A Foodie’s Guide to Thailand
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Highlights:
If you consider yourself to be a foodie with a travel bug or someone who has to have Pad Thai at least once a week, you should consider this suggested itinerary. If you are both, you should definitely indulge in this program.
In addition to the main places like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai; we take you off the beaten path in search of unique dining adventures to places like Khao Yai and Khon Kaen. The hotels selected are a little off beat but never sacrifice quality. As an example, our suggested hotel in Bangkok is a luxury boutique hotel in the Chinatown area - evocative of Shanghai in the 1930’s including a jazz club.
If you consider yourself to be a foodie with a travel bug or someone who has to have Pad Thai at least once a week, you should consider this suggested itinerary. If you are both, you should definitely indulge in this program.
In addition to the main places like Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai; we take you off the beaten path in search of unique dining adventures to places like Khao Yai and Khon Kaen. The hotels selected are a little off beat but never sacrifice quality. As an example, our suggested hotel in Bangkok is a luxury boutique hotel in the Chinatown area - evocative of Shanghai in the 1930’s including a jazz club.
SKU:
Explore: Thailand's culture & cuisine
Customizable Itinerary - 14 Days (from $3,178 / person)
Days 1 & 2: USA-Thailand
You board your aircraft for the Trans-Pacific flight to Bangkok. As you cross the International Date Line you lose a day but will “find” it again on the return flight. As you are flying read the back issues of food magazines you have wisely brought with you as you anticipate your Luxury food tour of Thailand.
Day 3: Bangkok Welcome
When you land in Bangkok one of our representatives will meet your flight and assist you through customs and immigration. Once you have collected your luggage you will be introduced to your driver who will take you to your award winning boutique in the heart of Chinatown. The rest of the day is left open and there is plenty to see just in the neighborhood.
Day 4: Palaces and Pad Thai
After breakfast you will have a private introductory tour of the city highlights including the Royal Grand Palace including the Emerald Buddha. You will visit Wat Pho, the city’s oldest temple and the first school of traditional medicine and Thai massage. After a chance to rest in the afternoon you will be picked up by your guide for a drive through Bangkok’s old quarters plus an illuminated Grand Palace, Temples and Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Bangkok’s Champs Elysees. As dinner time approaches you will drop by Krua Apsorn Restaurant for an appetizer known as “som tum”, a light and often spicy papaya salad (they can make it as mild or spicy as wanted). If you are a true foodie you can try it local-style with raw crab. For the main course you stop in the older parts of Bangkok to try a classic Thai dish at Long Pha. The Pad Thai here is cooked in the old fashioned way on a charcoal grill and won’t disappoint. After you have had your fix of Pad Thai you take a walk through a variety of night markets to absorb the atmosphere and do a little shopping.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 5: Food Tasting in the Thai Countryside
Start the day by driving into the countryside to a local train station. Here, a country market has sprouted along the railway tracks. You will witness the dexterity and speed of the vendors as they quickly pack up their stalls right before 8:30 when the train approaches hence bringing shopping to an abrupt but temporary halt. Once the train departs the market is quickly reassembled and commerce continues. You then take a boat ride on the canals to a small coastal village where you learn how traditional coconut desserts are made. Join with your host in cooking the dessert. Return to the city for lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening you will explore the Bangrak neighborhood, known as the “village of love”. Your local host will take you among the food stalls as you graze your way through dinner and return to the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Ayutthaya and the Kermit Tuk Tuks
This morning you check out of your hotel and drive north to the former capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya where you will visit some of the country’s most significant historical palaces and temples. While in town we will use two person Kermit Tuk Tuks, unique to the city and painted in vivid colors including Kermit Green. Stop for lunch at Krua Pak Wan Restaurant before touring the town’s Muslim Quarter. In addition to the main temples you pass along the way, highlights include Wat Tuk, the temple with the one eyed dog and the Temples of Sin. For dinner you will travel to a cozy local restaurant called Baan Khon Pra, situated just by the river with some of the best seafood in Ayutthaya.
Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: The Wines of Khao Yai
Today you will head east to the valleys of Khao Yai. Your first stop will be Khao Yai National Park which you explore to spot some wildlife. Many birds can be seen and possibly some larger mammals such as sambar deer, which are known to gather around where people are as a way to take refuge from tigers deeper in the forest. You will have lunch at Lookkai, a local fine dining restaurant. You then drive to GranMonte Vineyard where you meet the daughter of the founder. Nikki, an internationally renowned wine master who will take you on a privately guided tour to teach you how Thai wine is made and the secrets behind producing world-class quality wine in a tropical country. Sip through a wide selection of locally produced wines, tour the vineyards and take in the tranquil and relaxed atmosphere. For dinner enjoy a special experience combining some of the best local food and wine.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: A Pad Thai Competitor
Early in the morning and after breakfast you will leave the beautiful valleys heading towards Nakorn Ratchasima. You will stop for lunch by the Phi Mai Temples, an 11th Century Khmer compound and enjoy a local specialty, Pad Mii Korat which is similar to Pad Thai but cooked in a slightly different way and obviously best enjoyed right in Korat. This will give you aficionados the chance back home to say “This Pad Thai is okay but nothing compared to the Pad Mii Korat that we enjoyed at its source”. You arrive in Khon Kaen in the afternoon for an Isaan-style cooking class held in a garden. Experience and learn techniques on how local food is prepared and what distinguishes northeastern cuisine from cuisine throughout the rest of Thailand. Later you drive into the town of Khon Kaen to visit the lake and watch the sun set at the One Pillar Pagoda. Dinner is at The Concept Restaurant offering an interesting fusion menu.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Phitsanulok and the Central Plains of Thailand
Start the day with a picnic breakfast in a rice field before setting off toward Phitsanulok. After passing through several national parks you arrive in town where you visit a local market. In this market insects and bugs are considered delicacies and you are free to try. If not interested, you have option of lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch you visit Wat Yai which is home to what many consider to be the most beautiful golden Buddha image in the Kingdom. It is a place that is virtually unknown to most tourists. You then overnight in Phitsanulok.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 10: Phitsanulok to Sukhothai
After breakfast at the hotel, check out and meet your guide for the short trip to Sukhothai. Upon arrival, you check in to the hotel which is situated next to the Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The park contains the ruins of some 200 chedis most of which are in remarkable condition. Explore the park by bike and imaging what the area was like back when it was a bustling, ancient metropolis. After lunch at a local restaurant the rest of the day is free to allow you to explore independently.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: A Scenic and Informative Drive to Chiang Mai
As you head to Chiang Mai your guide will make a stop at Ban Na Thon Chan whose villagers are descendants of the ancient Lanna Kingdom and everyday’ s life is based on their daily tasks and customs while conserving their local heritage. You have the chance to befriend local families, followed by a lunch of famous “Sukhothai Noodles”. After lunch you drive north and check in to the hotel in Chiang Mai. After relaxing you join your guide as you wander through the South Gate of the old city to the traditional street food market that opens every evening, During the walk your guide will select delicacies for you to sample including deep fried pancakes, deep fried taro, kanom Jin (rice noodles in curry soup), kanom krok (Thai coconut pudding) noodle soup and a summer favorite, of sweet mango with sticky rice. You can also sample the local rice whiskey.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 12: Food Network, Thai Style
After breakfast at the hotel, you meet your host, a TV Chef who will first take you to an authentic Chiang Mai market filled with fresh produce from nearby farms. She will provide tips on the way to choose the best ingredients for Thai dishes. Loaded with vegetables, meats and fresh fruits for dessert you travel to her kitchen to take on the mission of cooking a meal ready for prime time. After the cooking class (and lunch) you board a local songtaew (pick-up truck) and travel to the underground temple Wat Umong. Make merit at this unique temple and come back to the city a better person (according to local beliefs) Your better person will enjoy fine dining at 137 Pillars House this evening.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 13: A Food Finale
After breakfast you check out of the hotel and head north to the city of Chiang Rai. On the way you take a scenic drive up Doi Mae Salong to visit the Hloyo Community, a small group of Akha hill tribe people with 58 households in total. Their authentic way of life promotes a very strong bond with nature that is well-preserved up to today. This community is located close to the Myanmar border. While walking around the village and mingling with the locals, enjoy the cool breezes found throughout most of the year due to the relatively high elevation. You will join a local family and enjoy a home cooked lunch of Akha specialties. After lunch, transfer to the resort and relax for the rest of the day before dinner at the resort.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 14: Return to USA
You will be transferred to Chiang Rai airport for the connecting flight back to the USA. You “find” your day and arrive back the same afternoon.
Breakfast
You board your aircraft for the Trans-Pacific flight to Bangkok. As you cross the International Date Line you lose a day but will “find” it again on the return flight. As you are flying read the back issues of food magazines you have wisely brought with you as you anticipate your Luxury food tour of Thailand.
Day 3: Bangkok Welcome
When you land in Bangkok one of our representatives will meet your flight and assist you through customs and immigration. Once you have collected your luggage you will be introduced to your driver who will take you to your award winning boutique in the heart of Chinatown. The rest of the day is left open and there is plenty to see just in the neighborhood.
Day 4: Palaces and Pad Thai
After breakfast you will have a private introductory tour of the city highlights including the Royal Grand Palace including the Emerald Buddha. You will visit Wat Pho, the city’s oldest temple and the first school of traditional medicine and Thai massage. After a chance to rest in the afternoon you will be picked up by your guide for a drive through Bangkok’s old quarters plus an illuminated Grand Palace, Temples and Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Bangkok’s Champs Elysees. As dinner time approaches you will drop by Krua Apsorn Restaurant for an appetizer known as “som tum”, a light and often spicy papaya salad (they can make it as mild or spicy as wanted). If you are a true foodie you can try it local-style with raw crab. For the main course you stop in the older parts of Bangkok to try a classic Thai dish at Long Pha. The Pad Thai here is cooked in the old fashioned way on a charcoal grill and won’t disappoint. After you have had your fix of Pad Thai you take a walk through a variety of night markets to absorb the atmosphere and do a little shopping.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 5: Food Tasting in the Thai Countryside
Start the day by driving into the countryside to a local train station. Here, a country market has sprouted along the railway tracks. You will witness the dexterity and speed of the vendors as they quickly pack up their stalls right before 8:30 when the train approaches hence bringing shopping to an abrupt but temporary halt. Once the train departs the market is quickly reassembled and commerce continues. You then take a boat ride on the canals to a small coastal village where you learn how traditional coconut desserts are made. Join with your host in cooking the dessert. Return to the city for lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening you will explore the Bangrak neighborhood, known as the “village of love”. Your local host will take you among the food stalls as you graze your way through dinner and return to the hotel.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Ayutthaya and the Kermit Tuk Tuks
This morning you check out of your hotel and drive north to the former capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya where you will visit some of the country’s most significant historical palaces and temples. While in town we will use two person Kermit Tuk Tuks, unique to the city and painted in vivid colors including Kermit Green. Stop for lunch at Krua Pak Wan Restaurant before touring the town’s Muslim Quarter. In addition to the main temples you pass along the way, highlights include Wat Tuk, the temple with the one eyed dog and the Temples of Sin. For dinner you will travel to a cozy local restaurant called Baan Khon Pra, situated just by the river with some of the best seafood in Ayutthaya.
Breakfast Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: The Wines of Khao Yai
Today you will head east to the valleys of Khao Yai. Your first stop will be Khao Yai National Park which you explore to spot some wildlife. Many birds can be seen and possibly some larger mammals such as sambar deer, which are known to gather around where people are as a way to take refuge from tigers deeper in the forest. You will have lunch at Lookkai, a local fine dining restaurant. You then drive to GranMonte Vineyard where you meet the daughter of the founder. Nikki, an internationally renowned wine master who will take you on a privately guided tour to teach you how Thai wine is made and the secrets behind producing world-class quality wine in a tropical country. Sip through a wide selection of locally produced wines, tour the vineyards and take in the tranquil and relaxed atmosphere. For dinner enjoy a special experience combining some of the best local food and wine.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 8: A Pad Thai Competitor
Early in the morning and after breakfast you will leave the beautiful valleys heading towards Nakorn Ratchasima. You will stop for lunch by the Phi Mai Temples, an 11th Century Khmer compound and enjoy a local specialty, Pad Mii Korat which is similar to Pad Thai but cooked in a slightly different way and obviously best enjoyed right in Korat. This will give you aficionados the chance back home to say “This Pad Thai is okay but nothing compared to the Pad Mii Korat that we enjoyed at its source”. You arrive in Khon Kaen in the afternoon for an Isaan-style cooking class held in a garden. Experience and learn techniques on how local food is prepared and what distinguishes northeastern cuisine from cuisine throughout the rest of Thailand. Later you drive into the town of Khon Kaen to visit the lake and watch the sun set at the One Pillar Pagoda. Dinner is at The Concept Restaurant offering an interesting fusion menu.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 9: Phitsanulok and the Central Plains of Thailand
Start the day with a picnic breakfast in a rice field before setting off toward Phitsanulok. After passing through several national parks you arrive in town where you visit a local market. In this market insects and bugs are considered delicacies and you are free to try. If not interested, you have option of lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch you visit Wat Yai which is home to what many consider to be the most beautiful golden Buddha image in the Kingdom. It is a place that is virtually unknown to most tourists. You then overnight in Phitsanulok.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 10: Phitsanulok to Sukhothai
After breakfast at the hotel, check out and meet your guide for the short trip to Sukhothai. Upon arrival, you check in to the hotel which is situated next to the Sukhothai Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The park contains the ruins of some 200 chedis most of which are in remarkable condition. Explore the park by bike and imaging what the area was like back when it was a bustling, ancient metropolis. After lunch at a local restaurant the rest of the day is free to allow you to explore independently.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 11: A Scenic and Informative Drive to Chiang Mai
As you head to Chiang Mai your guide will make a stop at Ban Na Thon Chan whose villagers are descendants of the ancient Lanna Kingdom and everyday’ s life is based on their daily tasks and customs while conserving their local heritage. You have the chance to befriend local families, followed by a lunch of famous “Sukhothai Noodles”. After lunch you drive north and check in to the hotel in Chiang Mai. After relaxing you join your guide as you wander through the South Gate of the old city to the traditional street food market that opens every evening, During the walk your guide will select delicacies for you to sample including deep fried pancakes, deep fried taro, kanom Jin (rice noodles in curry soup), kanom krok (Thai coconut pudding) noodle soup and a summer favorite, of sweet mango with sticky rice. You can also sample the local rice whiskey.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 12: Food Network, Thai Style
After breakfast at the hotel, you meet your host, a TV Chef who will first take you to an authentic Chiang Mai market filled with fresh produce from nearby farms. She will provide tips on the way to choose the best ingredients for Thai dishes. Loaded with vegetables, meats and fresh fruits for dessert you travel to her kitchen to take on the mission of cooking a meal ready for prime time. After the cooking class (and lunch) you board a local songtaew (pick-up truck) and travel to the underground temple Wat Umong. Make merit at this unique temple and come back to the city a better person (according to local beliefs) Your better person will enjoy fine dining at 137 Pillars House this evening.
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 13: A Food Finale
After breakfast you check out of the hotel and head north to the city of Chiang Rai. On the way you take a scenic drive up Doi Mae Salong to visit the Hloyo Community, a small group of Akha hill tribe people with 58 households in total. Their authentic way of life promotes a very strong bond with nature that is well-preserved up to today. This community is located close to the Myanmar border. While walking around the village and mingling with the locals, enjoy the cool breezes found throughout most of the year due to the relatively high elevation. You will join a local family and enjoy a home cooked lunch of Akha specialties. After lunch, transfer to the resort and relax for the rest of the day before dinner at the resort.
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 14: Return to USA
You will be transferred to Chiang Rai airport for the connecting flight back to the USA. You “find” your day and arrive back the same afternoon.
Breakfast