About Bangkok John

I’m John. I’m a Canadian in my 40s. I’ve lived in Canada, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand, and I’ve traveled to more than 40 countries. Most of that movement was business-driven (the remote-work setup that lets me bring the family along has been the constant), some of it was for love (my wife and I lived together in three of those countries before the kids), and a good chunk has been for the same reason I write this site – an obsessive interest in where to stay.

I’ve been bringing my wife and three daughters to Thailand since 2014, and I run a remote business that lets me work from a hotel pool when I want to.

We come back to Thailand three or four times a year. Sometimes for a long weekend off Bangkok, sometimes for a couple of months when the kids are off school. I’ve stayed in dozens of hotels across Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui, and the smaller corners (Pai, Koh Yao Noi, Hua Hin, Khao Sok).

A note on loyalty

I’m a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member and an Emirates Skywards Gold member. That shapes where I stay and how I get around, and it shows up in this site’s recommendations. When a Marriott property is close on quality and price to a non-Marriott alternative, I usually book the Marriott — the suite upgrades, lounge access, and consistent service add up over the course of a long trip.

That said, I never recommend a hotel just because it’s a Marriott. If the Mandarin Oriental is the right hotel for your trip, I’ll tell you so even though I don’t earn a single Bonvoy point staying there. The bias is real and so is the honesty.

Emirates Skywards Gold matters less for hotel reviews but it’s part of how my family gets to Thailand on long-haul flights. I’ll occasionally mention airline tips inside the trip guides where they’re useful.

Why this site exists

I started bangkokjohn.com to answer the questions friends kept asking: Can I actually relocate to Thailand? How much does it cost? What visa do I need? How does healthcare work? Over 12 years and multiple international moves, I’ve learned relocation strategy the hard way. I wanted to compile what I’ve learned into a resource that treats long-term relocation seriously—not as a backpacker fantasy, but as a financial and lifestyle decision.

Every relocation guide on this site is based on my own experience living in Thailand or watching friends do it. Every hotel recommendation comes from stays I’ve paid for. Every insight about visas, costs, and taxes reflects real-world decisions, not theory.

Three rules:

• I pay for my own rooms and write about cities I’ve actually lived in.
• I only make recommendations I’d follow myself.
• If I earn affiliate commission or have financial interest, I’ll say so upfront.

I’m not a relocation consultant or a journalist. I’m the friend you’d ask if you happened to know someone who’s relocated multiple times and spent years in Thailand. That’s the voice I’m going for.

What you’ll find here

• Relocation guides. Visa strategy, cost of living by city, healthcare options, taxes, and city selection for 2+ year moves.
• Retirement guides. Financial planning for early retirement, visa options for 40-something retirees, lifestyle by city.
• Healthcare & logistics. Insurance options (Cigna, SafetyWing, local), banking, money transfer, expat practical matters.
• Travel guides. Hotels, neighborhoods, restaurants, day trips—for those exploring Thailand before committing to relocation.

I update each post when I revisit a place or when something changes. The “Last updated” date at the top of every post tells you when I last touched it.

What you won’t find

• Listicles I haven’t earned. If I haven’t been to a hotel I don’t write about it.
• AI-generated padding.
• Affiliate-driven rankings. The order is the order I’d give you over dinner.
• Booking widgets, pop-ups, autoplay video, or any of the other things that make travel sites unreadable.

Get in touch

If you have a Thailand question I haven’t answered, email me at hello@bangkokjohn.com. I read every email. The faster reply usually goes to people who tell me their dates, who’s traveling, and roughly what they want to spend per night.

If you want to follow along between trips, I’m on Instagram and YouTube.