Ever since I worked on a cruise ship over 10 years ago, country hopping from here to there, Thailand has been that destination I just needed to see more of. When the opportunity came up to go back and have a week of really exploring the destination, of course I jumped at the chance!
The Journey
The journey to Thailand was spent on a flight of just over 12 hours on a TUI Dreamliner called the ‘DREAM MAKER’ – can it get any more exciting? I sat down with a nice bottle of water, my headphones, a great list of new movies to choose from and duty free deals to browse. We had an evening meal and breakfast in the morning, and the friendly cabin crew came round a couple of times with free drinks. That’s me sorted, thanks!
We touched down at Phuket airport, which was quite big, and were greeted by lots of smiley faces from the TUI reps. The heat was amazing, and although it wasn’t particularly sunny when we landed, it was 30 degrees and humid. The reps gave us a lovely welcome, with homemade Thai leis, a bottle of water and a nice refreshing towel. We had a 120 min transfer to the hotel, which went by quite quickly after such a long flight!
Our First Hotel – TUI Blue Khao Lak, 4*
I was lucky enough to stay at three different hotels throughout my trip, and the first one was just incredible. We arrived at the amazing TUI Blue Khao Lak, and my first impression was ‘WOW’! We were staying here for two nights and I couldn’t wait to have a look around. The hotel is adults-only, and it was the perfect place to start our Thailand adventure. It had modern, luxurious decor down to a tee, and we were given the biggest greeting from not just the reception staff, but from staff working all over the hotel.
The TUI BLUE Welcome
Thai people really know how to make you feel welcome in their country – you can feel how grateful they are for you choosing Thailand for your holiday, which is lovely. This hotel is just fantastic for couples, and everything is based around the TUI BLUE For Two concept, from tables for two in the restaurants to couples’ massages in the spa and couples’ activities around the hotel. Even the rooms are suited to this, with king-size beds and matching bathrobes.
The Location
The hotel really does have a prime setting on Khao Lak Beach. You can’t miss out on that Instagram pic on the swing on the beach, and when you fancy a pool instead of a dip in the sea, there are five outdoor pools to choose from. You’ll always be relaxing in comfort here as there are lots of sunbeds scattered around the hotel, as well as hammocks for the ultimate relaxation and beach holiday vibes!
Aside from the dreamy beach location, the hotel is great because it’s within walking distance to lots of bars and restaurants. It’s easy to get a tuk tuk (Thailand taxi) from reception, and they are so cheap – about 200 Thai baht for a 20/30 min walk which is about £4.50. There is also a market in Khao Lak (although only on certain nights of the week – reception will know) which is good for holiday trinkets and interesting local treats like scorpions or cockroach lollies.
The Rooms
Our room in this TUI BLUE hotel was amazing – it was a deluxe double room with a spacious balcony, and it had a nice big walk-in shower and plenty of wardrobe space, not to mention fresh fruit, a sofa, Netflix on the TV, a great view over one of the pools and of course the most important part…. air con!
The Entertainment
You’ll find so much to do when you stay at this hotel, and it’s all really easily bookable through the TUI BLUE app. We were browsing the likes of wine tasting and cocktail classes right from our sunbeds. There’s a huge range of fitness sessions and you can even book yourself onto a cooking class – we went to a Thai cooking class and learnt how to make Pad Thai, one of the country’s signature dishes which I had a few times throughout my stay!
The evening entertainment on our first night was a white party with music and happy hour drinks as we were on a full board basis at this hotel. One of the great things about TUI BLUE is that we’d already viewed the entertainment schedule from the app before we travelled, so we knew exactly what to pack.
The Food
Thailand is famous for its incredible food, so I couldn’t wait to get stuck in and try some local dishes on my Thailand trip. The buffet restaurant was amazing, and we ate there for our breakfast, lunch and evening meal. It was all buffet food apart from the main dish in your evening meal (starter and dessert was buffet) and as I mentioned earlier, Pad Thai was a favourite of mine! The food was all so delicious and the buffet is right by the beach. What more could you want?
Our Second Hotel – TUI BLUE Mai Khao Lak, 4*
The second hotel we stayed at was the TUI BLUE Mai Khao Lak which is part of the TUI BLUE For Families brand. What a completely different but just as fabulous hotel! My pictures from the TUI BLUE Mai Khao Lak are stunning (no filter needed!) and again, there was so much going on around the hotel. From the moment we arrived, I was impressed by the gorgeous modern design and the friendly staff.
The Entertainment
The activities at this hotel were different to the last, as they were all based around families. There was a huge activity pool, so one of the days we all got involved, from playing staff vs guests volleyball and team games to aqua aerobics and a daytime quiz. We even saw a character parade and met Captain T himself! There is a kids’ club for all age groups, as well as baby clubs, splash parks and so much going on for the kids as well as having an adult-only area for guests wanting a little bit of peace and quiet.
When it comes to evening entertainment, there’s so much to see. We watched an evening show with reps from all different departments, which was great, and you can expect various games and shows dedicated to the little ones in the early evenings too. The kids will never be bored!
The Food
The food at this hotel again was amazing! We ate at the buffet as well as the snack bar near the activity pool, and then one evening we ate at the speciality restaurant, Talay Thai. As well as tucking into some delicious food, you can look down into the kitchen and watch as the team prepares all the meals.
We found that the TUI BLUE hotels were great when catering for additional dietary requests. My friend had a card with his name on it and any allergies he had, and he just had to show it to staff when he ordered and they took care of the rest.
The Rooms
At this hotel, we had a deluxe premium double room with pool view and balcony, and the view – OMG! It was just spectacular. Our room here was a great size, and as well as all the amenities you’d expect there was a curtain partition to separate the bed from the sofa as well as a curtain for shower privacy too – just little touches like this really made it special.
Our Third Hotel – Robinson Club Khao Lak, 5*
When we moved on to our last hotel, the beautiful Robinson Club Khao Lak, you could see straight away that we were in for some 5 star luxury. Everything was just stunning, from the rooms to the beach, the pools to the restaurant, and the staff were outstanding. I couldn’t wait to see more of the hotel and spend some time there!
The Rooms
As soon as I walked into the room at this hotel, it had the wow factor. There was so much space with a nice, comfy king-size bed. The bathroom had a spacious bath plus a rainfall shower, and to top it all off the views were amazing! Everything was so clean and the modern decor was beautiful. We were truly spoiled with some incredible rooms on this trip!
The Entertainment
The entertainment in the Robinson Club Khao Lak was great! On our first night, the hotel hosted a big Asian food festival. A spectacular evening buffet was prepared around the pool area, which was all really tasty with so much choice. And on our last night, they had a gala evening with an elegant dress code. The heads of departments from the hotel were all introduced and they performed the club dance. It really gave me a ‘Dirty Dancing’ feel, with all the guests and staff coming together to toast an amazing holiday. We danced the night away, and it was the perfect way to round off the trip!
There were plenty of activities throughout the daytime as well as the evenings here. The daytime schedule had everything from archery and crazy golf to water sports on the beach and even Thai boxing! The list of activities was endless. Some were chargeable, but even then most of them had a free taster session so it’s really easy to try something new on your holiday.
Experiences In Thailand
I loved my time in the hotels but the experiences and trips really made the Thailand holiday for me! We booked each of our excursions through TUI Musement Experiences, so everything was part of the package, and we had the best guide called Chelsea (pictured below!). She was amazing and was so knowledgeable and funny. She cracked us up, always talking about her favourite Chelsea players!
The first of our experiences was a half day excursion which included going to a sea turtle convention where we saw turtles from as young as a week old, followed by a visit to the tsunami memorial which was very sad, and then on to Khao Lak Temple. It was so beautiful in the temple, and we even joined in with a prayer with one of the monks. This excursion was brand new at the time and in fact we were among the first people to experience it, which made it all the more exciting. It’s something that they are looking to officially add to the programme in future – definitely one to look out for!
Our next experience was the Phang Nga Bay Highlights Tour. This full day tour shines a spotlight on Phang Nga Bay, also known as James Bond Island from the movie ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’. We travelled to Hong Island by coach and then sailed by a longtail boat to James Bond Island itself, which was out of this world. We had time to get some amazing photos and explore the island before pairing up and getting into canoes which sailed us through some of the island’s caves. It was incredible!
Next on this trip, we went to a temple that was actually inside a cave. There were lots of monkeys which we got to feed before having some lunch ourselves in the most stunning surroundings. The scenery was amazing! Once we’d eaten, we finished the day at a waterfall in the jungle which we could go for a swim in. What an amazing bucket list experience!
Our final excursion was my ultimate favourite, the Khao Son Eco Tour… the elephants! We started the day at Takuapa Market, where we got to taste fresh Thai fruit. Shortly after, we travelled to the viewpoint in Khao Sok National Park before taking a trip to the local rainforest sanctuary to help feed, bathe and care for the elephants there.
This time with the elephants was honestly the best experience I’ve ever had and such a pinch-me moment. I knew I was going to see elephants on this holiday, but I had no idea how up close and personal we were going to be with them. It really was a once in a lifetime experience!
To finish off this special day, we had lunch courtesy of fantastic chefs in a Thai cooking show, and then we sailed down the River Sok on a bamboo raft. Another experience that’s unlike anything I’ve done before! If you get the chance to try this excursion for yourself, I would recommend it a hundred times over.
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