[robincsamuel]

We've been planning our first international family vacation for long. We started planning pre-covid and we all know what happened! It was easier back then because we were working from home and had a lot of flexibility. Our daughter was just two years old.

Although we still have the same flexibility, we now have to plan around school vacations. So, we began our planning around the last week of October, during the Dussehra holidays.

Initially, our plan was Türkiye, and we even booked hotels. However, we decided to change the plan due to a recent increase in visa fees. The visa alone would have cost around 65k for the three of us, and we thought it would be more worthwhile if we could plan a longer vacation later.

Honestly, Thailand didn't excite us as much as Türkiye initially. However, our interest grew as we started planning the trip. We prefer managing everything on our own and avoid going with agencies. We are very particular about the hotels, the flight timings and most of the things.

The Plan

One of the reasons we decided on Thailand is it offers a blend of vibrant cities and beautiful beaches. We had nine days, and we planned a day for travel, four days in Bangkok, and the remaining four days in Phuket.

The high-level plan from my notes,

Preparations

We booked flights and hotels in August, and we got a good deal because it was off-season, and we booked early.

Flights

Bengaluru-Bangkok-Bengaluru: I booked a round-trip flight with Thai Airways from BLR to BKK (TG-325/326). The main reason for choosing this flight was the timing, and because I've never been on a wide-body aircraft before. The fare wasn't refundable, so I opted for the MakeMyTrip Zero Cancellation add-on. I also purchased travel insurance along with the air ticket.

Bangkok-Phuket-Bangkok:: We're not early risers, so booked late-morning Air Asia flights. As a budget carrier, there's no included check-in baggage, so we bought baggage and booked seats through the AirAsia website.

Hotels

Bangkok: We decided to stay near the Riverside and booked Ramada Plaza Menam Riverside. The hotel provides stunning views of the riverside, the city at night, and the Asiatique Ferris wheel.

Phuket: After a lot of research, we started looking for hotels in Karon Beach, as it's preferred by families. We made a reservation at the Best Western Ocean Resort for its ocean view.

IDP

I wanted to drive for at least a day, and we had one day planned for a long drive. So, I applied for an IDP. The process was smooth; the RTO contacted me and asked me to upload a copy of the visa. However, they issued the IDP immediately when I mentioned it's Visa-on-Arrival. The entire process took approximately two weeks from application to postal delivery.

Forex

I was clueless about proof of funds and forex, and that's when @Himalayan_Ice posted a travelogue about his Thailand trip. I contacted him, and he helped me with all the information about forex and e-SIM. Thanks, @Himalayan_Ice!

I ordered Forex via BookMyForex and had a nice experience. The currencies were delivered on time and were high-quality bank notes.

Surprise Change in Plans

The original plan was to have a family trip with myself, my wife, and our daughter. Just a month before, while chatting with a friend, I brought up our plans and asked if they'd like to join. He said yes, and that shifted the tone of the trip.

We immediately booked flight tickets for both of them and made a hotel reservation for the same flight and hotel. Though the fares were a bit higher than what we got, it was still a good deal.

Now that we are four adults and one kid, we made some changes, with the major one being renting a car. We decided to rent a car for the entire trip.

Car Rentals

Bangkok: Booked a Haval Jollion Automatic with YesAway through rentalcars.com. Opted for the collision damage waiver add-on. Both pickup and drop were arranged at Suvarnabhumi airport, aligned with our flight timings.

Phuket: We decided to book a budget car in Phuket as all the places were close. Booked a Toyota Vios Automatic, again with collision damage waiver add-on. Pickup & drop were arranged from Phuket airport.

Island Trip

The next major thing we had to book was an island trip from Phuket. There were mainly three options: a longtail boat, speed boat, and big boat. I was sure we wouldn't be comfortable in a speedboat; we wanted to have a relaxed trip. Made some enquiries, and most of the big boats would have around 80 people. Liked the longtail boat but wasn't sure about how safe they are. After a lot of research and enquiries, came across an Instagram profile, Boat and Beyond, and it was interesting. In fact, it was exactly what we were looking for, and the price was also good for what they offered. So we made a reservation for a one full-day Island trip.

However, October being a wet month, there's a high chance of this trip getting canceled in case of adverse weather. Despite that, we were mentally prepared and still made the booking.

Attraction Passes

We initially planned to book some attraction passes in advance but opted against it as it would make our schedule more rigid, having to follow specific timings. Special thanks to @Rajeevraj for his inputs on this matter. Speaking of which, my post may appear quite similar to @Rajeevraj's recent Thailand trip travelogue. Although most of the plans were already in place before I read his post (A long overdue family vacation to Thailand: Bangkok and Krabi), being a novice writer, I might not be able to present it differently :(

Airport Transfers

I read great reviews about Shoffr on the forum long back and wanted to try that out. I made bookings with Shoffr for to and from the BLR airport to home.

E-VoA

We applied for E-VoA for convenience so that we don't have to present all the supporting documents and fill the forms at the airport. The process was straightforward: filled the form online, attached the passport bio page, cover page, flight tickets, and accommodation vouchers. We received the E-VoA the next morning.

[robincsamuel]

The Trip Begins

Our flight was scheduled at 12:30 am, and as it was our first international trip, we planned to arrive around 8:30 pm. Expecting some traffic, we booked Shoffr for 6:00 pm. The driver arrived in a BYD E6 around 5:30 pm.



The car was clean and well-maintained. I'd never been in an electric car before, so I was really excited. The ride was comfortable, and I liked the suspension setup. Normally, I don't prefer soft suspension, but this one was soft, and surprisingly, I liked it. There was good enough boot space to load the luggage for two families. They also had drinking water and polos stocked.

We reached the airport by 7:30 pm. The T2 terminal looks absolutely beautiful, especially with all the golden lights.



Check-in, security checks, and immigration formalities were completed by around 10 pm. The flight was on time, and we reached Suvarnabhumi Airport by 5:50 am. I got some currencies exchanged, though the rate isn't that good at the airport. We queued up at the e-VoA counter, where about 10-15 people were ahead of us. The process took about half an hour, and it was straightforward.

Bought tourist SIM cards (AIS) with 8 days of validity for 520 THB. They helped us to install the eSIMs. Our rental car was booked for 7:30 am, and by the time we finished all these and got the baggage, it was already 7 am. We located the Yesaway counter, and they completed the documentation in 10 minutes and got the car.

The car was a Haval Jollion, an E20 hybrid crossover with ADAS. I started driving slowly towards the hotel and quickly became comfortable with the car. I'm driving an ADAS-equipped car for the first time and I loved it. This was also my first hybrid car experience. It was confusing initially because I wasn't sure whether the car was on or not. The car had a dial for the shifter. I found it very inconvenient. Despite all the advanced tech, I started missing ventilated seats; our Sonet really spoiled me.



Driving in Thailand

I was skeptical about driving in Thailand as what I had read wasn't great. I was expecting it to be worse than India. However, the people there have good traffic etiquette. The people were very patient and considerate; I couldn't even hear a single horn. There's proper lane discipline, and though the tuk-tuks and two-wheelers are still a menace, it was easy.

At the hotel

We reached the hotel too early. The check-in time was 2 pm, and though we requested early check-in, they couldn't arrange the rooms. However, the hotel had a lounge for such customers with unlimited snacks. We got settled there.

The washroom toilets in the lounge didn't have health faucets. The first half of the day was mostly spent figuring that out and the first-ever experience with toilet paper. We went to the reception and reconfirmed our rooms had health faucets.

We had no plans for the first day to get some rest after the red-eye flight. However, since we all had the energy to go out, we visited Sealife Ocean and planned to rest in the evening once we got to our rooms.

Sealife Ocean

We didn't book the tickets since we weren't sure if we could visit the same day. There wasn't much crowd. But they only had combo tickets and we didn't want to visit the Madame Tussauds. So I booked the ticket online, right from the queue.

It's a massive aquarium and has some activities for kids.







We spent two hours there and headed back to the hotel. The view from our room,



Our hotel was close to Asiatique, so we decided to go out for dinner there. Although it was within walking distance, we hailed a tuk-tuk just for the experience. Most stores were starting to close as it was already 10 pm. We headed directly to the restaurant. Rosewood was one of the restaurants with really good reviews, and the food was amazing. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel and took a couple of photos at the deserted Asiatique.







As soon as we reached the hotel, I raised a request for drinking water. Guess who brought the water bottles!

[robincsamuel]

Day 2 - Grand Palace and an Unplanned Boat Ride

The original plan was to visit the Grand Palace and then visit some temples like Wat Arun, and Wat Benchamabophit. We reached the ground near Grand Palace around 11 am, parked the car, and walked towards the gate.

A person stopped us, saying he was from the tourism department. I usually ignore such people, but for some reason, I didn't this time, and it turned out to be a mistake. He informed us that the ticket counter was closed and would open in two hours. He suggested taking a boat trip along the Chao Phraya River and then visiting the Grand Palace. Without giving me time to think, he called a tuk-tuk and arranged everything. We boarded a longtail boat, feeling a bit uneasy without life jackets on the bumpy ride.

I prefer exploring interesting places on my own rather than having someone show me around. The main reason is that they often want to show numerous places, while I only want to visit one or two places that truly interest me.

The sightseeing took up a lot of our time, and we began to worry about the Grand Palace closing, as it was already 2:30 pm. Honestly, the only interesting thing was experiencing the sluice gates. However, there was a long queue of boats there.

A few pictures from the boat trip:









Grand Palace

The ticket cost was 500 THB per person, and it was free for kids below 120cm in height. We spent two hours inside, but some sections were closed for renovation. We were quite tired after the boat trip and weren't in the mood to explore in detail. Therefore, we walked through all the sites. The place is well-maintained with beautiful buildings, sculptures, and mural paintings.









The street nearby,



It started raining a little. We wanted to go to the Chatuchak Weekend Market after the Grand Palace, but we were all tired, so we decided to call it a day.

[robincsamuel]

Day 3 - Driving out of the city - Maeklong Railway Market/Talad Rom Hub and Amphawa Floating Market

When we started planning, one place we didn't want to miss was the railway market. We had seen many videos, and it seemed like a fantasy. Since it's in a different province and 70 km away from Bangkok, we initially decided to rent a car and make it a long day trip. That way, it's not just about the market; we get to enjoy a drive too. However, we ended up renting a car for the entire trip later.

The train runs seven times a day, and we found the 11:00-11:30 period to be the best, so that we don't have to start too early from Bangkok. It took us around 1.5 hours to reach the place. We parked the car on the street 100 meters away and walked to the station. The place was heavily crowded, and the guards were working hard to keep people away from the tracks. The train arrived in 5 minutes, and the market moved back from the rails to make way for the train. Once the train passed, the market became active again, and we went inside. Since the train would return in 20 minutes, we visited a store, bought some toys, and stayed there to watch the train go back. It was a really wonderful experience.







Amphawa Floating Market

It's located just 10 minutes from the railway market, a comparatively small but one of the most popular and authentic floating markets. There are many seafood stalls and souvenir shops. However, we only saw a very limited number of sellers on boats. We spent an hour there and then drove back to Bangkok.









After spending the evening at the hotel pool, we visited Asiatique again. We went to Asiatique almost every day, mainly for dinner. However, this time our purpose was to explore the shops and experience the Ferris wheel, Asiatique Sky.

The Ferris wheel ticket costs 500 THB per person. It completes three rounds and pauses at the top for a while.





That's day 3, and we headed back to the hotel after an average dinner from an Indian restaurant, Indian Darbar.

[robincsamuel]

Day 4 - Ancient City & Erawan Museum

We started as usual and drove down to the Ancient City. The route took us through an expressway, and we reached our destination quite quickly, around 11 am.



The entry ticket to the Ancient City costs 700 THB per adult, but we purchased tickets online for 550 THB through Klook, and it also includes the ticket to the Erawan Museum.

Quoting Wikipedia,

Ancient Siam (also known as Ancient City) is a museum park constructed by Lek Viriyaphant and occupying over 200 acres (0.81 km2) in the shape of Thailand.

Ancient Siam is dubbed as the world's largest outdoor museum. Close to the Crocodile Farm in Samut Prakan Province, the 320-hectare "city" features 116 structures of Thailand's famous monuments and architectural attractions. The grounds of Ancient Siam correspond roughly to the shape of the kingdom, with the monuments lying at their correct places geographically. Some of the buildings are life-size replicas of existing or former sites, while others are scaled down. Still others are "creative designs," and not replicas of any historical structure.

There is an option to take our car inside by paying 400 THB, but I wanted to try the golf cart. The 4-seater golf cart was 350 THB for the first hour and 200 THB for each additional hour. I had to submit my original driving license for the rental.

















Erawan Museum

It's a unique museum with a large three-headed elephant sculpture representing Airavata. The sculpture is visible from the expressway. There are three levels inside. The first underground level has antiques and art collections, and cameras are not allowed there. The second level is about the human world, and the third cosmic level is about heaven. A detailed explanation can be found here on the official website.











On our way back to the hotel, we made a quick visit to Chinatown.



We had a fantastic dinner at M&M Indian restaurant at Asiatique, and that's a wrap for Bangkok.

[robincsamuel]

Hello Phuket!

We left for the airport after breakfast and dropped the car at the Yesaway drop-off location. They inspected the car, which hardly took 10 minutes. However, the security deposit refund was released after a week.

Our new ride, a Toyota Vios from Avis at Phuket Airport. The car was clean and well-maintained, albeit a bit old. However, it was perfect for the price we paid.



A traffic police officer stopped the car on our way to the hotel and asked to see my license. I showed him my original driving license, and he requested the international permit. After verifying it, he told me only to show the international permit when asked in the future.

We had no plans for the day, so we stayed in the room, took some rest, and enjoyed the beautiful ocean views from the hotel. We also spotted some parasailing activity happening at Karon Beach.



The weather was nice and clear. Earlier, I was worried about our island trip because October is prone to rain. However, the clear weather was reassuring.

We went out in the evening to drop off our laundry at a nearby place. After roaming around and some shopping, we had dinner at Magic Masala, an Indian restaurant in Kata; the food was decent. The Kata Night Market was nearby, so we made a quick visit there as well. Later, we heard about the Karon Temple Market, which only opens on Tuesday and Friday nights. Since it was a Tuesday, we decided to check it out. It's a market in the compound of a temple, thus the name. However, it was almost 10 pm, and the stalls were closing down, but we still managed to do some last-minute shopping.

When we arrived at the hotel, we asked for more water bottles, and that's when I realized that complimentary drinking water is considered a luxury there. The hotel manager suggested that we get water from the nearby 7-Eleven.

Day 6 - Island Trip

The starting point was Yemu Pier, located on the east coast of Phuket. We had to drive an hour across Phuket to get there. The weather was nice. The guides were friendly, and it was a nice, clean, and cozy longtail boat loaded with snacks, juices, and water.



We boarded the boat around 8:30 am and started sailing.





After an hour of cruising, we reached Phanak Island (Ko Pa Nak/Koh Panak) and climbed a small cave.







Back on the boat, we had a photo session.



Next, we visited the slippery ice cream cave on the same island.





We sailed for a while to reach the Lot Cave for sea canoeing. The boat docked at a floating station, and we boarded the canoe.





Even though the sun was hot, the canoes mostly went under the shadows. It was a pleasant experience. We got back to the floating station after 30 minutes of activity, and there were washrooms available at the floating station.

After canoeing, we headed to the famous James Bond Island.





We started heading back south and docked at a small isolated island. They arranged a picnic and lunch there. Being there was incredible, with just us spending more than an hour on an island!









We sailed for another hour to get to Tab Po Beach at Ko Nakha Noi; a busy beach, filled with various activities and restaurants. They set up some chairs, towels, and beach toys for the kid.







After spending an hour, we returned to the starting point and reached the pier by 5:30 pm. And that wraps up our island trip, something we were really excited about. Thankfully, the weather was pleasant throughout the day.

[robincsamuel]

Day 7 - Big Buddha, Tiger Park, Cape Phrom Thep, Patong/Bangla Road

It was a late start as we got a bit lazy, having had to wake up early the previous day. We went to the Big Buddha and spent an hour or so. At the viewpoint, we could see almost the entire south of Phuket.



There's a ritual of dropping coins into a series of bowls, and you can make a wish as you drop the coins.



It started raining as we left the Big Buddha and lasted for about 10 minutes. The tiger park was on our way. The ticket price depends on the size of the tiger and includes access to the entire park. We can see the tigers from the lounge without a ticket. One of us wanted to try, and the ticket cost was 900 THB for a medium-sized tiger. She went inside, took some pictures with the tiger, and got to touch it.


Note: I don't promote tiger park visits, and I believe it's cruelty.

I always research good and unique restaurants and include them in the itinerary. One such restaurant I found in Phuket is Kan Eang at Pier, and we planned to have lunch there. It has a fantastic atmosphere right at the pier, surrounded by big trees and a garden. The seafood is fresh and live; they have tanks right there. There's outdoor seating beneath the trees, but it was cloudy, so we opted for indoor seating which is almost open.







We had crabs, oysters, tiger prawns, and some other items. The food was absolutely delicious and presented beautifully.











It was evening by the time we finished the lunch. We then headed towards the southern tip, Cape Phrom Thep, to catch the sunset. There were many cars parked on the street, and although the gate was closed, there was a crowd with some space near the gate to walk, so we went up.

There's a walk path to go down to the tip, but we didn't go down. We watched the sunset from a safe place.







An attempt to capture some silhouettes, and forgot the sunset picture.



Returned to the hotel and headed to Patong/Bangla Road after a couple of hours. Walked along the beach and the vibrant Bangla Road. Enjoyed some great street performances.







Had an okay dinner at an Indian restaurant, Madras Cafe, and then back to the hotel. End of the day!

[robincsamuel]

Day 8 - Dolphins Bay, Phuket Old Town

As it was the second last day, we had a light schedule since we had to pack. Kicked off the day with the dolphin and seal show, a decent performance that we booked primarily for our daughter, and we all enjoyed it.

We booked the tickets via Thrillophilia for an effective price of 590 THB for adults and 350 THB for the child. The official website and counter tickets are priced at 700 THB for adults and 400 THB for children.



After the dolphin show, we visited Phuket Old Town and roamed around. A very nice street with beautiful old buildings.









I wanted to try the Burnt Butter Toast from Phuketique, a famous spot. There was a queue, we got a token and had to wait for around 20 minutes. The toast was absolutely scrummy!



We spent some more time there, and it was lunchtime, so we headed back to the hotel. Had the best rib-eye steak from the Beef Bank Steak House near our hotel. It was a nice experience to choose the meat and get the steak done.



Packed our bags and went out to Karon Beach and then to the street. And finally, had an Italian dinner at Rosmarino Restaurant.

Day 9 - Heading Home

Our flight to Bangkok was at 11:30 am, so we started early in the morning. We got the breakfast parceled from the hotel.

Google Maps led us through a small road, passing by a botanic forest and farm. Although not planned, we got to see the countryside, with some rubber plantations. It felt very similar to Kerala.

Arrived at the airport on time and dropped the car at the Avis counter. There was no one to receive the car but they had a key box to drop the keys. We reached Bangkok airport without any delay, found a place, and settled there until the evening flight.

Reached on time at the Bangalore airport as well. Had some quick duty-free shopping and the Shoffr cab was waiting for us.

Wrapping up my travelogue with a picture of the souvenir we bought. Thanks for reading!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[itspatra]

Wait you got to touch an ADULT Real Tiger ? Please tell me more. What precautions do they take? Any incidents? How safe is it?

[robincsamuel]

Originally Posted by itspatra

Wait you got to touch an ADULT Real Tiger ? Please tell me more. What precautions do they take? Any incidents? How safe is it?

Hey, yes, my friend got to touch a real adult tiger, not me. The tigers are kept in enclosures, and the trainers accompany the visitors. They told us that the tigers were not drugged, but it's hard to believe because they seemed dizzy and not very active. The advice given was not to hold too tight or go to the front much, and she was asked to stay behind. The trainers took good care and their eyes were fully on the tiger. And, they frequently sprayed water to keep the tigers cool. As far as I know, there have been no incidents.

There are different types of tickets, depending on the size of the tiger. There's also a ticket that includes a professional photographer. She got the tickets for a medium-sized tiger, and the trainers clicked the photos.

A photo taken from the lounge through the grill.



And, a picture they clicked.

[HighOnSpeed]

Originally Posted by robincsamuel

The tigers are kept in enclosures, and the trainers accompany the visitors. They told us that the tigers were not drugged, but it's hard to believe because they seemed dizzy and not very active.

Seeing these majestic animals being exploited and the fact that nothing is being done to stop this just totally breaks my heart. Whatever they seem to suggest at these so called "temples", they are indeed kept sedated to keep them in a placid state so people can get their 15 minutes of fame on social media. I know that most people are unaware of the kind of abuse that takes place, so I would highly discourage anyone from visiting this or any other "temple/sanctuary" that charges money in exchange for petting/feeding/holding the animals. Such places can only survive if we support them, so I just want to appeal to anyone viewing this thread to consider not including such experiences in your itinerary.

Please give this video a watch, hopefully, it will further drive my point.[Warning: It may be disturbing to watch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITlo2ZBJOWU

There are countless things and places to experience in Thailand, but these are definitely not one of them.

[robincsamuel]

Originally Posted by robincsamuel

Note: I don't promote tiger park visits, and I believe it's cruelty.

Originally Posted by HighOnSpeed

Seeing these majestic animals being exploited and the fact that nothing is being done to stop this just totally breaks my heart.

I just want to appeal to anyone viewing this thread to consider not including such experiences in your itinerary

I agree, it's sad to see animals treated poorly. Just to clarify, this wasn't a sanctuary or temple, but a tiger park, more like an extended version of a zoo. It's a commercial place for entertainment. Also, I understand the curiosity behind the visits. Let's try to skip such places, and I join your appeal, urging everyone to avoid supporting such spots.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by robincsamuel

E-VoA

We applied for E-VoA for convenience so that we don't have to present all the supporting documents and fill the forms at the airport. The process was straightforward: filled the form online, attached the passport bio page, cover page, flight tickets, and accommodation vouchers. We received the E-VoA the next morning.

I am planning Thailand trip later this month. Now a days, Thailand is offering free Visa on arrival for Indians. I checked the Thai E-Visa official site and it does not allow online visa for Indians but says that Indian passport holders can travel to Thailand without Visa (upto 30 days), starting from 10-Nov-2023 to 10-May-2024. Did you travel during this period and if so, can you share more info about how did you apply for E-Visa?

[robincsamuel]

Originally Posted by Aviator_guy

I am planning Thailand trip later this month. Now a days, Thailand is offering free Visa on arrival for Indians. I checked the Thai E-Visa official site and it does not allow online visa for Indians but says that Indian passport holders can travel to Thailand without Visa (upto 30 days), starting from 10-Nov-2023 to 10-May-2024. Did you travel during this period and if so, can you share more info about how did you apply for E-Visa?

I traveled before this period and applied for E-VoA via VFS. But I think you don't need to apply for an E-Visa till 10th May 2024, and can just walk through the immigration counters and get the passport stamped. Just ensure you have your return tickets, hotel accommodation, and sufficient funds.

Quoting a related post,

Originally Posted by blackbandit

Visited bangkok a week back. There is no visa required for Indians to enter the country. Directly proceed to immigrations and you will have your passport stamped with no questions asked. Overall a seamless experience.

There's also a discussion about visiting Thailand in the summer on the last page. Please check that too.