Incredible views of turquoise waters, secluded bays, fabulous beach nights. This is the tourist paradise island of Koh Tao, where backpackers and rich merge.

Be prepared to spend money – a lot of it, to truly enjoy all the island Koh Tao (photos here) has to offer, OR risk your well being and push yourself to the limits to capture the paradise on a budget, like us?. Lavish, expensive resorts dot the mountainsides and claim the beautiful beaches while backpacker hotels and hostels line Sairee Beach, the port town Mae Haad and dusty, barely there side roads.  That being said, some of the best budget hotels have supreme views!

Budget travellers are seen walking the beaches and streets in flip flops or barefoot as well as whizzing around on mopeds without helmets. Many can be seen on crutches and or with bandaged body parts; Real Moon Parties and mopeds the main culprits.

It is not the quiet little island it is rumoured to be, rather it is over run with tourists. I suppose what makes it “quiet” is the lack of activities; other than scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking and drinking, there is not a lot of things to do ?. Ya, I do not understand either.  That being said, a part of me likes it here very much; unrivalled beauty and snorkeling with the sharks help me like it?.

Our time on the island started with our arrival from Bangkok via Surat Thani with the Lomprayah Speed Boat Ferry (learn how to here).  As it was late, rather than going straight to our room, we decided to eat first.  The small port town Mae Haad has many eateries; we chose the Pool Restaurant, a short walk from the pier.

Following a satisfying, albeit expensive dinner at 540 baht (USD$15.60) of Cashew Chicken, Green Curry with rice, 2 beer and a coke, we went in search of a transportation to our hotel.  The Taxi trucks are expensive and unwilling to bargain; roads, other than the main road are rough, bumpy and often time, barely there. 300 baht (USD$8.70) later and we were dropped at our bungalow in the Secret Garden Village.

Our very cute, comfortable Secret Garden cabin was pre-booked through Orbitz for USD$40 including tax for 3 days; each night thereafter, we paid 1100 baht (USD$32).  It was outfitted with air conditioning, fan, kettle, instant coffee, tea, tv, big bed, fridge, asian bathroom and a deck with chairs and table.

First on the agenda the following day was renting a motorbike (Secret Garden rents mopeds, but they were all gone, so we did a short walk to the next rental place); 200 baht (USD$5.80) per day for the first 3 days, plus 900 baht (USD$26) for the 5 extra days (fyi:saw long term 1 month for between 70 & 90 baht/day).  We made sure we had helmets, although most people do not wear them and checked the bike carefully before scooting off to the nearby Grocery Market (best prices) for iced coffee and some cold drinks.

Heading to the south, we found ourselves stopping for lunch at OK 2 Bungalows, overlooking the incredibly beautiful Thian Og Bay, better known as Shark Bay. This place is amazing! Spectacular view, great prices (for Koh Tao), tasty food.  For simple well priced accommodations with possibly the best views on the island, I definitely recommend this place to backpackers / budget travelers – but be prepared to climb a lot of stairs! Our lunch of Cashew Nut Chicken, rice and Chicken fried basil with a coke and beer came to 305 baht (USD$8.80). The rest of the day we spent exploring the island.

After much searching and price comparing, we decided on Seasons Food Thai Restaurant for dinner.  Once again, this was a great choice and it actually became our Koh Tao go to restaurant!  Our orders of Green curry, cashew chicken, basil chicken, 2 beer and 1 coke came to a total of 530 baht (USD$15.30).  Food is not budget friendly in Koh Tao.?

Following dinner, we found a wonderful little stand selling buckets!?  We bought a 150 baht (USD$4.35) bucket of blueberry margarita and went for a stroll on the very active Sairee Beach.  Note:  This IS where you want to spend your evenings.  There are quiet, candlelit bars and restaurants as well as loud, crazy party places, like Lotus Bar.

Clouds greeted us the next day, but we had a lot of things we wanted to do in Koh Tao and limited time to accomplish it, so we pushed full speed forward. After our morning grocery store coffees, we motorbiked straight to OK2 Bungalows for breakfast rice with a view.  By the time we were finished our very late breakfast (noon?), the sun was shining and all of the snorkeling and dive boats had left, leaving shark bay almost completely to ourselves and a few other laggers. After renting some snorkel gear – mask, snorkel and fins – from OK 2 (250 baht each / USD$7.25), we cautiously walked down the steep stairs, across the slippery rocks and enter the sparkly blue water. As if on cue, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out!?Tip: wear water shoes or dive booties; we cut our feet all over climbing the rocks.
Shark Bay / Thian Og Bay has earned it’s name, there were black tip sharks all over the place. We spent about three hours just watching the majestic predators slowly slicing through the water; some appeared to be mother and baby, some perhaps pregnant. As if the outing had not been perfect enough, a huge turtle escorted us back to shore! The only unfortunate part of amazing Shark Bay is the vast bed of dead coral?. People, you have a responsibility – stop destroying your future.  Unfortunately, I do not have any photos of the great marine life, but if you do, please add them in the comment section below!

For dinner, we went to the very popular Hippo Burger, the place with a Hippo price. They have a patio with quite a few tables; a good atmosphere with music playing. Their Happy Hour is from 8 pm to 10 pm; the Passion Fruit Mojito is regular 160 baht / USD$4.65, reduced to 100 baht / USD$2.90 – we bought 2!  Our very delicious ? Cheese Bacon Burgers with Fries were 280 baht / USD$8.10 each.  Our most expensive meal on Koh Tao and although delectable, will not be repeated.

Following our mouth-watering meal, we grabbed 2 buckets from BAKbc and made our way to the Lotus Bar on Sairee beach for drinks, glow paint and fire show!  Oh, in other words, the Real Moon Party.  It was a incredibly fun, crazy night, I suppose a very soft version of the famous Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.  Many of the crowd had actually come from the Full Moon party a few days ago, here for the next party!

At breakfast the next morning, we ordered a chicken baguette and got a burger ?. This was actually very common throughout our stay on the island and not specific to any one place.  Just smile and eat it!

After filling our moped with petro 70 baht / USD$2.00 we drove to some lookout points where truly breathtaking views from around the island greeted us!  Our last planned destination was Mango Viewpoint / Mango Bay and eventually beach.  Needless to say, it is an ⚠️ extremely hazardous ride there – no exaggeration⚠️. This is NOT for the faint of heart; steep hills in both directions with a narrow cement road which turned to slippery dirt at times.  A few, like myself chose to walk part of the way. We got as far as Mango Viewpoint, where we were charged 100 baht / USD$2.90 entry fee each,  before I had more than enough and begged for mercy.  Most did not make it that far, but a few brave souls made it all the way to Mango beach and said it was fabulous.  A better, safer idea is to go with a taxi boat.

The next days found us hanging out, driving around, walking the beach, and eating.  One nice little spot we discovered on the main road  was the Naa Krua Thai Restaurant; they plate the food beautiful (hearts etc), the vegetables were fresh and crunchy, the chicken tasty – fabulous experience, great place, check it out! Our Lemon Shake, Chiang beer, Fried Basil Chicken and Pad Thai came to a total of 270 baht / USD$7.80.

One day, we drove out to the Haad Thien Beach Club where we had to pay 100 baht each / USD$2.90 for entry to Shark Bay Beach. On the plus side, we assume that fee allows you access to the swimming pools and lounge chairs, however, we only used the beach.  An alternative, is to snorkel in from OK 2 Bungalows; either way, don’t forget to bring your own drinks and food or your platinum credit card?. The beach has a restaurant, a bar and fresh water showers.

Another good eatery we found was the Bingo Restaurant.  Although they also serve Thai food, we had a fabulous western meal of schnitzel and french fries with lemon shakes! Yummy?.

Saan Jao Beach in Taa Toh Bay, is a wonderful place to spend some time.  Take a towel and go for a swim or sit in one of the many restaurants and enjoy a drink or meal while taking in the beautiful views.  To see more beaches, and photos with tagged info, feel free to visit my photo gallery.

Across Thailand there are slight variations on the Thai food; in Kho Tao it is sometimes completely different than what you ordered, but they will insist it is what you asked for. The most drastic was when I ordered a green curry chicken and ended up with some almost dry chicken and vegetables on a small plate, but the price was the same as the real dish! Keep smiling?

Koh Tao in a nutshell: Incredibly beautiful, expensive food, affordable lodging, lots of sharks, not as quiet as you think.

Costs for Two People, 9 nights
 Taxis: $9.00
 Lodging: $312.00
 Laundry: $5.00
 Moped and gas (8 days): $34.00
 Food and Drinks: $283.00
 Entertainment: $20
 Total:  USD$663.00 ?    
A whopping total of $73.60 per day for 2 persons

Koh Tao Tips, Costs & FYI:
– Very good deals with great views to be found on Sairee Beach Happy hour etc.
– stay with accommodations at the port and rent a moped (saving huge on taxis) – the main road to Sairee beach (for night driving) is excellent/ safe
– Secret Garden Bungalows have dorms called The Best Hostel – 48 beds including 1 towel, 1 blanket, coffee and tea included – 400 baht per night
– The cheapest hostel price we saw in Koh Tao was 100 baht per night, per person, if you were 3 people; not sure what the catch was…

Express laundry 50 baht per kg
Regular laundry 30 to 40 baht per kg

Canned iced Coffees 50 baht
Bottled water, Large 50 baht
Fruit Shakes 40 baht
Smoothies 50 baht
Chang Beer, large 70 baht

How to get out of Koh Tao (read how step by step): We took the Lompraya Boat and Bus to Bangkok for 1100 baht per person / USD$31.80 (duration 10 hours), 8:30 am hotel pickup – be sure to book from where you are staying, because you get picked up at your hotel; this way you avoid paying the expensive taxi trucks!!!!

Your thoughts, experiences and budget tips are appreciated! Please use the comment field below.

Current (if any) government warnings:
Foreign Travel Advice – UK Government
Alerts and Warnings – USA Government

In the magical mountains of Thailand lies the enchanting city of Chiang Mai, home to Temples, Muay Thai Boxing and delicious Thai Cuisine.

We arrived mid afternoon in this busy mountain city Chiang Mai, via the Green Bus from Chiang Rai. Our first frustration? was trying to get transportation to our hotel; Uber was too expensive, Taxis refused us and Tuk Tuks wanted a small fortune; most were unable to read our western written hotel address.?Tip: Be sure to have all addresses in Thai for drivers. Finally, after walking away from the station, we found someone in the street willing to phone our hotel for the address and take us for, after negotiating, 100 baht / USD$3.00 (he started at 200 baht).

15 minutes later we arrived at C Hotel Boutique and Comfort on the outer wall of the old city. The reception was very friendly and informative. The bright room had a balcony, a comfy big bed with fluffy pillows and bedding , fridge, water kettle with complimentary tea and coffee, flat screen tv with cable, air conditioning and a modern bathroom with big fluffy towels and a hairdryer!!! Until now, the best room of the trip with a great smell thanks to incense sticks. Cost: 1,700 for 2 nights (850 per night / USD$25) View my PHOTO GALLERY for more pictures of Chiang Mai.

The list of things to do in Chiang Mai is a smorgasbord of activities. Probably, if not already templed out, temples top the list, but also on offer are river cruises, trekking, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, cooking courses, spa, Elephant camps and more. But first on our list is a quick shower and a search for food!?

Feeling refreshed, we grabbed an Uber and took an 8 minute drive, 39 baht (USD$1.15) to the Tikky Cafe. Great deal! The restaurant had a cool vibe?, in spite of it being tourism pure – certainly no Thai people here, other than the help.

Our order was a Passion Fruit Shake for 40 baht / US$1.20, Green Tea shake (45฿ / $1.30), Papaya salad (60฿ / $1.75), Thom Kha Gai soup (100฿ / $2.90) and Yellow Curry Chicken Rice (70฿ / $2). Everything was made fresh, unfortunately the papaya salad did not arrive until we were ready to leave. The shakes were very 4 star good, the soup and rice were 3 star good; probably we could have gotten better prices and maybe tastier food elsewhere. That being said, if you are looking to meet other travelers, this is a great choice! Total bill: 240 Baht (USD$7)

After dinner we walked to Wat Phra Singh, which was beautifully lit for the evening. The sound of monks singing echoed through the courtyards.  ?The temples are definitely worth 2 visits, once during the day, and once by night! We also found the Wat Phan Tao temple and Wat Chedi Luang Worawihan with its ruined chedi (stupa) from the 15th century and Wat Pan Whaen.

Next we wandered toward the night market; after Chiang Rai, this was disappointing, but still nice for a walk. Eventually, we ended up at the Iron Bridge which crosses the Mae Ping River.  This seemed like a cool place to spend some time. ?

The next morning we went to a little corner cafe across the road called Lek House for a breakfast of Pork Pad Thai and an Omelette with rice for a total of 105฿ / $3. It was very good!

Energized and ready to go, we headed back into the old city to see it by day.  After circling hours through the numerous temples, we found ourselves at the indoor Warorot Market (map). It is very big and sells everything from food to clothing; interesting walk through and great prices.

For lunch, we found a restaurant called Pad Thai Rachadumnoen, which became our go to eating spot due to the great food with fantastic prices. At the end of the blog, you will find some of the dishes we ate along with the prices. Each dish was amazing! I definitely recommend everyone to try this restaurant and let me know what you think!

‼️Before 11am and between 2 pm and 5 pm you cannot buy beer?

My love of Thai Cuisine helped me decide I could not leave without doing a cooking class. I signed up for the 5 hour morning course with Zabb-E-Lee Thai Cooking School.  Read about my awesome experience here: Cooking Class Chiang Mai  Cost: 900 Baht / USD$26

In the evening we walked to the Loikroh Boxing Stadium to watch Muay Thai Boxing . The entrance fee was 400 baht (USD$11.65) per person.  It was an interesting experience which I enjoyed far more than I thought I would! Read about it: Muay Boxing

In the morning we checked out of C Hotel, ordered an Uber car (60฿ / $1.75) and checked into Lamphu House Chiang Mai as a small treat for the end of our vacation. Located in the old city, this is a nice hotel with a pool! Cost: 2 nights 2000฿ / $58. We finished up our Chiang Mai time with two leisurely days of swimming, eating, drinking and strolling around the city!

Visit my Chiang Mai Photo Gallery for more pictures and info!

?Tips:
 - Be helpful to the Uber cars; they have problems with the red taxis, so sit in the front seat so it looks like you are friends.
 - 7-eleven - ok prices, toiletries, drinks, snacks, SIM cards
 - Kookai Laundry (map) - best prices we found for washing clothes, let us know in the comments section if you found a better place

Costs for 5 nights, 2 persons:
 Transportation: USD$4.10  Excluding transportation to and out of Chiang Mai
 Entertainment / Excursions: USD$50 
 Lodging: USD$133
 Food and Drink: USD$109
Total Cost: (2 persons):  USD$296.10 or $60.00 per day

Next Stop: Bangkok –  Booked Air Asia from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Saturday March 11. – 1,300฿ / $38 each.

Some Food Prices (for reference):
Passion fruit juice – 30฿ / $0.87
Passion fruit smoothie 35฿ / $1.00
Spring rolls 60฿ / $1.75
Green curry with chicken 100฿ / $2.90
Som-Tum (papaya salad) 60฿ / $1.75
Basil fried chicken with rice – 50฿ / $1.45

 

On the List of top things to do in Chiang Mai, is the fighting event called Muay Thai Boxing. We were not going to miss it!

One fine evening during our stay in Chiang Mai,  we walked to the Loikroh Boxing Stadium to watch Muay Thai boxing (video below). The entrance fee was 400 baht (USD$11.65) per person for 6 fights and a program. Although they advertise with a 9 pm start time, it did not begin until 9:30, but it gave us ample time to find a seat, not at the front as that is VIP, and get a drink.

‼️ Watch out for the waitresses- they try to steal the change! Drinks are expensive! 360 baht (USD$10.50) for 1 cocktail & 2 small beers.

A broadcaster keeps the excitement up with play by play announcements and information in English.  If you are into betting, you could place bets with locals by holding up your money and laying it on the table for him to match; 100฿ / $3 was low, but they would always take the bet!

The program showed 6 fights altogether with 5 rounds each (if no knockout).  The 1st match was a main fight between 2 Thai nationals with a knockout in round 4.

Fights 2 and 3 were females, foreigners from Australia and Sweden, against Thais.  Fight #2 with Annette the Australian was pretty good and her Thai opponent Ormduen was a great match, but the Swedish fighter Frida from the third fight seemed slightly slow and out of shape.

The fourth and best fight was again a main fight between male Thais.  It was the best fight of the night; the opponents, Skitpon and Seanchailek were well matched and in great shape making for an exciting battle.

The next fight saw Youri from Switzerland against Thongchai from Thailand. The Swiss arrogantly strutted his stuff around the ring, winning the match with a knockout. This did not seem to please the Rocky wannabe? as he stood above the broken body of his opponent, screaming for him to get up.

The eventful evening passed very quickly, and by 11:30 PM, the fighting was finish and everybody left, in search of cheaper drinks and beds.

How to take the bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai, Thailand – Green Bus step by step guide with photos.

If you want to take the bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, read from the bottom up ?.

Step 1:  Go to the Chiang Rai Green line bus station.  At this point in time it is called the Temperary Bus Terminal, Address.  Click to see bus times / Time schedules for bus departures in either direction. Note: this is in town, not the New Terminal which is 7 kilometers outside of town, unless you prefer that. 

Step 2: Bought our bus ticket from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai for 166 baht (USD$4.85) each, leaving at 11:30 AM www.greenbusthailand.com.

The ticket has all of the important information on the front including the bus number (#166), seat number (3A), departure  date (March 6 for us – 6/3) and time (11:30). Familiarize yourself with the picture below.

We had some time to kill and had not eaten breakfast yet, so went up the street to the BaanchivitMai Bakery and Restaurant – a feel good Bakery ??  We both ordered the Club sandwich with French Fries for 120 baht each (USD$3.50).  A little more expensive than we are comfortable with, but it is supporting a good cause! 100% of the profits go to support disadvantaged children in the province of Chiang Rai – housing, medical and education.

Step 3:  Watch for your bus, and as soon as you are allowed to, show your ticket, load your backpack or suitcase into the luggage compartment.

Step 4:  Present your ticket again at the door to board.  Our Bus #166 was loaded and left the station at 11:32 am ? with an estimated time of arrival 2:15pm. (3 hours 15 minutes).

Within 5 minutes a Thai lady handed out water and cookies to all the passengers.  How civilized! Better than flying!?

At 11:50 am the bus stopped at the main bus station just outside of town (it is where we arrived coming from Luang Prabang, Laos) and picked up more people; 20 minutes and we have not made it too far yet. ? We leave the main station at 11:53 am.

The further we go, the better it gets, winding our way through the lush mountainous countryside of northern Thailand. The scenery is incredibly beautiful and the roads are in perfect condition, possibly recently paved.

Step 5:  We entered the busy city of Chiang Mai at around 2:37 and reach the Arcade bus terminal at 2:48 PM, exactly as promised.?

‼️After note:  Getting a tuk tuk ride was extremely complicated, due to a supposed language barrier. Tip: Have your address printed out IN THAI. Finally after walking away from the terminal, we found someone in the street willing to phone our hotel for the address (in Thai) and take us for, after negotiating, 100 baht / USD$3 (he started at 200 baht).