Thailand Travel- a personal view

First impressions of Thailand travel
My first impressions of arriving in Phuket Thailand are a bit hazy as I spent most of my time on Phi Phi Island. Still, I spent a fun night in Patong savouring the possibilities of real food after 4 weeks in the mountains of Nepal. I had been given some Thailand travel time by my then boss at Out There Trekking company, guiding a group of trekkers near the Annapurna's range.

After Nepal, Thailand struck me as a place well used to receiving westerners to it's shores and yet distinctively original. I could sense a proud people, sure of who they were and yet gracious in receiving people to their land. What also hit me like a sledge hammer were the smiles. The nick name of the land of smiles is no joke as you are greeted politely with a smile wherever you travel. The new hot surroundings and the smiling world around me was liberating so I felt free but there was more to come.

Thailand Travel-a Thai Smile

One of the reasons I love to travel is my love of new and interesting tastes in the food I eat. Having spent time in the Indian subcontinent and a year in Japan I was well used to being surprised by new food, but the sheer variety of dishes in Thailand just swept me away. Later on I tried to work it out. If you are in the tropics with many growing conditions, virtually every type of animal, vegetable, fruit and grain can grow.  Add to this the seas being full of every type of marine life and you have the recipe for some great food.  Thai people are nothing without their love of food so now I find it no surprise that the list of different food types is seemingly endless. When I first arrived I couldn't seem to find one day or meal where they same food was on offer. It was simply spectacular.

Thailand Travel-Phat Thai

Internet, escaping work, family time on holiday in Thailand

Luxury of bane of your holiday? Having Internet connectivity can be a double edged sword keeping you fully in touch with work and life back home but ensuring  you miss part of the reason why you are out in Thailand in the first place.

I think you need time to unwind or "do nothing" on your holiday in Thailand to help restore your own equilibrium and in some situations, your sanity. To stop the 'worry chatter' in the back of the mind and just live for the moment, has a cathartic effect of relaxing the body. For me this is the essence of holiday making.

Family time on holiday
Some of the best times I've had as a parent has been sharing time with my children on holiday in Thailand. Free from distractions, commitments and the general day to day of running a family, I have spent some memorable moments just hanging out with the kids, playing. Playing is the time when my kids have seen that mum and dad can be fun, see our lighter side and these are some of my most cherished memories.

We will go for a snorkel on our favourite place  on Koh Phi Phi Don, Long Beach every time we are there. We do this as the sun is coming up. As the family finishes off and gets out of the sea, we have pancakes at a simple hut on the beachfront. With views of Phi Phi Ley and the sun on the Tonsai Cliffs, it's a magical and complete moment.

Holiday in Thailand- views of Phi Phi Ley from Long Beach

On other times we would go round to Wang Long  at sunset and watch the sun slowly slide into the sea right in between two vertical cliffs. The perfect symmetry of nature and the presence of family have a powerful effect on me, transporting me far from any realities of work. Returning I am moved, refreshed and ready for anything the world has to offer.

Holiday in Thailand

Cheap Hotels in Patong

Continuing on from my theme of showing some good hotel deals in Thailand I have got some more information about cheap Hotels in Patong. Patong is the primary beachfront resort town on Phuket island on the south west coast of Thailand, facing west into the Indian Ocean and takes in sublime sunsets every night. (I talk about Phuket a lot as this is where I have lived for a long time and my office is in Phuket town.)

Patong Beach is a 4.2 km of sandy and palm-fringed beachfront that is surrounded by the Patong Highland mountains. This ampli-theatre effect ensure that you experience nature wherever you stay as the verdant hills covered with jungle and rubber forests are always visible. It is no surprise that after hippie travelling scene of the 1970s and the fall out fro the Vietnam war, Patong was 'found' and settled by those who just want to get a way from the stress of what was then, modern living.

Cheap Hotels in Patong views of Patong Beach

Since the 1970s Patong has grown into quite a town, which is low rise on the whole, and with it's beautiful beach, is now more a resort town destination than a beach holiday one. The nightlife zone is one of Thailands most exotic and the choice of cafe, restaurant, bar, disco, club, show in this town is staggering.

Cheap Hotels in Patong by price alone.


The headline act as I often say is the Patong hotel with the lowest price. This caters for those on a real budget or just don't see the need for paying for time when they are unconscious! Anyway, my pick on this is the Lamai Apartment which comes in at an outstanding 12 Euro a night. The Lamai Apartment is set back from the beachfront in the local area of town and is a great place to hang out and experience Thai life, culture and customs, and take in a really fiery curry. This fun side of the experience makes this hostel style of accommodation worth the effort if you are travelling on a budget.

Cheap Hotels in Patong Lamai Apartment

Another pick is a bit more expensive but definitely in the cheap hotels bracket and very central to all the nightlife action near Bangla Road. The Apk Resort And Spa starting price for the standard room is 18 Euro a night and with it's roof top pool and guaranteed sunsets, it clean, comfortable rooms and great reviews is highly recommended.

Phuket Laguna beach hotels reviews

Phuket Laguna beach hotels reviews Laguna Holiday Residences Phuket Resort

Phuket Laguna beach hotels reviews
One of the most striking impressions you get when you come to the Phuket Laguna is that you have a really good integrated collection of resorts. The theme is the water, the Lagoons, Bang Tao beach and of course the glorious Indian Ocean. The lagoons are knitted together by a series of boat taxis, seamless landscaping and a sense that you are on a private estate set on the edge of paradise.

Phuket Laguna beach hotels reviews on Bang Tao Beach

Phuket Laguna beach hotels reviews The Ocean

The 5 star luxury Phuket Laguna beach hotels are the  Banyan Tree Phuket, Angsana Laguna Phuket,  Best Western Allamanda Laguna,  Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, Laguna Beach Resort and Laguna Holiday Residences Phuket Resort. Follow the links to see the hotel fact sheets and follow the customer reviews.