you would expect from a piece of paradise on earth: beautiful bays, white sandy beaches, swaying coconut palms and a clear blue sea with beautiful coral reefs. At night there are millions of stars in the firmament here.
Of all Phuket locations, the water around the Racha Islands is the clearest. The sand in the U-shaped bay of Ao Tawan Tok is snow white and resembles talcum powder. Racha Yai is especially popular as a day trip or for divers and snorkelers. You can also stay in a few simple bungalows and one luxury hotel, The Racha. Those who stay at Racha Yai mainly look for peace and quiet and prefer not to know about the tourist madness in Patong.
Koh Samui
After Phuket, Koh Samui is one of the most popular islands in Thailand. You can fly there in less than an hour from Bangkok or Phuket with Bangkok Airways in less than an hour. Thirty years ago this was an island of fishermen and plantations of coconut palms and rubber trees. But that changed when hotel chains caught on to tropical beaches. Fishermen who owned a stretch of beach suddenly became wealthy.
Today, most of the 40 km of sandy beaches on Koh Samui are fully built up and you have to find a quiet spot. That hasn't been the case on Chaweng Beach for a long time. There it is buzzing with life in the evenings with its many bars and shops.
Bophut and Choengmon Beach in the north are quieter and smaller, with beautiful white sand beaches and picturesque villages. In Bophut, the Belgian Alexander Andries runs a beautiful boutique hotel, Zazen, with bungalows right on the beach. An alternative to busy Koh Samui is Koh Tao, an hour and a half boat ride away. It is mainly known by divers, but the beaches are also wonderful, such as Sai Nuan Beach.
Koh Chang
Much less known than Phuket or Koh Samui is the mountainous Koh Chang - Elephant Island - in the east on the border with Cambodia. The country's third largest island is part of a group of 47 islets that make up a marine park.
It is a party here, especially for divers. In 2003, a Flemish backpacker started a diving school on Koh Chang. Since then, BB Divers has grown into an institution that attracts divers all over the world. But this tropical paradise also offers everything a true beach lover could wish for: an azure blue sea and white beaches with powder-fine sand against a backdrop of coconut palms and mountains covered with tropical rainforest.
The most popular places are White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Khao), Klong Phrao, Kai Bae and Lonely Beach (Hat Ta Nam). Tourism is still in its infancy. The accommodation is therefore still quite limited. For the time being, because the first hotel chains have now settled here. It is best to travel to Koh Chang from Bangkok in four hours by bus to the port city of Trat. From there it is another hour by ferry.
Bangkok
It would be a shame to ignore Bangkok. An experience is to take the Airport Rail Link from Suvarnabhumi Airport, a subway above the city; which takes you to the center in half an hour.
In Bangkok you can sleep in a decent guest house for a few euros per night or in a chic five-star hotel for a few hundred euros. Brand new is the Salil Hotel Sukhumvit. From ± 40 euros per night without breakfast. Also special is The Eugenia, a boutique hotel that is filled with antiques. From ± 140 euros per night with breakfast. Spectacular is the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, with its 304 meters the tallest building in Thailand, with swimming pool and bar on the roof! From ± 65 euros per night with breakfast.
Eating is a feast in Bangkok. Taste the tasty, spicy cuisine at a cheap food stall or in one of the exclusive The Dome restaurants. You can find them in unique locations, often sky high, such as the Lebua Sirocco bar that seems to float above the capital.