Are you finally going to check Thailand and Vietnam off your travel bucket list? I recently did an epic 2 week trip for my 30th birthday with the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure! We went for the end of October (Halloween and the Full Moon Party) and it was perfect weather! Follow along on my trip and hopefully this helps as you plan yours!
Day 1: Koh Samui
Koh Samui is Thailand’s second largest island and known for it’s beautiful, peaceful beaches and luxury hotels. I think the best island for a romantic getaway! We stayed at Peace Resort Samui which I would highly recommend! It was very well-priced and we got our own little bungalow along with a great pool right on the ocean. You could basically do daily massages at their spa as they ere only about $15 USD each!! It was also walking distance to the local Fisherman’s Village filled with great restaurants and bars.
We liked starting our vacation here to recover from the long flight and jet-lag. The first night we relaxed at the hotel and went to dinner at Happy Elephant in Fisherman’s Village where we had the best Pad Thai of our life!
Day 2: Poolside & Elephant Beach Club
We spent the day lounging by the pool with drinks and great food, then at night we went to the Elephant Beach Club that had the most delicious spring rolls ever and a fire dancing show on the beach!
Day 3: Jet-Skiing and Four Seasons
We booked a Jet-Skiing Safari Tour through Orange Wave Aquatic Centre. We did the 1 hour tour that took us to see the Big Buddha, Koh Som, and Maenam Beach. There’s longer tours where you can go to other islands too. I’d never ridden a Jet-Ski before so it was scary, but a crazy fun memory in the end!
That night we had my pre-Birthday dinner at Pla Pla at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui and this was one of the highlights of the trip! They took us on a golf ride trip down to the restaurant and it had the most beautiful views and sunset from the restaurant. A great way to check out this incredible 5 star resort!
Day 4: Full Moon Party at Koh Phangun
October 30th was not only my birthday, but also the date of notoriously one of the best parties in the world, the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangun island! This beach party happens once a month on the full moon and it was an experience we’ll never forget.
We took a ferry from Koh Samui to Koh Phangun (about 45 minutes) and stayed for one night at Da Kanda Resort which was definitely rustic, but fine for one night! We enjoyed the island for a day and had a traditional Thai meal at Siri’s Island Cafe and drinks at sunset at Ocean Vibes and it was gorgeous!
Then it was time to party! We put on our party clothes (clothes we didn’t mind getting paint on) and caught the bus from our hotel to the party which is at Haad Rin Beach. We got painted up at one of the many stalls and grabbed a bucket (yes, a literal bucket!!) of booze and danced the night away at the many bars along the beach, avoiding the jumprope of fire! This party does go until the sun comes up, but being it was my 30th birthday and not my 21st we were on a taxi back just after midnight LOL! Quite an event to check off the bucket list for sure!
Day 5: Relaxed Day!
You always need some rest and recovery on vacay and after the full-moon party we certainly did! After ferrying back to Koh Samui we had a nice relaxed day at the pool with a delicious dinner at Cafe 69.
Day 6: Fly to Chiang Mai
We stayed at a lovely hotel with a pool right outside the heart of the city called My Chiangmai Boutique Lodge. The first day we rented bikes and explored the exciting bustling city and amazing temples with lunch at The House by Ginger and late night drinks at The Good View Bar & Restaurant overlooking the river.
Day 7: Hike the Monk’s Trail to Wat Pha Lat then visit Doi Suthep
This day was a highlight of the trip. We hiked the Monk’s Trail that brings you up to the most beautiful temple called Wat Pha Lat surrounded by jungle. There are taxi’s there waiting that can then take you up to the famous Doi Suthep temple (you can hike all the way up to Doi Suthep too, but we heard it was a very hard strenuous hike so we opted for the taxi). Doi Suthep had a beautiful view of the city and is one of the main attractions of Chiang Mai not to be missed.
Travel Tip: Don’t forget you must wear appropriate clothing to the temples. For women that’s having your shoulders and knees covered.
Day 8: Full Day Chiang Dao Kayaking, Caving and Jungle Tour
Chiang Mai is a place for the adventurous, and we certainly got our fill with this incredible tour we booked through Trip Advisor. We were picked up from our hotel and our first stop was the Chiang Dao Cave where we were led through with a guide holding lanterns. This cave is not for the faint-hearted, as it is a huge cavernous cave with small areas to squeeze through, bats, and even large spiders all over the cavern walls! However, if you can handle it, it’s an incredible experience and certainly the largest cave I’ve ever been to!
After a great local lunch, we kayaked down the Ping River which was was gorgeous and so much fun! For dinner that night we headed to the hip area Nimmanhaemin where there was great live music, street food and delicious cocktail bars. We went to Ginger Farm Kitchen and Caravan Bar and just enjoyed shopping and bar hopping!
Day 9: Thai Cooking Class!
We booked Mama Noi Thai Cooking Class and I would highly recommend! They pick you up from your hotel and you go to a local farmer’s market where you can shop around with all the local foods, then they take your to their farm to table kitchen where you pick vegetables in the garden, say hello to their resident turtles, and then get to cooking! You get choices on what you’d like to learn to make so me and my husband made all sorts of Thai specialities like thai iced tea, soup, Pad Thai, and sticky rice! It was some of the best Thai food we have ever had! The teacher was so sweet and the whole experience was great fun.
That night we rode in a Tuk Tuk to the open air Chiang Mai Market that was happening that night and had fun shopping with the different vendors.
Day 10: Doi Inthanon National Park & Elephant Sanctuary
This was our absolute highlight of our trip to Thailand! Highly recommend! We booked the tour through Get Your Guide. You’ll be picked up and taken to the Doi Inthanon National Park where there are famous waterfalls and the highest point in Thailand. The Doi Inthanon Temple is also incredible with great views and gardens.
Next you will go to an elephant sanctuary where you get the chance to feed, pet and even get in the water with these incredible creatures! It was absolutely magical to be that close to these gentle giants.
Travel Tip: Riding Elephants has been proven to be painful and cruel to the elephants so please avoid any tours that offer riding and opt for sanctuary's instead!
Day 11: Fly to Vietnam!
Time to fly to Vietnam for the next adventure! We flew from Chiang Mai to Hanoi, Vietnam then caught a taxi for the hour long ride to HaLong Bay. Some people line this up to get straight on their cruise, but we wanted a night to recover before getting on our cruise the next day so we stayed at a beautiful hotel called The Watson Premium HaLong Hotel and enjoyed a sunset swim and local Pho in the town. I will say this is a pretty sleepy town though that you wouldn’t want to plan on spending more than an evening in, more of a port town for the cruises.
Day 12: HaLong Bay Cruise
A HaLong Bay cruise is one of the number 1 attractions to do in Vietnam and it certainly didn't dissapoint! It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for it’s limestone islands and beauty. We booked the 3 day/2 night cruise with Peony Cruises. The first day we kayaked around the limestone islands, enjoyed some drinks on the boat for happy hour, made our own spring rolls, and had a delicious dinner. We even tried our hand at squid fishing off the back of the boat, but gave up pretty quickly lol!
Day 13: HaLong Bay Cruise
We woke for a sunrise Taichi session, had breakfast, and then boarded a ferry boat to take us to Viet Hai Village where we got to bike ride to a little village, try some “snake wine” and learn about local rural ways of life. In the afternoon we got to do some more swimming and kayaking, another cooking class and dinner.
Day 14: HaLong Bay Cruise and Hanoi
We awoke again for TaiChi and then visited Cat Ba Island and visited Trung Trang Cave before disembarking around noon! We then taxied to Hanoi where we stayed at the lovely Anatole Hotel Hanoi. We enjoyed drinks on the rooftop pool then went for a traditional Vietnamese meal at Mr Bảy Miền Tây and tried a Pho cocktail at Ne Cocktail Bar! We also spent some time at a cat cafe right next to the train tracks which is quite the experience to have a fast train whizzing right in front of you, pretty wild and can be scary!
Day 15: Hoa Lo Prison Museum & Water Puppet Theatre
We started our day visiting the Hoa Lo Prison Museum where many American POW’s were housed during the Vietnam War. We grabbed lunch at Quan An Ngon then went to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre that Hanoi is famous for!
Day 16: Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum & Hanoi Temple of Literature
For a day to experience some of Hanoi’s most famous sites we visited Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and gardens and the Temple of Literature. We had one of our favorite meals of the trip at Tung’s Kitchen, highly recommend!
Day 17: Spa Day!
On our last day of the trip we were ready to relax before our long trip home, so we treated ourselves to pedicures and a great massage before boarding the plane back to LA!
Sarah - this is an amazing adventure. Thanks so much for sharing. I remember our own time together in Phuket!