Tips on Trips- Thailand and Cambodia

Where to stay

Bangkok

You could drive yourself insane looking at all of the possibilities. My job at my job became searching every website for the best location, most reasonable, kid-friendly hotel in the city.  Finally, we decided to go with a big hotel name, mainly so the kids could have a pool to decompress. We were surprised by how good a deal we got at the Shangri-La Bangkok. This was commensurate with what we discovered years ago, in casting the net wide. Often, deals emerge at more expensive spots making them cheaper than ostensibly cheaper hotels. In this case, the Shangri La was refurbishing their luxury tower and ws offering great deals in the other tower.  So instead of trying to find the best deal in the best location and the newest/chicest hotel, we just went with a reputable name.

Cambodia- A must See

August 15-19 Siem Reap

When we planned our trip, I told my husband there was no way I was going to Thailand without seeing Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  We have flown half way around the world and to be so close to Cambodia, who knew when I was getting back. He agreed and the plans were made.  We hired a guide for three days and spent all four nights in Siem Reap. In order to enter Cambodia you must have a visa, but as long as you supply customs with a passport picture, they will create one for you upon your arrival in the airport. Customs in Cambodia consists of the developing world practice of getting as many people as possible to work a single task.  Oh, and the workers' children that hung out in customs behind the desk.

Koh Samui, Paradise for Sure.

August 8-15 Koh Samui

What an amazing island.  The summer monsoon season hits the Andaman Sea hard but largely spares the  Gulf of Thailand, so we concentrated on island there. Koh Samui did not disappoint. We decided to stay on Choeng Mon Bay. It's known as among the more family friendly beaches of Koh Samui, and Koh Samui itself avoids the full moon revelers. Wow, the horseshoe shaped beach was beautiful, the water was so warm and the eight dollar massages on the beach were the best. Right behind the beach is a small village of shops and restaurants, so finding food and supplies and laundry is a step away.

We chose The Imperial Boat House Beach Resort, and it did not disappoint. The hotel is surrounded by lush trees and vegetation which made it feel very secluded. We were fortunate enough to get an actual rice barge boat that had been converted into a hotel room. Upstairs was a lounge area, while downstairs was a bedroom. The hotel set up an extra bed in what was dressing area. The kids loved it as did the adults.

During our time in Koh Samui, we did two excursions through 100 Degrees East. We chose this company based on the fact that it is small groups  and at least 4 staff members. Moreover, they were so awesome as our youngest broke his heel while in Koh Samui and one of the staff carried him up and down the stairs to see the Emerald Lake, if you do this tour you will understand how hard this climb is. On one of these, we visited the Angthong Marine Park. The islands of this park provided the inspiration for Alex Garland's book The Beach (it should be noted that the movie was shot on Phi Phi Le island in the Andaman Sea). We sea kayaked around tropical islands and had lunch and some time on our own beach (pictured). The other excursion was to snorkel off Koh Tao. The snorkeling in Koh Tao is spectacular: clear water, huge schools of fish, intact reefs, giant clams along the bottom.

Chiang Mai, Oh My

August 4-8 Chiang Mai

August 4 

The family of five left Bangkok and headed to Chaing Mai. A few options exist to getting from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. One is the night train, and another is flying (bus is cheapest but least comfortable and slowest). We opted for flying and booked five relatively inexpensive tickets on Thai Airways. The taxi from Chiang Mai airport into town is quick, easy, and not expensive (which is true about taxis in general in Thailand). We again chose The Shangri-La, and were welcomed with the same nice welcoming customer service and we were able to get upgraded to the concierge floor. This included drinks, snacks, evening cocktails and newspapers at all times. Oh were the kids so excited, it was actually a nice way to unwind after a day of touring.

First stop and last stop, Bangkok. Summer 2016

August 1-4, 2016 Bangkok

After traveling more than 24 hours, we arrived bleary-eyed to the big city of Bangkok. Fortunately, we arrived at night which meant straight to bed.  We chose The Shangri-La, Bangkok and were surprised by how good a deal we received. This was commensurate with what we discovered years ago, in casting the net wide. Often, deals emerge at more expensive spots making them cheaper than ostensibly cheaper hotels. In this case, the Shangri La was refurbishing their luxury tower and was offering great deals in the other tower.  So instead of trying to find the best deal in the best location and the newest/chicest hotel, we just went with a reputable name. Great hotel with great service. So, after settling into our hotel, we all crashed and were ready to hit the ground running the next morning.

August 2

Our first morning we were off to see the Royal Palace and Wat Pho. We'd heart about the heat and humidity of Bangkok, but experiencing it was more impressive than we anticipated.  Our clothing was drenched after the first ten minutes. The kids were so enamored by the sights and the details, smells, colors and just the vastness of the Wat that fortunately they didn't realize how thirsty and hot they were until about thirty minutes into the visit. By this time the visit was over at least for them and we were able to get them a much needed drink and then head off to the next Wat (the Thai word for temple). On the way, this was a chance to discuss the tenets of Buddhism, and the Thai people's strong faith and reverence to the Buddha and his images.

Thailand and Cambodia, Summer 2016

August 1-21, 2016 Thailand and Cambodia: An Overview

For the first time ever, my husband and I were able to put together three consecutive weeks of vacation this summer. The kids were 7, 10 and 11 and ready to go.  We toyed with the idea of visiting couple of countries in Europe. Perhaps South America. We loved the idea of going to the Cook Islands, but realized we wanted to combine sightseeing along with adventure travel with some leisure time.  After reading up on Vietnam and Thailand, we chose Thailand.  And if we were going to go all the way to Thailand, seeing Angkor Wat in neighboring Cambodia was a must.  We have never before traveled to Southeast Asia with the kids nor as a couple.  We were ready for the adventure of a lifetime!