So for my birthday I rewarded myself with a trip (back) to Thailand. I’m bringing a friend who’s never been to Thailand before and to be honest, this time around I just wanted to relax and take it easy. Compared to my previous travels where I was being the adventurous backpacker, I decided that this time I’d up my comfort level a bit more and become…. Asian flashpacker! Eventhough this is relax and tourist vacation trip, I still wanted to check out some places I haven’t been to before. Touching down in Bangkok, I’m gonna try to put in the effort to check out one of the floating markets in the neighbourhood. Afterwards gonna check out the popular beach getaway for the locals, Pattaya. It’s been AGES since I’ve been snorkeling and diving and since Pattaya is quite near BKK, I figured why not. And we’ll probably be visiting the island of Koh Larn too, which is just a short boat ride away from Pattaya. To end things, I’ve decided to visit the north, more specifically Pai! Heard stories about this place and since I haven’t visited the north during my last trip, I wanted to check out the peaceful north. Besides, it’s a nice place to relax and wind down after Bangkok and Pattaya.
Hotel vs Hostel
As a backpacker I would stay at the cheapest hostels and guesthouses possible. Sleeping in a dorm with 6+ other strangers and sharing showers and toilets used to be the way to go for me. For this (short) 2 week trip I’ve decided to enjoy the luxury of traveling more rather than budgetting too much. I decided on staying in hotels and semi-decent ones, I’m not up to the level yet where I’m going to stay in 3-4 star hotels, but at least a nice upgrade from dorms and hostels. For Bangkok I decided to stay at Bally’s Studio Suites Sukhumvit Hotel near Sukhumvit. I didn’t wanna hang around the backpackers area anymore and there are tons of shops and metro stops near the hotel so it’s more about convenience.
For Pattaya I wanted to go all out for a few days and dish out a bit more for a room with a nice ocean view at Pattaya Discovery Beach Hotel. We’re only going to stay for a few nights and experience a higher class type of hotel and view. After a few days we’re going to move to a more budget friendly place nearby, Sabai Inn.
For the relaxing part of the trip in Pai, I went with Yoma hotel near the center. I didn’t wanna stay too far out of the city and Pai in itself wasn’t that big and if we did wanna venture out, we can still rent bycicles for free so that’s a nice extra.
For our last few nights in Bangkok, we’re probably going to stay near Sukhumvit again, but we’re gonna try a different hotel this time. Nantra Sukhumvit 39 Hotel seemed like a nice hotel in the city, trendy, clean, and of course convenient! Let’s see how these hotels compare to the hostel experience!
Feel free to check out the other hotels I’ve stayed at while traveling in Thailand.
- XP thonglor hotel
- Nina’s guesthouse (Phuket)
- Sawasdee Sabai Hotel
- Maninarakorn hotel
- Inn House
- Kwaimaipar Orchid garden
- White house Asoke
- Paradise bungalows
- Sacha’s Hotel Uno (Bangkok)
- Neta resort (Pattaya)
For Vietnam, you should check out: Thao Ni Hotel. Decent hotel, great value. Or 33 hotel in Vung Tau.
For Paris in Europe I’ve stayed at Bastille de Launay hotel for it’s convenient location!
Backpack vs suitcase
As a flashpacker, I wasn’t planning on traveling a whole lot during this trip. And if we were moving, we’re not going to be on any cramped busses much. Probably only on the bustrip from Chiang Mai to Pai and back. The rest of the trips will be done by taxi and friendly favors. I have a good friend of mine working for Samsonite and asked her to lend me one of her products for me to try out. I never really traveled before with a suitcase so I figured I’ll give it a try!
I wen’t with the Engenero Spinner 69cm. She also had the 79cm one but for a 2 week trip, the 69 one will do. Besides, I don’t have that many clothes and you can do laundry anywhere in Thailand for a cheap price.
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