Thailand

We will find you the right holiday at the right price - just give us a few details such as dates, duration, and what you'd ideally like, and we'll find something fantastic to fit your budget.

Here's some of the many things we can book for you...

• Twin Centre Holidays - e.g. 3 nights in Bangkok + 10 nights Beach
• Multi Centre Holidays - e.g. 3 nights in Bangkok + 2 nights in Chiang Mai + 8 nights Beach
• Island Hopping - for example Phuket + Koh Samui, but there are endless options
• Adventure Tours - many have the option to have beach stay at the end on own arrangements
• Luxury Guided Tours - as above but with very comfortable levels of accommodation

And a few extras you can add on

• River Kwai overnight trips
• Pre booked excursions from Bangkok, for example Rice Barge Cruise, Grand Palace, Floating Markets, City tour
• Elephant Hills
• Stay in a private pool villa
• Eastern & Oriental Express Train
   

We'll ask you what type of hotels you like, for example...

• Large with many facilities
• Idyllic hideaways
• Close to bars & restaurants / resort
• Small boutique style accommodation
• Great value mid range hotels
• Luxury 5 star accommodation
• Local town - quiet or lively?

The vast majority of holidays to Thailand we sell are beach holidays, often with a stopover in Bangkok. We'll help you decide on the best island or resort, and advise how long (if at all) you stay in Bangkok for.

And there's many other ways you can make your trip to Thailand extra memorable, and here's a few.

 •   Spend 3 days in the company of elephants at Elephant Hills, one of Thailand's finest luxury tented camps, where you'll get the chance to feed, wash and interact with elephants as well as other activities on site - this can be included in any Thailand itinerary although early booking is absolutely essential - http://www.elephanthills.com/
 •   Sail around Asia on a 7 night Tall Ship Cruise - the magnificent Star Clipper has various routes around the coast of Thailand which can be included into any Thailand trip, including one from Singapore to Phuket which allows you to combine a few days in Singapore, a 7 night cruise, and then a beach stay in Phuket
 •   Combine Thailand with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam - as an example we have an escorted adventure tour takes you to the temples of Siem Reap and to the floating fishing villages of Lake Tonie Sap for a cruise
 •   Add a couple of nights in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand where you can visit a local hill tribe, see some of Thailand's finest temples, and explore the famous night market.
 •   Visit the colourful floating markets north of Bangkok with dozens of Thai style canoes (bookable in-store before you go)
 •   Take a relaxing cruise on Bangkok's canals in a converted rice barge (bookable in-store before you go)
 •   Become an expert at Thai Cooking with a full day cookery class (bookable in-store before you go)
 •   Stay in a romantic Pool Villa - these sound expensive but can be quite affordable
 •   As an alternative to Bangkok, you can stop 2-3 nights in Singapore with onwards flights to Phuket and Koh Samui.
Please note that most hotels are offered on a bed & breakfast basis. There are one or two that offer an all-inclusive plan, but you would be really limiting your choice, and missing out on some excellent (and good value for money) dining experiences that local restaurants can offer.

Most Thailand cruises are part of a longer South East Asia cruise, including China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia.

However if you fancy a sailing holiday, perhaps with a beach stay as well, then there are a couple of short 4 to 7 day cruises starting in Phuket, with the shorter ones finishing in Koh Phi Phi. The catamarans have a maximum 16 people, and you'll enjoy excellent snorkelling and swimming in remote and pristine parts of Thailand that are actually quite hard to get to on a normal land holiday.

Mainstream cruise lines typically only stop in Thailand for a couple of nights. For example the 'Malaysia, Thailand & Vietnam Grand Adventure' on Sapphire Princess does a roundtrip from Singapore, stopping in Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur, Borneo, then Vietnam - Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, then Thailand, with a day in Bangkok and the next day in Ko Samui.

For my own trip, I had 2 weeks to play with, and in the end decided on a 4 centre itinerary!

First, 4 nights in Bangkok, which is a day longer than most people actually book but in fact there's a huge amount to see. One day was spent visiting the floating markets, and a Thai Boxing show on the return. Another was needed to see the Grand Palace - it's a fantastic place and a must see. The other day was spent on a rice barge, visiting some of the temples and doing the night market.

After that we flew to Chiang Mai and visited a hill tribe, took a rafting trip along the river and was pulled along by an ox at some point! The night market is a highlight, and so is the views from Doi Suthep Hill - certainly good excercise!

Then it was the relaxing part - 5 nights in Phuket in a 4 star hotel, followed by 3 night s in Phi Phi which we travelled to by speedboat.

There was much more we could have done, and on my list for the next time is Elephant Hills, plus another resort / island such as Koh Samui. The longer than average time in Bangkok though was definitely worth it.