Travelling from Phetchaburi to Bangkok isn't too difficult by bus or by minibus, but when there is something you want to see along the way, your options are limited. We came across Thailand Taxi Transfer and were quite happy with the price they quoted us to bring our plan to fruition. It was a bit of a damp and drizzly morning when we were collected from our hotel and the weather didn't really improve at all on the almost two-hour journey to Wat Sam Phran. We had seen pictures of this huge red cylindrical temple with a dragon wrapped around its outside and really wanted to visit. Despite the weather, it did not disappoint. We were dropped off in the car park and walked over a wooden bridge shaped like two enormous tree trunks. On the ... read more

Hua Hin was a good place to stop after six hours on a bus. We've been there before and it wasn't our favourite destination, but even in this situation we try to make the best of it and find interesting things to do. We stayed at the url=https://www.booking.com/hotel/th/prinz-garden-villa.en-gb.html?group_adults=2&dest_type=city&srepoch=1664551800&group_children=0&label=prinz-garden-villa-Zg7CS24I*6pZEdmAr8pupgS442493366395%3Apl%3Ata%3Ap1%3Ap2%3Aac%3Aap%3Aneg%3Afi%3Atikwd-20363488953%3Alp1007072%3Ali%3Adec%3Adm%3Appccp%3DUmFuZG9tSVYkc2RlIyh9YUNMGHk8cZwok9XGezONs4c&hapos=1&sr_order=popularity&gclid=CjwKCAjwp9qZBhBkEiwAsYFsbwxhV53hn7Z_Y2EIbBXgc1ERMF2Tv8OxY0AkT9fyyiYgcJAIvN9pkBoCCsYQAvD_BwE&aid=311076&from_beach_sr=1&from=searchresults&auth_success=1&req_adults=2&dest_id=-3248049&hpos=1&beach_sr_walking_distance=434&sid=7fdad380568b14c5bbe1480730065477&req_children=0&ucfs=1&no_rooms=1&srpvi... read more

Koh Tao was not on our radar for this trip. From Ko Samui we had expected to return to the mainland and head south. We knew of Koh Tao because our good friends Andrea and Mark from Happy Days Travel Blog were supposed to go there to look after a hotel for a few months but Covid-19 got in the way and it never happened. We hadn't realised how close Koh Tao was to Ko Samui so we got in touch with Frank and Ai-mon at Sairee View Resort and they had a room available. That led to a quick change of plans and another booking with Lomprayah ferries. The catamaran called in at Ko Pha Ngan on the way but soon enough we were introducing ourselves to our new hosts as they collected us from ... read more

Khao Sok National Park was the reason we visited South West Thailand on this trip. It did not disappoint, although the weather could have been kinder! We decided on a private transfer from Patong to the town of Khlong Sok which took a little over two hours whereas a minubus would have taken four. Money well spent in our eyes. Then we found ourselves in a beautiful riverside cottage-style room at url=https://www.google.com/travel/hotels/Khao%20Sok%20National%20Park%2C%2062%20Khlong%20Sok/entity/CgoI8JH2nIK84NNwEAE?q=river%20and%20jungle%20khao%20sok&g2lb=2502548%2C2503771%2C2503781%2C2504095%2C4258168%2C4270442%2C4284970%2C4291517%2C4306835%2C4597339%2C4718358%2C4723331%2C4757164%2C4814050%2C4816093%2C4816094%2C4816977%2C4826689%2C4842756%2C4849799%2C4850737%2C4852066%2C4856937%2C4860391%2C4861687%2C4862180&hl=en-TH&gl=th&ssta=1&ts=CAESABogCgIaABIaEhQKBwjmDxAKGBESBwjmDxAKGBIYATICEAAqC... read more

Phuket (careful with that pronunciation now - POOKET) was never a place we really wanted to go due to its popularity with foreign tourists, but as numbers are so low at the moment we grabbed the opportunity. Our stay on the island began with three nights at the Memory at On On Hotelwhich, Wi-Fi problems aside, was a great hotel. Located in the heart of the old town, it is the oldest hotel in town having been established by a Chinese migrant in 1927. It certainly has a lot of charm, and the free tea, coffee and biscuits during the day on the first floor veranda is a really nice touch. The hotel featured in the 2000 film "The Beach" and was renovated in 2012 when new owners took charge. It's fair to say we didn't ... read more

Ban Phe When we told our hosts on Koh Samed that we were staying in Ban Phe for a few days they thought it rather strange as most foreign visitors head out to the resorts some miles out of town. We had no doubts that a more Thai experience awaited us with our choice, the Huan Soontaree Resort, and we were definitely proved right even though we were the only gusts there for the duration of our stay. At least we had the pool to ourselves no matter what the heavens threw at us! It’s the wet season and it made its presence very well known during our stay. It was a wet and bumpy ride on the boat to the mainland, and a soggy but short journey on the resort’s transport – a motorbike with ... read more