Photo of the Week 84

Today I’m reporting from Chiang Rai, so far in Northern Thailand that I could touch both the borders of Laos and Burma in a day trip. I was worried that I wouldn’t have much to show for Photo of the Week, since frankly the last seven days here and in Bangkok have been about little more than relaxing in the luxury hotels that I used my Starwoods points to book. Once the sun has set we have managed to drag ourselves away from the pools for a bit of exploring… and a fair amount of partying.

My sister leaves tomorrow and it’s back to solo travel for me! I’m really looking forward to this next bit of my trip exploring Chiang Mai, Pai, and Mae Hong Son.

Photo A

The Aloft Bangkok charmed us with its rooftop pool, excellent location on nightlife-centric Sukhumvit Soi 11, and funky fun designs. Best of all, it was only 3,000 Starwood points per night to book! (I have a post coming up on how I used travel hacking to score all those points without spending an extra dime.)

Photo B

The markets in Bangkok have to be seen to be believed. Shoppers and street-eaters of the world: This is your next destination!

Photo C

After Bangkok, we flew up to Chiang Rai (and if you follow me on Instagram, you saw the hilarious photo of our plane) and checked into the Le Meridian Chiang Rai. As a Category Two hotel, it’s also a steal to book with points.

Photo D

I’ve got to be honest: we’ve barely left the property. It’s been such a luxury to work in such a relaxed, beautiful setting.

Photo E

We did manage to pull ourselves away for Chiang Rai’s famous Saturday night market, where the graphic designer in me fell in love with this fun type treatment.

Which photo is your favorite this week?