Top Things to do in Thailand

Here are my top things to do in Thailand

1. Take a Thai cooking class. Depending on how long you plan to visit, you might be sick of fried rice and pad thai by the end of your trip. However, this was a highlight for our whole group. Our instructor was very entertaining and our group only consisted of eight of us, which made it a better ambiance.Our first day in Koh Lanta, I found a great cooking class for all four of us to partake in. Called Cooking with Mon, it was only a ten minute drive from our place, located in Old Town. We met our crew of four others, a couple from Portugal, and cousins living in France and the other in Vietnam. Then, we met Mon, and his personality lived up to the pictures and reviews I read ahead of time.Since we booked the class first, we had our choice of dishes. We made sweet and sour chicken, green curry, spring rolls, and finished it off with dessert made by Mon, which was banana in coconut milk.We made everything fresh and just the ingredients by themselves looked amazing! There were some unique items that I definitely don’t think I could find in the states, but it was so great getting to make the dishes right in Thailand! I would highly recommend a cooking class wherever you visit! 
2. Hire a private longtail and go to Hong Island. After talking to our AirBnb host, he averted us from going to (the overcrowded, touristy) Phi Phi and had a local friend who offered private tours and was fortunately available. They coordinated our pick-up time and our whole day, which was very nice not having to search and plan with a tour company (and there are a lot of them!). We requested to go a bit early to beat the crowds and we were so glad at how it turned out. We had four stops/islands. We didn’t end up snorkeling at any of them, but just relaxed and swam and enjoyed it all. 
3. Visit an Elephant Sanctuary. You can read my post here on our experience. This is one of the larger tourist attractions, but I would still highly recommend this experience. Standing next to these gentle giants and getting to play with them all day was something you can only dream of. 
4. Walk around the markets. Depending on where you are staying, there should be some decent markets that have a variety of vendors. Make sure there will be some local artists there so you can show your support. 
5. Admire the temples. No matter which area of Thailand you intend to visit, you will have the opportunity to visit a temple. From Chiang Mai to Bangkok, we got our fill of temples. I would also highly suggest getting a tour guide for a day – you will learn and appreciate them a lot more. 
6. Relax with a Thai Massage. Don’t worry, there are a variety of massages to choose from so you don’t have to get the Thai version if you think it might be a bit too aggressive. Depending on your location, you could pop in any massage storefront or if you reside close to a beach, some offer beach massages as well! 
7. Stay in Koh Lanta and/or Au Nong. We absolutely loved our time here. If staying in Koh Lanta, definitely stay closer to the water – that is where a lot more action is with the restaurants and markets. In Au Nong, I would definitely go for food and happy hour along the west coast. There are some cute beach huts to hang out at and watch the tide go in and out. 
8. Island hop. To say that Thailand has some pretty gorgeous water and beaches, would be an understatement. You need to see it to believe it. We signed up for the 4-island tour and the 7-island tour. We went through a travel company called Rainbow to book both, but there are SO many travel companies to choose from! In all honesty, hiring a private longtail was our best experience.If you end up doing a big group boat tour, just do your research and be prepared for the massive group. Next up would be the 4-island. The large boat tours with more than 20 people gets a little obnoxious with how crowded each island can get. All though the price is right, you might find yourself more annoyed by the end of it.

Our month long adventure in Thailand was an incredible experience and I would indefinitely go back!