I probably shouldn’t have worked on this post before lunchtime, but Megan and Mike’s wonderful honeymoon in Thailand has left me seriously craving Thai food!  In a little less than two weeks, they managed to fit in tons of culture, beach time, and, of course, delicious food.  Read all about their fun honeymoon below:

When and where did you honeymoon?

We went to Thailand for our honeymoon in mid-December 2011. We spent a few days in Bangkok, 5 days in Ko Samui and 4 days in Chiang Mai.

The Grand Palace in Bangkok

How long was your trip?

In total, we were gone about 12 days, from December 12-24.

How did you decide on your honeymoon destination(s)?

First and foremost, we were looking for a warm location. Getting married in December, we wanted to spend some time in warm weather, relaxing on the beach. We also wanted to go somewhere new, a location that neither of us had visited before. That criteria led us to consider South America, southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. We quickly focused our efforts on South American and Southeast Asia, eliminating southern Africa. After speaking with friends and family, and doing research online, we narrowed our choices down to 3 spots: Costa Rica, Brazil, and Thailand. Ultimately, we selected Thailand because we felt like we would easily be able to do a short trip to either Costa Rica or Brazil later in life, but it would be hard to do the same for Thailand. The greater distance appealed to us as we saw it as a rare experience that would be perfect for our honeymoon.

River rafting in Chiang Mai

The best part about our honeymoon was…

The food was probably the best part of our honeymoon. From the street food in Bangkok, to the seafood on the beach in Samui, to a cooking class we took in Chiang Mai, we loved all of the food we ate. Some of the highlights include fresh pineapple all throughout Bangkok, and a cooking class on traditional Northern Thai food in Chiang Mai where we learned to cook dishes like Khoa Soy.

Cooking class in Chiang Mai – yum!!!

If I knew then what I know now, I’d change…

I would have spent less time in Bangkok and more time in Samui. Relaxing on the beach was great, especially after the hectic schedule we had in the months leading up to the wedding with school, work, and planning. We could have used a few more days on the beach relaxing and less time in the busy capital.

How much planning did you do in advance?

We worked with a travel agent to plan the specifics of our trip. We picked the cities we wanted to visit and told her a few of the types of activities we enjoyed, and she was helpful in selecting hotels, arranging for private transportation and providing us with options for a few activities. We read numerous different travel books to help figure out what we wanted to do in each location, as well as talking to a few friends who had either vacationed in Thailand, or who had lived there. Overall we did a fare amount of planning to determine where we wanted to go, but left a lot of gaps in our plans for us to explore and be spontaneous.

What was your biggest honeymoon splurge?

We didn’t really splurge on anything per se. Not to say we were careful with our money, but most of the things we bought were either food, or small gifts for friends and family. On our last night in Thailand, we spontaneously went on a dinner cruise down the Chao Phraya River. We didn’t have plans for our last night, but heard of the dinner cruise from other travelers and decided to give it a whirl. It was a great way to say goodbye to the country while enjoying one last course of traditional Thai food.

Enjoying a dinner cruise in Bangkok on their last night in Thailand

Where do you want to go on your next big trip?

We are already planning our next big trip. This time we’re heading to Costa Rica to celebrate our 2-year anniversary.