Travel Thailand & Hotel Booking

After a long flight via Bangkok it was a delight to land at the small, sunny airport of Luang Prabang. This wonderful UNESCO World Heritage site is somewhere I’ve longed to visit and it didn’t disappoint.

Small streets with beautiful colonial architecture, stunning temples and enough restaurants to be able to eat dinner in a different place every day of the week. A real highlight - and not just because I’m a committed shopper - was the night market. None of the rubbish you find in other markets of this nature but genuine local crafts brought down from the villages each night and set out along the main street. A real delight but it did mean that I soon had no space left in my bag!

Another treat and well worth the early start was watching the monks walk the streets to collect alms. Although I did feel that some were not aware of the high regard in which Buddhist monks are held in South East Asia and were too intrusive with their cameras.

From Luang Prabang I travelled up the Mekong to Chiang Rai. Two days watching the world go by - the Mekong affords a tranquil easy life to those on its banks - and stopping at local villages en route. It was freezing in the mornings and I needed endless layers and blankets until the sun was high enough to take the chill out of the morning. We overnighted in a lodge on the banks of the river where a fresh, local dinner was served with plenty of Laotian beer. And then a second day relaxing on the boat before reaching Chiang

Here, I was reminded how lucky I am to work in travel: waiting for me was an a/c 4×4 to whisk me to the Four Seasons Tented Camp. Yes, it’s expensive but it is truly amazing. Permanent tents are scattered through the forest with outside showers and large terraces.

At breakfast the following morning (not wearing the most glamorous of Mahout’s outfits) I was greeted by the younger elephants who were delighted to be receiving treats from the thrilled guests. Then it was off for my morning’s Mahout training course. Learning to ‘drive’ an elephant was not something I had yearned to do but it turned out to be a lot of fun. For me at least - I am not sure how appreciative the elephants were of me clambering all over them without much thought to style or elegance.

Moving onto Chiang Mai and the Four Seasons which is located just outside the town. Another jewel in the Four Seasons Crown this has long been a Steppes favourite and again did not disappoint. The following day I was lucky enough to stay at the reasonably new and very stylish Chedi Chiang Mai which, right in the middle of town, is ideally placed for the night market (not quite the night market of Luang Prabang but the perfect place to replace broken sunglasses)! Some of the sights outside Chiang Mai have been rather spoilt by mass tourism however with a bit of insider knowledge and effort you can see elephants based at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre and it’s also worth the drive to see the long-necked Karon tribe at one of the smaller villages located an hour or so outside the city.

One of the main advantages of finishing a trip to Laos and Northern Thailand in Chiang Mai is being able to fly direct to Phuket in the South and from there to any of the outlying islands. I went on to the Sarojin in Kao Lak and the Chedi Phuket - both a wonderful spoiling treat to end with!

Pattaya City, Thailand is one of the best Beach Resort of Country, also Pattaya City is well known by most Travellers as the Great Entertainment City and Beach Resort of the world and Asia. Pattaya City, Thailand is one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations. Accommodation in Pattaya City lodges from budget guesthouse to internationally renowed Five-Star Pattaya hotels and Pattaya Resorts. Pattaya is formly a fishing village, it was the first holiday beach nearest to Bangkok.

Pattaya Bay is a 4km long beach, dotted with the many boats carrying tourists to and from the offshore islands. The sweep of the bay is in a north-south direction, lined with trees along its promenade and strings of hotels and restaurants along its northern and central areas. Chonburi Province in which Pattaya is situated is separated into eleven districts. The coastline of Banglamung consists mostly of the Greater Pattaya area. The northern section consists of the area east of Naklua Beach, Pattaya’s most northern beach. The main beachfront is Pattaya Beach then, to the south is Buddha Hill Headland which is east of Jomtien Beach. Immediately south of Buddha Hill is Dongtan Beach. The most family friendly of Pattaya’s beaches is Jomtien Beach which has a sedate and tranquil atmosphere.

Since 1960s during the war of Vietnam, at the rest time of American forces, need to search for the place to relax and recreation. These American forces during the war was discovered Pattaya Bay which is some 20kms from Utapao Airport. From Fishing villages then Pattaya develope itself into the Pattaya city and the best Beach Resort.

Maybe you would like to learn a little bit more about the culture and the history of Pattaya itself. If this is the case, then go check out the museums that are all over the city. If you are traveling with children then look into going to some of the theme parks that Pattaya has to offer. There are a total of four theme parks to choose from and each park has something for every member of the family! If you are traveling alone either on leisure or on business, then check out Pattaya’s busy nightlife, with a variety of nightclubs and bars. You are bound to find something that you will enjoy all night long!

If you are going to be traveling to Pattaya, Thailand anytime soon here are some events and festivities that you are sure to enjoy. Depending on what time of year you go depends on what festivities you can attend. Here are a few festivities and a short description on how they are celebrated. So make sure to check these events out when you stay in Pattaya, Thailand. Not only are they are family friendly and entertaining, they are steeped in traditions and culture.