Family friendly and relaxed Thailand’s original beach resort Hua Hin is a revitalizing blend of city and sea with lively markets, 8 nearby golf courses, international cuisine and excellent accommodation. Founded in the early 19th Century as a small fishing village, Hua Hin became a resort destination for Thai royals and although now offering many amenities has not been overdeveloped or lost its small-town vibe. Hua Hin, is a good budget destination with great seafood and being 199 km south-southwest of Bangkok takes less time and effort to reach from Bangkok than other holiday destinations.
Surrounded by three rivers that connect the city to the Gulf to Thailand the historic city of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 as the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom. Growing to be one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas it was a center of global diplomacy and commerce reaching its peak between the 14th and 18th centuries. Connecting the East and the West, the Ayutthaya Royal Court exchanged ambassadors from around the world including the French Court at Versailles, the Mughal Court in Delhi, and the imperial courts of Japan and China. The city was attacked and damaged by the Burmese army in 1767, so a new Thai capital was founded.
Popular with both Thais and foreigners, Pattaya is the city with everything a tourist needs. Multicultural Pattaya boasts excellent places to stay, eat and shop with high-rise condominiums, beach side hotels, entertainment areas and international restaurants. 19 world class golf courses surround Pattaya. The city is built around a wide, crescent-shaped bay that was one of Thailand’s first beach resorts in the 1960s. North Pattaya is more upmarket while Pattaya South remains the nightlife hub. Further south Jomtien is a laid-back resort for watersports and seaside massages, while to the north Naklua is also quieter, with some top-end resorts at Wong Amat.
Established in 1962 as Thailand's first national park, Khao Yai is just 2.5 hours away from Bangkok. Covering 2,168 km², including rain/evergreen forests and grasslands this UNESCO World Heritage site Khao Yai is popular for hiking and biking. The area features many accomidations from simple resorts to 5-star hotels. Animals often seen in Khao Yai include mammals include elephant, macaque, deer, gibbon, porcupine, civet and around 300 resident and migratory birds.
The Floating Market is a top attraction located only 1.5 hours from Bangkok. Huge, colourful, energetic, featuring a flotilla of boats selling food and fruits the Floating Market presents the perfect with opportunity to capture the ideal photo to show off for friends back home.
Kanchanaburi is an ideal destination for a relaxing holiday. With luxurious resorts and fine-dining restaurants clustered along it river banks, the town provides a remarkable array of cuisine and accommodation. Dining on one of the rivers’s famous floating restaurants while enjoying the river scenery is very popular. Kanchanaburi is the site of the Burma Railway ("Death Railway") bridge built by Allied POWs during WWII and immortalized in the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai. Many attractions in Kanchanaburi honor this important chapter in history including the JEATH War Museum with displays about life of the prisoners of war who died building the bridge, the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre that explores the wider history of the railway and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery where thousands of Allied soldiers are buried.