Growing up in Thailand, I have been going to Khao Yai quite a lot over the years. It’s one of my family’s favorite getaway destination other than Hua Hin or Pattaya. As much as we love the beaches, we also enjoy the mountains and other scenic landscapes. That is exactly what you will find in Khao Yai if you didn’t already know.

The Khao Yai national park actually spans over 4 different provinces so if you go here, you’re actually experiencing them all in some way. It covers Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri, and Saraburi.

Other than the national park, Khao Yai is an amazing escape . You will find dozens of restaurants, cafes, hotels and amusement parks that have European themes in architecture and design. There is always something new opening up there.

It had been a few years since we last went there, so this holiday season was the perfect time to go again. Here’s what happened (and not happen) in our 2-day trip.

Day 1

I woke up feeling quite sick this morning. My stomach was cramping and felt a fever coming on but nothing was going to stop me from going on this trip. I didn’t want my family to also miss their trip because of me. I had a few medicines and away we went. We set off from Bangkok at about 10 am and reached in the afternoon. We immediately went to our hotel – The Botanica Khao Yai – and checked in.

The weather was cool and the air fresh. Greenery lined the landscape instead of tall buildings. Sounds of nature instead of construction. It was a slice of paradise. Our resort was beautiful as well. Modern but infused with nature.

After a bit of rest, having our lunch and popping some more meds we left the resort to visit some nearby attractions.

The first was a cafe called Yellow Submarine coffee tank. It was closed! Then we went to a somewhat newly opened venue called Primo Piazza. I’m not really sure how to define this place but it seemed to be a huge hit with the foreign and Thai tourists. Maybe it was the Italian architecture set against the backdrop of mountains and nature under a cool, misty weather. Primo Piazza also had cafes, small shops and other eateries.

Walk further in, there was even a farm with animals you could play with and feed. They had donkeys, alpacas and merino sheep. Since it was raining, the animals had been kept in a tiny barn but normally they are left to roam around.

By now I was feeling a lot worse. My stomach felt like it was coming inside out and the bathroom was like a second home. I went to bed quite early. It was unfortunate because I had planned to go check out some cafes and bars at night.

Day 2

The next day I was feeling better but still not quite a 100%. I felt queasy and nauseous. After breakfast my dad suggested that I see a doctor. We went to a clinic nearby where the doctor expressed concerns that I may have appendicitis and to go get a proper checkup at a hospital.

My dad contemplated going back to Bangkok a day early but instead we decided to go to a hospital just half an hour away.  We spent a good 4 hours  and underwent some rather uncomfortable, awkward, and even painful tests. All for not though as we were fortunately able to rule out appendicitis. Yay!

It was a good decision to get the checkup though.

With that in the clear, it was finally time to continue our vacation activities. My parents asked us where we should go for dinner.

I remembered a place from my last trip. I looked it up on Google and found it. Midwinter Green it was then.

Yet another Euro-style restaurant, but we all loved it. The weather especially made it enjoyable. An overall great ambiance, beautiful architecture and spacious seating but the food itself was OK. It’s a good place for drinks and closest you get to a nightlife in the area.

It has a very medieval look to it doesn’t it? You definitely feel like you’ve transported to another time and place.

Day 3

On day 3 we made our way back to Bangkok. On the way, we figured why not check out some cool attractions. After all, me being sick did stop us from enjoying our trip to the fullest.

My mom really loves flowers so I suggested that we take a look at the Bloom. It seemed really hyped up because we saw signs and ads of this place all over the city. The bloom isn’t just a flower garden but also a resort fully equipped with a restaurant, cafe and other basic facilities.

After walking around for a bit here we all felt that this place was over hyped. The flowers were not that impressive and there wasn’t a lot of variety. We had seen better for sure.

While on the way, we had seen a lake near the Bloom. We thought it was a nice place to take some pictures and maybe have a coffee. As it turned out, the lake was part of a property development location where you can buy land and build a house. It was a beautiful, tranquil spot but there weren’t any houses around yet. At least none that we could see.

Location name: Pirom at Vineyard

Behind us is the sales office and right next to it is a little coffee shop. A great place to relax, look at the scenery and enjoy the weather.

So that was it. Soon after our coffee/tea we made our way back to Bangkok.

How to get there and around

There are barely any taxis or public transporation in Khao Yai. We highly recommend that you rent a car/motorcycle/van with a few friends and drive around. Attractions are spaced around and often quite far from each other. Decide on a route or road and find what you like along that so you never have to back track, waste time or get lost.