One Week in Koh Samui & Bangkok
For our last trip in 2018, as we still had a week's left to take in December, we decided to go back to Thailand, in Koh Samui. The temperatures were very warm, about 30°C, felt 36°C (96° F) with a few short showers.
We now know Thailand quite well after three trips. We have never been disappointed, life is cheap, hotels are amazing and we love the food.
How to get to Bangkok and Koh Samui?
Going to Bangkok is very easy from Paris. We had many options: direct flights or transfer, mostly via Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. The benefit of making a stopover is the price which is generally lower than a direct flight, but the disadvantage can be the time lost during the stopover. We took a direct flight with Air France because we didn't want to waste too much time during a transfer and also because we had another flight to Koh Samui.
The stopover in Bangkok lasted about 1.5 hours, which gave us enough time to catch our domestic flight with Bangkok Airlines.
After an hour, we landed in Koh Samui. This airport is so exotic. We have never been to Hawaii or French Polynesia, but we assume it is the same atmosphere.
The Shuttle from the W hotel, in which we spent 3 nights, was waiting for us for the transfer.
Exploring the W and the Vanna Belle Hotels
Located in the north of the island, W Koh Samui is only 20 minutes far from the airport. The lobby is wide open to the outside with a spectacular view overlooking the sea. One of the main advantages of W Hotels is that they have an excellent service which can be summed up by their motto Whatever/Whenever. We like the W hotels because it offers modern and luxurious facilities. This is the 4th time we are staying in a W hotel.
We booked 3 nights in an Ocean View Escape room which is nestled on the highest point, with a private pool and a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Thailand. The room is spacious and beautifully decorated in red tones. The bathroom is large with an oversized bathtub and a rain forest shower. You can feel at home here.
The hotel is organized in two parts. The first one is located in the heights, in the main building where the lobby and the restaurant are located. There is a very large swimming pool with a wonderful view of the sea. The environment is quiet and lush. The other part of the hotel is on the beach where you can relax, drink and eat throughout the day. A nice place to enjoy the sunset. The place is peaceful and away from the noise.
Another good thing about staying at the W is that it is not far from the local Fisherman's Village where you can eat and relax in nice and trendy places. The W offers a free shuttle service, just ask for the timetables. More information about this village below.
To extend our stay in Koh Samui and to get a different perspective of this island, we selected the Vanna Belle, a Luxury Collection Resort, for another 2 nights.
To get there, a shuttle from the Vanna Belle picked us up at the W Koh Samui. The trip is relatively short and takes only 20 minutes. The hotel is located in the south-east of the island and at the same distance from the airport, which made the trip easy and without loss of time.
The Vanna Belle is so different from the W Koh Samui. It is much more traditional and refined while being very modern in terms of infrastructure and services. It is a very warm and welcoming hotel located on a beautiful white sandy beach. The staff is very attentive and caring. They took the time to welcome us, to explain the meaning and spirit of the hotel and to make us make a wish. We loved it!
We spent 2 nights in a superb Tropical Pool Villa, nestled in a lush garden and facing the ocean. The villa includes a private terrace and a swimming pool. Inside the room, the decoration is refined. The marble bathroom is spacious and features a large bathtub and shower. This room is perfect for a retreat.
At the pool level, there is a very nice bar where we had a few cocktails during Happy hour. Large sunbeds are placed by the pool. Ideal for relaxing and sunbathing.
Regarding the cuisine, there are several restaurants in the hotel: the Panali offers Italian cuisine and the Kiree offers traditional Thai cuisine. This allows guests to choose the cuisine they prefer. The Thai food was delicious, very refined and tasty. As is the breakfast which is also served at the Kiree.
Daisy had a massage at the Vana Spa, to be pampered for an hour. She loved the atmosphere and the massage.
The only thing that has upset us is that there is nowhere to go outside the hotel, for instance in a nice local village. You can go to Chaweng Noi beach, a 30-minute walk away, but it's just a beach and the beach at the hotel is very beautiful. At the same time staying at the hotel allows you to disconnect well.
Things to do in Koh Samui
We will focus only on the busy Fisherman's Village near Hotel W Koh Samui in the north of the island. This village is very cute and authentic even if the main road is full of street food carts, souvenir shops, restaurants, and SPAs.
We went there to get massages at Sakura Spa after spending a lot of time finding a good SPA. The massages were too strong but we asked the therapists to apply less pressure. We paid about 50€ for an hour and a half massage. The price may seem high if you compare with small massage houses but therapists only give massages if you understand what we meant...
The place is very cool with lots of trendy bars and restaurants. We went to Coco Tam's thanks to the good music we heard a few meters away. We relaxed on big pillows on the sand, sipping some cocktails during the sunset. It was so good! We also had dinner at Coco Tam's X Peppina restaurant but the food wasn't especially good and it's too expensive. The pasta was okay but not the pizza. The portions are small and they cost 15€ each, the same prices as in Paris.
If you go to Thailand and want to have a massage a day, like me, be sure to check the reviews or ask your hotel to avoid the small massage houses where many girls are waiting for "clients". Most of them don't offer massages... You can pay 5€ for a massage but be careful, it could be a trap. I'd rather pay 20/50€ and have a very good massage than pay 5€ and be angry.
How we can manage to be Vegan in Koh Samui
Being vegan in Thailand is easy. Thai cuisine naturally offers vegetarian or vegan dishes such as Pad Thai. We had our meals in hotels and at Fisherman's Village.
Exploring the W Bangkok
For our third visit to the vibrant city of Bangkok, we spent two nights at the W Bangkok Hotel. We had, as usual, an incredible welcome. The hotel is very modern and very luxurious. This is one of the reasons why we like to stay at the W because we never had any bad surprises.
The hotel offered us a wonderful room, a Studio Suite of 64m2 on the 27th floor with an incredible view on Sathorn Rd, one of the major ones in Bangkok and on the brand new and amazing King Power MahaNakhon. The interior is very modern, with a little Thai touch brought by a pair of boxing gloves on the bed. The bathroom is elegant and spacious. It has a huge bathtub with a view of the city. A must.
Breakfast is served at the Kitchen Table, the main restaurant. The buffet is enormous with many choices of food, cooking, and dishes. On the first evening, we had dinner at the House on Sathorn, the old building at the entrance of the hotel. In the 1920s, it was a former hotel, which also served for a time as the Russian embassy. Now it is one of the best seafood restaurants in the city. We could only order rice with vegetables because we are vegetarian or even vegan as you already may know. The food was good but too spicy. Daisy asked for another one but the dish was still too spicy and she couldn't eat it.
If you don't want to go to the restaurant, and if you are not far from the W Bangkok, just stop to have a look at the decoration or have a drink at the bar of the House on Sathorn or at Max's Secret Speakeasy bar.
If you have some free time during your stay, you can also relax at the hotel's swimming pool on the 6th floor.
Things to do in Bangkok
After our two previous visits to Bangkok, we can say that we are starting to know it better. We wanted to experience the city in a different way within two days.
We concentrated our time visiting the magnificent Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, and the Klongs.
When we came two years ago, Wat Arun was under renovation, so we ran to visit it this year. We went there around 4 pm, we took the time to walk around the temple, to admire this beautiful and unique dome while the sun was beginning to decline. We then took a boat to reach the other bank of the Chao Phraya to have a drink on the Sala Ratanakosin rooftop, in front of Wat Arun. The show is breathtaking so don't miss it!
We love the vibes of Bangkok, but what we hate the most, are the taxis. We always have to discuss the price, they never want to put the taxi meter. And tuk-tuk is the same. It's fun to take them once, but you still feel like a tourist. For the same distance, they can ask you three times the price!
Anyway, we wanted to visit the local markets. The first wish was to go and see this incredible Mae Klong Railway Market, a singular market set up on a railway line, but it was far from Bangkok and we should have lost almost a day. Instead, we chose to visit the Klongs on the waterways that connect Bangkok. We didn't even know there were canals. We found that out by searching the Internet. We booked online on Thursday evening for a 2.5 hours private tour with Julien. The price is very affordable for a private tour. It cost us 1600 baths or about 47 euros. During the crossing, we were able to admire local houses, shops, lizards and birds. We made a stop at an orchid farm. It was a great experience and a new perspective of this city full of surprises. We were a bit disappointed though because we really wanted to see a floating market. But as they are only open at weekends, and we had to leave on Saturday, we couldn't do it. So if you want to visit a floating market or the famous Chatuchak market, plan to be there on Saturday or Sunday.
The last thing we had to do was to go up to the brand new King Power MahaNakhon tower with its 78 floors to watch the sunset over the city. The 360° view is worth it despite the high price which can vary between 880 and 1050 baths depending if you want to access the rooftop or not. The cheapest price only gives you access to the Mahanakhon SkyWalk Indoor Observatory Deck.
It is also possible to walk on a glass floor. Please note that you cannot take your camera there.
Do not leave the city without visiting the Khaosan road. Stroll through its streets and make sure you go there on a Friday night if possible if you want to see something that doesn't exist anywhere else. The music is at its peak in all the bars and restaurants, people are dancing everywhere, the streets are crowded, and the atmosphere is friendly.
If this is your first visit, here are the best things to do in Bangkok in two or three days:
1. Wat Pho
It's a must for any traveler. A reclining Buddha, fifteen meters high and forty-six meters long, stands in this temple. The statue is entirely covered with gold leaf.
2. Grand Palace
It is the former royal palace which dates from the end of the 18th century. This visit is a must as well as the temple of the Emerald Buddha Wat Phra Kaeo which is just next door.
Tips: shorts and skirts are prohibited. It is always possible to borrow clothes, but you may lose some time and pay a deposit of 200 baths.
It is one of the largest markets in Southeast Asia. It's a unique experience whether you're a fan of shopping or not. More than 8,000 stands make up this city within the city. Here you can buy all kinds of things and eat for cheap. Don't forget that everything is negotiable. The market is open from Wednesday to Sunday.
4. Chinatown
Chinatown isn't very big, but it's densely populated. It feels like you're in China. It's noisy, messy and genuine. It's an experience in itself!
It is an art deco and antique museum in Bangkok located in the former residence of a mysteriously missing American. He revived the silk industry in Thailand when it was in decline. This beautiful house is a small haven of peace in the heart of the city. There are also some very beautiful prints.
6. Rooftops
It is impossible to be in Bangkok without having a drink in one of the most famous rooftops, the Vertigo located on the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel. The terrace is very small but offers a breathtaking view of the city. Expect the terrace to be full. Sunset is, of course, the best time. For your information, you must be properly dressed and wear trousers if you wish to access the terrace.
Here is another address we made: the Scarlett Rooftop Wine Bar & Restaurant at the Pullman Hotel G. The view is beautiful and you will be less crowded.
We love Bangkok because there's something special about it. And we know that there is much more to visit.
How we can manage to be Vegan in Bangkok
Eating vegetarian or vegan is not a problem in Bangkok and Thailand.
Of course, Khaosan Road is very touristic but you can eat there for nothing and vegan. We had Pad Thai, vegetable rice and the unmistakable sticky mango rice. Pad Thai was one of the best we ate in Bangkok. And the dishes cost only 50 baths! We can't compete with that.
In collaboration with W Koh Samui, Vanna Belle & W Bangkok.
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