The Golden Buddha and Wat Arun on the Chao Phraya, the coral island of Koh Larn off Pattaya, Nong Nooch tropical garden and an afternoon at ICONSIAM.
Photo: Anantachai Saothong / Unsplash
Day 1
The group meets at Da Nang International Airport for the direct flight to Bangkok. Your guide meets you at the airport and drives straight on to Pattaya, about 150 km and roughly two hours. We check in and have dinner; depending on landing time, the evening is free along Pattaya beach or at Thepprasit night market.
Day 2
In the morning we board a speedboat at Bali Hai pier for the thirty-minute crossing to Koh Larn, an island with clear water and white sand beaches such as Ta Waen and Samae. You swim, have a seafood lunch on the island and can take on water sports such as parasailing or jet skiing at your own option. In the afternoon we return to the mainland and stop at the Buddha Mountain, where a 130-metre figure of the Buddha was carved and inlaid in gold on a limestone cliff to mark the fiftieth anniversary of King Rama IX's accession.
Day 3
The morning is at Nong Nooch, a tropical garden of more than 240 hectares south of Pattaya, taking in the clipped French garden, the cactus garden, the dinosaur valley and the traditional Thai houses. There is a culture show with classical dance and a Muay Thai demonstration. In the afternoon we drive to Bangkok, check in, and the evening is free at Asiatique or Khao San depending on where the hotel is.
Day 4
The morning starts at Wat Traimit in Chinatown, home to a Buddha of solid gold weighing about 5.5 tonnes, hidden under plaster for centuries and revealed only when it was dropped during a move in 1955. We then cross the Chao Phraya to Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, whose central prang stands around 70 metres and is faced entirely in broken Chinese porcelain; you can climb the steep steps partway up. The afternoon is free at ICONSIAM on the riverfront, or at Chatuchak weekend market if the day falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
Day 5
After checking out there is time to buy dried goods, herbal inhalers and Thai sweets. Your guide sees the group through check-in for the flight back to Da Nang, where the programme ends.
This is the easiest overseas trip we sell: a direct flight of about two hours from Da Nang, no visa required for Vietnamese passport holders on a short tourist stay, and food and drink in Thailand that costs very little. For a good number of our groups, this is the first trip abroad they have taken.
We drive straight to Pattaya on the first day rather than starting with a night in Bangkok. Suvarnabhumi Airport is on the eastern side of the city, so Pattaya is only about two hours further on; going into central Bangkok first and coming back out the next day costs the better part of a day in traffic. Bangkok is saved for the last two days, once the group has found its rhythm.
Thai temples require covered clothing: sleeves, trousers or skirts below the knee, and shoes off in the main hall. We remind everyone the day before Wat Arun and Wat Traimit, because some places will refuse entry rather than simply mention it. Group size, hotel category and departure dates are agreed before the contract is signed.
Overseas ToursThe classic Korea route from Da Nang — Gyeongbokgung Palace, the tree-lined avenues of Nami Island, a full day at Everland and evenings in Myeongdong.
Overseas ToursSouthern Korea when the maples turn — Haeundae beach, the painted hillside of Gamcheon, the thousand-year-old Bulguksa temple and the old Silla capital at Gyeongju.
Overseas ToursEast to west across Japan — Senso-ji in Tokyo, Lake Kawaguchi beneath Mount Fuji, the torii gates of Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and Dotonbori after dark.