Asia · January 2022
Thailand, January 2022
Bangkok, Erawan Falls and Ayutthaya, then ten days of Covid quarantine, then Krabi: Ao Nang, Koh Phi Phi and Railay Beach.
- 13diary
entries - 22days in
Thailand - 10of them in
quarantine
The trip in brief
The short version of our first Thailand trip, taken from the diaries further down the page.
A group tour that changed course
We went in January 2022 on an Intrepid Travel group tour arranged by Karl Watson of Karl Watson Travel Documentaries, while Thailand still had Covid entry rules. That meant showing our Thai Passes at the airport and a PCR test on arrival, then a quiet evening at the hotel waiting for the result. The first week went to plan: a bike tour through Bangkok’s backstreets and along its old canals, Damnoen Saduak and the Maeklong Railway Market, the River Kwai at Kanchanaburi, Erawan Falls and the ruins of Ayutthaya.
Then one of our group tested positive, and the trip changed course.
The tour cost £1,549 each, sharing a twin room. That paid for the hotels, an overnight train, the tour leader, the activities on the itinerary and some meals. Flights from the UK, tips and travel insurance were on top.
Ten days in quarantine
The positive test meant ten days of isolation at the Nouvo City Hotel in Bangkok. We weren’t allowed out, apart from forty-five minutes a day of fresh air on the roof terrace, and we made the most of every one of them. It was a hard stretch.
Thailand had suspended its Test and Go scheme on 22 December 2021 and brought it back on 1 February 2022, so we were there in the strictest weeks. Those rules have all gone now. Our Things to Know page has the entry rules as they are today.
Where we stayed
In Bangkok we were at the Nouvo City Hotel in Banglamphu, a short walk from Khao San Road. Once we were cleared we flew to Krabi and checked into the COSI in Ao Nang, which looks west over the Andaman Sea. Our first sunset there, with a cold Chang, felt very well earned after ten days indoors. In the middle of that week we spent two nights on Phi Phi Don, the only one of the Phi Phi islands where people live.
Getting around
Krabi was a flight from Bangkok, and we flew back to Bangkok for the last two days. From Ao Nang everything went by boat. The island-hopping trip took us out past Bamboo Island and Maya Bay to Phi Phi, the boat back to Ao Nang took about an hour and a half, and a longtail round to Railay Beach takes ten to fifteen minutes. There are no cars on Phi Phi Don, so getting around is on foot or by boat.
The best bits
Swimming in the clear blue pools at Erawan was one of the best bits of the whole trip. So was snorkelling round the Phi Phi Islands, where there was sea life everywhere, and Maya Bay had only just reopened to visitors. On the last day we went up to the revolving deck on the 84th floor of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel. It was a good place to think back over a trip that hadn’t quite gone to plan, before the flight home to London.
Going back
We went back that December for three more weeks. That trip is written up day by day in Thailand, 2022 to 2023.
Our route
Seven stops in 22 days, ten of them in the same hotel.
-
9 to 11 Jan
Bangkok
Thai Pass checks, a PCR test and the Nouvo City Hotel, then a bike tour through the backstreets.
-
12 and 13 Jan
Kanchanaburi
Damnoen Saduak and the Maeklong Railway Market on the way, the war cemetery and the River Kwai bridge, then a day at Erawan Falls.
-
14 Jan
Ayutthaya
The ruins of the old capital, around Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon and Wat Phanan Choeng.
-
14 to 24 Jan
Quarantine
Ten days in a hotel after a positive test in our group, with forty-five minutes a day on the roof.
-
24 Jan
Ao Nang
A flight to Krabi, the COSI hotel and our first Andaman sunset.
-
25 to 27 Jan
Koh Phi Phi
Bamboo Island, Maya Bay, snorkelling and two nights on Phi Phi Don.
-
28 to 30 Jan
Railay and Bangkok
A longtail to Railay Beach and the Bat Cave, then our last two days in Bangkok and the flight home.
Day by day
Every day of the trip in order. Choose any day to read the full diary: where we went, how we got there and where we stayed.
Day 1: Arrival in Bangkok
Landing at Bangkok airport in January 2022, getting through the Thai Pass checks, a PCR test on arrival and a first night at the Nouvo City Hotel.
Day 2: Exploring the Capital
Negative PCR results by mid-morning, two hours walking the streets around our Bangkok hotel, then an afternoon by the pool with our tour group.
Day 3: Cycling Through the Heart of Bangkok
A bike tour through Bangkok's backstreets, alleyways and along its old canals, with stops at local wats (temples) along the way.
Day 4: Markets and the River Kwai
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, the Maeklong Railway Market where stalls fold back for trains, then the war cemetery and River Kwai bridge at Kanchanaburi.
Day 5: Erawan National Park
A day at Erawan National Park, climbing the seven-tier waterfall and swimming in its clear blue pools, surrounded by jungle.
Day 6: Unveiling Ayutthaya
Exploring Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam and a UNESCO World Heritage site, including Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon and Wat Phanan Choeng.
Days 7-15: Mandatory Quarantine
A positive Covid test in our group meant ten days isolating in a Thai hotel, with just forty-five minutes of fresh air a day on the roof terrace.
Day 16: Arrival in Krabi
Released from quarantine, we flew to Krabi, checked into the COSI in Ao Nang, swam in the pool and watched our first Andaman sunset with a Chang.
Day 17: Island Hopping Adventure
Island hopping by boat from Krabi to Bamboo Island and Maya Bay, then snorkelling around the Phi Phi Islands among the sea life.
Day 18: Sunset on Koh Phi Phi
A second day on Koh Phi Phi during our 2022 Thailand trip, ending with the sun setting over the island before heading back to Ao Nang.
Day 19: Return to Ao Nang
A final morning on Koh Phi Phi, the boat back to Ao Nang, an afternoon by the pool and sunset drinks at the Yesterday Bar on the Andaman Sea.
Day 20: A Day at Railay Beach
A longtail boat from Ao Nang to Railay Beach for a day on the white sand below the limestone cliffs, plus a look inside the Bat Cave.
Days 21-22: Final Days in Bangkok
Our last two days in Bangkok: the flight up from Krabi, the skyline from the revolving 84th-floor deck of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel, then home to London.
Planning your own?
Everything we wish we'd known before we went, written from this trip.
Before you go
Things to Know
Visas, money, getting around and etiquette, from our trips.
Our next trip
Thailand 2022 to 2023
We went back that December for three more weeks.