Thailand.
Thailand is the country most people try first, and the one they most often get wrong — too many cities in too few days, a hotel picked on photographs, and a fortnight spent moving instead of arriving.
This is our Thailand coverage in the order it is useful: the cities, then the food, then the three Bangkok hotels we have actually stayed in, then what changes when you stop treating it as a two-week holiday.
The three Bangkok hotel reviews below are written from stays we took ourselves. The city and food guides are researched, drawing on time in the country and on primary sources rather than on other people's blogs.
The cities
Bangkok first — almost every Thailand trip starts there whether you planned it or not.
Where to base yourself, how to move around it, and the parts worth your time.
City GuideThe long version — things you will not find on the first page of every other guide.
ItineraryA short trip done properly, in an order that does not have you crossing the city twice.
City GuideSlower, cooler, cheaper. The north, and why people who go for a week stay a month.
City GuideThe longer read — neighborhoods, costs and the practicalities of staying a while.
City GuideThe island everyone has an opinion about. Which parts deserve the reputation and which do not.
Eating
Where the real value of a Thailand trip actually is.
Where we stayed
Three Bangkok hotels, three stays, three honest verdicts.
The grand old address on Ratchaprasong. What you are paying for and whether it holds up.
Hotel ReviewThe value pick. Location, breakfast and the things that actually matter on a working trip.
Hotel ReviewThe one to book when you are staying long enough to want a kitchen.
Staying longer
The maths that turns a holiday into something else.
The rate almost nobody asks for, with the scripts that get it.
The MathsWhat your money is worth in Chiang Mai versus where you live now.
PracticalWhat the different long-stay routes actually allow, in plain terms.
PlanningFitting Thailand into a longer regional trip without wasting half of it in transit.
See what Chiang Mai would cost you
The same life you have now, priced where your money goes further. Thirty seconds, and it is the number most people never check.
Run the numbers →