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THAILAND
 Mairead O'Halloran visited Thailand on the last leg of her Journey to and from Australia.
This is Mairead's account of her visit to the Land of Smiles:
"We arrived into
Bangkok quite late at night
for the first night of a 6
day visit to Thailand. Our first night in
Bangkok gave us a quick insight in to the hustle & bustle of the Thai capital, an experience in itself!
We stayed in
Chinatown
on
the first night. This was a bit of a culture
shock. Food stalls lined both sides of the
street. Crossing the street was an adventure
in itself and a dangerous one at that.
It seemed to me that this
part of Bangkok is not intended for tourists.
We had barely settled in Bangkok when we flew from Bangkok to
Krabi.
We spent one night in Krabi in a 4* Hotel, but it was
lacking in atmosphere. I would recommend staying
in the Krabi waterfront as this seemed to be a little
more lively and had nice restaurants.
However, to my eyes, Krabi seems not to have fully
recovered from the effects of the tsunami as there are
still quite a number of sparse areas that appear
somewhat rundown.
We went from Krabi to
Koh Phi
Phi by boat. Koh Phi Phi is a most beautiful Island, It is where
"The Beach”
was filmed and there are tours of the film
sites available from most of the accommodations in Phi
Phi.. The perfect resort for complete
relaxation, fantastic Thai food & of course a Thai
massage.
Phi Phi was amazing.
Our hotel incorporated a little village within the
grounds. Hut style rooms overlooked an exquisite
expanse of beach. Hotel facilities also
included a large pool, gift shop, restaurant and bar on
site.
When we arrived on Phi
Phi island, the hotel porters met us off the boat with a
tractor and trailer to take us and our bags to the Hotel
entrance. The service was extraordinarily
attentive
and of the highest quality.
Phi Phi was the highlight
of our trip to Thailand.
If I had more time in Thailand I would have loved to
visit some of the other Islands but as time was short
we flew back to Bangkok.
I spent one night in
Ko
Shan Road just because I wanted to
see this side of Bangkok and on the second night I
stayed in beautiful area of Bangkok along the Riverside.
I had heard so much about this beforehand.
However, Ko Shan Road is really suitable only for a
one-night stop. Again, like our visit to
Chinatown, this was an area of bright lights, market
stalls, hustle and bustle. All in all we
were glad that our visit to Koshan Road was brief.
On our last night in
Thailand we stayed in an amazing 5* hotel on the
riverside which really highlighted Bangkok's tourist
experience. The restaurants were amazing
with very reasonable prices. There was a
fantastic Spa and Leisure area. We left
Thailand on a high note after the luxurious and relaxing
stay we had in this beautiful hotel.
One of the great
advantages for me of these brief stopovers in Bangkok,
is the "feel" it gave me for the city, and I have
learned what areas might and might not be suitable
for overnights, particularly for our female clients
en-route to and from Australia. Ultimately,
however, the choice is that of the customer, once
advised.
We flew home from Bangkok to Cork via London."
If you have any queries on accommodation, tours, flights
to any of the above destinations in Thailand please
contact Mairead at 065-9051046
(Mon-Fri 10-5.30)
or email us anytime.
See also:
AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY
ALICE SPRINGS
CAIRNS
BRISBANE
SINGAPORE
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