Thailand Recommendations
In February of 2024, Chelsea and I visited Thailand for two weeks. In that time, we covered three cities starting in Chiang Mai and working our way down to Bankok and finally the island of Koh Lanta.
Here is our entire itinerary spreadsheet: Google Sheet
The purpose of this blog post is to provide feedback on what we liked, what we didn't like, and what we would do differently if we were to do the trip again. Hopefully this will help out any friends and family looking to get their berrings as they plan their trips to Thailand!
Chiang Mai
Lodging: Green Tiger House
We stayed at Green Tiger House while in Chang Mai. This place was perfect for what we were looking for -- it felt like a cross between a hostel and a hotel. We had a private room with our own bathroom and balcony, but the first floor is a restauraunt and bar where guests can congregate and hangout.
It also has an amazing complimentary breakfast every morning. We ate banana pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, fresh fruit, and coffee every morning. Despite the menu being vegan, the food was delicious.
Activity: Thai Cooking Class
We wanted to do a Thai cooking class because I wasn't familiar with Thai cruisine outside of Pad Thai.
We walked past Asia Scenic and were able to sign up for their night class that evening.
I would highly recommend doing this at the beginning of the trip, if only to get familiar with Thai food going forward on your trip. There were dishes we made that I would have never ordered had it not been for the class. My favorite, and what I ordered a bunch throughout our trip, was Tom Yum (sweet/spicy soup).
Plus, they walked us over to the market and taught us about the ingrediants we'd be using in our dishes, which I thought was interesting.
Activity: Bike Tour
Our friend Abby recommended a bike tour of Chang Mai that she did on her trip. I would recommend the same.
We did ours on the last day we were in Chiang Mai which I think was a mistake. If we were to do it over again, I would have done it the first day or two because Nooh got us outside the "box" of the city and showed us places we would have explored more if we had more time.
Nooh picked us up from Green Tiger in the morning, took us to the market for breakfast, rode to the national park in town, took us through the university, and stopped at a dank juice bar midday, and then dropped us off at our hotel.
You can email him at noohbiker@hotmail.com to set up a tour. He provides bikes, pays for meals, and food at the market. Costs 1500 baht/person - 7:30am - 3:00pm and is ~20 miles of biking. I recorded the route on Strava if you wanna check it out.
Activity: Elephant Sanctuary
Chelsea's favorite part of the trip was the elephant sanctuary at Lana Kingdom.
There are a bunch of different elephant activities advertised in Chiang Mai. Some advertise being able to ride the elephants -- don't do these, they're considered inhumane and bad for the elephants' backs (although it does sound/look dope).
You can direct message Alex on Instagram to setup an excursion there or email them through their website.
Activity: North Gate Jazz Co-Op
Our friend Tony from Zuni Street Brewing told us we had to go to the North Gate Jazz Co-Op one of the nights we are in Chiang Mai, and I have to agree with him.
This spot was also within walking distance of Green Tiger, and was a ton of fun.
Be sure to get there early in order to get a seat inside! It fills up quickly every evening.
We got there right when it opened and hung out for an hour with other people before music commenced for the evening. By the time the music started, people were already pouring out into the street.
Food: Chang Phueak Pork Leg Rice - aka Cowboy Hat Lady
We heard about Chang Phueak Pork Leg Rice from our friend Abby again. It is a stall featured in one of Anthony Bourdein's travel shows and it is 100% worth checking out.
Super simple setup on the street, again walking distance from Green Tiger. Grab two or split one and do some people watching.
Bankok
Coming soon...
Koh Lanta
Coming soon...
