Food, culture and where to stay in Thailand, for your first trip or your tenth
First-hand notes from Thailand, starting with Bangkok.
Whether this is your first trip to Asia or you've lost count, these pages are for anyone who wants to know what a part of Thailand is really like before they book.
I'm Ethan. I live in Asia and travel for work and pleasure, and for the past eight years I've been to Thailand about twice a year. Every page here comes from my own trips: where I stayed, what I ate, and what an area feels like once you step past the busy sights. More about me and how I travel.
New to Thailand? Start here
If this is your first time, two choices shape the whole trip: where in Bangkok to stay, and how you get there from the airport. My Bangkok guide goes through the areas I know and who each one suits. The Thailand overview covers the places outside the city I keep going back to. My guide to arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport is coming soon.
Start with Thailand
Thailand is where this site starts, and for now it's where it stays. I'd rather cover one country properly than a lot of countries in passing.
Thailand overview: where I spend my time in Thailand, and how the places compare.
Bangkok, area by area: where I've stayed and what each neighborhood is like.
Bangkok neighborhoods I know
- Sukhumvit, from Asok to Phloen Chit: a busy, walkable stretch with street food, Terminal 21 and the most international feel of any city I've been in. I've stayed at several hotels here, and the Conrad is my favorite.
- Khlong San and the Thonburi riverside: the quieter side of the Chao Phraya. I've stayed at the Millennium Hilton a couple of times, with the hotel boat on the river, dinner by the water and a foot massage across the street.
Beyond Bangkok
- Pattaya: it isn't for everyone, and I understand why. I still like it: open-air bars with live music around Tree Town, two-hour massages, and Jomtien when I want somewhere quieter.
More of Thailand
These pages are being rewritten from my own notes. Each one will be linked here when it goes live:
- Khao San Road (coming soon)
- Suvarnabhumi Airport: what travelers need to know (coming soon)
- Hua Hin (coming soon)
- Phuket (coming soon)
- Where to Stay in Bangkok (coming soon)
Newest guides
- Beijing: A Side Trip (October 27, 2026): a work trip with one great sightseeing day, from the Great Wall at Badaling to a copper-pot hotpot dinner.
- Pattaya (updated October 25, 2026): the neighborhoods I spend time in, and why Jomtien is the quieter choice.
- Sukhumvit and Khlong San (updated October 24, 2026): two very different sides of Bangkok.
Side trips
Now and then a trip takes me outside Thailand for a few days. Those go in Side Trips, one post per trip, starting with Beijing.
How I write these pages
- Every page comes from a place I have been. If a page does not say I stayed somewhere, I did not.
- I write about where I stayed, what I ate and what an area feels like, not just the famous sights.
- There is no booking engine here, and I do not sell flights or rooms.
- If a link can earn a commission, it is marked next to the link, and the affiliate disclosure explains how that works.
About me
I'm Ethan. I live in Asia, my wife is Thai, and I travel a lot for work and vacations. Thailand is the country I keep coming back to. I write these pages the way I would explain a place to a friend who asked. If something has changed since I wrote about it, I'd like to hear from you. Read more about me or get in touch.