In 2018 we went to Thailand for a wedding and it was my first trip to Southeast Asia. See my blog post on our 16 hour layover in Guangzhou for more information on our stop over in China. So many things have changed in Thailand since the last couple years, so I don’t even know how much of this is still applicable, but if anything still is, here’s our experience. We stayed at Grand Villa Luxury Time and had a wonderful experience. They’ve since gotten pretty popular on some of the travel blogs, but the location, villa with several master bedrooms and an infinity pool overlooking spectacular ocean views, a rooftop which held a small ceremony, and staff including a driver, were amazing. Having a driver is always helpful because you’re not stuck bargaining for taxis as we typically have to do when we travel. With a large group it was convenient to have the option to have meals at the villa, as well as a membership to a beach club.
We went to Surin beach which is one of the local beaches. It wasn’t my absolute favorite. The street vendor food didn’t seem to have the best food handling practices compared to other places. We definitely had things re-fried (pro tip, when looking at fried food that may have been sitting, an extra 30 seconds submerged in hot oil can sometimes kill things relatively efficiently. It’s worked for us as long as the oil is even hot enough).
Oh, Bangla Road… it’s one of the things you’re supposed to do. We had a blast in the tuk-tuk (fun little taxi with music bumping) just make sure you set the fare beforehand, like all taxis. It’s commercially packed like Disneyland on a Saturday in the summer, complete with families and strollers, a bit different than the once seedy red-light district past. There are definitely lots of bars, adult themed attractions, and a massage or show promoter every 10 feet offering to take you to an infamous “ping pong” show, but it’s got more a Vegas vibe than anything else, with more street vendor food. The street vendor food by the way, was pretty great here.
One of the warnings you hear about promoters standing around, is that if you get taken to an upstairs bar in particular, sometimes you won’t be allowed to leave the bar without paying an astronomical bill, which you will then be stuck arguing with your credit card company how you didn’t intend to spend a huge charge in a foreign country on adult entertainment on Bangla road. The “Ping Pong shows” also have several organizations in recent years, combating human trafficking in Southeast Asia releasing statements asking tourists to not support the commercial trade of humans, because the funds may not be making it to the performers, while others have said it’s legitimate employment for immigrants from Laos and Cambodia who aren’t trafficked, so it’s a complex issue.
Also, several “Ping Pong shows” have been known to include animal abuse, which is something to consider before knocking it off your bucket list, if you have concerns of the impact of tourism on animals. I actually sat this one out at least, just limiting my unethical tourism mistake to bathing elephants on this trip. While I was at one of the bars, another tourist had said he went to a show ten years ago and it involved birds that died during the act. However, it’s worth noting that the other members of the group that went did not get charged a huge bill and said their experience was a marketing thing that was your average adult show, with women flicking ping pongs off the stage with their fingers, and no animals were hurt at the show they went to.
After leaving Phuket, we made our way to the Phi Phi islands by way of the ferry. Be aware that most of the resorts and parks you visit have fees to help maintain the damage to the islands by mass tourism. I’ve heard many of the places we went to closed after to help protect the wildlife and allow it to regenerate.
We made the mistake of getting off a stop early on the ferry and riding an expensive long tail boat for transportation to get to our resort with our luggage, instead of for leisure, which was a waste so make sure you figure the water bus out.
We stayed at Zeavalo resort . They do make an effort for environmental responsibility compared to other resorts. We loved our rooms, the food, the nearby restaurants, the excursions and the staff. We would definitely stay there again. Here are more pics from the rest of our time on the islands.
