Thailand
Bangkok · Chiang Mai · Phuket · Koh Samui
Thailand is one of those destinations that gives you everything at once. Ancient temples and rooftop bars. Lush jungle and turquoise water. Street food and some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. It is endlessly layered and somehow never overwhelming.
What makes Thailand particularly special for couples and honeymooners is the sheer range of experiences available in a single trip. You can move from a city rich in culture and history to a jungle filled with elephants to beaches that look like they were designed for a film set. I recently returned from Thailand and it exceeded every expectation I had. Here is everything you need to know about the four destinations that make this country so extraordinary.
Bangkok
Culture, energy, and world-class luxury
Bangkok is one of the great cities of the world and it is often underestimated by travelers who see it only as a gateway to the beaches. That would be a mistake. Bangkok is a destination in its own right and deserves real time on your itinerary.
The city moves at full volume, but it also knows how to slow down. You can spend a morning inside a 600-year-old temple surrounded by monks and an evening at a rooftop bar watching the skyline light up.
What to do
Wat Pho and the Grand Palace
Non-negotiable. Best experienced early morning during the monks chanting ritual, which starts at 9am. The 45-meter reclining Buddha and the Emerald Buddha are the most sacred sites in the country.
The Khlongs
Bangkok's network of canals gives you an entirely different and far more authentic perspective on the city by longtail boat — past local temples, orchid farms, and traditional wooden houses along the water.
Ayutthaya Day Trip
A UNESCO World Heritage Site about ninety minutes outside the city, home to stunning temple ruins including the iconic Buddha head emerging from the roots of a banyan tree. One of the best day trips in the country.
The Markets
The railway market in Samut Songkhram Province, where vendors clear their stalls the moment a train comes through, paired with the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, makes for one unforgettable full day.
Where to Stay?
Rosewood Bangkok
Preferred Partner
The most architecturally striking hotel in the city, with design that sets the tone for the entire trip.
Four Seasons Bangkok
Preferred Partner
Perched on the banks of the Chao Phraya River with serene water views and one of the best spas in the city.
Capella Bangkok
Preferred Partner
Just 101 river-facing suites and a level of personal service that makes you feel like the only guest in the hotel.
Listed hotels are preferred partners, meaning Elavated Travel clients may enjoy benefits such as complimentary breakfast, upgrades when available, hotel credits, and VIP treatment.
Chiang Mai
Jungle, temples, and the moments that stay with you
If Bangkok is Thailand's heartbeat, Chiang Mai is its soul. The city sits in the mountains of northern Thailand and moves at a pace that feels like a full exhale after the energy of Bangkok. Surrounded by jungle and over 300 temples, it is the kind of place that changes people.
What to do
Elephant Jungle Sanctuary
The experience I tell every single person to prioritize. An ethical sanctuary where elephants live freely and interaction happens on their terms. You walk alongside them, make medicine for them, and join them for a mud spa at the river. Deeply moving and completely unforgettable.
Doi Suthep and the Temples
The early morning alms giving ceremony at the foot of Doi Suthep is humbling in the best way. From there, 309 steps to a golden pagoda, and the hidden Wat Palad and moss-covered tunnels of Wat Umong for anyone who wants to go beyond the obvious.
Mae Kampong Village
A mountain village surrounded by tea and coffee fields where a host family prepares lunch from scratch. Walking back through the mountains as the light changes is one of those unexpected gifts a well-designed itinerary delivers.
Where to Stay?
Anantara Chiang Mai
Preferred Partner
Beautiful colonial architecture along the Ping River, perfectly positioned for exploring the temples and markets of the old city.
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Preferred Partner
Set in a working rice paddy in the Mae Rim Valley, one of the most beautiful resort settings in all of Southeast Asia.
Listed hotels are preferred partners, meaning Elavated Travel clients may enjoy benefits such as complimentary breakfast, upgrades when available, hotel credits, and VIP treatment.
Phuket
Beaches, rainforest, and knowing where to go
Phuket is Thailand's largest island and has earned its reputation as one of the best beach destinations in the world. The key is knowing where to go. Stay in the right part of the island and it feels like a private paradise. The beaches range from lively and social to genuinely remote.
What to do
Gibbon Rehabilitation Project
My favorite off-the-beaten-path experience of the entire trip. Real conservation work inside Khao Prataew National Park, the last remaining rainforest on the island. You make nutrition balls for the gibbons, learn to read their behavior, and follow researchers through the jungle.
The Beaches
Kata for soft white sand and easy energy. Nai Harn for a quieter bay that has somehow stayed relatively undeveloped. Freedom Beach for the best white sand on the island and true peace and quiet — worth the effort to get there.
Phi Phi Islands
One of the most iconic day trips in Southeast Asia. The Phi Phi archipelago sits about 90 minutes from Phuket by speedboat and delivers the kind of turquoise water and limestone cliffs that genuinely look exactly like the photos. Maya Bay, made famous by The Beach, is worth the visit — go early to beat the crowds. Phi Phi Don has excellent snorkeling and a handful of great spots for lunch right on the water.
Where to Stay?
Amanpuri
Preferred Partner
The original Aman property and still the gold standard — a private headland above Pansea Beach that defines serene luxury.
Trisara
Preferred Partner
Private pool villas with direct ocean access tucked into their own bay in the north of the island — it feels like a private island without the logistics.
Rosewood Phuket
Preferred Partner
Dramatic cliffside architecture above Emerald Bay with a design-forward energy that makes an impression from the moment you arrive.
Listed hotels are preferred partners, meaning Elavated Travel clients may enjoy benefits such as complimentary breakfast, upgrades when available, hotel credits, and VIP treatment.
Koh Samui
The perfect ending — slow, beautiful, restorative
Koh Samui is the destination I recommend as the final stop on a Thailand itinerary and the one that tends to surprise people the most. After the energy of Bangkok, the depth of Chiang Mai, and the beauty of Phuket, arriving here feels like exhaling. The island sits in the Gulf of Thailand and the luxury hotel scene here is extraordinary.
What to do
Villa and beach life
This is the place to surrender entirely. A private pool villa with panoramic ocean views, long mornings, afternoon swims — this is not just acceptable here, it is the point.
Exploring the island
A beautiful coastline, excellent restaurants worth seeking out, and a local market scene that is far more relaxed than anything you will have encountered on the rest of the trip.
Where to Stay?
Conrad Koh Sumai
Preferred Partner
Hillside private pool villas with panoramic Gulf of Thailand views — where we ended our trip and the place that made us not want to leave.
Banyan Tree Samui
Preferred Partner
Set on its own crescent bay with private pool villas and one of the most celebrated spas in all of Thailand.
Four Seasons Koh Samui
Preferred Partner
An intimate collection of private villas cascading toward a pristine beach, with some of the most personal service in Thailand.
Listed hotels are preferred partners, meaning Elavated Travel clients may enjoy benefits such as complimentary breakfast, upgrades when available, hotel credits, and VIP treatment.