Our First International Journey Together

Hi Everyone,

We are an Indian Couple (M 32, F 31) who travelled Thailand for 8 days 7 Nights in March 2024. I first travelled to Thailand (Koh Pha Ngan, Krabi and Bangkok) back in 2019 (pre-covid) and wanted Thailand to be the first place to take my spouse on our First International Trip Together. Our itinerary this time consisted of Phuket, Khao Sok National Park and Bangkok. I had recently learned about Reddit and how to use it effectively and read a lot of info posted on this forum and now want to pay it back for future travelers. I have tried to share as much information as I can along with the transportation and accommodations we stayed during our trip. This is a packed itinerary, hence please feel free to tailor it as per convenience.

Day 1: Arriving at Phuket International Airport -> Phuket Old Town -> Wat Chalong -> A Blanket and a Pillow -> Kata Beach -> Sunday Night Market (Phuket Old Town)

• We landed in Phuket International Airport around 12 noon local time. Visa was free on Arrival and we had booked our SIMs in advance on Klook. We chose DTAC SIM Cards (10 Days Validity and 50 GB) and the counter was present as soon as you exit Immigration

• Once outside we proceeded towards Gate 6 Exit -> A short walk to Domestic Terminal Exit 3 -> Right outside you will find the Orange Bus to head to Phuket Old Town. The trip costed 100 Bhat each and we reached our accommodation at the Arbern Bistro Hotel in Phuket Old Town.

• After a brief refresh, we headed for lunch at Lao Pa Sat at the beautiful Phuket Old Town Street and then caught a Songthaew at Ranong Road to head to our first stop at Wat Chalong. We skipped the Big Buddha and directly headed via Grab for a relaxing sunset at 'A Blanket and a Pillow' followed by some beach time at Kata Beach.

• Finally once again took a Grab back to the Hotel, refreshed ourselves and went to the famous Sunday Night Market at Phuket Old Town which was just walking distance from our hotel. Tried a lot of the local foods and desserts and was a great way to End Day 1

Day 2: James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay, Hong Island -> Back to Hotel -> Patong Beach and Bangla Road

• Booked a tour via Klook for James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay and Hong Island with Kayaking options. Though great at first, it became a little monotonous with the constant kayaking to very similar cave structures. Lunch was decent.

• Got dropped back to the hotel and after a quick recovery proceeded to Patong Beach using the Blue Songthaews

• This was probably the best part of the trip. It was kind of like entering into a completely new vibe very different from Old Town Phuket. We had a fun time at the beach taking part in the open Zumba sessions in the evening, great food at shops and cafes and the mandatory walk down the famous Bangla road. We headed back via Grab to the hotel and called it a night.

Day 3: Phuket Old Town -> Khao Sok Village

• The next leg of the itinerary involved checking out from our stay, a short grab ride to Phuket Bus Terminal 2 and on a 3 hour bus ride to Khao Sok Village via Bus 465

• Once we reached the village, we had a hotel pick arranged to take us to "Our Jungle House" and post a quick lunch went to explore the village as well as partake in a traditional Thai massage.

• The town has a great sleepy, chill vibe but we had to get back early to our stay due to the distance and walking involved (Outside of the main road the pathways leading to the accommodation are not well lit) and called it a night.

Day 4: Khao Sok Village -> Khao Sok National Park

• We booked the 3 Day 2 Night Package with our hotel and hence Day 4 involved checking out from a Tree house stay, placing our main luggage with the Hotel and starting towards the Khao Sok National Park.

• After a 1 to 1.5 cab ride with a short stop to get some snacks, we arrived at the Pier and headed by Long Tail boat over the Cheow Lan Lake to our stay for the night - A floating bamboo house along with several other guests

• Post a quick lunch, we had some fun with snorkeling and kayaking and in the evening headed out for a hike followed by a bamboo raft ride to some caves. We were fortunate enough to witness an elephant in the forest having its daily snack.

• We witnessed a beautiful sunset and were back to our accommodation and shortly after dinner, called it a night. We had difficulty in getting sleep due to frequent power outages and warm nights as well some bit of movement from the waves.

Day 5: Khao Sok Village -> Surat Thani Airport -> Bangkok

• We woke up pretty early to witness a beautiful sunset, headed out for a short boat ride to witness birds and limestone structures in the morning, had breakfast and headed back to the Pier

• Once at the pier, we went back to our hotel in Khao Sok Village, had lunch and then had a mini van arranged to take us to the Surat Thani Airport for the flight to Bangkok

• We arrived in Bangkok at 9 30 pm and then took the A2 Bus to Victory Monument. These buses are parked in front of the Arrival Hall on the first floor of Terminal 1 (Exit No 6)

• After a 1 hr ride to Victory Monument, had dinner and proceeded to our accommodation for the next 3 nights at Fyn Park Hotel near Victory Monument

Day 6: Grand Palace -> Wat Pho -> Wat Arun -> Asiatique Riverfront -> Khao San Road

• Started our bright and early and proceeded from Victory Monument BTS to Saphan Takshin BTS - Proceeded to Sathon Pier and took the boat with the Orange Flag.

• Proceeded to the Grand Palace, went for Lunch at a place called "The Sixth", Wat Pho followed by Wat Arun. In Wat Pho we also partook in a Traditional Massage and was a great experience. Wat Arun was bit of a surprise with a lot of locals dressed in traditional clothing and having photographers clicking their pics. It was difficult to navigate or admire the beauty of the place without getting in someone's way.

• Post the temple visit, we took the Ferry to Asiatique Riverfront - Absolutely loved the vibe of the place and spent a good 1-2 hours exploring the different food joints.

• We then took the last Ferry out from Asiatique to Phra Arthit to explore the infamous Khao San road. The Ferry ride in the night moving from the well established side of Bangkok with High rise buildings to witnessing the beautiful Wat Arun in the night was a tourist attraction in itself. Finally arrived at Phra Arthit and proceeded to have dinner at "Madame Musur Bar and Restaurant".

• It was time to hit Khao San road and man what an experience. Loud Music, line of people inviting us to step into their pubs and bars, it was confusion and chaos at max. We briefly stepped into a Seven Eleven to catch up breaths and hydrate ourselves and witnessed the biggest line in a Seven Eleven I have seen in all of Thailand. Multiple people queuing up with liquor, snacks, quick bites and then proceeding to head out in the jungle of Khao San.

• We then booked a grab back to our stay after thoroughly enjoying what Khao San had to offer.

Day 7: Klong Lat Mayom Floating Market -> Chinatown -> Talad Noi -> Lumpini Park -> Jodd Fairs Night Market

• Once again an early start to the Victory BTS to Bang Khun Non MRT and then took Exit 3 to catch the free feeder bus to Klong Lat Mayom Floating Market. Explored the market for a couple of hours as well as went on a boat ride along the riverways of the market

• Returned back via feeder bus to the BTS station and headed to Wat Mangkon MRT which is the famous Chinatown - Had a quick lunch and first ventured to Talad Noi to capture in the beauty of the wall paintings as well as a quick coffee stop at Mother Roaster.

• Proceed to walk around Chinatown, grab snacks along the way and then headed to Lumpini Park via BTS

• Spent the evening at Lumphini park and took a grab back to the hotel

• Post some time, we proceeded towards the Jodd Fairs Night Market at Rama 9 for Dinner and returned back to the hotel

Day 8: China Town Shopping

• Our final day was reserved for Shopping and we went to Chinatown to pick up souvenirs and gifts for friends and family. We did want to go to Chatuchak Weekend Market but the shopping at China Town took a lot more time than expected and we could not get to see this amazing place. Hopefully next time we will have the fortune of visiting Chatuchak.

• Checked out from the hotel, took a grab to DMK Airport and post the mandatory duty free liquor and chocolate shopping landed safely at the Chennai International Airport

Note: This is my first time detailing out an itinerary and would love to seek feedback. I plan to add photos and probably add a few places to the list which have been missed. Please let me know in the comments if there is any specific information which is needed from our Itinerary. I really enjoy travelling to Thailand and experiencing the beautiful country and thankful for this reddit group with awesome tips and guidance.