Amari Pulse

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It’s the perfect time to start planning your holiday – whether it is Christmas or New Year – in Thailand. There are many exciting things to do during this time of the year – here is our list of the top 5 fun holiday activities in Thailand. 

Check out the holiday decorations 

Bangkok and many of the coastal areas come alive with beautiful Christmas lights and other fancy decorations during this time of year. It’s sometimes easy to forget that you’re in Thailand with all of the fun Christmas cheer. Check our Siam Paragon, Emporium, and Central World for awesome light spectacles. 

Enjoy the beer gardens 

Exciting beer gardens pop up all around Bangkok during this time of year and offer visitors a welcome respite from the city chaos. No matter what kind of brew you fancy – you’ll find it somewhere. Some of the coolest are around BTS Siam, BTS Chid Lom and in the Thong Lo area. 

New Year’s countdown 

Ringing in the New Year in Thailand is a great experience – choose from the Time Square like atmosphere of Central World to more laid back venues like Henry J. Beans in the Amari Watergate Bangkok. Alternatively – you could head to one of the many temples around the city to experience a more peaceful traditional New Year ceremony. 

Head to the beach 

There’s nothing quite as nice as sipping a smoothie on the beach on Christmas morning while your friends back home are freezing in the cold. Head to the Amari Orchid Pattaya for beach side relaxation and crazy parties during New Years. For a more laid back ambiance check out Amari Vogue Krabi and savour a truly awesome natural atmosphere. 

Holiday feasts 

Thailand is known for its awesome cuisine – why not have an authentic Thai dinner instead of more traditional offerings during Christmas and New Year? Gorge yourself on tantalising spicy tom yum gung with shrimp at Thai on 4 at the Amari Watergate Bangkok or head out into the city and explore a treasure trove of delicious streets food vendors.  

Hong Island - A trip to the popular archipelago featured in Unseen Thailand

There are 132 islands around the Krabi coastline, many of them only small rocky outcrops and others larger and uninhabited. Without any doubt the most exclusive group of all is the tiny Koh Hong archipelago.

Koh Hong is named after the word hong, Thai for room, and this refers to the natural limestone amphitheatre created within the island by erosion. It all began as a cave system that collapsed inwards and eroded to sea level, leaving only a large lake with a small passage to the sea; at high tide longtail boats can enter this strange rocky arena, and one can swim in water a meter or more deep.

Koh Hong is also called Koh Lao Li Pe. The rest of the Koh Hong islands include Koh Lao or Koh Sa Ka and Koh Lao Riam. The archipelago is located just in front of Amari Vogue Krabi, its attractions being spectacular beaches and hidden lagoons brimming with shoals of colorful fish, shallow and deep-water coral reefs and various kinds of fish.

Popular activities include snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, sea-canoeing and nature studies on the 400-meter hiking trail around Koh Hong. It is a popular destination for environmentally friendly sea canoe trips. Permanent wildlife includes sea eagles and starfish.

It is worth to remember that the archipelago is free from tourist accommodation and that it is inside the marine area of Tarnbook Khoranee National Park, inland. The ranger’s house is in Koh Hong Bay and visits require a payment of a 200 baht National Park fee.

Private trips take off right from the beach at Amari Vogue. It takes only 25 minutes to reach the hidden paradise. Not to be missed is the Koh Hong lagoon. Inside this natural amphitheatre, mangrove trees show off their beautiful uneven roots that grow from the un-submerged part of their trunks.