In late December Lee and I headed to Thailand to chase the sun, and trade mince pies for sandy toes and mai-tais. Here’s a roundup of our travels…

London to Bangkok

We travelled from nippy London to muggy Bangkok (via sandy Dubai) with Emirates. Our flights cost approximately £500 per person and included a 16 hour layover in Dubai. Luckily, we know a friend living out there so we hit the nearest beach bar and I was burnt before we even arrived in Bangkok. Pale girl problems. Bangkok is a bustling city which people tend to love or hate, we didn’t stay long but took the opportunity to jump on a tuck tuck and soak up the lively culture. If you’ve packed heels, Bangkok is the (only) place to wear them, so check out a roof top bar or a restaurant on the canal, where you can sip a cherry topped mai-tai and watch the boats go by.

Bangkok to Koh Phangan

After a few days in Bangkok we headed off to Koh Phangan for the New Year’s Half Moon Party via a one hour flight and then a ferry over to the island. Koh Phangan is incredibly beautiful and is so rural and unspoilt with lush greenery and local restaurants and bars built from wooden huts and framed in palm trees. If you are planning to visit during a full moon party, I’d recommend staying the other end of the island from Hadrin beach to experience the more undisturbed life of the island (and then taxi-ing to the party if you are planning on throwing some shapes under the moon while you’re there).

Koh Phangan to Koh Samui

From Koh Phangan we made our way to Koh Samui by ferry for under £5. We stayed in the beautiful ‘Tides Boutique’ villa with views of the peaceful beach and the gold Buddha from our pool. From Samui we travelled out to Koh Nang Yuan and the surrounding glistening waters of Koh Tao. Our transport was arranged by excursions that took us snorkelling in the most crystal clear waters, out into the jungle to coconut farms where we sipped from the freshest coconuts you can find, and to picturesque beaches where the flour like sand tickled your toes.

Koh Sumai to Phuket

Phucket is technically an island but it is attached to the mainland of Thailand by a bridge so it’s lacking the ‘stranded on a dessert island’ feel that others encompass. Phuket is known to be more of a built up tourist generated area and due to Patong Beach it has an undeniably party scene. Many travel through Phuket as it is a main link between destinations (we travelled one hour by plane) but we used Phuket mainly as a spring board to surrounding islands. If you want to hit up lively bars with an exotic dancer on every surface Phuket is for you. Otherwise, hop on a boat out to Phi Phi, picture prefect Maya Beach, and James Bond Island to explore the nearby beautiful natural islands.

Phuket to Chaing Mai

Our last flight took us north to Chaing Mai where we were thrown into a change of scenery, with rivers and lush jungles replacing beaches, and a much cooler breeze in place of muggy heat. If you’re heading to Chaing Mai bring some warmer layers, especially if you plan on heading up to the cloud reaching mountain peaks like we did. The views in Chaing Mai are truly, naturally, beautiful. Make a point to seek out the flowing water falls, golden temples and the watercolour views from the King and Queen Pagodas during a visit.

Chaing Mai to Bangkok & Bangkok to London

The final leg of our travels took us back to Bangkok where I spent the last few days in bed ill, before flinging my snotty self into a long-haul flight back to London Gatwick. Ideally of course, seek out much more fulfilling activity and experience Bangkok’s culture by checking out the floating market, or perhaps the Palace. If you do, let me know how you found it in the comments and I’ll add it to my list should I find myself back in Thailand cold-free – which I hope that I do…