With the amount of ease and accessibility that Singaporeans have to Thailand, it sure took me a while before I finally made the decision to check this sun-drenched destination off the map. I’d put it on the back burner for so long because I didn’t want to do that whole turbo-touristing thing, skim its surface, and then call it a day; and yet, I couldn’t quite decide which parts to shortlist my full itinerary down to. There were just too many places. Too many.

After many rounds of longlisting, shortlisting, and then re-longlisting again, I finally settled on the Big Five : Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and sweet tiny little Krabi. 

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Phuket was such a technicoloured dream for me. I did a stay with Hyatt Regency while I was there, and it was just one of the most spectacular hotels I’d ever been to. This is the one at Kamala Cove and not Patong; so it’s so tastefully private and secluded that you don’t even want to leave the compounds sometimes. It’s not the most accessible, I’ll have to say; but that is precisely what made it so decadent.

To be honest, it’s been 5 years and I can’t for the life of me remember the islands I hopped to with Phuket as my base; but let’s just say they were each as crystalline and glossy as the next, so really, does it make a difference? 😅

As far as advice goes though, I’d say to just shave mainland beaches like Patong off your itinerary altogether and stick to island hopping. It’s probably going to cost you a little more, but the former is way too crowded, polluted, unimpressive, and just really not the kind of waters that people speak of when they reminisce about Thailand’s beaches; so please don’t let that form any impression of Thailand’s coasts for you. That’s not the real deal. 

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So it goes, if you come to Thailand without stopping by Bangkok, you’re doing Thailand wrong. 

 I’d second that not in the sense that it is a city you’ll be enamored with; but that it is a city so vastly different from anywhere else in Thailand that to leave it out altogether would be to feed yourself an incomplete (and inaccurate) profile of the country. 

Somewhat like a perennial adolescent, Bangkok is in constant pursuit of an identity, not quite sure whether it’s an international city, party town, business capital, cultural centre, or religious hub; and in its effort in trying to be a little bit of everything all at once, results in a chaotic whirl of a location, breathing life and vitality to those who walk its grounds. 

Even the husky loves the atmosphere. 

Personally, I enjoyed market-hopping in Bangkok more than anything else… so much so that I even detailed in a post 9 Markets in Bangkok that shouldn’t be missed. (Apart from Chatuchak of course, because, like, who doesn’t know about Chatuchak?)

Oh, and yes! I took a chance on a boutique hotel when I was in Bangkok and it turned out to be, the best. It’s called The Davis, and apparently it’s the first boutique hotel in Bangkok. The location is pretty central but… the hotel itself is actually situated right at the end of a really long slip road in; so while there is a train station that stops exactly where you need to be on the main road, the walk in from thereon is like a good 10 minutes.

Such, such, such a reprieve from the craziness of Bangkok. 

(FYI, this is Baan Davis and not Davis Hotel. They’re actually connected; but the latter is more like a hotel while Baan Davis is modelled to be more like a villa. Which is EXACTLY what you need in Bangkok after a crazy day out, trust me.)

I can’t say I did it for the experience, but I moved from Bangkok on to Chiang Mai by way of a sleeper bus – which the entire internet over will tell you is a journey of 9 hours – BUT TOOK A WHOPPING 12 HOURS IN REALITY. 

Like I said, can’t say I did it for the experience – more like I did it to save money; but it definitely turned out to be one hell of a something because now that I’m back, let me strongly advise you against it unless you’re looking for anecdotes to smile over after about half a decade removed. 

I’ve been on many sleeper trains and buses – even the ones in Laos and India; just so you know I’m not being moaning royalty about this – but the overnight buses in Bangkok are really something to write home about. It doesn’t matter how ‘upgraded’ your seat is; I developed hives after the commute – and this is coming from someone who absolutely relishes long bus rides.

That’s right. I make the mistakes so you don’t have to. 

But please don’t let me stop you if that was what you were about to do. There are tons of people online who did it and raved about what a fun time they had; and anyways, no matter how it turns out, you’ll probably be glad you came out of it alive and now with your own wonderful experience to share. 

Chiang Mai, on the other hand, was a whole lot more charming than the commute there. To my complete surprise, a very bustling cafe and hippie scene animates this buzzing suburban town, which I strongly believe is the beating heart of Northern Thailand. It thankfully lacks the dusty congested urban sprawl of Bangkok; and rocks the perfect crisp air and general sense of space and relaxation that most out-of-city towns have.

Laidback yet lively. That’s what Chiang Mai is.

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Chiang Rai was squeezed into my itinerary almost like an afterthought – a 4-hour bus ride away from Chiang Mai, with just a day’s worth of time allowed. The only place I had in mind to visit was the legendary White Temple (the Blue Temple and its likes weren’t around yet in 2016); and I figured that was all the time I needed.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

If there is anything I regretted, it was how little time I spent in the Northern parts of Thailand. Personally, out of all the places I had the honour of visiting around Thailand, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai struck me as the most authentic showcases of the country. The landscapes are a breathtaking mix of religious, traditional and geographical oddities; and in fact, Chiang Rai is probably the country’s centre of indigenous culture, which I really wished I’d taken more time to explore.

So devastatingly magnificent I can’t get enough. 

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The final stopover.

Krabi deserves to be permanently on our list of top holiday destinations; it is so utterly beguiling, so heavenly. Luminescent seas, limestone peaks, and intense jungles – Krabi basically picks up where Phuket leaves off. The latter may be grander in stature, but Krabi is more isolated in location, mellower in temperament – all that you need, really, to appeal to the heart of any beach bum.

So, one other article I did about Thailand was a comparison between Phuket and Krabi and how they measure up against each other. Personally, I preferred Krabi hands down, but it’s hard to exact that same sentiment on everyone because we all travel differently and seek different experiences, which is why the article is carefully crafted to consider both locations across various factors; rather than just straight out laud one over the other based on my own personal preferences. 

What do you think? I still get asked a lot about these two islands and I still find myself awfully fascinated by how you guys decide, so let me know!

I don’t want to jinx it, but till this day, I have not met blue waters I did not love.

And that after-sunset beach glow.

As usual, sieving through these photos after all those years have passed is really making me crave another visit to the country. I think essentially, what makes this land so enthralling is how absurdly diverse it is, and how it can literally offer you any experience you want (unless you’re looking for like, a ski experience). It was an unforgettable two weeks of cultural and spiritual immersion, along with a whole lot of shopping, island hopping, gastronomic discoveries, and cultural exploration. If I could pick one country to represent the whole of Southeast Asia, Thailand would most probably be it. Remember how I said some paragraphs back that if you come to Thailand without stopping by Bangkok, you’re doing Thailand wrong?

What can also be said is that, if you come to Southeast Asia without stopping by Thailand, you’re doing Southeast Asia wrong. 

Let’s let that be established.