Luxury Travel Secrets Every Thailand Traveller Should Know
Most people think a luxury escape to Thailand means spending a fortune. But after almost 10 years traveling around the country, I found that that’s just not true. After helping hundreds of people plan their luxury escapes around the country, I’ve learned exactly how to get VIP level experiences without the sky-high prices.
Luxury Islands and Beach Clubs in Thailand
Lesson one. So, which are the best Thai islands to visit for luxury travelers? Well, that really depends on what your definition of luxury really is. When most people think of luxury in Thailand, they picture infinity pools, fine dining, and sleek five-star resorts. And the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui absolutely deliver on this. These are the country’s heavyweights when it comes to high-end travel. And you’ll find world-class hotels, top restaurants, private yacht charters. There’s just so much to see and do if you want to eat, drink, and party in style.
But other people might be craving a bit more barefoot luxury, meaning rustic beach villas, quiet secluded beaches surrounded by nature. To experience this, you might want to head to the quieter islands that are home to some top high-end hotels like Koh Yao, Koh Kood, and Koh Lanta to unwind in style.
Lesson two. If you are looking for the flashier side of Thailand though, you need to check out some of the beach clubs on Samui and Phuket. A beach club is kind of a restaurant, bar, and swimming pool rolled into one. Some are more family-friendly, usually open during the day with the wilder ones open all night. I was on Samui early in the year, and we checked out Ark Bar and Coco Tams in the evening, which are home to some of the best fire shows in the country. And these places were just really cool places to grab a drink by the beach at night.
In Phuket, there are even a few floating beach clubs out in the ocean. Yona Beach Club is probably the best in the country. And you can join the hype boat to grab a few cocktails at sunset on the water.
Thailand Luxury Travel Deals and Hotel Benefits
Lesson three. So, when should you travel to Thailand for the best deals on high-end hotels?
It turns out there’s one month that is cheaper than all of them, with by far the best hotel deals. And I’ve seen hotels go for a quarter of the price than they do other times of the year. September is the month that has the least number of travelers. So, luxury hotels slash their prices to make sure they can break even for the month. In September, I’ve seen $1,000 a night hotels go for just over $200. So, there are some amazing deals to be had.
Lesson four. in contrast, by far the most expensive time to travel is the weeks around Christmas and New Year. This is the time that has some of the best weather and it’s when the whole western world has a break, so millions of travelers flock to the country. Prices at this time can get pretty crazy, especially if you leave it late to book. So make sure you book early otherwise you’ll end up overpaying for whatever isn’t booked up. Other times when prices spike are around the famous Thai festivals. The world’s biggest water fight takes place in April and tourist numbers spike. Additionally Loi Krathong and Yi Peng in Chiang Mai should also be booked well in advance.
Lesson five. Most people don’t realize that they’re missing out on exclusive benefits whenever they stay in Thailand’s top hotels. Things like complimentary spa access, hundreds of dollars in resort credit, and importantly room upgrades to some of the best rooms in the hotel. I didn’t realize this until I became a travel adviser, but by booking through an established agency, you can unlock exclusive benefits at Thailand’s top hotels. Basically, they know that travel agencies will continue to book their hotel over and over again if they can make their clients happy. For example, I know from personal experience that I booked Raya and Krabi for my clients many times over the past year because I know that they’ve been offered room upgrades whenever they stay there.
Lesson six. If you want your trip to help pay for itself, consider getting a specialized travel credit card. I use Chase Sapphire and we get extra credit card points for travel-related expenses like hotels and flights. These added points go towards booking future trips.
Bangkok VIP Experiences on a Budget
Lesson seven. Everyone wants to ride a tuk tuk in Bangkok, right? But hop on the wrong tuk tuk and you could end up getting ripped off, taken on detours, or dropped off in sketchy parts of town. And trust me, no one wants that. I recently reached out to a company that specializes in private guided tuk tuk tours. So my family and I were able to explore the city at night without fear of getting ripped off.
Everything was taken care of from start to finish and our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the city. This is the best way to experience the city by tuk tuk.
Lesson eight. If you look out on a Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River at night, you’ll see a whole navy’s worth of river cruises taking place. But which one is the best? A few years back, I took one of the top-rated river cruises and it was underwhelming to say the least. We’ve been promised a five-star meal, but what we got was more like a hotel breakfast buffet. I’ve recently sent off a few of my clients to a much better option. The Manora River Cruise is a traditional Thai teak boat and serves a delicious three-course meal. This boat also doesn’t get rammed with passengers, so it’s the perfect option for a romantic evening in Bangkok.
Lesson nine. One of the best places to grab a drink in Bangkok is on top of one of the city’s famous sky bars. But since these bars are prime real estate, drinks often come at a premium. Luckily, many of the city’s best spots run half-price happy hours. And one of my favorites is Octave Bar on Sukhumvit, and that has a happy hour between 5 and 7:00 p.m. So, not only is this a great way to save some cash, it’s actually the best time to be at the Sky Bar because you can watch an epic sunset over the city. You know, unless it’s raining.
Lesson 10. Ever since I was young, I’ve always been a huge fight fan. If you’re watching from the UK, the fights in Vegas are always on at 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. in the morning, and it’s a huge pain in the ass to watch. So, I’ve always dreamed of heading to Vegas to watch a big fight live. That was until I saw the prices. I just checked the price of the ringside seats for this weekend’s UFC card and it cost north of $5,000 per ticket.
In comparison, Thailand’s most famous fighter of all time, Buakaw fought at the end of last year at Rajadam Non Stadium with ringside tickets costing around 3,000 Thai Baht or around $100 per ticket. This is at Thailand’s most historic Muay Thai Stadium and it’s arguably the best in the country to get that big fight feel. If you want to take it a step further, you can upgrade to VIP tickets that come complete with elevated seating for the best views and bottle service.
Choosing Luxury Hotels and Adventure Stays
Lesson 11. The biggest mistake most people make when booking a hotel in Thailand. One that guarantees you’ll get the worst hotel room at the hotel.
For most people when looking at a hotel online, we tend to set a rough budget for ourselves and look to find the best hotel with the best reviews within that budget range. But you have to remember that on most platforms, that’s the starting price for the hotel. Meaning that the price is for the cheapest room in the hotel, possibly without breakfast and at a non-refundable rate. So, you should also look at hotels that come in below your budget, and then look at what the cost of the upgraded rooms are. I mean, would you rather stay in a private pool villa on the beach at a four-star hotel or the smallest room at a five-star?
Lesson 12. If you travel halfway around the world, you want Thailand to feel like Thailand, right? Another major mistake is picking bland hotels that feel like they could be anywhere in the world. This is easy to do because even though they’re kind of bland, they do have reputations as being some of the best hotel chains in the world. I’m thinking some of the Marriotts, Hilton, or even Ritz-Carlton’s. But luckily, there are a few Thai luxury hotel chains that really bring Thai art, history, and culture to life within their hotels.
Take for example the Sukhothai in Bangkok. This is a hotel whose entire design was inspired by Ayutthaya era Thai temples. And it really feels as though you’re in a Buddhist monastery here. Anantara is a Thai brand that incorporates elements of Thai design like lily pond gardens and elephant and Buddhist statues around their gardens. So it really feels like Thailand. And then there’s those that really take advantage of Thailand’s rugged scenery like Raya where you can wake up to Krabi’s limestone cliffs, the sounds of the jungle, and a tropical beach.
Lesson 13. Thailand is one of the best countries in the world to travel for luxury backpackers. So what do I mean by luxury backpacker? Well, these are the people who want to get out there and have a real adventure, but want to maintain a certain level of comfort throughout their trip. And there are some truly special places to stay at in the country. Starting in the northern Thai countryside, there are some really unique places to stay. A while back, I stayed in the town of Chiang Dao, just north of Chiang Mai, and you could just wake up every day to an epic view of Mount Chiang Dao. There are some stunning places that overlook rice paddy fields and even fields of elephants roaming below. But you can also travel to remote places far away from civilization. A few years back, I stayed on a floating hotel on the River Kwai out in Kanchanaburi. But there are also epic jungle tree houses and floating lake hotels in the jungles of Khao Sok.
Lesson 14. When looking on Google Maps at hotels, be wary of hotels that are on the coast. Don’t just assume that it is a beachfront hotel. There have been multiple times when I thought I found an amazing beachfront hotel only to find it was located on top of a cliff far away from the action. It’s still cool, but might not be exactly what you’re looking for.
Thailand Experiences Worth Planning Ahead
Lesson 15. We had a client who was really looking for a special occasion when they were in Thailand to celebrate their wedding anniversary. And they decided they wanted to celebrate in style in a hot-air balloon. Turns out there’s only one place in the country that does this and it’s based in Chiang Mai. So, if you ever dreamed of flying over the mountains and fields of northern Thailand, this is the place to do it.
Lesson 16. One of the coolest things to do in Thailand is an island-hopping boat trip. These will take you to the best beaches and islands in the country, all in a half- or full-day trip. But not all boat trips are created equally. Let’s talk about the levels of boat trips you can take in Thailand and the upgrades that you can make.
At level one, you have the large group trips. These can be big boats filled with people and questionable safety standards. Worst of all, these things move slowly. So, if you were hoping to actually spend time at the beach, you’re out of luck. You’re going to be stuck on the boat all day long. At level two, it’s group trips on the smaller and quicker boats. These will get you around the islands much quicker with more time on the beach. You are still at the whims of other members of your group though, so you may have to wait around while they finish taking pictures. At level three, you can rent a private boat for you and your group. Longtail boats are the most affordable to hire for the day. This way, you can spend longer if you need to in a certain area, and you’re in complete control. At level four, there are upgraded boat experiences. Luxury longtail or speedboats are becoming quite popular at Thailand’s island destinations. These boats usually have much more comfortable and photogenic seating, speakers to play music, and the boat staff might prepare lunch or take you to some more secluded spots. At level five, you have the real VIP catamarans or yachts for rent. These are ideal if you’re traveling in a big group. A few years back, I got married in Phuket and we had a lot of family visiting. So, we rented a catamaran for the day to take us around the islands near Phuket and it was definitely one of the coolest things that I’ve ever done.
Lesson 17. If you’re a true foodie, why not plan ahead for a truly unforgettable dining experience? Thai food is famous around the world, but not only that, some of the world’s best chefs have made the country their home. The problem is though that some of the best restaurants in the country book up sometimes months in advance. Take Gaggan for example. This is one of the most famous restaurants in Bangkok and it can be booked up to three or four months in advance. There are hundreds of Michelin Guide restaurants throughout Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Samui. So there are options, but it’s unlikely that you can just walk into them on a given night of the week. So remember to book in advance.
Lesson 18. Most people don’t think about the logistics of the trip until it’s too late. Relying on Grab for taxis can be risky because there might not be enough available, meaning you could end up missing your flights. What’s worse, though, is that Thailand has some of the most dangerous roads in the world, and it’s actually ranked in the top 10 most dangerous countries for road deaths per capita. I know that I’ve been in some car rides where I’ve really feared for my life, especially on some of the mountain roads where drivers race around corners with steep drops to certain death below. For me, this isn’t even a luxury travel aspect at this point. It’s just something any smart traveler does.
