Where to Stay in Thailand
The short answer for first-time visitors: Bangkok plus one beach for a one-week trip, Bangkok plus Chiang Mai plus one beach for two weeks. Stay riverside in Bangkok, in the old city or Mae Rim valley in Chiang Mai, and on the west coast of Phuket or the north shore of Koh Samui at the beach. Everything else is a detail.
I’ve been traveling Thailand with my family since 2014, in trips ranging from a long weekend to a two-month stretch. This post is the meta-guide: which region is for what, which combinations actually work as one trip, and where to base yourself in each city. The destination-specific pages – Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, and Krabi – get into the hotel-by-hotel breakdowns.
The five Thailands
Thailand isn’t all the same place – it’s at least five different ones, and most travelers do best picking two or three rather than trying to hit them all.
Bangkok
The dense, chaotic, food-mad capital. Best base for first-timers anywhere in Thailand – three nights minimum, four or five if you’re willing to slow down. The Riverside (Mandarin, Capella, Four Seasons, Anantara) is the right neighborhood for a first trip; Sukhumvit (Rosewood, Park Hyatt) makes more sense on a return. Best hotel breakfast in Asia is at the Mandarin. Best Sukhumvit bar is Lennon’s at Rosewood. Read the Bangkok hotels guide →
The north – Chiang Mai (and Chiang Rai)
Cooler, slower, and the easiest part of Thailand with small kids. Stay near the old city for first-time temple-hopping, in Mae Rim for the resort experience, or riverside if you want both. Best time is November through February. Avoid March–April (smoke). Songkran (April 13–15) is here at its loudest. Read the Chiang Mai hotels guide →
The Andaman south – Phuket, Krabi, Koh Yao Noi
Limestone karsts, west-coast resorts, the cinematic version of Thailand. Phuket for variety and the highest-end luxury (Amanpuri, Trisara); Krabi for scenery and adventure (Railay, Tubkaek); Koh Yao Noi as the quiet add-on between them. Best swimming December through April. Read the Phuket hotels guide → or the Krabi hotels guide →.
The Gulf south – Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao
Calmer water, smaller islands, slightly different weather pattern from the Andaman side. Koh Samui is the developed island with the resort scene; Koh Phangan is the quieter, more bohemian neighbor; Koh Tao is the diving island. Best swimming January through April. November is the wettest month here – don’t plan a Samui beach trip then. Read the Koh Samui hotels guide →
Outside the obvious – Pai, Hua Hin, Khao Sok
Pai (4 hours north of Chiang Mai) for a slow countryside add-on; Hua Hin (3 hours south of Bangkok) for a long-weekend beach without the flight; Khao Sok (en route between Phuket and Koh Samui) for a one-night jungle stop. None of these are first-trip material – they’re add-ons for repeat visitors.
Combinations that actually work
The biggest mistake first-time Thailand travelers make is trying to do too much. Here are the combinations I’d recommend, in order:
One week (7 nights)
Bangkok (3) + Phuket or Koh Samui (4). The simplest itinerary, and the one I’d push you toward if you’re new to Thailand. Two completely different sides of the country, easy logistics, no over-packing the trip. If kids – Phuket via the JW Marriott or Samui via Anantara Bophut.
Ten days (10 nights)
Bangkok (3) + Chiang Mai (3) + Phuket or Krabi (4). This is the sweet-spot itinerary if you have it. You get the city, the north, and the beach without rushing any of them. The connections are easy – Bangkok ↔ Chiang Mai is a 70-minute flight, Chiang Mai ↔ Phuket/Krabi is a 90-minute flight via Bangkok.
Two weeks (14 nights)
Bangkok (3) + Chiang Mai (4) + Krabi (3) + Koh Yao Noi or Phuket (4). With two weeks you can do two beaches – and pairing a Krabi base (limestone karsts, kayaking, day trips) with a quieter island like Koh Yao Noi (or a Phuket finale) gives you variety. Or substitute Koh Samui for Krabi+Yao Noi if you want simpler logistics.
Three weeks (21 nights)
Two-week base, plus a slower stop. Add Pai (3) after Chiang Mai for the countryside, or Khao Sok (2) en route to the south for the jungle, or stretch your beach time to a full week somewhere instead of split.
What I’d never do
- Don’t try to fit Bangkok + Chiang Mai + Phuket + Krabi into one week. You’ll spend two full days on planes.
- Don’t skip Bangkok on a first trip. People do this and always regret it.
- Don’t do Koh Samui in November. The Gulf weather genuinely doesn’t cooperate.
- Don’t plan a March–April Chiang Mai trip without checking the air quality. The agricultural smoke is a serious problem.
How I book hotels
The luxury hotels in Thailand are reasonably priced for what they are by global standards, but the prices have crept up over the last few years. The upper-middle bracket ($300–500/night) is the sweet spot – that gets you a serious property without the milestone-trip premium of the top-tier.
For the top tier (Mandarin Oriental, Capella, Four Seasons everywhere, Amanpuri, Trisara, Phulay Bay), book 4–6 months ahead for December through February. Shoulder season is more forgiving; 6–8 weeks is usually enough.
Almost everything on this site is bookable through Agoda – they’re consistently the cheapest in Thailand and the customer service is local. I use them and link to them; if you book through my links I get a small commission, which I disclose here.
Questions
If you’ve got a specific Thailand planning question – itinerary advice, hotel comparison, anything – email me at hello@bangkokjohn.com. I read every one and answer most.
Frequently asked questions
If I only have one week in Thailand, where should I go?
Bangkok + a beach. Three nights in Bangkok, four nights in Phuket or Koh Samui. Don't try to do the north on a one-week trip – you'll spend a full day moving between regions and not enjoy any of them.
My exact recommendation for first-timers: 3 nights at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, then fly down for 4 nights at the JW Marriott Phuket or Anantara Bophut Koh Samui. Easy logistics, two completely different sides of Thailand.
Two weeks – what's the ideal split?
Bangkok (3) + Chiang Mai (4) + a beach (6) + 1 buffer night. That's the route that hits the three Thailand archetypes – city, north, beach – without rushing any of them.
For first-timers I send people to Phuket or Koh Samui for the beach. For repeat visitors, Krabi or Koh Yao Noi is the upgrade.
What's the right time of year?
November through February is high season everywhere – best weather, highest prices, you book the hotels first.
March–April has the smoke problem in Chiang Mai and is the hottest stretch in Bangkok. Songkran (Apr 13–15) is fun if you're prepared and miserable if you're not.
May–October is "rainy season" – usually afternoon rain rather than washouts. Prices drop 30–50%. My favorite time to travel; you get the country half-empty.
October–December is the difficult window for Koh Samui and the Gulf coast specifically – November can have real storms there. The Andaman side (Phuket, Krabi) is mostly fine.
Do I need to book hotels in advance?
Yes – especially over Dec–Feb. The riverside Bangkok hotels, the top Chiang Mai resorts, and the Krabi/Phuket pool villas sell out 4–6 months ahead for Christmas/New Year and Chinese New Year.
For shoulder season, 6–8 weeks is usually fine for everything except specific milestone hotels (Amanpuri, Capella Bangkok, Four Seasons Koh Samui), which still benefit from earlier booking.
Is Thailand expensive now?
The street food and casual restaurants are still wildly cheap by Western standards. Mid-range hotels are reasonably priced ($150–300/night gets you a serious property). The top-end luxury hotels (Capella Bangkok, Four Seasons Koh Samui, Phulay Bay) have crept up sharply in the last few years to global-luxury pricing – they're no longer the bargain they once were.
The sweet spot for value is the upper-middle bracket, $300–500/night. That bracket gets you the Tubkaak in Krabi, the Slate in Phuket, 137 Pillars in Chiang Mai, Anantara Riverside in Bangkok. All real luxury, none crazy.
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About Bangkok John
Bangkok John was started in 2020 when I posted my first hotel review. The site now publishes regularly updated guides to Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin, and all of Thailand.
I'm a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member and an Emirates Skywards Gold member, so I lean toward Marriott properties when the choice is close. I pay for my own rooms.
Questions? Email me at hello@bangkokjohn.com.