Thailand
More than 20 trips to Thailand over the last 10 years... you found the best place to find all you need to know about traveling to Thailand right here!
In the last 10 years I lived and backpacked around the country, took uncountable busses, trains, ferries and domestic flights, partied hard while island hopping, did my scuba divemaster training, was an expat in Bangkok and discovered the most amazing beaches and islands.
Find here more than 50 Thailand travel blogs!
My most read Thailand travel blog is the one that tells you 65 things you need to know when you travel to Thailand. Also buying a sim card in Thailand is a popular one and my complete list of Things To Do in Koh Tao is a readers favorite.
Very important is how safe it is to travel to Thailand? Get an insight into the horrible things that happened regarding the Koh Tao Murders. It was my birthday and I was living on the island when it happened!
Find super helpful Thailand travel tips in my itinerary blogs: Thailand itineraries for 2 weeks, island hopping itineraries.
Always wanted to know where your favourite pop idols are celebrating their holiday? I have been staying in the most amazing hotels, but for most celebrities that is just too ordinary. Apparently they rent amazing villas, secluded places where they can’t be seen and where they can do whatever they want behind closed doors. Rihanna was one those celebrities that rented Samsara Phuket and I got to stay in the exact same villa!
By the time I got back to Bangkok last month I was in serious need of relaxation, and I was happy to be invited at one of the coolest boutique hotels in Bangkok: the Siam at Siam Design Hotel. It is one of Bangkok’s oldest family-owned hotels and lately completely refurbished. Siam at Siam Design Hotel is a boutique hotel with a contemporary, luxurious, and unique style right in the heart of Bangkok.
The Layana Resort & Spa is consistently voted among the best hotels in Thailand and it was no wonder that I was really pleased and excited to spend a couple nights in this little gem on my Thailand trip in 2017. Talking to other guests we all wondered why the resort is not called a retreat. It is such a peaceful and rejuvenating place that the addition of the word retreat wouldn’t be misplaced. If you Google ‘Thailand adults only resorts’, the Layana Koh Lanta will come up first and after experiencing this top-notch luxurious retreat I can understand that this place ranks number 1 in many lists. I was happy I was able to included this resort in my Thailand itinerary!
In June 2016 after visiting Thailand for more than 10 times I finally got to travel to Koh Lanta for the first time. I was invited to come and review Crown Lanta Resort & Spa and give my opinion about their resort. Crown Lanta is situated on the tip of a tiny peninsula in the North of Koh Lanta. Tucked away from the mass tourism of the popular East side of Koh Lanta, the Crown Lanta Resort and Spa has a fabulous location. In this review I will discuss all the things you need to know before you book the Crown Lanta Resort.
Leave Phuket behind you and explore the surrounding islands. Koh Yao Yai is one of my favorite islands out there and only 30 minutes away from Phuket. Still untouched and a place where island life is the number one feeling. When you decide to go island hopping in Thailand then put this on your list. In a hidden bay in Koh Yao Yai you can find Glow Elixir, a lovely 4* resort in a tranquil bay.
Go off the beaten path when traveling in Thailand and check in to the Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, the number one hotel in Rayong. Rayong is a not yet discovered region by mass tourism not far away from the immense popular beach destination Pataya. Travelling East from Bangkok never really appealed to me, but when I was invited by the Rayong Marriott I thought lets just wing it. Actually I had never heard of the region. Exploring new territories in Thailand was great and after I have been to Marriott Rayong I can now say that it is totally worth visiting this undiscovered region of Thailand.
There are so many luxury hotels in Bangkok that prices are very competitive and staying in one of those fantastic places won’t be as expensive as you might think. I could have easily made a list op top ten hotels in Bangkok, but I chose to write about the 4 places I recently stayed at. To me the best areas to stay in Bangkok are Silom and Sukhumvit. I
Island hopping Thailand is probably the most popular first big trip for young travelers and I can totally understand why! Traveling to Thailand is hot again after the global pandemic! Some may say the islands are overcrowded and the authentic Thai lifestyle is gone. I am the last one to deny this as Thailand tourism changed a lot over the years. But hey... I am just as much guilty as I have visited Thailand almost 20 times.
Island hopping in Thailand never gets boring and is always something to look forward to. The uncomplicated and laid-back vibe is something hard to explain, but it makes me book a Thailand holiday over and over.
Bangkok can be intimidating at first, but give it a chance and you will start loving love it. Embrace the chaos and find the beauty in what may seem like a dirty city, but there is so much going on it can be a bit overwhelming.
There are so many cool things to do in Bangkok that it is hard to tell you where to go and what to do. I have traveled to Bangkok about 20 times and I was always the first person people would reach out to when they booked a trip to Bangkok.
Therefore I decided to put this list together of the 10 best things to do in Bangkok or first timers.
SO Sofitel Hua Hin is a modern and trendy beach resort where design meets the white sand in the Gulf of Thailand. A perfect retreat for hipsters and trendsetters looking to escape bustling Bangkok. It is where the SO concept is taken to the beach in Hua Hin.
The Sofitel So Bangkok only opened in 2012. A fashionable and trendy hotel, located at the beginning of Sathorn Road in front of Lumpini Park, Bangkok’s largest green area. So Sofitel is all about art and style; chic but playful. It was the famous French designer Christian Lacroix who designed the hotel’s interior, the staff uniforms and the executive lounge. On my trip to Thailand in 2017 I had the privilege of staying there and write a Sofitel So Bangkok review.
Bangkok tourism is booming and so are Bangkok cycling tours. Co van Kessel is a Dutch company founded by Co, a late Dutchman. He started cycling in Bangkok over 30 years ago, taking tourists to the best places to visit in Bangkok. First time I took the tour was in 2009 and since then the business grew a lot and they are offering multiple tours a day ranging from 3 to 9 hours long. I opted for the ‘Co Combo tour’, a 5-hour bike/boat tour through the remote areas of Bangkok.
What is the best thing about traveling to Thailand? Exploring, the food and the people would probably come up in your mind first and I can understand. Isn’t that why we travel the world? In total I have now been in this country more than 15 times and it still is intriguing enough to come back. All my experience and travel tips for Thailand I bundeled in more than 40 travel blogs. Check them out in the link.
Looking for a luxury hotel in Bangkok? Thought about staying in the W Hotel in Bangkok? It was my first time and like all first times they are hard to forget, right? I was happy to get a slice of luxury hotel life in Bangkok on my trip to Thailand and I enjoyed it to the fullest. This is my full review.
Finding the best beach when you travel to Krabi can be a hard job. With so many amazing places and beaches to visit in Thailand you can spend several weeks island hopping in Thailand and come across the most amazing beaches. You will for sure find one you like the most, but this article is here to help you a little. Around Krabi there are many islands, but some of the best beaches in Krabi are not even located on an island...
Excited for your trip to Thailand? I envy you! Traveltomtom has visited Thailand more than 20 times and it is one of my most visited countries in the world. Staying connected makes traveling in Thailand so much easier and of course much more fun. Don't get stuck with high roaming charges or slow overseas data roaming plans.
This is a complete guide for finding the best sim card for your trip to Thailand. Local prepaid sim cards you buy on arrival in Thailand are cheap, but there are also amazing e-sim card deals for Thailand that you order directly on the internet and you are online as soon as the plane lands.
You only have a couple days on the island and don't know where to go out in Koh Tao? With this complete restaurant and bar guide for Koh Tao I will give you some insider tips for when you travel to Thailand. I have lived on Koh Tao for 6 months and visited 5 times, and I know most places by now. You are spoilt for choice with upscale dining, local Thai cuisine, party places, live music and of course beach lounge bars, most of them all clustered around Sairee Beach.
Looking for amazing places to stay in Koh Tao? Somewhere to fully enjoy your holiday and relax with your partner? Want to unwind from stressful corporate life on one of the best islands to visit in Thailand? Then Bamboo Huts Koh Tao might be something for you! The isolated Bamboo Huts Resort is one of the best places to stay in Koh Tao. Start your stress free holiday here. Located on the rocks of the southwest coast of the island all bungalows have a prima oceanfront location with magnificent ocean views. Because every bungalow is facing west great sunsets are guaranteed.
After two lovely nights in the Alisea Boutique Hotel in Ao Nang I switched hotels and checked in at the Aonang Cliff Beach Resort on the other side of the town. The hotel arranged a pick-up and at 10.30am sharp there was an air-conditioned mini van waiting outside the hotel to escort me to my new Ao Nang hotel.
After 7 years I decided to go back to the picturesque town of Ao Nang in the Krabi province in Thailand. I remembered the lively streets, the Krabi beaches, the lovely boulevard and the amazing food culture and was eager to go back. On top of that finding a place to stay ended in 5-night collaboration with the Alisea Boutique Hotel and the Ao Nang Cliff Beach Resort.
Unfortunately more tragic news from the so called Death Island of Koh Tao occurred when on June 4th 2021 the 2 lifeless bodies of a Thai/Indian billionaire couple were found dead in the Jamahkhiri Resort & Spa hotel pool. There was no evidence of a misdemeanour, but the bodies were sent to the police hospital for autopsy. Sadly another case of tourists deaths on Koh Tao.
In January 2018 a British traveler was found death in a hotel pool along Sairee Beach. There were at that time a lot of rumors going around but no one really knows what happened. In the end it was stated by the police that it was a tragic accident. Fact is that they found another dead body in Koh Tao under suspicious circumstances. One of the many tourist deaths in Thailand per year.
The Fool Moon Parties in Thailand got hyped so much through Social Media that it has problems satisfying the expectations of the tourists. Thousands of youngsters from all over the world are still visiting Koh Phangan to go completely wild on the famous beach of Haad Rin. The entire bay will be filled with crazy party people that dance the night away. But is Full Moon Thailand worth going? Let me talk through this in this Thailand travel blog.
Why do you think people on Tripadvisor chose this as the most romantic hotel in the world 2015? No explanation needed, right? This picture above says it all! I was looking for the best Koh Tao hotels and I wanted to find some spots on the island that were not really well known to the big audience. At least that is what I thought. But winning a Tripadvisor award made me think I was too late. Still The Place Koh Tao is not a mass tourism destination and II was happy I got the chance to review this Koh Tao Boutique hotel.
Scuba diving will always be the main tourist attraction in Koh Tao, simply because it is one of the cheapest places in the world to get your PADI scuba dive certification. But there are more things to do in Koh Tao besides scuba diving. Traveltomtom once lived in Koh Tao, did his Scuba Dive Master Training course on the island and visited Koh Tao more than 10 times.
Here is my list of the coolest Koh Tao things to do according to ‘locals’ and with the help of my friends who are still living in Koh Tao this article is completely up to date for your Koh Tao trip in 2024.
Although I just had 5 amazing days in Koh Samui I can’t wait to go home! Yes, this is how I feel when I am boarding a boat to Koh Tao. Right now I am on the Lompraya high-speed ferry that takes me from Koh Samui to Koh Tao in 2 hours. Price? $17! It was my 6th time visiting Koh Samui, I really like it, but what I learned in 3 days Samui? I really adore Koh Tao, by far my favorite island to visit in Thailand.
Things are changing! Where the island has always been a divers paradise, more and more travelers make the trip to Koh Tao just to enjoy their Thailand holiday and indulge on island vibes. Diving still is big business and the main thing to do in Koh Tao and pre pandemic there were almost 100 dive schools in Koh Tao.
An increasing amount of people island hopping in Thailand come to experience the laid-back vibe, to snorkel in the stunning remote bays, drive a scooter around and Koh Tao, party on the beach for sunset, experience the amazing hiking trails in Koh Tao or just chill out and watch incredible sunsets from Sairee Beach.
Renting a motorbike in Koh Tao is a must if you want to the best tourist spots on Koh Tao. Though at the same time this island is very infamous for its motorbike scams. So what to do? Miss the cool spots? Or take a leap of faith and go for it? In this Thailand travel blog I will point you out to a motorbike rental in Koh Tao with scratch insurance and explain why it is hard to drive around the island. For more general tips for renting a motorbike in Thailand click on this link.