Island water, northern hill country, and hospitality that sets the regional standard
Thailand is the easiest country in Asia to travel well: the service culture is exceptional, the internal flights work, and the beaches genuinely deliver. We plan Thailand for travellers who want a beach week with real substance, hotels that look after children properly, and food worth planning around — with the timing, the routing and the rooms decided before you leave, and someone reachable while you are away.
A typical Third Door itinerary here leans on Phang Nga Bay by private longtail from a Krabi base, Chiang Mai's temples and hill kitchens in the cool season, a Koh Samui or Phuket villa with staff. We book direct with the properties we know, hold the details that matter — the room with the view, the table that is hard to get, the driver who knows the road — and keep the plan flexible enough to change once you are in it.
November – February
The peak window: warm, dry, calm seas on the Andaman coast. Book Christmas a year ahead.
March – May
Very hot inland; the Gulf islands are still excellent and prices drop.
June – October
Rain in short bursts, the landscape at its most vivid, and the best value of the year. Koh Samui stays drier.
Late October
Andaman seas settling, crowds not yet arrived — often the sweet spot.
Two nights at the start — river hotels, markets and a food guide who actually knows the city.
Phuket, Krabi and the islands offshore; best November to April.
Koh Samui and Koh Yao Noi; a different monsoon pattern, so good in European summer.
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai — temples, elephants observed ethically, and cooler air.
Phuket
The original Aman, and still the benchmark on the Andaman coast.
Koh Samui
Hillside villas over a private bay; exceptionally good with children.
Chiang Mai
A teak colonial house with thirty suites and a very good spa.
Land, unwind, and get your bearings with a private guide who sets the context rather than reading a script. Two nights at the start — river hotels, markets and a food guide who actually knows the city.
Phuket, Krabi and the islands offshore; best November to April. This is where most of the trip's character lives, so we give it the most room.
Koh Samui and Koh Yao Noi; a different monsoon pattern, so good in European summer. A deliberate shift in rhythm before you travel home.
Private transfers, late checkout where we can arrange it, and a single point of contact from the day you land to the day you leave.
Bangkok
Historic Thai recipes cooked at full strength, without softening for visitors.
Bangkok
A Michelin-starred street kitchen; the crab omelette is the reason for the queue.
Chiang Mai
Fermentation-led northern Thai cooking in a tiny room.
November to February, and late October for value is the window we recommend most often. The peak window: warm, dry, calm seas on the Andaman coast. Book Christmas a year ahead. We will steer you by what you actually want from the trip rather than by peak season alone.
10–14 nights, city plus one or two beaches. Shorter is possible and we plan it regularly, but the pace changes: fewer bases, less driving, one region done properly instead of three done quickly.
Exceptional value; even at the top of the market it undercuts comparable stays elsewhere. Once we understand your dates, party and the standard of stay you have in mind, we come back with a costed proposal rather than a range.
Most nationalities enter visa-free for 30 to 60 days. Internal flights are cheap and frequent; we build in transfer time for island boats. We flag entry requirements early, arrange ground transport and private transfers, and keep the day-to-day logistics off your plate.
Pet travel here needs more lead time and, in some cases, a different destination. We will tell you honestly what is workable and what is not, and suggest alternatives if the regulations make it unfair on the animal.
Tell us your dates, party and the feeling you want. We will come back with a first proposal built around this destination.