Two years ago, we spend two months in Thailand and had so much fun – we decided to return. Last time, our route was Bangkok → Ayutthaya → Hua Hin → Ko Samui →
Ko Pha-Ngan  → Phuket Town → Ko Phi Phi → Phuket Town → Chiang Mai → Pai.
Which is why, this time, we decided to try a different route. I planned it meticulously and it turned out to be an amazing trip, combining the luxury and good life of Thailand with much of the local experience. The route we took was Bangkok → Kanchanaburi → Phuket → Phuket Town → Koh Yao Yai island → Khao Lak → Khao Sok → Bangkok (Final night).

Three-week Thailand itinerary

Five nights in Bangkok

We started our trip in Bangkok. We took a Royal Jordanian flight in January. We booked our tickets approximately 4 months at the price of 650 dollars per person from Israel.

Luxury experience

A charming boutique hotel, Casa Nithra, with a rooftop pool – Two nights
Octave bar and Above Eleven, rooftop bars.
A cooking class in the flower market

Local experience

Pho Place Guesthouse in china town – A clean guesthouse in a quite but central location in china town.
Eating street food
Visiting a bar on Rambuttri street
Visiting the king’s palace and the reclining Buddha temple.
Thai massages at 200 baht an hour.
A bike tour of the local market and the jungle

You may read in detail about everything we’ve done in the post “10 Unique, cool things you have to do in Bangkok”

Three nights in Kanchanaburi

Luxury experience

We had a private driver named Tom (Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox)  drive us to Kanchanaburi, stopping at markets along the way. The next day Tom took us bamboo rafting in the river

Local experience

Visiting the floating market in Amphawa and the Railway market.
We stayed at a good guesthouse in a less touristic area, Baan Ma Fueng.
Visited the bridge on the river Kwai
After rafting, took a local train back to Kanchanaburi
Took a local bus to Erawan falls and back
Went out to local bars in the evening and ate at the local night market

You may read in detail about our trip to Kanchanaburi in the post “Perfect three-day Itinerary for Kanchanaburi – Including a visit to the floating market and the railway market”

We took the bus back to Bangkok, then a taxi to the airport and a domestic flight to Phuket.

Three nights in Phuket

Local experience

Since we landed at quite a late hour, we preferred to stay the night at a cheap guesthouse and the move over to the luxurious resort in the morning. We stayed at Pensiri House, a two-minute walking distance from the resort. We arrived by cab from the airport (We asked to pay based on the time the ride took, as it’s a short one – only about 10 minutes).

Luxury experience

We spent two nights at The Slate, a gorgeous resort by Nai Yang beach. You may read in detail about our experience at the resort in the post “The perfect resort for a prestigious vacation in Phuket – The Slate resort”

Two nights in Phuket Town

Local experience

We stayed at the well-situated Beehive Phuket Old Town hostel. We liked the hostel’s service, design and location. However, there was a foul smell in the bathroom and shower, so I wouldn’t quite recommend it. The last time we were in Phuket, we stayed at Baan Sutra hostel, which I liked better.
In Phuket Town we ate at local spots, such as a food court
We walked Talang Road (Map). There’s also a night market there on Sunday’s, which is very cool. The street is full of shops and modern cafés and the houses themselves are colorful and cool.
We ate at the local Lock Tien food court (Map). There’s a stall offering tasty noodles and skewered meat with satay sauce.
We visited the Indy night market (Map), which is a touristic market but with many street food stalls. Next to it is also Limelight Avenue (Map), a small mall with stores and cafés.

Two nights at Koh Yao Yai Island

We took a taxi from Phuket Town to Chianwanich Pier (Map). From there we took a speed boat to Koh Yao Yai island. On the island, we took another taxi to Santhiya resort.

Luxury experience

We spent two nights at Santhiya resort. The resort itself was beautiful, and one of it’s biggest pros is the infinity pool, which offers an incredible view. We spent most of our time in the pool and were amazed by the view each time. The room itself is beautiful too and has a balcony with a jacuzzi in it. The resort houses several restaurants, a gym, spa, library, beach and two pools. The rooms, the infinity pools and breakfast are located up the mountain, so transportation is by shuttles. The shuttles pass rather frequently, but we did have to wait for them a couple of times.

The service itself is good and the employees are nice, but not all of them understand English – so communication wasn’t the easiest. The food at the resort was good, but nothing special. In conclusion, if you come for the view, the room and the infinity pool – Then this hotel is perfect for you. But if you’re looking for a sense of being pampered and a high-quality luxurious experience – We felt something about this resort was missing.

Local experience

Honestly, during our stay, we haven’t left the resort. The island itself seemed charming, and we were bummed about not having enough time to explore it a bit or even stay at a guesthouse and enjoy the island’s local experience.

Three nights in Khao Sok

From Koh Yao Yai island we took a speed boat back to Phuket, where we got on a private cab to Khao Sok (I’d recommend taking a boat that goes to the pier close to the airport if you’re planning on taking a cab). The taxi was 2800 baht and the ride lasted about 3 hours.

If you want to take a bus you’d be better off taking a boat to the pier by Phuket Town, followed by a cab to Phuket Town itself and then a buss to Surat Thani. A bus ride is around 4.5-5 hours long.
We spent three nights in Khao Sok, one of which was at Cheow Lan lake.

I’d recommend getting the tour to the lake through the guesthouse you’re staying at, that way you’ll have somewhere to leave your luggage when going on the tour. The guesthouse owners don’t like guests who don’t order the tours through them, as it’s a major part of their income. All guesthouses offer the same tours, for the same prices.

Local experience

Blue Mountain Guesthouse was a small, homey guesthouse immersed in nature, with a local restaurant run by the guesthouse owners. The tour to Cheow Lan lake was one of the trip’s highlights and the park itself was a lot of fun, too. You may read in detail about our experience at Khao Sok and the lake in the post “Khao Sok national park – magical experience in Thailand, including a trip to Cheow Lan lake”

Luxury experience

I think people who visit Khao Sok should enjoy the local experience and the simple lodging, as you’re not indoors most of the time anyhow. Khao Sok is an experience of nature and vistas.

Two nights in Khao Lak

We booked a van ride through the guesthouse’s owner, which picked us up straight from the guesthouse in the morning. The drive to Khao Lak was approximately an hour and a half, and the driver dropped us off on the main road, adjacent to the hotel we booked, Moracea.

Luxury experience

We stayed at the lovely Moracea resort. It was simpler than The Slate or Santhiya, but still very high-class. It also had the best food, in our opinion (In the seaside restaurants). We liked the beach a lot and practically spent all day on the tanning beds by the beach and the beach itself. We came to the resort with only resting and tanning in mind. The resort houses 4 pools and 3 seaside restaurants. The rooms are very large, pretty and spacious. Breakfast was varied and nice, but ultimately nothing special.

A night in Bangkok

We took a cab from Khao Lak to Phuket’s airport, by the . Our flight was in the afternoon, and we arrived in Bangkok in the evening. We took a cab from Bangkok’s airport back to the Sokhumvit area.

Luxury experience

We spent the night at Solo Sokhumvit2, a boutique hotel we really enjoyed staying at on our previous trip, two years ago. I’m not a huge fan of the Sokhumvit area, I find it too crowded and has a lot of prostitution going on, but also offers street food and is easy to get around due to the sky train.

Bangkok is one of my favorite cities in the world. It combines luxury with a local experience.

It’s a street food superpower with a ton of attractions and things to do. It has night life, massages, crazy cafés, giant malls, rooftop bars on top of buildings and hotels, bustling streets and many, many restaurants, shops, markets and anything else imaginable.

Some information about Bangkok

Private driver

We used Tom’s services. He took us to Kanchanaburi and to the airport. He is a local driver who has a transportation company with his lovely wife Dee (Dee And Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox).

Sim card

At the MBK, on the 4th floor, you can get a sim card for 500 baht for a month, at a 1mbps speed or for 700 baht at a 4mbps speed, unlimited. We bought a 1mbps sim from AIS, which worked excellently and was absolutely enough for a month. The prices start off high, but by haggling you can easily drop them to the aforementioned ones or even cheaper.

Public transport

Bangkok offers a wide variety of options when it comes to transportation. There’s a sky train, taxis, Tuk Tuks (Usually more expensive than a taxi) and shuttles. We used the Grab and Uber apps for cabs, since it comes out as cheaper than grabbing a cab on the street, and you get the extra benefit of knowing the price ahead of time. In the Sukhumvit area, moving around by train is really comfortable, as well as in Siam (A mall area).

Lodging in Bangkok

The hotels we stayed at were:

The Casa Nithra boutique hotel, a 10-minute walk away from Khaosan road.
The Solo Sukhumvit 2 boutique hotel in Sukhumvit.
Pho Place guesthouse in China Town.

Small tip: After booking your rooms, I’d recommend mailing the invitation to Box@pruvo.net. Pruvo offers to let you know by mail if the price goes down, in which case you could cancel your order and book it again for a lower price (Their services are free :)).


Hotel price comparison

Flights

We flew with Royal Jordanian with a stop in Amman.


Searching cheap flights to Bangkok

 

 

 

Things and attractions to do in Bangkok

Going to cafés with a super cool concept

A unicorn café, A Moomins café , A Hello Kitty café , Perhaps Rabbits’, an Alice in wonderland café, Maidcafe Maidreamin, a Japanese-styled house of maids out of dreams, Mocking Tales, a legends and fantasy café, Hajime Robot, a Japanese restaurant in which a robot serves food and dances. Read more about these Cafes in our post “Crazy themed Cafes in Bangkok”.

 

 

 

Going out to rooftop bars

Bangkok has many bars situated on the rooftops of buildings or hotels, which offer a beautiful view over the city, as well as being high-quality bars with a great atmosphere.

We got the chance to visit to such bars, the Octave Bar and the Above Eleven bar.
Octave bar has a very luxurious style to it and is located on the roof of the Marriot hotel on floors 45-49. The entrance is through the hotel itself. I’d recommend booking a spot a few days ahead of time, as it’s almost always full. If you come between 17:00 and 19:00 you can enjoy a Happy hour, during which all cocktails and several other drinks are half priced.

Also, they serve a bar meal for couples up to 21:00, for 1500 baht. The meal is served in a box with drawers, each containing something such as two mini-burgers, chicken nuggets and more. It was really delicious! We enjoyed the food and drink experience very much, as well as the prestigious atmosphere and beautiful view.

 

 

The second bar was Above Eleven, on the 33rd floor. Its entrance is behind the hotel and is less impressive when compared to Octave bar, and the same can be said about the bar’s décor. However, it has a varied food and drink menu and a great atmosphere. We sat at the bar and ordered tow cocktails and a sushi serving, which was really high-quality. This is definitely a visit worthy bar, especially if you’re looking for a lighter atmosphere and tasty food and drinks.

 

 

Doing a cool bike tour

We got to go on a very cool tour in Bangkok, including a tour of a pretty park, an authentic local market (For good and bad) and the crown jewel, which was a short sail to an island in Bangkok where we rode through a jungle as well as the island itself. Read more about our experience in the post “Bike tour in Bangkok – Tour incorporating a local experience and a ride in the jungle”

 

Taking part in cooking lesson in a flower market

On one of our days in Bangkok, we went to a cooking class in the flower market. The market itself is really special and nice to walk around in. We also learned how to make traditional Thai dishes in a fun, memorable way and the class included a tour of the market as well.

Our guides, chefs by profession, we lovely and our meal turned out tasty and colorful.
Read more about our experience in the post “Cooking class in Bangkok – Colorful Culinary experience at a flower market”-
Sadly, The Market Experience had to permanently closed down as a result of COVID-19, but their parent company “Expique” still offers the food tours in Bangkok

Trying street food

One of my favorite things to do in Bangkok was wandering the streets and trying a different street food stall each time. I know many people are fearful when it comes to street food and are worried about disease, but it’s quite the opposite – The raw ingredients are generally fresh every new day.

We didn’t experience any issues with our food, and we ate outside on a daily basis. I would, however, recommend avoiding ground meats and sea food – as those do happen not to be fresh enough in some places, which can be quite bad for you.

We stayed at several areas in Bangkok – China town, Near Khaosan and in Sukhumvit.
My favorite street food was in China town, especially the different soups. The main street, Charoen Krung (Map to the street) has many street food stalls, as does Itsara Nuphap street with houses a food market as well as many stalls, one of which is an excellent papaya salad stall, Som Tam (Map to the street). Also, the boutique hotel Casa Nithra, which lies a 10-minute walk away from Khaosan, is on a street with many good food stalls as well. It’s called Chakrabongse road (Map to the street).

The prices on street food are generally between 20-60 baht, so not only is the food delicious – It’s also very cheap.

 

 

Walking around Khaosan and Rambuttri and enjoying the happy atmosphere

If you want to visit somewhere lively with lots of restaurants, bars and street food – the Khaosan area is exactly what you’re looking for. There is also the Rambuttri street which is slightly less crowded but still has many bars and restaurants. The area itself is quite touristic and you’ll hardly run across any locals there, but it’s a nice place for an evening hangout.

There was a small street bar with good African-American music, and the staff had a cool style we really liked, as well. The bar is Nhoom’s Bar, on Rambuttri street (Map).

 

 

Riding a bike in a jungle on an Island in Bangkok

If you don’t want to take the bike tour, it’s also possible to reach the island independently and rent a bike there. You can ride the bike in the jungle and the island itself, named Bang Kacho, and even find lodging and restaurants on the island. You can reach a small pier named Klong Toey port (Map), where a boat is available to take you to the island (5 minutes of sailing). Upon arrival, you’ll have the option to immediately rent a bike at 70 baht for the whole day or 30 baht for an hour. Visiting on a weekday will be better, as the weekends get crowded, with both tourists and locals coming to the island.

 

Visiting the enormous malls

Truth be told, I get light-headed quite quickly in malls and the ones in Bangkok gave me a strong one – as they are simply huge! The MBK is especially large. Although I’m less of a mall enthusiast, we did get to visit several of them. One time was to look for shorts for Roman (He forgot to bring any with him and due to his height, 1.98, finding pants for him isn’t an easy task) We visited the MBK to buy a sim card on the 4th floor and for the café there. The malls are MBK, Siam Center, Siam Paragon, Central world and Emquartier mall.

If you’re looking to go on a shopping spree and like wandering around malls, you’ll no doubt enjoy the ones in Bangkok.

Visiting the Grand Palace and the reclining Buddha temple

The Grand Palace is close to Khaosan street. Mu recommendation is to arrive at the palace half an hour before visiting hours and wait there, as there are tens of thousands of visitors a day – And although getting up early can be a bummer, it’s better than waiting in line for hours. Also, modest clothing is required, meaning long pants for men and women both, and no tank-tops. The palace is quite impressive and worth a visit (Map to the palace). It’s open every day, from 8:30 to 15:30 and it’s better to arrive on weekdays.

A short walking distance from the palace is a temple with a giant reclining buddha, the Wat Pho. If you’re visiting the palace, you should visit it as well while you’re there (I’ve never personally been to any temple such as this before). Map to the temple.

 

 

Getting a Thai massage

One of my favorite things about Thailand is the Thai massage. The prices there are so cheap, and most places offer excellent massages. I had one almost every two days.
The prices on a Thai massage per hour are between 200 and 500 baht. I mostly had the 200 baht ones and I found them excellent, but the better spas usually offer the higher priced massages – so if you’re looking a luxurious atmosphere an additional 200 baht may be worth it. You can also get a head and shoulders massage, a foot massage or an oil massage. You can also choose to only get half an hour, or two. Simply put, Thailand is a paradise when it comes to good, cheap massages.

 

From Bangkok, we went on an amazing three-day trip to Kanchanaburi with a private driver named Tom. You can read more about our itinerary in our post “Perfect three-day Itinerary for Kanchanaburi – Including a visit to the floating market and the railway market”

A few days ago, I’ve been to the ITB convention in Berlin, one of the world’s largest conventions in this field. So far, I’ve been to blogger-only conventions – TBEX, but this time I’ve decided to go to the public convention and see what that’s like. I’ve tried reading about it and about what to expect as a blogger but didn’t find much information online, which is why I’ve decided to write a post about my personal experience, as well as logistic matters.

Blogger Sign-up

As it turns out, bloggers may receive free entrance to the convention if they uphold certain criteria (I hadn’t known it originally, and had already purchased a 60-euro three-day ticket… But that’s just me being impatient and not reading the instructions properly :)).

The advantage of signing up as a blogger is the ability to take part in “speed-dating” with companies in the tourism field, which can prove a great business opportunity for a blog.

Acceptance criteria as a blogger

To receive an entrance ticket as a blogger, you need to meet the following conditions:

  1. Operate a blog for over half a year
  2. Have upwards of 4000 monthly views of your blog

You’re asked to mail screenshots of analytics to prove the number of monthly visitors.

Following my registration, I received an e-mail that my sign-up was being processed, and that if I pass the requirements – I’ll receive conformation within a few days.

And so, a few days later, I receive an e-mail telling me I met the criteria, with a printable ticket attached. Additionally, I received a username and password for the system where I had to fill out my blog’s profile to later be used for the speed-dating sign-up, as well. Put effort into your profile, as it’s the profile the companies will see when setting up speed-dating meetings – Their decision whether to meet with you or not will be based on it.

Speed-dating sign-up

I signed-up for the convention in January. Early during February, I received an e-mail beginning the speed-dating sign-up process.

The speed-dating meetings get snatched up quite quickly, so I’d recommend starting the sign-up process as quickly as possible upon receiving the e-mail, looking for companies fitting your blog’s niche and sending them a request for a meet.

It’s important to note there’s only an hour and a half available for speed-dating and only 9 companies you’ll be able to meet during that time. As soon as there’s a match for a meeting, you won’t be able to cancel it – so it’s important to only approach companies you’re interested in meeting with, and not trying your luck with as many meets as possible randomly.

I’d recommend attaching a short letter to every request, since many bloggers will be approaching each of these companies – so it’s important for you to address why you, specifically, could be a good match for cooperation with them (Don’t write a generic letter to all of them either, try and be personal). If the company green-lights the meeting, you’ll receive an e-mail confirming a match.

If it comes to it, you’ll receive an e-mail declining a meeting, usually accompanied by a letter explaining their reasoning. I’ve received several such letters, for example from a company aiming at a German speaking audience while my blog mainly caters to an English or Hebrew speaking demographic.
If you’re not approved, the system will advise searching for another meeting.

Preparation prior to the ITB convention

This convention is the largest I’ve ever been to. On arrival, I just stood there in reverence and had no idea what to do – So It’s important to do some preparation beforehand, to get the maximum out of your time at the convention. It hosts representatives from 180 countries, each one setting up many stalls by many companies. It’s crazy!!!

I’d recommend thinking of which countries interest you in terms of cooperation and checking where their stalls are to be located. There’s a map of the convention on the ITB website, there you can see where each country’s stalls are.

Moreover, there are many lectures (Some in English and some in German). Since it’s not a blogger-only convention, many of these aren’t relevant for bloggers. You should definitely go over the timeline of lectures and see when and where they take place.

I’d recommend getting to lectures 15 minutes early as well, seeing as spots get filled quickly, and you won’t be allowed inside if there aren’t any seats open. This happened to me, the lecture was already full, and the employees didn’t want to let me in – but one saw I had a blogger’s tag and let me in anyway (I’m not sure how often they allow that, so it’s much better to arrive early. Also, I had to sit on the floor, which is less pleasant).

It’s vitality important to bring visiting tickets, media kit and the ticket you were sent via e-mail printed out.

ITB Convention

General, good-to-know facts

The convention has free wi-fi. There are many restaurants and stalls for coffee and street food. Prices at the convention are reasonably priced, but water is really expensive – About 4 euros for a small bottle, So I’d recommend buying water outside.

You need to bring a printed ticket (I recommend color-printed) and you can head for the press entrance to ask for a chain to hang the ticket around your neck. The convention offers coat and bag storage, at 2.5 euros for a coat and 4 euros for a bag.

Since the convention is so big, there are shuttles outside as well as many information desks where you can ask for help and direction, so you’ll know where to go. You can ask for a map to help you orientate, as well.

The ITB convention to a blogger

As I’ve mentioned, this convention is huge! I was there for five days, a few hours each day, and still didn’t get to see all of it. On the first day I was too stunned and just wandered between rooms. On the next day, however, I came focused and went to specific rooms based on the countries I was interested in. The speed-dating took place on the second day, as well, which was very impressive and quick 🙂

Since so many people pass each station, the representatives don’t have much time for talking and aren’t always readily available. If you’re visiting the convention planning on creating cooperative ties, you’ve got the active, head for the stalls and introduce yourself.

The ultimate goal is to leave with the PR/Marketing calling card of the stalls you’re interested in, so that you may be able to address them privately by e-mail and discuss working together. At several stalls, the one available happened to be the person in charge of cooperation with bloggers and I got to converse with them for a few minutes and not just trade business cards.

I also got to listen to a lecture about SEO by Fili Wiese, a former google employee who’s been in the business for 14 years. The lecture was highly professional and productive, and I even got to ask Fili a couple more questions at the end of it. There were many other lectures but as I mentioned, I was in a bit of a shock, and only later found out I’ve missed another lecture that could have been of interest for me.

The ITB convention in general

Beyond being a wonderful opportunity to associate, it’s also very impressive and interesting. I felt as if visiting the entire world over the course of a few days. Every country had fitting décor, and some even had different sets for different regions. There were also shows and costumes, and even little souvenirs you could take.

Some countries served little treats of local food. There were also plays, games and unique exhibits. It was very demographically diverse, there were businessmen, families, bloggers, couples, singles, youths and adults. The convention allows you to see destinations you’ve not thought of or had known before and might fit your blog.

In conclusion,

If you’re bloggers – I’d most definitely recommend visiting the ITB convention, especially to those who’s blog is their business and not just a hobby. The speed-dating is very productive and allowed me to meet companies and hadn’t known previously (And creating a connection face to face is much better than through e-mails). I left the convention with different possibilities for cooperation and ideas for new destinations, and I’m excited to see what might come of it. At any rate, I’m eagerly waiting for new year’s convention 🙂

ITB Berlin – March 2024

I’ll be visiting the upcoming show in March. If you’re a travel blogger and want to hang out or say hello, please ping me over email, via FB messenger or on the ITB App. I love meeting other fellow bloggers and share some experiences.

Many people treat Bangkok as a gateway to the islands or to northern Thailand, or sometimes as a place to do some shopping, when in truth Bangkok holds lots of things to see and to do. One of the coolest among such is going to cafes with a special, sometimes somewhat strange, concept – The type you’ll only find in Asia. When we arrived in Bangkok, I was reminded of having read about a café for unicorns. I told my husband, Roman, that we’ll go there, but upon further research I found that there are many more cafes in such a cool, over-the-top style. 🙂

Despite being on a tight schedule in Bangkok, I told Roman I’d like to visit seven of the cafés I’ve found which seemed the most unique, since they’re really cool and I think people would be glad to know there are such places in Bangkok. He was hesitant to join me at first, but after visiting the first one he decided it was cool and joined me for the next ones, as well (Which is lucky, as I needed someone to take pictures of me :))

We had a special experience which you undoubtedly can’t find outside Asia and I wanted to share it with you and give you some idea of cafés you’ve got to try the next time you’re in Bangkok.

Tips before flying to Bangkok

SIM card

I personally recommend Esim, which is an electronic SIM. I like Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. 

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How will you know that your device supports eSIM ? Very simply go to this link and you will know.

Where to sleep in Bangkok?

The hotels we stayed at were:

The Casa Nithra boutique hotel, a 10-minute walk away from Khaosan road.
The Solo Sukhumvit 2 boutique hotel in Sukhumvit.
Pho Place guesthouse in China Town.
To search for a hotel or apartment in Bangkok

Driver in Bangkok 

if you are looking for a driver in Bangkok, We used Tom’s services. He took us to Kanchanaburi and to the airport. He is a local driver who has a transportation company with his lovely wife Dee (Dee And Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox).

Attractions in Bangkok

There are many more things to do in Bangkok , I wrote a post with cool things you have to do in Bangkok. You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attraction site is called tiqets, the second is the site Get Your Guide or via Viator.

Crazy Themed Cafes in Bangkok - Traveling outside the box

Unicorn Café

This one was among our favorites. Although really kitschy, the pink, optimistic vibe of the place pulls you in and makes you want to stay forever after only a few minutes. There is a menu with many desserts and special slurpees. We ordered a star slurpee and a pancake dish, both of which were really colorful and pretty. The slurpee wasn’t as good, but the pancakes we simply devoured. They also have hamburgers on their menu (We saw a couple order one and it looked really cool). What I liked the most is that you can rent a unicorn costume. I must admit I felt ridiculous at first, but having gotten over it within a few minutes, it became a lot of fun :).

Renting a costume costs you 100 baht, and you can also buy it for 1200 baht. I didn’t end up buying it, which is a bit of a bummer in afterthought. The costumes come in a variety of sizes and I think it’s totally worth getting one as a souvenir!

Unicorn Café
Address 44/1 ซอย สาทร 8 สีลม Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, Thailand

Moomin Café

This coffee house is super cute. It’s filled with large dolls of the Moomin characters. They have a food and drink menu and it’s all Moomin themed.

The café is inside the mall, but once you enter, you feel as if you’ve walked into your favorite childhood show. We ordered a cappuccino and a refreshing fruit drink. We just came from the unicorn café, so we weren’t hungry and didn’t order any of the food, but I did ask the couple next to us to take a picture of their pancakes, which looked good :).

Moomin Café
Address
Inside Siam Center Mall
240 Rama I Rd, Khwaeng Pathum Wan, Khet Pathum Wan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10330, Thailand

Hello Kitty Café

This café is an entire kingdom devoted to Hello Kitty. It’s a very large café, spanning two floors (The largest of all the cafés we’ve visited). Its design is entirely pink, with pictures of Hello Kitty. There’s an extensive menu of food, drinks and desserts. There are vitrines with a wide variety of desserts, such as cakes, cupcakes and more – and they are all Hello Kitty shaped. We decided to have a small breakfast of pancakes, sausages, fried egg and coffee. The meal was very cute, and we enjoyed sitting there and eating a small, heart shaped friend egg on a tiny Hello Kitty toast.

Hello Kitty
Address
Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Alice In Wonderland Café

A coffee house straight out of the stories. Of the cafés we’ve been to, this one’s design may have had the most effort invested into it. While there, you truly feel as if visiting Alice’s world and there’s a side room to take pictures in as well. Of course, we’ve used it for a couple of photos with the mini-cakes we ordered. The café has a vitrine with Alice In Wonderland themed mini-cakes. The atmosphere was more intimate, and the visitors were mostly adults who’ve come to enjoy themselves rather than families.

Perhaps Rabbits’
Address
5/1 Ekkamai 10 Alley, Khwaeng Khlong Tan Nuea, Khet Watthana, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand

Dreamy Maids Café

This café had the coolest waitresses ever. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures, but I can describe them: They’re dressed up as housemaids and when they bring you your order they do a little ceremony which the diners are asked to take part in (A bit embarrassing, but very funny). When the waitress came over to us for the first time she lit a candle symbolizing that from that moment on – We entered the world of dreams and all our wishes will come true.

The concept for this café comes from Japan. I haven’t gotten to visit Japan, but from what I read, the reviews find this experience authentic and very similar to the Japanese experience. They have laws and little rituals like in Japan and the waitresses do a dance sometimes which is really cute and funny.

Of all the cafés we’ve been to, the experience here was undoubtedly the most culturally interesting. The waitresses have a high, child-like voice and they get very invested in their character. The café is inside the MBK and since you’ll most likely get to visit this mall, I recommend trying this café along the way. They also have really tasty, cute desserts – another good reason to visit.

Maidcafe Maidreamin
address
MBK center 7th Fl. 444 Phayathai Rd Pathumwan Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Fairy Tales and fiction inspired café

This café had the highest quality food and drinks, and its design was special with evident effort put into it. It works well for an evening outing as well, since it serves cool, unique cocktails and is open late.

We arrived during the afternoon and decided to have a crazy chocolate soufflé dessert and… Purple yam coffee! (Yes, apparently that’s a thing). It was coffee made with yam, and unsurprisingly tasted a lot like yam. It was a little too sweet for my taste, but definitely a special flavor I’ve never tasted before. The dessert’s presentation was very impressive and unique and we really liked it, despite not usually being fans of chocolate desserts.

Mocking Tales
Address
Thong Lo 4, Khlong Tan Nuea, (4,315.69 mi)

Japanese restaurant with robot waiter

This was the place Roman was most excited by. It’s a Japanese restaurant where the waiter is a robot. There’s a glass separating the tables and the robot (I was a little bummed out by this), but the robot itself is very cool and brings the food up to the table, serving it through a little window.

Sometimes there’s rhythmic music and the robot starts dancing. This was definitely not a day-to-day experience. We ordered a nice sushi dish and beer. The food itself is cheap and tasty, not too fancy, but most come to experience the robot.

Hajime Robot
Address
3/F, Monopoly Park, 59/27 Rama 3 Rd., Thailand

I hope my post helped you. If so, I would very much like you to respond here in the comments, and if you have any more questions, then you are also welcome to ask them in the comments or on the blog’s social networks: Facebook and Instagram. Looking for more information about Berlin ? I have in the blog more posts about Bangkok and posts about Thailand.

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Two years ago, when we were in Thailand we hadn’t known about the existence of this place but having read about it a few months ago – I knew, when planning our trip in January, we would end up going there for sure. The national park is beautiful with many different attractions such as oboes, hiking trails and more – But, most of all, we fell in love with Cheow Lan lake which looked absolutely magical in photos.

How to reach Khao Sok?

The simplest method is a domestic flight to Phuket or Krabi, then a private cab or bus from there. We flew to Phuket, spend a few days there then took a private cab to Khao Sok which cost 2800 Baht and was about 3 hours long (Depends on the part of Phuket you’re in). A bus ride takes around 5-6 hours and costs about 180 Baht. There’s also an option to arrive from the other side of Thailand, from Koh Samui, by shuttle and a bus, but that’s a longer trip and takes about 8-9 hours.

Where to stay at Khao Sok?

There’s the option of staying at the park itself (Either as camping or a hotel) but most lodging is situated a 5-25 minute walk away. There are restaurants, cafés and shops in the area. You can also stay at more isolated locations where you feel more “at nature”. For instance, we stayed at Blue Mountain. A familial place with several bungalows surrounded by nature, with a family restaurant. It took us a 15-minute walk to get from there to the more touristic areas.

 

What Is there to do in Khao Sok?

One of the nice attractions are going to the park itself and hiking along a trail. The park is filled with marked trails, anywhere between 2 and 7 kilometers, and you can go hiking at your own pace. (Entry to the park costs 300 Baht). Additionally, there are many attractions you could do like Oboes, a nighttime jungle tour, Bamboo rafting and more. Overall, all lodging places offer the same attractions at the same prices. There’s also a central area with restaurants, bars, café, massage parlors and some shops.

 

The main attraction is an overnight tour to Cheow Lan lake. Because the lake is absolutely stunning and sailing in it feels like a dream. Beyond that, you stay at floating huts on the water!! Which is one of the most special and relaxing things we got to do on our trip. It’s a no cell-service zone, so you’ll be disconnected from everything and free to enjoy nature and the quiet.

The trip to Cheow Lan lake

The trip itself began with us being picked up from the guesthouse in a minibus which went on to pick-up the others who signed up for the trip. From there, we drove on to the lake’s pier, stopping at a little market on the way. From the pier we boarded a boat and sailed across the beautiful lake. The guide told us about the place and asked the man steering the boat to stop every now and then so we could take photos.

Don't miss Khao Sok, Thailand - Traveling outside the box


Floating cabins on the lake

After about two hours of sailing we arrived at huts on the water. It was a compound with quite a lot of huts, shared bathrooms, a food-table area and the lake all around. There’s nothing within a radius of several kilometers except the lake and the jungle. The huts themselves are really basic, Just a hut with a mattress inside.

But what else do you need? As soon as we arrived, we dived into the lake’s waters and swam. The waters were warm, and we didn’t feel like getting out. There are also Kayaks you can row. Then we had lunch, we were brought many different center-table Thai dishes (There are so vegan options). The food is also constantly refilled, so you don’t leave the meal hungry.

 

 

Vantage point over the lake

After the meal we had some time to rest, then sailed a boat to the mountain – where we hiked up to a vantage point. For the most part, the hike is a relatively simple climb, except for the final 20 minutes which were very difficult and even kind of scary.

If you have a fear of heights, this is probably not the track for you. The view from the vantage point was breathtaking and allowed us to look down over the whole lake area. Crazy! I had a hard time focusing on the view, as there wasn’t much sitting room and we had to huddle on the cliff. I was a little scared at the time, and the climb back down was pretty intense as well. In conclusion, this is a unique experience but isn’t for everyone.


While we were taking a break from the track (Which we used to swim some more), came dinner – we were served fresh fish, which was excellent. After the meal we stayed at the table and spoke with the other members of the group. We had a super cute group, including a Norwegian couple, a Canadian couple and some folks from Germany. We all got beers at the place’s little Kiosk and spend the night playing silly party games.

The sleeping conditions

Sleeping at the cabin was nice and challenging. Since it’s on the water, you feel as if you’re sleeping in a boat (People prone to sea-sickness should be aware of that). The toilets are relatively far from the cabin, so you’d be best served not having too much water before bed. The place itself is run by generator, which gets turned off at 11PM, and there are no lights afterwards.

Day2 at Cheow Lan Lake

Those willing to wake up early can go on a short sailing trip and watch the park’s animals. We got to see monkeys and all manner of special birds. Afterwards was a light breakfast with pancakes and free time to go swimming and rowing kayaks (Those who’re well versed in rowing can get to the nearby islands).

We returned to the guesthouse we were staying at in Khao Sok at around 15:30 (After sailing back to the pier and riding a minibus). This was one of the trip’s most special experiences and we got to meet some great people, as well. The lake is indescribably beautiful. I think the pictures and video aren’t enough either, as this is one of those places you have to visit to fully appreciate how perfect it is. If you’re traveling in Thailand, you should definitely come visit Khao Sok – And whenever you’re in Khao Sok, making the trip out to the lake is a must. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.


Before coming to Thailand, I hadn’t imagined a bike tour to be one of the activities we’d end up going on, but then I found a tour which included riding through non-touristic areas, as well as a small island in Bangkok with a jungle!!! Sounds cool, doesn’t it? I booked the tour through Bangkok Bike Adventure, the tour itself is called Green Bike Tour.

Bike Tour in Bangkok

The tour leaves at 08:00 and the meet point is at the entrance to a restaurant of a prestigious hotel. We arrived by cab and didn’t have time to have breakfast or coffee, so we were glad to be meeting by a restaurant. We arrived a few minutes early and ordered a coffee straight away, that was we could start the morning off right. Our guide, Mas, came and told us about the tour’s route. She was really nice and patient. We were a very small group including Roman and I and a girl from Germany. The bikes were set up for us near the restaurant and Mas told us we can leave any unnecessary equipment at the hotel for safe-keeping.

Ride through the city

We each got a small water bottle and off we went. We started the tour within the city itself. Anyone who knows Bangkok knows it isn’t the most sympathetic city to ride through as there aren’t any bike trails, the sidewalk is crowded by people and the roads are full of cars, mopeds and bikes – but Mas rode slowly and made sure we were following her at all times. If you go slow and careful, there’s nothing to worry about. Plus, the drivers are used to having bikers on the side of the road and pay attention to it. This part of the ride was less pleasant but it’s relatively short and before long we arrived at a lovely park. The park had comfortable trails for riding and we could stop and take photos.


Local experience

After the park we continued to the poorer area, which is less touristic and if not for this tour – chances are you wouldn’t get to see it. There we could see the local lifestyle and it was a nice local experience. We also passed through the local market and haven’t seen a single tourist. The market is a real local experience and could be a bit extreme from someone’s first time in Asia.

They sell everything there, meaning there’s a meat and animal section. If you’re sensitive to smells or vegan/vegetarian, it’s important to be aware of. You may be able to ask to go around the market and not through it, but whoever would like to see a local market will enjoy this opportunity.

 

 

Riding on the island and in the jungle

After the market we rode on through the slums and arrived at a small pier, where we took a boat to the island. We put the bikes in the boat and arrived at the island within a few minutes. This was our favorite part of the tour, the ride at the island the jungle itself – Where we could ride without worrying about cards or people.

Mas said the weekends are more crowded, as there is a market and many locals come there – So the tour is recommended during weekdays. The ride was really fun, and we stopped occasionally to take pictures. At one point we arrived at a lake and Mas gave us some fish food to feed the fish. It’s a no-fishing zone and the fish there get plenty of food 🙂


 

Refreshment break

We moved on to a refreshment stop at a small grocery store in the midst of the jungle. Mas gave us some more water (You can have a soda if you’d like), there was a bathroom and Mas also brought a fruit she bought at the market (One we hadn’t tried previously, it’s flavor is reminiscent of a Lychee). So, we ate from the fruit (She brought a large amount), drank water and rested for a while.

After the break, which was very refreshing, we rode on. This time the ride took place along roads that were quite narrow, so we had to ride carefully and didn’t take as many pictures as Roman had before that. Eventually, we arrived at a temple. By that time, we had exited the jungle and were riding across the island itself. Anyone looking for a calm and relaxed place to be, this is the perfect escape from clamorous Bangkok.

 

Lunch

After visiting the temple, we arrived at a local restaurant for lunch.  That morning, before riding out, Mas asked us if there are certain foods we avoid, so if you have any food intolerances – you’ll find letting her know to be no problem and she’ll order the dishes in accordance to your wishes.

We got center-table coconut milk soup with chicken and vegetables, tofu with tomatoes and Omlette with rice and pork. The soup and tofu were really well done and filling, too. It was a light meal, which was for the best, as we still had more riding to do and didn’t want to be stuffed. Of course, if you’d want more food, that’s also no problem – Roman wanted more rice for example 🙂

 

After the meal we went back to the pier. It was a short ride, following which we boarded the boat again. It took us perhaps 20 minutes to return to the hotel, since we took a shortcut instead of going the Way we had come.

We got back to the hotel around 1PM. The track was 19km. When we arrived at the hotel, we went to the restaurant and Mas brought more water and wet towels and told us we could stay for as long as wanted.

Bike tour conclusion

Tips and notes:

Sadly, The Market Experience had to permanently closed down as a result of COVID-19, but their parent company “Expique” still offers the food tours in Bangkok

So far, In Asia, I got to take cooking classes in Vietnam and India and enjoyed the experiences very much. That’s why, before flying out to Thailand, I decided to look up a Thai cooking class with a special twist. After a lot of internet research, I came across a cooking class at a culinary school belonging to Expique, in Bangkok. What excited me about the class was that it was held at a flower market and included a tour of the market as well as a somewhat less traditional take on Thai cooking.

I booked Roman and I a spot for a 09:00AM cooking class.

How to get there?

You arrive at the Pak Khlong Talat flower market and go in. About half way through, you’ll see a pink ATM next to a flight of stairs. You go up those, there you’ll find a sign pointing the way to the cooking class.

 

Cooking class in Bangkok’s flower market

We arrived at class and met one of the instructors, Tam, who is a professional chef who’s worked in Australia for 10 years. Tam told us a bit about the class and the market’s history. The flower market has a long history, it used to be a floating market, then became a fish market and was later converted into today’s produce market, selling fruit, vegetables and more for over 60 years.

The market’s focus shifted from produce to flowers when the Talat market on the outskirts of Bangkok became a more attractive location for wholesale production. He taught us all manner of important expressions in Thai, such as “Sugar free” or “Mildly Spicy”.

We were a small group, including me, Roman and three very nice girls from Singapore. We gathered in a room and sat down at a table. Tam offered us butterfly tea, which is hugely popular in Thailand. It’s a very dark looking tea that turns purple when you add lemon to it.

The timetable for our class was making an appetizer, a tour of the market and then 3 additional dishes.

Making the first dish in cooking class

For starters, we prepared an appetizer called Miang Kham, to start the morning off with something tasty. The process took place outside of the room, where we had a view of the market. We met the other instructor, Alyssa, who’s also a professional chef and had spent several years working in Europe. Both Tam and she were really nice and spoke excellent English Alissa gave each of us cutting and cooking jobs to prepare the dish.

She told us about the ingredients and offered possible replacements for the ones we don’t have back home. The appetizer was a mix of flavors – sweet, bitter, salty and sour. We put all the different ingredients on a leaf of lettuce, dipped them in a sauce we made and ate them in a single bite.

 

Tour of the flower market

After making the appetizer we went for a tour of the market with Alyssa. She gave us a tour of the food portion of the market. While the market is wholesale and sells to hotels, restaurants and more – tourists can shop there as well. Alissa told us more about the ingredients we saw and bought a few of them for the cooking class. During the tour, we came across a stall selling “butterfly tea”, so Roman and I bought some to bring back to Israel with us, as did the girls from Singapore. The tour lasted an overall of about 30 minutes, then we went back to the lesson.

 

 

Making the rest of the dishes in cooking class

For the second dish we made a fruit salad with a twist. We cut many fruits and put them in a bowl, then made ground pork cooked with garlic and mixed it in. I know it sounds a bit odd, but it was very good. The sweet and salty flavors complimented each other. If you have certain food intolerances or foods you avoid, it’s no problem to notify the chefs when booking the class and they’ll accommodate accordingly. When the fruit salad was done, we placed it in an Pineapple shell and ate it.

Then we moved on to the next to dishes, Curry cream (You can choose between green curry, which isn’t as spicy, and a red one) and Pad Thai.

Each of us had a station with all the needed ingredients. Alissa stood at the head of the table and showed us what to do, and we cooked according to her guidance. Tam helped us, and another instructor joined to help with the preparation. The Pad Thai we prepared with purple noodles and it turned out to be a very pretty dish.

 

 

 

When the two dishes were done, we went over to a set table and got a glass of coconut juice and a place of rice for the curry, each. We all sat at the table together, Roman and I, the three girls from Singapore, Tam and Alissa.

It felt like a restaurant dinner with friends. We sat and chatted and got to know each other better, and in addition to the great atmosphere, the food itself was amazing!!! The curry cream was the best of all curry dishes I had in Thailand (And I got to have many).

Everything was made from fresh materials and seeing as Tam and Alissa are chefs, they put a lot of effort and attention to detail into the preparation. The Pad Thai was amazing, and just the sweetness and spiciness I like (It’s nice to be able to taste the food as you’re cooking and adjust it to your tastes).

 

Things we liked about the class

Tips and notes on the class

To summarize the class

If you’re looking to do something cool in Bangkok, have a local experience at the market, combined with great food you learn to make yourself – This is the perfect cooking class.

 

A year ago, when I worked as a trip planner for a short period, I had planned a day trip from Bangkok for a family. The trip was with a personal driver named Tom and included two markets (A floating market and one with a train passing through it), as well as several other attractions along the way.

The trip actually cost them less with Tom than as part of an organized trip, as they were a 6-person group. They were very pleased by both the trip and the driver. Following their warm praise, I had recommended Tom’s services to additional clients, and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. And so, upon booking our flight to Thailand, I already knew we’d want to go on a trip with Tom as well.

I’d contacted his wife, Dee, who’s in charge of reservations (Dee And Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox) and told her we would like a tour to both markets and on to Kanchanaburi. She suggested we add bamboo rafting and a visit to waterfalls the following day, which sounded like a wonderful plan. Since I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Dee both personally and professionally while I was a trip planner, she offered for her and her baby to join us on the trip and get to know us face to face. We liked the idea of a family trip a lot.

Tips before traveling to Kanchanaburi

SIM card

I personally recommend using an ESIM, which is an electronic SIM, and recommend Airalo. I was very satisfied with their user experience (simple tutorial videos for operating the SIM card) and everything worked without any special problems. I wrote more about them in an extended post on the subject of taking a SIM card abroad and also about other options such as buying a local SIM card.

Blog followers have a 15% discount code for the Airalo company to purchase an ESIM – to redeem the discount, click on this link. The discount code is already included in the link. See it at checkout.

The biggest drawback at the moment is that some devices do not support an electronic SIM. How can you know if your device supports the electronic card? Very simple: go to this link and you can see. Link to which devices support ESIM.

Car rental in Kanchanaburi

I think this is the most convenient and fun way to travel. Car prices are low and the roads are easy to drive.

You can search for a car in the search engine Papam Papam. Personally, I really like to search through them because they save me time (instead of going to several websites) and they also have the option of filtering out non-recommended rental companies.

Attractions in Kanchanaburi

You can get ideas for other cool things you can do on the various attraction sites and even order through them (sometimes at a discounted price). The first attractions site is tiqets the second is Get your guide and Viator.

Where to stay in Kanchanaburi

You can search for places to stay in Kanchanaburi via Booking.

Day 1 – Railway market, Floating market and Kanchanaburi (Trip with a personal driver)

At 9AM, Tom, Dee and their baby were waiting for us outside the guest house we stayed at in Bangkok’s China Town – Pho Place (Dee And Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox) . We hadn’t had breakfast, so we asked Tom to stop for a bite along the way. On the outskirts of Bangkok, Tom parked at a gas station area that held many restaurants as well. We had coffee and a small meal, then headed back on the road.

Dee speaks English very well, and Tom knows some as well, so we talked throughout the drive.

Maeklong Railway Market

We arrived at Maeklong Railway Market around 10 and a quarter. The train passes through the market several times a day, so it’s important to know the schedule and arrive one time. It’s best to arrive before 10:30, as it passes both at 10:30 and at 11 and you can enjoy the experience twice. (:

What makes this market unique is that the stalls are built directly on the train tracks and a few minutes prior to the train’s arrival an announcer calls for people to move away from the tracks. All the peddlers move their stalls back and fold some of the stands. It all happens very quickly. We tried finding a place to stand but the peddlers kept moving us. Since the market’s become very popular, there are many tourists wanting to take pictures and creating clusters – so there are certain areas the peddlers ask people not to stand in, since it disturbs their work. We found a spot and the train passed. The train goes right through the market slowly.

Dee told us it used to be much faster, but ever since the market became popular accidents had been on the rise, with tourists not knowing where to stand. So, the government issued an order for the train to slow down to a crawl as it cross through the market. You can also ride the train, as it stays in the market area. If you do arrive before 10:30, I’d recommend going to the market itself at 10:30 to watch the train pass and then board it. Then, at 11:00, follow it through the market. We haven’t done that, but it seems like a very nice experience.

Dee told us it used to be much faster, but ever since the market became popular accidents had been on the rise, with tourists not knowing where to stand. So, the government issued an order for the train to slow down to a crawl as it cross through the market. You can also ride the train, as it stays in the market area. If you do arrive before 10:30, I’d recommend going to the market itself at 10:30 to watch the train pass and then board it. Then, at 11:00, follow it through the market. We haven’t done that, but it seems like a very nice experience.

Amphwa floating market

From the railway market we continued to the floating market, which is only a few minutes away by car. We arrived at the area before the market proper, where you can board a boat to the market. Dee recommended sailing as being the best way to see the entire market and not just a part of it, as well as being an interesting experience. We chose the hour and a half cruise (You may opt for an hour, hour and a half or two hours). The cruise itself is really cool. We got to see the floating market from the boat and even buy fruit from the merchants on the other boats.

The entrance to the market was crowded by boats for tourists, and according to Dee things get even worse on weekends. So, I’d recommend taking this trip on weekdays. At one point we stopped at a coconut farm. We also got to pass by the residential buildings on the river. Seeing how people live there was very intriguing. Put shortly, it was a unique and interesting experience.


After the market we went to have lunch at a local restaurant. We asked Dee and Tom to take us to a restaurant they would have eaten at, as opposed to a touristic one, and so they did. The place we ended up going to only have menus in Thai, so we told Dee what we liked, and she ordered for us. We ordered many dishes to share. The food was tasty, and we enjoyed the meal. The bill amounted to 420 baht for the 4 of us, and we had ordered 6 dishes.

Kanchanaburi

First, we headed to Baan Ma Fueng guesthouse to check in and store our things, then on to Kanchanaburi. The guesthouse was very nice and clean and houses a café with good coffee and breakfasts. It’s located in a somewhat less touristic area.

Cemetery in memory of prisoners of war and bridge over the Kwai river

Afterwards, we drove to a cemetery built in memory of prisoners of war (World war II), who were killed while constructing the railroad (They were held under horrendous conditions), then on to the famous bridge over the Kwai river – construction of which began in 1942 and lasted a year and four months.

The goal was to build a railway from Thailand to Burma to transport supplies to the Japanese. We took many pictures of the bridge and had the pleasure of being there towards the sunset – so the skies were beautiful. We also climbed down to take pictures of the bridge looking up. On our way back, a train passed as we were crossing the bridge and we had to stand on little platforms by the side of the track.


Dinner at night market

Afterwards, we went back to the guesthouse and agreed to meet Dee and Tom at 9am the next day at the guesthouse café. After resting in our room, we went out to have dinner in a night market close by. It’s a local street-food market and most visitors are locals, there were almost no tourists. The food there was really good, we ate there twice more during our stay in Kanchanaburi. The market is next to the clock tower. Map.

Day 2 – Waterfall and rafting (Trip with personal driver) and return by local train

We had breakfast at the guesthouse café, then Dee and Tom joined us and we went rafting. On our way there, we stopped by the beautiful Sai Yok Noi waterfall.

We had breakfast at the guesthouse café, then Dee and Tom joined us and we went rafting. On our way there, we stopped by the beautiful Sai Yok Noi waterfall. The rafting turned out to be more like a relaxed cruise on a bamboo raft. It was very pleasant. I’d recommend bringing a bathing suit, as you can jump in the water. I got a bit of a tan and enjoyed the view. The area houses hotels with rooms by the river.

Given more time, we’d have loved to stay there for a night or two – the place seemed calm and beautiful. The cruise lasted about 40 minutes, it’s length may change according to the river’s flow.

We then headed to the train station, at which point we said goodbye to Dee, Tom and the baby. Dee was the one to suggest the day before that we take the train back from the rafting area, as the way back is very pretty, which seemed like a great idea. We were a sorry to see them go, as we really enjoyed spending time with them. They’re lovely people – Picking Tom to be our personal driver was a great idea.

Our entire trip was at our own pace and focused on the things we wanted to do, whether we wanted to spend more or less time at any given place, et cetera. Whenever we wanted coffee or food Tom drove us accordingly. It was a great experience, and at a very good price. They offer driving services to many different locations and travel packages including attractions and lodging. The part I loved was being able to plan our trip’s route with Dee according to what we were looking for and have her make suggestions based on the preferences I described. (Their website – Naka Service)

Train back to Kanchanaburi

The train station is surrounded by many restaurants, so we had lunch at one and then came back to the station. We bought a ticket for 100 baht per person and boarded. The ride was about two hours and the views really were very pretty. The seats were relatively comfy and there were fans and open windows, so the air was pleasant. It’s a nice way to have a local experience but with good conditions.

Day 3 – Erawan waterfalls, riding a local bus

The next morning, we rode the bus to the famous Erawan Waterfalls. You can read about our trip there in my post “Erawan Waterfalls in Kanchanaburi”.

After getting back from the falls, we went for a rest in our room, then out to dinner in the market near the guesthouse. After our meal, we decided to go out to the touristic area where many bars are for a bit. Roman saw a little street bar with a sign saying you can get drunk for 10 baht and decided for us to sit down (Get drunk for 10 baht). After seeing the 10-baht whiskey, he decided to order the 20-baht whiskey mixed with coke (Costs another 10 baht).

Don Rak Road is a main street with many bars, restaurants, cafes and more.

Return to Bangkok from Kanchanaburi

The following day we returned to Bangkok. The bus ride is approximately 3 hours, as opposed to a train which takes 4-5. There’s a central bus station with busses leaving for Bangkok every half an hour, but the busses are old and have fans (The ride costs 100 baht). Map.

Just before you reach the central station lies a travel agency’s office – there you can get on a new bus with air conditioning, which also leaves every half hour, for 120 baht. Map.

On our second visit to Thailand we decided to travel to Kanchanaburi, which we heard many good things about – And truth be told, we weren’t disappointed. We arrived with a private driver, Tom from Bangkok ( Tom’s website, get 5% discount for service transportation using the code : trvbox) . We went on a two-day trip with him, which included stopping at markets, rafting and more.

How do you reach the falls from Kanchanaburi?

We took a bus from the central bus station in Kanchanaburi. Map. The ride costs 50 baht and it takes about two hours to reach the falls.

The bus’s timetable:


There are buses back to Kanchanaburi, the last of which leaves at 17:00.

*I’d recommend getting to the station 15 minutes early, as the bus might be filled to maximum capacity forcing you to either sit on the floor or wait for the next one.

Entry price

Entry costs 300 baht per person. We weren’t aware of the price and hadn’t brought enough cash with us. There aren’t any ATMs in the area, so be sure to have enough money on hand for transportation, entry, food and drinks. Luckily, we met a nice Israeli couple and asked them to loan us some money, making a transfer of funds back to them later. (Part of what I love about traveling is meeting nice people on the road).

Erawan falls

The waterfall area is very large, containing seven separate waterfalls. If you wish to visit all seven, you should consider the time it takes to travel from one to the next – It is a 2 kilometer climb to the seventh fall. The climb itself isn’t too hard, but from the fifth waterfall onward it becomes steeper and more difficult.


I would recommend bringing comfortable walking shoes and not sandals (Put those in your bags). The best way, in our opinion, is to go straight to the seventh waterfall, followed by the others. That way you can beat the crowds there by arriving early, and you’ll also have more energy for the comparatively difficult climb to the seventh waterfall. Most of the walking is in the tree-shade but the difficulty comes from the high humidity and heat (We went at the end of January), so it can nonetheless be quite tiring.

Another important suggestion: Bring drinks and snacks with you or buy them at the entrance to the falls. We only bought a single large water bottle, only to later find that at the falls themselves there’s nowhere to buy food or drinks, and the climb up to the seventh waterfall left us feeling thirsty and peckish.

The first waterfall lies about a 20-minute walk from the entrance, and the walk itself is pretty much planar. The first few waterfalls are close to one another, and a few minutes later you’ll arrive at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th falls.





The waterfalls themselves are really stunning and I think it’s worth it, at the very least, to make it to the 4th and 5th falls. It was also a great deal of fun to jump in the water after walking in the heat.

Personally, I found the water to be too cold  (But I think it might have been only me, since I hadn’t noticed anyone else complaining about it 🙂 ) and the water houses many fish that eat the dry skin off your feet (Some girls were very alarmed by it, so it’s important to be aware of).

Food

The entrance area has many restaurants in which you can either sit down for lunch or buy food to take to the falls. We ate at one of the restaurants and the food was good. It’s touristic Thai food, but it’s not bad at all.


How to return from the falls to Kanchanaburi?

We took the four o’clock bus, which is one before last. We arrived at 5 minutes to four, by which time the bus had already been filled up. I found a seat and Roman sat on the floor. The ride isn’t terrible, but having a seat is better.


Conclusion of Erawan falls

They are definitely worth a visit if you’re in Kanchanaburi. The falls are beautiful. The tips I included in this post are important to pay heed to, as we weren’t aware of them at the time and it ended up hurting our experience somewhat.

Tips regarding the falls

The perfect resort for a prestigious vacation in Phuket

Phuket is known for a variety of amazing resorts, which people from all over the world travel to Thailand to visit. So, even prior to our trip to Thailand, we knew we wanted to visit Phuket and stay at incredible resort there. We looked for a sea-side resort with an interesting design that is extra pampering – That’s how we came across The Slate. It had excellent reviews and it looked beautiful. We picked it as our winner and booked an upgraded room with a private pool, hoping it will live up to our expectations.

We arrived at Phuket on a flight from Bangkok. The resort is situated about 10 minutes away from the airport by car. (If you take a cab, make sure you opt for a metered rate, as it’ll be twice as cheap as the fixed price they’ll ask for at the airport.)

The Slate resort

The moment we entered the hotel lobby, we knew it was the heaven we were searching for. The lobby is extremely luxurious, and we were immediately welcomed with a smile and refreshing drinks, a cold towel and a flower bracelet.

 

We arrived at 11:00 and were told the room will be ready at 14:00, so in the meantime we decided to go to a pool with a bar and indulge ourselves with a shake in the pool. Since the resort is very large, we were handed a map of the area (We spent the whole first day with it, which was enough to memorize the locations) and driven to the pool in a golf cart.

The pools

The hotel has 3 pools, two of which are for adults only.

 

As we arrived at the pool, we were brought glasses of cold water right away. We went in the pool and, before long, ordered shakes at the pool-side bar and mini-skewers to snack on. The bar offers a variety of drinks and special shakes. I chose the mango, coconut milk, cashew and spinach shake – Yummy! It was so good, I ended up ordering it every day we spent at the resort.

The water was pleasant and the atmosphere at the pool was calm and quiet. Most vacationers were reading books, and so did I at some point (After we finished having fun with the sea mattresses we brought with us).


Our room

After the pool, we went back to the lobby to check into our room. We rode the golf cart again. My first response upon entering our room was “Wow”, and honestly, I was really excited. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful room we had ever stayed in.

It had a walk-in wardrobe, bedroom with a giant and very comfortable bed, mini-bar, dresser, television and sitting area, shower room with a luxurious stall and two sinks! Outside was a bathtub, tanning bed, sitting area and pool! The room was absolutely perfect. It was meticulously designed with attention to every little detail. Moreover, the hotel produces soaps and body products – so they were all high quality and smelled great.


Room service

We ordered room service, as we decided we don’t plan on leaving the room anytime soon. We ordered an Indian chicken dish, hamburger and ravioli. It arrived within twenty minutes. The food was very tasty, especially the Indian chicken dish.

We had the pleasure of ordering room service another time during our stay at the resort, that time we had pizzas which were also delicious.

 

Not only did we not want to leave the room, we didn’t want to leave the resort area either. It has everything! Two bars, one of which is a really cool sports bar with billiard tables, a dart board, and large selection of alcohol and pleasant atmosphere.

 

The restaurants

The hotel has four restaurants – We had coffee and a nice cheese cake dessert at one of them.

Another has sandwiches per request. They have many different types of breads, cheeses, hams, sauces and more. Roman had a cheese and ham sandwich, and I picked avocado, egg and ham in mine. The chef toasted them, so they were served warm, crunchy and very well made.


There’s a barbeque place right next to the exit to the sea which we, unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to eat at. The crown jewel of the hotel’s restaurants is Black Ginger. As soon as you see it, you’ll know why that is. The entrance is one of the most impressive I’ve ever seen to any restaurant – You enter by sailing a pretty bamboo raft over a little lake, pulled along towards the restaurant by one of the employees.

We booked a reservation at the Black Ginger as soon as we arrived, as it is in high demand. We ordered lobster salad, a fish soup and curry dish with meat. We were first served an appetizer, on the house, which proved an excellent beginning to a delicious meal. The salad was refreshing with lots of quality lobster meat, the soup was subtly flavored and made with fresh fish and the curry was just as good (I’d recommend asking for the dishes to be less spicy, since even when you do ask, they’re still slightly piquant).


Breakfast

One of favorite things about hotels is breakfast, and I have to say The Slate resort had one of our best breakfasts ever. There were so many options it was hard to decide what we should have.

There’s a per-request egg station, a pancake station and a Belgian waffle station. A variety of dim sum, Thai food, imported hard cheeses, hams, many different freshly baked breads, fruit, vegetables, selection of dips, sauces and pastes, pastries and desserts. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough room for all the different options, but the ones we did have were great.

 

 

 

The hotel also has a club for kids and a gym which of course contains a very high-quality spa.

The spa

When we arrived, we decided on getting a 90-minute thai massage and ordered it for the next day. When we arrived, we were once again welcomed with a smile, cold tea and towels. We filled out forms about our health and which areas of our bodies we would like the masseuse to focus on. We were then taken to the care area. At first, we sat outside with our feet in tubs of warm water, then they washed our feet gently with lemon water.

This was already very soothing and pampering. We then went into a room, changed into the appropriate clothes and lay on the massage beds. The room held a very pleasant aroma and had calming music, many candles and the unique atmosphere of a prestigious resort spa. The massage itself was so good, I felt it was over too quickly – even after 90 minutes. I wanted it to last forever.

 

Beach Nai Yang

The hotel has two exits to the beach. The Nai Yang beach isn’t very widely known in Phuket, which is excellent, as it makes it less touristic. It’s the perfect beach for a relaxed vacation. The beach itself is just smooth sand and no stones, rocks or plants, and so is the crystal clear water – making it a perfect experience. By the beach are restaurants offering good food at rather low prices and a shake stand. We of course ordered a mango-banana shake and went in the water with it.


To sum up : The Slate resort

The service at the hotel is 5+ stars. All employees speak excellent English, are easy to communicate with and are extremely courteous and nice. The whole resort area is designed gorgeously and makes you feel like you’re at a secluded oasis. This hotel was just perfect for an amazing vacation. It went above and beyond our expectations.

The only downsides we found were: The coffee wasn’t very good, and the private pool was roofed and therefore cold and less enjoyable to be in. However, there’s no doubt that whenever we’re next in Thailand, this will be a hotel we return to. I can’t wait to go back. If you’re in the search for a hotel on a whole different level, this is the one to be at.