Thailand Honeymoonerz - Affordable Asia Tours
To kick off the travel diaries, I'll start with the most recent adventure.
THAILAND.
If you are too lazy to read all of this...here's a video!
A lot of folks have asked, "why did you pick Thailand for your honeymoon?" I mean..why not?
We absolutely loved Thailand. If I were to describe Thailand in the simplest form I would say it is a mix between Indian and Chinese culture (no offense to the Thai). The clothing, religion, culture reminded me very much of the Indian culture. Also probably because there were a lot of Indo-Paks there haha.
Anyway, I digress. As most newlyweds, we were looking for cheap places to travel for our first adventure together and we came across a Groupon deal for 11 Days in Thailand with Affordable Asia Tours.
Yes, you read that right. We bought our honeymoon trip from GROUPON. Because we are Brown and we like deals, who doesn't? :)
Even though we had an AH-mazing time, we also learned a few things.
We are not tour group people.
Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy meeting new people while traveling and what not and it was nice not to worry about anything. You basically just show up and go with the flow. BUT my husband and I also like to explore on our own. The only take away would be, I wish we had more time to explore some stuff on our own. We did leave the group any chance we did get (Just be sure to meet back at the designated time, don't be THAT guy/gal holding everyone up).
It was easy and convenient to travel with a group in a country like Thailand where English is not a common language especially in rural areas.
Affordable Asia Tour Review - a.k.a A lot of reading
Get ready to see a lot of Temples and eat at buffets!
Visit: Bangkok, River Kwai, Ayuthaya, Pattaya, Bangkok
Duration: 11 Days
Day 2 – Bangkok
Temple of Golden Buddha
Exactly what it sounds like...a golden Buddha. This temple was located on top of a building. Get ready to climb stairs! It was cool but I could have skipped seeing it.
Flower Markets @ Paklong Talat
Sooo the tour mentions this as a stop but IT WAS NOT. We only drove through it which was kind of lame. We wanted to go back and check it out but never got a chance.
Temple of Reclining Buddha
Again exactly what it sounds like..a reclining Buddha. This temple was pretty cool! The Buddha itself is in a building so it is hard to see it as a whole. The rest of the temple grounds are just stunning! The architecture was amazing with different colors and very intricate designs. This temple is definitely worth a visit. Great spot for pictures! Pop out that selfie stick!
Asiatique Riverfront Market + Thai Dinner Show- Optional Excursion
SKIP IT. Show and dinner were meh. Food was okay, service was poor, drinks ridiculously expensive.100 Baht for Water?! No thanks.
DO checkout the Asiatique Market on your own. It was very westernized but we enjoyed walking around and finding cool souvenirs in the market.
Day 3 – Bangkok
The Landmark of Bangkok Tour + Boat Ride - Optional Excursion
This excursion was pretty fun. The boat ride on the river was nice and relaxing. The Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple have pretty amazing architecture. Can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the grounds. WARNING: It is super crowded. Certain tourists from certain countries are inconsiderate. I'll leave it at that.
Day 4 – River Kwai
My absolute FAVORITE part of the trip. This is when I felt like we were in Thailand. The jungles, mountains, rivers are just breathtaking.
Floating Market
A market built on water. Vendors are on boats selling fruits and other foods. Great place to shop!
Try the coconut ice cream and mango & sticky rice!
Elephant Trekking & Bamboo Rafting - Optional Excursion
Definitely a must do! Riding an elephant has always been on my bucket list. The elephant camp we visited was run by Muslims and the animals were free to roam the property which made us more comfortable about the experience.
Felix River Kwai Resort
Now this resort is a little out dated but I guess what else can you expect out in the rural areas? The grounds of the hotels are beautiful. Wake up early the next morning to explore before you check out!
Day 5 – Ayutthaya
I kind of wish the tour had removed this city as a stop and added an extra night at Pattaya.
The summer palace is beautiful to walk through. The Royals were livin the life!
We went to two temples. Climbing to the top of Wat Yai Chaimogkol is a bit scary since the steps are uneven and steep. You can keep your shoes on! Which of course we didn't realize until it was too late. The view from the top of the grounds is worth seeing!
Wat Phra Si Sanphet - This is where the buddha head in the tree is located. Most of the temple grounds have been destroyed. The buddha heads were broken off when thieves were looking for gold. (Many buddhas are made of solid gold)
Krungsri River Hotel
This hotel was pretty nice. Theres a restaurant located within the hotel that offers "American" cuisine. We had days where we just wanted a burger and fries. One can only eat so much rice and noodles...
ร้านบ้านแสนสุข@อโยธยา a.k.a Happy House Restaurant Ayodhya
We found the best thai restaurant in this city located down the street from our hotel. Just follow the sketchy path and its right around on the bend on the river. Only one guy speaks English and they don't have an English menu sooo try to have an idea of what you want before going!
We ordered pad thai and green curry. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. The green curry is pretty spicy but worth the tears.
Day 6 – Pattaya
Pattaya, Pattaya, Pattaya.
Pattaya is famous for its beaches, islands, and the walking street.
The walking street is an interesting experience to say the least...filled with bars and clubs...and hookers. Don't take the kids. haha It really only comes to life at night. Some of our tour group folks had a lot of fun bar hopping on this street. My husband and I decided to go shopping instead.
To get around town,we used the motorcycle services and would highly recommend it. It is a better way to see the city than in a car. You get the true local experience...inhaling fumes and dodging cars.
Long Beach Garden Hotel & Spa
Stunning views from this hotel. Wifi is only available in the lobby. Breakfast buffet has a decent amount of food options.
There's an awesome fruit store across the street. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The family who runs it are very nice and sweet. They will even cut up the fruit for you. Prices are good too. Mangoes all day, everyday.
Sem Massage
Best thai massage ever. Located right across the street. It may look sketchy but they know what they are doing!
View from our Room
Day 7- Pattaya/ Koh Larn
The tour provides an optional excursion to go Koh Larn/Coral Island but we chose to go exploring on our own. Much cheaper and more fun!
The day we went out to Koh Larn the waters were a bit rough but we were determined to go so we hopped on the public ferry and 30 minutes later we were there. The weather there was so nice. The water was very clear. We traveled around the island on a motorcycle and found a secluded beach. Since the waters were rough, there weren't many tourists around which was great.
White sandy beaches, clear water & sunshine..what's not to love! The food in the area was authentic and delicious.
Day 8 - Bangkok
BACK TO THE AMARI. Perfect place to start and end the trip.
We kind of just bummed around and ate. Did some last minute shopping in the night vendor street area.
Day 9 - Bangkok
Last day in Thailand to do whatever your heart desires and enjoy one last breakfast buffet at the Amari. Unfortunately you have to check out of the hotel in the morning and your flight most likely won't be leaving until 1AM the next day. Our group ended up crashing in the hotel lobby. Good thing the Amari Hotel is amazing!
TL;DR:
-Go to Thailand
-Island life is where its at
-Eat lots of food
-Bargain all day,everyday
-Ride an elephant
THAILAND.
If you are too lazy to read all of this...here's a video!
A lot of folks have asked, "why did you pick Thailand for your honeymoon?" I mean..why not?
We absolutely loved Thailand. If I were to describe Thailand in the simplest form I would say it is a mix between Indian and Chinese culture (no offense to the Thai). The clothing, religion, culture reminded me very much of the Indian culture. Also probably because there were a lot of Indo-Paks there haha.
Anyway, I digress. As most newlyweds, we were looking for cheap places to travel for our first adventure together and we came across a Groupon deal for 11 Days in Thailand with Affordable Asia Tours.
Yes, you read that right. We bought our honeymoon trip from GROUPON. Because we are Brown and we like deals, who doesn't? :)
Even though we had an AH-mazing time, we also learned a few things.
We are not tour group people.
Now, don't get me wrong. I enjoy meeting new people while traveling and what not and it was nice not to worry about anything. You basically just show up and go with the flow. BUT my husband and I also like to explore on our own. The only take away would be, I wish we had more time to explore some stuff on our own. We did leave the group any chance we did get (Just be sure to meet back at the designated time, don't be THAT guy/gal holding everyone up).
It was easy and convenient to travel with a group in a country like Thailand where English is not a common language especially in rural areas.
Affordable Asia Tour Review - a.k.a A lot of reading
Get ready to see a lot of Temples and eat at buffets!
Visit: Bangkok, River Kwai, Ayuthaya, Pattaya, Bangkok
Duration: 11 Days
Air China
-Overall a pretty average airline
- Decent amount of leg room
- Most air hostesses do not speak
English well
- Food
-
Limited vegetarian options
- Types of meats
offered: Duck, Chicken, Beef, and Pork. LOTS of Pork. Personally would stay clear of the meat. God knows what they use to keep it fresh.
-
Entertainment Selection – VERY limited
-Old
Hollywood movies
-Random
episodes of TV shows
-
Music – nothing in English
- YOU WILL MOST LIKELY NOT RECEIVE YOUR LUGGAGE UPON ARRIVAL. Almost everyone we were traveling with
had at least one bag that did not arrive on our plane. This seemed to be a
pretty normal occurrence and the airport had a smooth system in place to help.
The bags arrived on a different flight later that day and were delivered to our hotel.
Thailand- 11 days
- 4 Cities: Bangkok, River Kwai, Ayutthaya, Pattaya, Kohlarn
-2 days
spent traveling
- 9
Days in Thailand
Day 1 – Bangkok
Amari Watergate Hotel
-4 star hotel! Love this hotel.
Rooms are clean and spacious with great views of the city
- Great
location in city center next to malls, street vendors, and restaurants
-Breakfast
– I would stay at this hotel just to have the breakfast. SO much variety
of food…Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, American. Really anything your heart may desire. Fresh juice options as soon as
you walk in.
- FREE
WI-FI! This was a huge plus. You don’t realize how big of a deal this is until
you are traveling in a 3rd world country where WI-FI is not readily available.
Almost all the other hotels we stayed at offered limited free WI-FI with
ridiculously slow dial-up like speeds.
- Great
customer service. No matter what time you called with whatever request, they made it happen.
Most of our 1st day was spent relaxing and
recovering from jet lag. We went out at
night to explore the street vendors and scout local food places. Across from the hotel there is a market that
only sets up at night and offers some of the best prices and goods we saw
during our shopping trips…knock off watches, purses, leather goods, accessories,
souvenirs, etc. Most of them are willing to bargain but prices are set pretty
low anyway.
-Street Food:
-Food
is EVERYWHERE. Some carts offer meat on
skewers but looks like its been sitting out in the polluted air for a while-
would not recommend trying unless you want to spend your trip on a toilet.
-Eat
TONS of fruit. It’s cheap and all the
fruit there tastes so much better…Mangoes, pomegranate, pineapple, watermelon!
-Fresh
juices! Pomegranate, orange, lime
-During
one of our night advenutres, we came across a night pop up restaurant – Siam. Delicous
and reasonbly priced.
Day 2 – Bangkok
Temple of Golden Buddha
Exactly what it sounds like...a golden Buddha. This temple was located on top of a building. Get ready to climb stairs! It was cool but I could have skipped seeing it.
Flower Markets @ Paklong Talat
Sooo the tour mentions this as a stop but IT WAS NOT. We only drove through it which was kind of lame. We wanted to go back and check it out but never got a chance.
Temple of Reclining Buddha
Again exactly what it sounds like..a reclining Buddha. This temple was pretty cool! The Buddha itself is in a building so it is hard to see it as a whole. The rest of the temple grounds are just stunning! The architecture was amazing with different colors and very intricate designs. This temple is definitely worth a visit. Great spot for pictures! Pop out that selfie stick!
Asiatique Riverfront Market + Thai Dinner Show- Optional Excursion
SKIP IT. Show and dinner were meh. Food was okay, service was poor, drinks ridiculously expensive.100 Baht for Water?! No thanks.
DO checkout the Asiatique Market on your own. It was very westernized but we enjoyed walking around and finding cool souvenirs in the market.
Day 3 – Bangkok
The Landmark of Bangkok Tour + Boat Ride - Optional Excursion
This excursion was pretty fun. The boat ride on the river was nice and relaxing. The Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple have pretty amazing architecture. Can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the grounds. WARNING: It is super crowded. Certain tourists from certain countries are inconsiderate. I'll leave it at that.
Day 4 – River Kwai
My absolute FAVORITE part of the trip. This is when I felt like we were in Thailand. The jungles, mountains, rivers are just breathtaking.
Floating Market
A market built on water. Vendors are on boats selling fruits and other foods. Great place to shop!
Try the coconut ice cream and mango & sticky rice!
Elephant Trekking & Bamboo Rafting - Optional Excursion
Definitely a must do! Riding an elephant has always been on my bucket list. The elephant camp we visited was run by Muslims and the animals were free to roam the property which made us more comfortable about the experience.
Felix River Kwai Resort
Now this resort is a little out dated but I guess what else can you expect out in the rural areas? The grounds of the hotels are beautiful. Wake up early the next morning to explore before you check out!
Day 5 – Ayutthaya
I kind of wish the tour had removed this city as a stop and added an extra night at Pattaya.
The summer palace is beautiful to walk through. The Royals were livin the life!
We went to two temples. Climbing to the top of Wat Yai Chaimogkol is a bit scary since the steps are uneven and steep. You can keep your shoes on! Which of course we didn't realize until it was too late. The view from the top of the grounds is worth seeing!
Wat Phra Si Sanphet - This is where the buddha head in the tree is located. Most of the temple grounds have been destroyed. The buddha heads were broken off when thieves were looking for gold. (Many buddhas are made of solid gold)
Krungsri River Hotel
This hotel was pretty nice. Theres a restaurant located within the hotel that offers "American" cuisine. We had days where we just wanted a burger and fries. One can only eat so much rice and noodles...
ร้านบ้านแสนสุข@อโยธยา a.k.a Happy House Restaurant Ayodhya
We found the best thai restaurant in this city located down the street from our hotel. Just follow the sketchy path and its right around on the bend on the river. Only one guy speaks English and they don't have an English menu sooo try to have an idea of what you want before going!
We ordered pad thai and green curry. ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. The green curry is pretty spicy but worth the tears.
Day 6 – Pattaya
Pattaya, Pattaya, Pattaya.
Pattaya is famous for its beaches, islands, and the walking street.
The walking street is an interesting experience to say the least...filled with bars and clubs...and hookers. Don't take the kids. haha It really only comes to life at night. Some of our tour group folks had a lot of fun bar hopping on this street. My husband and I decided to go shopping instead.
To get around town,we used the motorcycle services and would highly recommend it. It is a better way to see the city than in a car. You get the true local experience...inhaling fumes and dodging cars.
Long Beach Garden Hotel & Spa
Stunning views from this hotel. Wifi is only available in the lobby. Breakfast buffet has a decent amount of food options.
There's an awesome fruit store across the street. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The family who runs it are very nice and sweet. They will even cut up the fruit for you. Prices are good too. Mangoes all day, everyday.
Sem Massage
Best thai massage ever. Located right across the street. It may look sketchy but they know what they are doing!
View from the Pool/Beach Area
The tour provides an optional excursion to go Koh Larn/Coral Island but we chose to go exploring on our own. Much cheaper and more fun!
The day we went out to Koh Larn the waters were a bit rough but we were determined to go so we hopped on the public ferry and 30 minutes later we were there. The weather there was so nice. The water was very clear. We traveled around the island on a motorcycle and found a secluded beach. Since the waters were rough, there weren't many tourists around which was great.
White sandy beaches, clear water & sunshine..what's not to love! The food in the area was authentic and delicious.
Day 8 - Bangkok
BACK TO THE AMARI. Perfect place to start and end the trip.
We kind of just bummed around and ate. Did some last minute shopping in the night vendor street area.
Day 9 - Bangkok
Last day in Thailand to do whatever your heart desires and enjoy one last breakfast buffet at the Amari. Unfortunately you have to check out of the hotel in the morning and your flight most likely won't be leaving until 1AM the next day. Our group ended up crashing in the hotel lobby. Good thing the Amari Hotel is amazing!
TL;DR:
-Go to Thailand
-Island life is where its at
-Eat lots of food
-Bargain all day,everyday
-Ride an elephant
Thank you, looking into this trip at the end of year. It was VERY HELPFUL
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