I have an awesomely detailed honeymoon feature for you today, courtesy of the lovely Priti from PSHIKOTRA Photography. She sent me a fantastic write up of her time in Thailand with some gorgeous pictures and, whilst I am so thankful to her for such a fab honeymoon post, I’m also a little cross that now I’m desperate to go to Thailand but don’t have the money to do so! Anyway, enjoy (and thanks Priti!)
In March 2011 I left to travel. I left with my partner and hit the road to Australia, ended up working in a place called Dingo for 6 months & decided we should not stay in Australia but carry onto Asia. The places visited included Bali, Thailand, Tokyo & Hong Kong.
Now, I know that Thailand is seen as a travel hot spot however, let me tell you, even as a honeymoon location it would be stunning.
If you’re like me and like to have different things to do, for example relaxing on the beach one week and then sight seeing/shopping another week, then it’s perfect!
We started out in Phuket which is further south of Thailand. Phuket is one of the cities and there are plenty of things to do here. The great thing about Phuket is, although itʼs a built up city, you still have access to beaches. On the streets there are night markets, bars, street food which allows you to experience real Thai culture & then you have the quieter beaches you could visit during the day if you want to spend some ʻusʼ time being newly weds.
One of my favourite beaches in Phuket was Kata beach. It was a lot quieter than others & the views were just stunning. This connects to a second beach, however there are several around Phuket which you can visit and judge for yourself! It really is paradise.
The cabaret shows are a must see too: the lady boys put on a great show! We visited Aphrodite Cabaretin Phuket & found it to be so much fun! Would highly recommend it.
From Phuket, if you’re a big James Bond fan, you can visit Phang Nga Bay where James Bond, The Man With The Golden Gun, was shot. The tour cost us around $25 AUD or around £20 GBP which was a full day tour including lunch at the Fishing Village, Koh Panyee, and transport there and back including the boat ride out to the island. So again it’s very affordable.
Now if you decide you’re visiting Thailand, and wish to experience more than one location, you can do so on a budget. Traveling by land is so cheap, it sometimes take a long time however you can make a big saving after spending money on your big day! The busses we rode on had air-con and if you get to the front seat upstairs the chairs are reclinable! Trains are also very cheap.
The next stop for us was Ko Phi Phi. Now, Ko Phi Phi is an island which attracts a lot of tourists and backpackers. This is party island. The island is tiny & you can walk around it in an hour or so. Itʼs filled with markets, bars, and restaurants thus giving you massive choice in everything. Itʼs a very bohemian/artsy location with heaps of tattoo studios and alternative people. Again the views are absolutely stunning here.

If you have spent a lot of money on your wedding budget, chances are you are probably looking after your pennies a little bit on your honeymoon.
Although Ko Phi Phi isnʼt one of the cheapest places in Thailand, itʼs still very affordable. For example beer is dirt cheap and even cocktails were maybe around £1-£2. We were traveling on a budget so were wary however if it’s your honeymoon then yes it’s very cheap! Food ranged from £1 in Phuket to maybe £8 for a 3 course meal in Ko Phi Phi.
Where to stay
Accommodation on the island: thereʼs heaps to choose from however I would totally pre-book accommodation, regardless of where you’re visiting. We always use Tripadvisor for reviews & Hostelworld to book as their rates generally are the cheapest we can find for great accommodation. Despite the name, Hostelworld, they do book you in for guesthouses and hotels too. Generally accommodation can vary from as little as £5 a night per person to say £15 a night which is the most you should be paying: at that price you should be getting 5 star accommodation at most of these locations!
If you’re a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio & The Beach you can visit Maya Bay from here which is where parts of The Beach were filmed. The local boat drivers can take you out for around 350BHAT. Thereʼs a stunning bit of the island just off Ko Phi Phi where the monkeys live!
The next location was stunning. We visited Ko Samui next and WOW. This place is paradise on another level. We were booked here for 3 nights originally however we loved it so much we decided to stay here for 7 nights! Our accommodation was absolute bliss, right off the beach. This location I would highly recommend for a beach style honeymoon.
The accommodation was right on Lamai Beach – there was an on-site restaurant which was affordable and we could also take a walk on the beach and visit the nearby restaurants and bars. We visited in November, at this time the beach was so quiet it was beautiful!
Again there are tours you can speak to your accommodation guys about. In Ko Samui there were elephant conservation places you could visit and also other safari type tours which you went to in a car, they generally pick you up and drop you off as part of the package. The restaurants served up gorgeous seafood, however as I donʼt eat other meats I also found there was lots of choice for vegetarians which was fantastic. We found all through Thailand in general there was gorgeous food for various types of diets which was fab to see.
There are also a few other beaches in Ko Samui: Chaweng Beach, Bophut and Maenam. However, because we loved Lamai so much we didnʼt even bother to venture out! Plus we got sunburnt so bad! Donʼt forget the sun lotion people. Next stop on from Ko Samui was Bangkok. WOW!
This place is amazing and even shop-a-holics on a budget can get some fab bargains. Bangkok is a busy place, donʼt get me wrong, however it’s pretty well organized and it works very well.

The subway station was great for us as we had landed ourselves with accommodation outside of the central area, it was like a 5 minute ride and we were there, so very easily accessible and the people at the station are helpful too. If you visit Bangkok and stay in the central area then tuk-tuks are very cheap as long as you are wary that people will try and take advantage of you as you’re a visitor. The city comes alive at night and I must say it’s one of the most beautiful cities I have visited.

Although it’s one of the world’s biggest cities, it’s tranquil at the same time. Early mornings you see Buddhist monks walking the streets as part of their service and in the evenings too you see people with their offerings to the monks. It’s bliss.
Chiang Mai was our last and final stop before heading on to Tokyo. Chiang Mai is further north from Bangkok and this is where I had one of the best experiences of my life! Chiang Mai is beautiful, it’s quite a small place but gorgeous none the less. If you are massively into culture then this is the place for you and also if you’re the type of couple that wants to get out and about and explore than again this is the place for you.
Chiang Mai is so tranquil and as you walk the streets you can feel the peacefulness of this area of Thailand. It’s very different to the other places we visited. There are temples that you can visit and again you can see the culture in Chiang Mai with Buddhist monks walking the streets and people are so respectful.
The best experience ever? Meeting tigers! I canʼt even begin to explain how amazing this was! And I wonʼt explain… just take a look at some of the photos!
All in all there are heaps of things to see and do in Thailand and I would highly recommend it for a honeymoon!
Debs & Priti
Photographer Details:
PSHIKOTRA Photography website
Priti’s blog
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