Preeti has been a perfect companion to happily bear my temper and demands..and mutual love, care, affection for each other has helped us sail through at ease.
I needed the perfect destination to celebrate and mark a milestone in our journey together.
Neena Pereira from Mini And Jone Hospitality, helped me plan the trip at breeze.
This is my third trip with her, and she is the best when it comes to advising on our choices and planning a perfect trip.
Do ping me if you need her contact to plan your domestic / International trip, I will be happy to share!
So, we started planning this trip 2 months in advance, and Neena helped me with all the bookings and suggestions on the entire itinerary in Thailand.
She handled all the bookings, planned each day's activities, Money Exchange, Travel card etc.
Even my last minute decision to buy a Travel Insurance just when I boarded the Cab to Airport at 07:30 PM, was organized within 30 minutes!
Day 1
We were all set and took a early morning Thai Airways flight to Bangkok.
As we landed in Suvarnabhumi Airport, we got our On-Arrival Visa stamped in 1.5 Hours.
People were panicking and running around, as many of them were unprepared. Communication & getting right assistance is a challenge as the Airport Staff do not speak or understand English much.It is pretty simple, all one needs to do is Google & research before hand on the process & documentation (which is very simple).
Boarding Pass, Immigration Card, Filled Application Form, Return Flight Ticket, hotel booking voucher, 4X6 Photo, 2000 Bahts and nothing more.
As we finished the Visa formalities & collected the baggage, I took one local Travel SIM for 299 Bahts that was valid for 8 days with unlimited Data, Free Incoming calls and 40 Minutes of Outgoing.
Suvarnabhumi Airport is a pretty huge one and it was indeed some walk to get to the Domestic terminal, check-in the baggage again to our next flight to Phuket.
Our first breakfast in Thailand and we had to start with their famous Pad Thai, and it was good!
Another 1.5 hours journey on Thai Smile Airways and we land in Phuket. Our pickup was arranged and we reached Sunset Beach Resort in Patong.
Clean Rooms, good ambience, nice food, good sea view...However, staff were not very helpful as they did not take much of efforts to comfort their guests.
After having a quick lunch at their Restaurant, we rested for couple of hours and set out for our Phuket Town exploration.
I did hire a two-wheeler for 3 days (@ 200 Bahts per day).
Phuket is a very well maintained and clean city.
We spent the evening at the Phuket Weekend Market. A very colourful Market dominated by the Street Food. We tried many local savouries including Roti-Egg-Cheese, Corn & Honey, Coconut Ice cream.
Music performances, Thai Dance performances, artists, arts, hand made crafts, souvenirs donned the market.
Day 2
A visit to Phi Phi Island was planned for the day, with a car picking us from Hotel to Phuket Harbour. We boarded a Big Boat that took 2 hours to reach Phi Phi Islands.
Phi Phi Island is just beautiful with breath taking, jaw dropping views. Leonardo DiCaprio's "The Beach" movie was shot here!!
Unlike the reviews online, Big Boat ride was very well organized and well managed. They took care of the guests, including providing Sea Sickness tablets, Sea sickness Bags and regular announcements on the schedule.
They had managed the groups well, by way of providing colour coded stickers depending on the package & activities each had pre-booked.
Big Boat was self sufficient with clean toilets, large decks to move around and enjoy the views. Welcome drinks, coffee, fruits, biscuits added to their quality service.
Phi Phi Island was truly mesmerizing, the views, clear blue water added to the wow factor.
Once we reached the Beach, we were transferred to a Long Tail boat that took us 2 -3 KMs away from the beach; all were provided with Snorkelling kit and a Life Jacket.
We both being non-swimmers the staff assisted us to get into the water and complete the activity. He guided us on the tricks and how to effectively snorkel.
The underwater views, colourful fishes were truly enchanting. After spending an hour there, we were driven back to the beach. The short drive after getting a glimpse of the mesmerizing underwater world was so peaceful, beautiful...we could relate to the scene from "Zindagi milegi na dobara".
"Pighle neelam sa behta ye sama,
neeli neeli si khamoshiyan,
na kahin hai zameen na kahin aasmaan,
sarsaraati hui tehniyaan pattiyaan,
keh raheen hai bas ek tum ho yahan,
bas main hoon,
meri saansein hain aur meri dhadkanein,
aisi gehraiyaan, aisi tanhaiyaan,
aur main… sirf main.
Apne hone par mujhko yakeen aa gaya."
The changing room & shower facilities were very well maintained. They served good, tasty food.
Big Boat ride is obviously not for the ones who have travel sickness. Despite having provided Tablets for Sea Sickness, we found many kids and women suffering due to the bumpy ride as the Boat keeps wobbling through out.
We were dropped back to the hotel by 5:30 PM.
After resting for couple of hours, we went out to the Phatong City Area and explored Bangla Road. Well, Bangla road is the most happening place in Phuket, it's full of life, Pubs, women, flashy neon lights, Music...rest is censored ;)
Day 3
The day was at our leisure. We rode around Phuket and covered most of the tourist destinations on our own, courtesy: Google Maps!
We covered Wat Challong Temple, Big Buddha, Karon Beach & Kata Beach.
The Drive to Big Buddha was very pleasant. We had to ride on the Ghat Roads..While riding down the hill it started raining heavily, and we stopped at a Restaurant to have lunch.
The Greenery, wet weather, chilled climate made the moment just beautiful. The Island weather could be just dramatic, as the cloud was fully covered within a minute.
Our evening routine was to visit Patong beach-Bangla road area and settle at one of the many places to chill out.
Day 4
The day to visit Krabi Islands in the Big boat. We were picked up early in the morning to the Phuket Harbour.
But as heavy rains were expected on the day, the organizers cancelled the trip and we were dropped back to the Hotel.
Considering our experience with Big Boat ride to Phi Phi Island, we could imagine the ride in the rough weather, and were not very disappointed. (The Money was refunded)
We took the bike and drove towards Kamala Beach.
Kamala Beach is one of the most serene, calm & a beach to relax. Unlike other beaches, Kamala Beach is very peaceful and not much of Sports activities / Entertainment, but just pure relaxation.We got the Thai Massage done here, with a shop run by traditional Thai women. The massage was relaxing, but did not live up to the hype of a "Thai Massage".
As they predicted, it started to rain heavily. The rains were accompanied by heavy winds which made the scene look horrifying...
The rains made the ride back through the short ghats more beautiful, while we stopped for a good sumptuous Thai meal.
And our last evening in Phuket had to end by visiting the Bangla Road area as we settled down at an Irish Pub this time.
Day 5
We had one of the best times together and perfect Anniversary celebrations...The awesome Phuket really gave us memories to cherish. It was time to move to our next destination - Bangkok!
Bangkok is a true international city: Express ways, huge traffic jams, people with multiple ethnicity, tall buildings & the urban skyline.
We checked-in to Solitaire Hotel in Sukhumvit. It's a grand hotel with plush setup, cozy & very well maintained rooms and hotel with high standards of cleanliness & quality!
Our first Mall visit was Terminal 21; we explored multiple options of transport and found 2-wheeler taxis to be fast & economical.
Terminal 21 Mall has a unique concept of city wise theme for each Floor. Paris, London, Tokyo, Jamaica, San Francisco and couple of more.
"Soi 11" in Sukhumvit is the party Hub in the area, and we settled at "8 on Eleven", a very nice place. This became our party destination every night..
Day 6
D Day, our 10th Year Anniversary!
We went on a city tour, covering Marble Temple, Golden Buddha & The Grand Palace. The Pictures speak for themselves about the grandeur of each place and these are must visit in Bangkok.
The City tour lasted for half a day. In the evening, we visited some of the best Malls in Bangkok - Siam Paragon, Siam Centre, Siam Discovery & MBK Malls.
The gigantic Malls offer everything one could think to shopping.
We ended the day celebrating our Anniversary at one of the Roof Top Restaurants in our Hotel. Bangkok's beautiful Skyscrapers offers best views from many Rooftop Restaurants, making it a romantic setup.
Day 7
Day tour to Pattaya, a 2 hour drive from Bangkok. A typical Beach town setup, with massage parlours, Beer joints and loads of Shopping areas.
Pattaya is filled with Indian tourists (More than to one's liking in a foreign country!), and every alternate Restaurant is Indian!!
Pattaya Floating Market is a unique experience..a market to buy souvenirs, clothes and street food. Though this one was not the original floating market for the locals, and is created for tourists.
After spending about 3 hours at the Floating Market, we proceeded to Alcazar Cabaret Show!
The dazzling, eye catching, gorgeous sets (that changes for every performance), extravagant costumes and lightings are fascinating, magical and is a must-visit while in Pattaya.
Day 8
The last day of our trip, and we had to check-out from the Hotel after a sumptuous breakfast.
As our flight was at 09:30 PM, we planned to spend the day at Chatuchak Weekend Market.
A Shopping area spread across 35 Acres with it's sheer size and diverse collections, where people literally "Shop till you drop".
Though we spent 4 hours in the market, we could not even cover 25% of the area!
After a draining, yet a great experience of such a massive market, it was time to conclude our wonderful trip to Thailand.
It was indeed a fun-filled, romantic get away. Exploring Phuket on Bike, visits to Temples & Palaces, Phi Phi Island tour gave us the real feel of Thailand.
Clean cities, beaches with clear water, well maintained roads, public amenities, disciplined drivers, smiling people adds to the charm of Thailand!
Everything I had heard about Thailand was true...
A Place to party hard & colourful night life - Yes
A Place with breath taking natural beauty - Yes
A Place with royalty, rich heritage & history - Yes
A Place for food lovers - Yes
Shopper's paradise - Yes
