A Thailand honeymoon

Two bases, not five

Honeymoon itineraries fail the same way holiday itineraries do, only more expensively: too many hotels, too much packing, and a great deal of time in transfers.

Two bases over a fortnight is the shape that works. One city for the culture and the food, and one island or beach for the rest of it — with a night in Bangkok at the end for the flight home.

Choosing them for the season

This is the decision that matters most and it is entirely determined by your dates, because the two coasts run on opposite monsoons.

• November to February — both coasts are good, and the Andaman side is at its best. Phuket, Krabi, Koh Lanta and Phi Phi are all at their peak.
• March and April — hot, but both coasts are still workable. The Andaman side is drying at the end of this window.
• May to October — the Andaman coast takes the south-west monsoon. Head for the Gulf: Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are at their best from roughly June to September.
• If your dates are fixed, pick the coast they suit. A perfect island in the wrong month is not a perfect island.

The islands that suit couples

Some Thai islands are built for parties and some are built for quiet. The difference is stark.

• Koh Lanta — the quietest of the developed Andaman islands, west-facing sunsets, low-rise, no airport. The strongest choice for a honeymoon that is actually restful.
• Koh Yao Noi, in Phang Nga Bay — small, unspoilt, with the karst scenery of the bay and very little development.
• Railay — reachable only by boat, with no roads, and the most dramatic setting on the Andaman coast.
• Koh Samui, the northern beaches — quieter and more upmarket than Chaweng, with the Gulf's calmer water.
• Koh Phangan, the west and north — the yoga-and-wellness end of the island, entirely separate from the Full Moon Party.
• Avoid: Patong, Chaweng, Haad Rin and Pattaya's central beach, all of which are the opposite of what this trip is for.

Where the city fits

Bangkok is worth three nights at the start — the food alone justifies it — and one night at the end. Do the temples and the river early, before the heat, and spend the evenings on the food.

Alternative: Chiang Mai instead of Bangkok, for cooler air, the old city temples and the Sunday Walking Street. It is quieter and slower, and it makes a good contrast to a beach.

Things worth doing properly

A few upgrades change a honeymoon more than an extra destination would.

• Book the room category you actually want, and say what the trip is. Hotels pay attention.
• Private transfers rather than shared ones — the difference in cost is small and the difference in arrival is not.
• One genuinely special dinner, booked ahead, rather than five good ones.
• A private longtail boat for a day, instead of a group tour of Phi Phi or Phang Nga Bay. It costs more and is worth it.
• A spa day in the middle, not at the end. Most people leave it too late to enjoy.