Curator’s statement
To experience Thailand’s range of culture, sightseeing, and nature—bustling Bangkok, cultural Chiang Mai, and the serene beaches of Phuket round out the perfect itinerary. By visiting these three places, you can mix lots of sightseeing with relaxation in nature, and it can all be done in a beach area. What you will take away from a visit to Thailand is the kindness that is everywhere, a vibrant country, and amazing food—from pad Thai to mango with sticky rice!
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Things to do in Thailand
James Bond Island
Cooking class with May: Visit a local market to pick up ingredients and then cook at May’s house. She does a beautiful job, starting with picking herbs from her garden, and then cooking a multi-course delicious meal.
Attend a Muay Thai fight: A Muay Thai fight in Bangkok at Rajadamnern Stadium is energizing and exciting! Very modern stadium now with many rounds of Muay Thai and cool stadium with music and projection in its dome structure.
Boat tour to Phang Na Bay: Spend a day touring Phang Na Bay with visits to Koh Panyee fishing village with its world-renown soccer team, James Bond Island and lunch on private beach.
Visits to night market in Chiang Mai: Taste the foods and buy Thai crafts at the famous Night Bazaar. Favorite thing purchased was a customized passport cover!
Places to eat & drink in Thailand
Amazing creation at Dara
In Bangkok:
Coba: A vibrant, jungle-inspired restaurant offering creative Latin American-influenced tapas with refined French techniques in an immersive dining setting.
Vertigo Rooftop at the Banyan Tree Bangkok: An open-air restaurant and bar on the 61st floor, offering grilled specialties, creative cocktails, and stunning 360-degree views of the city skyline.
Potong: A modern fine-dining restaurant set in a restored century-old Sino-Portuguese building, offering an inventive 20-course Thai-Chinese tasting menu crafted by Chef Pam Soontornyanakij.
In Chiang Mai:
Kiti Panit: Set in a beautifully restored 19th-century teakwood mansion and offers elegant Northern Thai (Lanna) cuisine in a historic, refined atmosphere.
In Phuket:
Dara Cuisine at the Anantara Layan Resort: Offers a bright, contemporary take on Thai gastronomy in a setting that’s both earthy and otherworldly—where flavorful regional fare, sustainability, interactive cooking, and stargazing merge into an unforgettable, upward-looking experience.
Need to know
When visiting a place like Thailand, it’s tempting to cram every minute by waking up early and filling each day with tours and activities—I, for one, am very guilty of this, according to my family! What I truly recommend is making sure to build in some downtime into your itinerary so everyone can maintain their stamina and have mental breaks to absorb and take in all that you are seeing. It’s okay if you do not see every site or experience everything—after all, this will leave you with a reason to return one day!
Travel Advisor
Pamela Harpaz
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For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Thailand page.