Hey everyone! Planning a honeymoon for the first week of August, two weeks split between Seoul and Thailand. This will be our first time visiting each place. I’d love to get your thoughts on my hotel choices and the number of days in each spot. Here’s what I’m thinking:
3 nights in Seoul at Josun Palace
3 nights in Chiang Mai at Raya Heritage
4 nights in Koh Samui at Six Senses
3 nights at Amanpuri in Phuket
1 night in Bangkok at The Peninsula
Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice, especially if you’ve stayed at any of these places before. We’re coming from the Midwest US!
Josun Palace is a great hotel, but it’s in the (second) CBD, which means it’s quite far from the main tourist spots (like the palaces). Unless you really want to stay in Gangnam, I’d suggest the Four Seasons in Gwanghuamun. It’s a great hotel and way closer to the key places you’ll want to see, especially since it’s your first time in Seoul. Also, it has an awesome bar downstairs.
If you haven’t planned your flights yet, just know that you’ll probably only have about two full days to explore Seoul. That might not give you enough time to really get to know the city.
The rest of your itinerary looks fine but might be a bit exhausting with all the flights and airport time. Personally, I’d cut out Koh Samui and add more time in Phuket and Bangkok—Seoul is the same, you’ll only get to scratch the surface with your current timeline.
Thanks for the input! It’s definitely a lot to think about. I’ve heard the weather in Koh Samui is better than Phuket in August, so I was hoping to check out the Aman there. But maybe we’ll skip that and add more time elsewhere. Do you have any other islands you’d recommend that might have good weather in August?
Oops, I made a mistake earlier! I thought you said April, not August. My bad!
Most of Asia gets pretty hot in August, but you’re right that the Gulf islands will be better than the Andaman Sea. I’m not super into beaches, but I’ve heard Koh Samet, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan are great options.
If your budget allows, you could even split your time in Samui and then hire a yacht to island-hop. That would definitely be a fun experience.
In Bangkok, The Peninsula is nice, but it sounds like you’ll only be there for a night before your flight? If so, just keep in mind that it might take about an hour (or more) to get to the airport from there. If you want something closer to the airport, I’d suggest looking into places like the Rosewood or Waldorf. But if you really want to stay at The Peninsula, I recommend booking their Rolls Royce airport transfer to make your trip more comfortable.
Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about Seoul—I’ve spent quite a bit of time there.
I’ve lived in Bangkok for a few years and traveled a lot in Southeast Asia. The Peninsula is nice, but it doesn’t really stand out compared to other luxury options. If you want to stay by the river, I’d recommend the Four Seasons or the Mandarin Oriental.
In Bangkok, the real appeal is the food scene and the upscale malls around Thong Lo. There’s a great mix of Thai and Japanese influences.
Chiang Mai is a bit of a mixed bag—some love it, some don’t. If you like nature, you might want to visit Chiang Rai and stay at the Anantara Golden Triangle. It’s an elephant sanctuary, and you can go on jungle walks with the elephants. It’s a great experience!
For Samui and Phuket, you’ll find some excellent hotels. Have fun!
I commented on your other post, but I’d really recommend the Four Seasons in Seoul. It’s a great deal and the location is perfect.
You might want to cut out one of your island stays and spend more time in Bangkok—it’s definitely worth seeing. The Capella in Bangkok is also worth considering!