Thailand Pilot "blog"

Thailand was the trip of a lifetime—and I don’t say that lightly. The culture, the food, the islands, the scams... it was all part of the adventure. We spent a month bouncing around the country, and while I’m no professional travel blogger, I’ve got enough stories and “wish I knew that” moments to help you plan a solid trip (or at least avoid a few headaches). Here’s how we did it—what worked, what didn’t, and what I’d do differently next time.

I’ve gone ahead and broken down exactly what we did, from location to links and put each activity and location on a scale of 1/10: 1 = avoid it like the plague. 10 = do whatever it takes to get there.

Quick Tips Before You Go

Four nights per location is the sweet spot. Long enough to settle in, short enough to keep things fresh.

It’s cheap—but not that cheap. Yes, Thailand is affordable, but the whole “I lived off $10/day” crowd is full of sh*t. That budget would mean bunk beds, street meat, and zero tours. Possible, but not easy. 

Best food = plastic chairs. The tucked-away alley joints were almost always better than the beachfront spots. We found you’re either paying for the food or the experience. 

If you make a plan, stick to it. Don't let people talk you out of it, unless you trust them, they don't always have your best interest in mind. 

Always film your rental gear before you leave any rental shop. We heard of many horror stories of people getting scammed this way. 

Respect the temples. Cover your shoulders and knees, and ditch the shoes and hats before going inside.

Be prepared for “Thai time”—everything moves slower, and boat schedules are loose.

BANGKOK 

We stayed in Sukhumvit: (9/10) Big city vibe, a great hub getting around as the cities various trains all have stations here. 

Hotel: We stayed in Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18: (7/10)

Breakfast story Asok: (9/10) Great food, great vibes, highly recommend if you find yourself in the area.

Yao rooftop restaurant: (8/10) 

Floating Market Damnoen Saduak: (1/10) DO NOT GO HERE. TOURIST TRAP. There are better floating markets in Bangkok.

Chatuchak Market: Worlds biggest street market (10/10) 

The Grand Palace: (7/10) would have been a lot cooler going with a guide or understanding the culture behind it. 

Bencharkitti forest park: (5/10) Just walked around. Wouldn’t go out of your way to see it but it’s cool if your staying close. 

Terminal 21 shopping mall: (7/10) Massive mall, different cities vibe from around the world on each floor. 

We landed, booked a hotel in Sukhumvit, and hoped for the best. Luckily, it worked out. The area’s central, well-connected, and close to everything.

Day one: We had a plan to take the train to a floating market. Our concierge insisted it was “too far,” called us a cab, and sent us on a 2-hour journey to a tourist trap that cost us 1500 baht for the ride and 4000 for a boat tour. Tourist hustle 101. Lesson learned: don’t let anyone talk you out of your plan—especially if you’ve done your homework.

Day two: Total redemption. Chatuchak Market (allegedly the biggest market in the world) was absolutely insane and totally worth it—even if you’re not into shopping. Haggling was a blast, the street food was elite, and it gave us a fresh new take on the city. We cruised on the river ferry (way better than taxis) and finished the day at Yao Rooftop. The food was fine, but the views were insane—especially of the MahaNakhon Tower, which we decided not to go up... because why look from the coolest building in the skyline when you can look at it?

After two full days and three nights, we dipped. Bangkok has so much to offer, but I’m not a big city guy. We had planned to take the overnight train to the islands for just 550 baht ($17 USD) but tickets were sold out—book that early if it’s on your radar.

KOH SAMUI

We stayed at Lagoon Sea View Villa with some friends, great spot, affordable for what it is, chill laid back area of the island. (10/10)

Nikki Beach: (9/10) Amazing high end resort, if you are looking to chill and not leave the resort this is the spot for you. 

Thongson Beach: (10/10) super chill and quite beach

Ang Thong National Park: (10/10) You have to take a boat to get here, the most jaw dropping place i've ever been. We went with 100 Degrees East (10/10) They satisfied needs we didn't even know we had.

Moped rental. 10 bucks a day they drop it off wherever and pick it up wherever whenever. Just text them in whatsapp when you arrive +66 89 054 6271 (10/10)

Badass Tattoos: (10/10) Best place to get a tattoo using traditional Thai style bamboo technique.

Four Seasons: (5/10) its cool because this is where The White Lotus season three was filmed but wayyy out of my price range and there are places around Koh Samui that are a lot cheaper with the same luxury.

Fisherman’s village: We didn’t get to go but drove past it and wished we went.

The Mud Restaurant: (6/10) Cool restaurant at a resort, good people, good food, great vibes, a bit expensive. 

Thongson bay restaurant: (10/10) Cheap and Great food, right on the beach. Say hi to Emma for us. It is the local spot to go, some of the best Thai food we had in Thailand.

We met up with some friends and stayed near Thongson Beach—super quiet, laid back, and only a quick scooter ride from town. Perfect zone if you want to chill without being totally off the grid. 

Highlight: Ang Thong National Park with 100 Degrees East. Cost us about 5000 baht ($150 usd) and was some of the best money we spent all trip. Private beaches, snorkeling, jungle hikes, zero crowds. 

We returned to Koh Samui at the end of our trip and stayed at Nikki Beach Resort. Pricey, but so worth it. It’s on the western side of the island—quiet, no towns nearby, just poolside melting and watching the sun disappear into the ocean. If you’re looking for a strong finish, this is it.

KRABI / AO NANG

Tonsai Beach: (5/10) Hard to get there, definitely not the best beach in the area, very quiet.

Tinidee Hideaway: (6/10) Elevated Bungalows, one of the few resorts over at Tonsai beach, Rooms were decent, vibe was amazing, view was insanity, food was mid. 

Ao Nang: (9/10) this is the area to stay if you come to this region, the hub of the area, easiest place to get to and from. 

Ao Nang Dugong (9/10) Great place to stay, cheap, right in the middle of everything, 4 minute walk to the beach. 

Ao Nang Beach: (6/10) Not the best beach to melt at with the crowds and boats, but a fantastic place to watch the sunset.

Pai Plong Beach: (9/10) Great beach, less crowded as you have to take the Monkey Trail (8/10) or a long tail to get there. Much better alternative option to Ao Nang beach if you aren't looking to take a longtail from Ao Nang. 

Phra Nang Beach (10/10) in my opinion the best beach in the area, but its about an hour trek from Ao Nang

Railey Beach: (9/10) Amazing place to watch the sunset, only downside were the amount of people and boats

Boogie Bar: (7/10) Fun place to go out at night.

Tan tribe: (7/10) Great option for breakfast, a bit on the pricey side but food and people were great.

Family Restaurant: (10/10) Just go, the best Thai food out there. 

The bright side bistro : (10/10) strangely enough it was the best Italian pasta I've ever had, people were amazing and the vibe was perfect.

The Grotto Restaurant: (4/10) This is where all the instagram posts come from. Way over priced, your paying for the atmosphere. If you’re planning on going here dont sent your expectations to high.

Long Tail Boat Service: (7/10) Really no way around it cause its the only way to get to different beaches. Really cool the first couple days, gets pretty frustrating after a while with wait times. 

Rock climbing: (9/10) World renowned rock climbing. We booked our guide through Karst Climbing (10/10) and if you end up going climbing here you have to go with this company, they are great!

Hong Island: (8/10) Ko Hong had one of the most amazing beaches I have ever been to. You have to take a boat, definitely take a speed boat not a long tail. I almost wouldnt recommend taking the tour, just get a boat to take you to Ko Hong beach for the day. 

Following Giants Elephant Sanctuary (10/10): Such a cool experience, feels good giving your money to an organization that cares as much as these people do.

Tiger Cave Temple: (1/10) very cheap but about 40 minutes away. Felt like a tourist trap. The hike was HELL and not worth it. Really no history behind it. Much cooler and more meaningful temples in thailand that you dont have to hike 1200 vertical steps to get to.

Sankara: (10/10) best massage i've ever gotten. 90 minutes for $15 bucks, great atmosphere, amazing people. 

We posted up in Ao Nang for 10 nights - which felt a little too long. 4 nights would’ve been perfect, you wouldn't get to do everything but it would just be a good excuse to come back.  Ao Nang is the place to stay in this region as it has the best access to everything like Railay, Tonsai, and all the guided trips. This is the Thailand you see on the post cards, the towering cliffs jetting out of the water. It's a busy tourist town so take that how you want it. 

My personal highlights in this region was climbing at Railay, and the elephant sanctuary with Following Giants. Even if you're not a big climber, it’s worth it as its a world renowned rock climbing destination. I promise if you tell one of your climbing buddies you climbed at Railey they will foam out the mouth. The elephant tour was such a cool experience. we booked the half day, I think that's all you really need. Super ethical place, they rescue all of the elephants that have lived rough lives as loggers or being ridden. It felt good giving our money to good people doing the right thing.

FULL MOON PARTY @ KOH PHA NGAN

Located at Haad Rin Beach. It happens every full moon but there are like a weeks worth of parties leading up to it.  (10/10)

Don't stay in Haad Rin if you want to get any sleep, the party goes all night

Tiki Beach Hostel 8/10 super cheap, great location, close to the port and fairly easy to get around with the taxi services. 

We came for the full moon party. Pure chaos in the best way. Picture a mile long beach turned into a festival with fire shows, neon paint, buckets of booze, and bars stacked on top of eachother flooding into the beach with stacks of speakers in every direction. Don’t expect to sleep if you're staying in Haad Rin. We stayed at Tiki Beach Hostel just far enough away. Definitely one of the better decisions we made. 

I was just getting over food poisoning so we just went to check it out but even a few hours there was enough to say, “yep, that was wild.”

KOH TAO

Bans Diving Resort: (10/10)

New Way Diving: (8/10) went on 2 dives with them to sail rock cause bans wasn't offering it on that day. 

Blue Shark Cafe: 10/10 great vibes, amazing food, get the thai tea. 

995 Roasted Duck: 9/10 the place had a line out the door and around the block. Food was dirt cheap and really good!

Diving heaven. The whole island is built around scuba diving. It's the cheapest place in the world to get any sort of scuba certification. We got open water certified with Bans Dive Resort and did four ocean dives, a couple classroom sessions and a pool session over four days with them. We couldn't get enough so we booked 2 dives with New Era Diving at Sail Rock- a rock in the middle of the ocean with massive schools of fish.

I think Koh Tao was my favorite place we went to in Thailand. The island is so unique, laid back, and hosts some of the best people.

What I’d do Differently

Our trip planning was a little chaotic—timed around meeting friends and hitting the Full Moon Party, and the fact that we didn't actually plan our trip until we got to Bangkok. If I were to do it again this is how I’d structure it: 3 days in Bangkok, head up north to Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai, then down to Ao Nang, Over to Koh Phangan, hit Koh Tao, and wrap it up in Koh Samui

Thats a Wrap

Thailand is Bonkers. Whether you're climbing cliffs, diving reefs, or getting lost in street markets—it’s the kind of place that hits you hard in the best way. Plan just enough to keep it smooth, but leave room for the unexpected.