Where to Stay in Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi or Phuket?
Planning a trip to Thailand can be overwhelming because there isn't one obvious place to stay.
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Krabi, and Phuket all offer completely different experiences — and in my opinion, that's exactly what makes Thailand such an incredible destination.
Rather than choosing just one, I recommend combining a few destinations if you have enough time.
A Thailand trip can take you from rooftop bars and temples in Bangkok to elephant experiences and cooking classes in Chiang Mai, then completely change again when you reach the beaches of Krabi and Phuket.
Here’s how the four destinations I stayed in compare and how I would decide where to stay.
Bangkok: Stay Here for Temples, Food + City Energy
If it's your first time visiting Thailand, I wouldn't skip Bangkok.
It's busy, chaotic, exciting, and completely different from the beach destinations most people picture when they think of Thailand.
Bangkok is where I'd stay if you want:
Temples
Street food
Markets
Rooftop bars
Shopping
Nightlife
River views
A fast-paced introduction to Thailand
Some of the major sights worth seeing include the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and Wat Saket. Our plan also included Chinatown's Yaowarat Road and a day trip to the railway and floating markets.
Where We Stayed: Inn a Day
We chose Inn a Day, a smaller property near the Chao Phraya River, rather than one of Bangkok's huge luxury hotels. Our room category included a balcony and water view. The hotel is located right across the river from Wat Arun, providing an unbelievable view from your room, rooftop, breakfast, and outside the hotel!
For Bangkok, I'd prioritize location over having a massive resort.
You're probably going to spend most of your time exploring the city anyway.
How long I'd stay: 2–3 nights for a first visit.
Chiang Mai: Stay Here for Culture + a Slower Pace
Chiang Mai feels completely different from Bangkok.
This is where I'd stay if you want:
Temples
Cooking classes
Ethical elephant experiences
Night markets
Massages
Northern Thai culture
A slower pace
Spend time exploring the Old City, where you can visit temples including Wat Chiang Man, Wat Phra Singh, and Wat Chedi Luang.
One of the experiences I would absolutely build into a Chiang Mai itinerary is a Thai cooking class. Our trip also included a half-day visit to Elephant Nature Park and time at the Night Bazaar.
Where We Stayed: InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping
We chose the InterContinental Chiang Mai The Mae Ping.
For Chiang Mai, I like staying somewhere that gives you comfortable hotel amenities while keeping you close enough to explore the city.
How long I'd stay: 2–4 nights.
If you're mainly interested in beaches, Chiang Mai isn't essential. But if you want to experience more of Thailand than the islands, I think it's absolutely worth adding.
Krabi / Railay Beach: Stay Here for the Most Dramatic Beach Scenery
If your image of Thailand involves towering limestone cliffs, longtail boats, and tropical beaches, Krabi is probably the destination you're picturing.
This portion of Thailand felt much more like a true resort escape.
Our itinerary was centered around Railay Beach, with time to enjoy the resort, explore the beaches, take a longtail boat around the Four Islands, and actually slow down for a few days.
Where We Stayed: Rayavadee
Rayavadee was one of those hotels where the property itself was a major reason for choosing the destination.
We booked a full-board package that included meals and round-trip transfers from Krabi International Airport. The property arranged the final boat transfer into Railay, which made arriving much easier.
This is exactly the type of place where I don't mind being less centrally located because I am specifically booking the hotel to enjoy it.
I'd choose Krabi/Railay if you want:
Dramatic tropical scenery
Beaches
Longtail boats
Island hopping
A romantic resort
More relaxation than sightseeing
How long I'd stay: At least 3 nights.
Phuket: Stay Here for Resorts + Easy Access to Big Day Trips
Phuket is a good choice if you want the convenience of a major tourism hub while still having access to beaches, restaurants, resorts, and some of Thailand's most famous day trips.
This was where we based ourselves for excursions to places like Phi Phi Islands and Phang Nga Bay/James Bond Island.
I'd choose Phuket if you want:
Beautiful resorts
More restaurant choices
Nightlife
Phi Phi Islands
Phang Nga Bay
Beach clubs
A mix of excursions and resort days
Where We Stayed: Keemala
Instead of choosing a typical beachfront resort, we stayed at Keemala in a Clay Pool Cottage.
The hotel is known for its unusual villas surrounded by greenery, which made it feel completely different from our stay in Krabi. Our booking also included breakfast, daily fruit, non-alcoholic minibar refills, and resort activities.
For me, this is the perfect example of choosing a hotel because it offers an experience of its own rather than simply choosing whichever resort is closest to the beach.
How long I'd stay: 3–4 nights.
Krabi vs. Phuket: Which Should You Choose?
If you only have time for one beach destination, this will probably be the hardest decision.
I would choose Krabi if you're dreaming about dramatic scenery, longtail boats, Railay Beach, and a more romantic or relaxing atmosphere.
I would choose Phuket if you want a larger selection of restaurants and resorts, more nightlife, and easy access to major day trips like Phi Phi Islands and Phang Nga Bay.
If you have enough time, do both.
Traveling between Railay and Phuket by ferry also makes them relatively easy to combine; our itinerary used a ferry transfer from East Railay to Phuket before checking into Keemala.
How I Would Divide a Two-Week Thailand Trip
For a first-time trip, I love something along the lines of:
Bangkok: 2 nights
Chiang Mai: 2–3 nights
Krabi: 3 nights
Phuket: 3–4 nights
That gives you four completely different versions of Thailand without changing hotels every single night.
And that's really the biggest reason I'd recommend visiting more than one region.
If I had only visited Bangkok, Krabi, or Phuket, my impression of Thailand would have been completely different. Combining the city, north, and beaches gives you a much better sense of how diverse the country actually is.
My Biggest Thailand Planning Tip
Don't try to see everything.
Thailand has so many destinations that it's tempting to keep adding islands and cities.
But every time you move, you lose part of a day to packing, airports, ferries, and hotel transfers.
Choose a few places that offer different experiences and give yourself enough time to actually enjoy each one.
Four well-chosen stops will usually make for a better trip than trying to squeeze seven destinations into two weeks.
