When the hubby asked me to plan our family’s year end vacay, Khao Yai in Thailand came to my mind because I saw it popped up on three of my friends’ Facebook accounts. It seemed like an increasingly popular destination and would make for a fun self-drive adventure for us and our three year-old toddler. So we booked our flights on Scoot to Bangkok ($150 each), two very comfy hotels (about $130 to $150 per night), car rental ($220 for six days, including a child seat) and budgeted $100 per day for meals and frills.

Intro to Khao Yai:

Khao Yai is located in Northeast Thailand - in the Pak Chong district to be exact - and is the gateway to Khao Yai National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Thailand’s third largest national park. A website describes it as “blessed with a lush, mountainous landscape, with fertile valleys, pounding waterfalls and rich biodiversity”. I agree and would add that it is a really laidback mountainous outback town which probably used to ride on the popularity of wild-wild-west cowboy attractions and farms. Now it is upping its game and drawing Bangkok city-dwellers and Instagrammers with luxe vineyards, farmers’ markets, hipster cafes, pop culture themed parks and OTT stylised hotels. It kinda reminds me of Bandung in Indonesia but more organised, stylish and less traffic jam.

If you are looking for excitement, this is not the place. The pace is really slooow and there are green spaces aplenty - a breath of fresh air from city life. When we were there in November 2018, it didn’t feel crowded and Thais outweigh foreign tourists by 7 to 3 but this number might fluctuate depending on the season. In any case, go before more people discover it!

We felt transported to Siena at Toscana Valley

Travel Tips For Khao Yai:

Tip #1: Fly into Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok as it is apparently closer to Khao Yai. From there, it’s a breezy two-hour plus drive to Khao Yai.

Tip #2: We picked an early 6.45am flight from Singapore so we could arrive by 9am (Bangkok is an hour behind Singapore) and avoid any heavy traffic. It also meant we could drive at ease as the kid dozed off and we arrive just in time for lunch and check in afterwards.

Tip #3: Don’t speed, strap your kids in their seats, and watch out for the many heavy vehicles on the road outside of Bangkok. And if you miss a turn, you could actually make a U-turn on the highway. Drivers here are quite considerate and patient.

Tip #4: Rent a car from Europcar, which has good reviews compared to other rental companies, and its office is just located at Amari Airport Hotel (DMK), across the connecting bridge. We had a good experience with the staff although the guy who brought us to the car didn’t speak English. Check the car thoroughly for damage before taking over the keys.

Tip #5: Six days, admittedly is a bit long for Khao Yai. Three to four days is ideal for people who don’t like to rush it. But no regrets as we got to comb the Thai outback and chill AF at our lovely hotels, which brings us to the next tip...

Tip #6: Invest in nice hotels because l believe they make or break a trip. Buffet breakfasts included please and a lovely pool always saves the day. A kids play area is a bonus for families.

Tip #7: Check the weather in advance so you can plan. We went in late October - the tail end of rainy season - so we were prepared for occasional showers. December and January are the coolest aka high peak months, so book ahead to secure your choice of hotels.

Tip #8: Whether you are self-driving or hiring a driver with van (about $150/day), you should plan ahead an itinerary of the places of interest and restaurants you’d like to visit so travelling time and petrol are cut down.

Tip #9: If you like to drive, do it! It’s easy from DM airport to Khao Yai. Once there, driving around is easy and frankly it is the best way to get around and see places at your own pace. Most people are relaxed on the roads and there are not many traffic lights.

Tip #10: Be sure to get Wifi so you can turn on Google Maps and also switch on Youtube for the kiddo. (I got 1 GB roaming at $12 on SingTel but you can get SIM cards at the airport).

Recommended Attractions & Eateries in Khao Yai:

For this list of recommendations, I combed through travel sites, sponsored blogs, many (hilarious) Instagram posts and combined them with our own experiences in Khao Yai. Some places are just too cheesy or a let-down (don’t trust everything you see on Instagram) and some are surprisingly wonderful in person or hidden gems overlooked. Here are our picks.

1 - The Birder’s Lodge is such an instagrammable destination and is a true example of the Thai sense of aesthetics and playful choice of natural materials. I love their Farmers’ Market (Fri-Sun) which rounds up 10+ vendors in the beautiful barn to sell an array of local stuff like these delicious homemade milk in cute bottles (3 for 100 baht). I love the Matcha and Thai Iced Tea versions while my son and hubby love the original fresh milk. There are also fresh produce, potted herbs, straw bags, vintage clothes and accessories to buy. The two-storey cafe is so photogenic (they have simple Western classics and some Thai dishes) and has a well-kept yard with open fireplaces. You can also stay at their Tiny Houses and Tiny Camps. www.facebook.com/thebirderslodgekhaoyai

2 - Dairy Home Shop is a cute pit stop for its range of yummy ice cream in interesting flavours like Lotus, Lychee and Sticky Rice, and 80 baht gets you two scoops and a cute ceramic cup to bring home. The little tree house is nothing wow but we like the local produce like mulberry tea, milk and organic stuff found at the shop. You can also dine at the shop/cafe which has a limited menu or they have a bigger restaurant located nearby along the highway. www.dairyhome.co.th

3 - Lookkai Cafe & Restaurant makes for a lovely lunch spot with its high ceilings, botanical touches and a pretty garden. The Thai and Western menu is extensive and we wanted to order so many dishes that we spied on other tables. The hubby settled for the signature salad with deepfried silver fish while I had a tasty rice dish with fried pla salid fish and condiments, and the kiddo had a yummy fried rice with pork chop. It has a small shop section to buy local produce like pork floss crackers and frozen fish too. Look out for the round blue signage; it is near Winter Green and The Mew. www.facebook.com/lookkai.khaoyai

4 - The Mew - another trendy Instagram favourite - was definitely a great choice for scrumptious desserts and coffee, and the place was very crowded on Sunday despite the rain. I flipped through the menu (mainly Western fare like pasta, burger, meats) and would definitely return for a proper meal. There’s an outside cafe space and a shop selling a range of botanical products under the label Pannar. I also saw on their Facebook page they are starting a monthly weekend Farmer’s Market from October 2018, so the place is going to become more popular. www.facebook.com/TheMew.KhaoYai

5 - The Chocolate Factory is cacao heaven! The minute we stepped inside the store, we were enveloped in a cloud of chocolate bliss. There was a wide range of bon bons, confectionary and cakes as well as ice cream and drinks. You can also dine on Western fare at the restaurant upstairs. It is down the road from The Mew and opposite Krua Khao Yai eatery. http://www.chocolatefactory.co.th/

6 - Krua Khao Yai Restaurant is our number two favourite eatery in Khao Yai for comforting Thai food. The no-fuss sprawling restaurant is bustling with mostly Thai diners and despite the crowd, they served our food pretty fast. We loved everything we ordered at our two meals, from the tom yum soup, and stirfried beancurd skin with mushrooms, to stirfried sunflower sprouts and deepfried crab cakes. Reasonable prices (700 baht / $28 for 3 dishes and drinks) and friendly service add to the charm too. Next door they set up a cute kiosk selling fabulous coffee, drinks and vintage tea cup sets. The hubby came back for espresso twice. www.kruakhaoyai.com

7 - Khrua Lung Chup is our number three eatery for cheap and tasty Thai food. This rustic open-air coffee shop is situated next to Hotel Des Artists Cafe and you can’t miss it as it is often crowded. We couldn’t believe it when the bill for a fried rice, fried noodles, stirfried sunflower sprouts and a bottled water was 200 baht ($8). We returned for dinner and enjoyed a delicious tom yum, deepfried chicken, fried vegetables with crispy pork and beer Chang. A noisy TV set, roaming cats and dogs complete the kampong vibes. No website or Facebook page.

8 - Khrua Kampan is our number one eatery for excellent Thai food in Khao Yai. The food, service and views of corn fields were fabulous. Every table had a fried fish with som tam salad so we went along with the waitress’ recommended deepfried Ruby fish which was superb! The rich green curry, sunflower sprouts with tofu and vermicelli soup were all delicious and washed down with Singha and fresh coconut juice. It is not far from Hotel Des Artists and on the way to Toscana Valley. www.kuakampankhaoyai.com

9 - Toscana Valley is quite a masterpiece development that feels very exclusive like a country club but medieval style. The developers did a great job at copying the Tuscan architecture and mapped out a whole Italian town on this sprawling valley landscape that we (including my Italian husband) felt transported to Siena! We enjoyed the cute Town Square or piazza for photo opps and gelato. You can stay at the hotel but I read reviews that there’s nothing much to do here after dark. There were masses of tourists hanging outside the Leaning Tower to take photos. To get in, we told the security we were going to dine at Toscana Valley and they let us in with no issue (just give them an ID). This massive Italian copycat beats Primo Piazza and Palio hands down.

10 - Khao Yai National Park is definitely a highlight and the jewel of Khao Yai. It was such a pleasure to drive through the scenic park, up the steep sloping road to see the panorama, and drop in at the Visitor Centre to read about the diversity of wildlife here. We saw YouTube videos of wild elephants on the roads and were secretly hoping to run into them. We spotted monkeys, deers, butterflies, birds and heard gibbons. There are lots of trails to explore and waterfalls to chase! We did an easy 200-metre trail with our 3 year-old toddler to see the Haew Suwat waterfall (made famous in the movie “The Beach) and didn’t need the leech socks. Expect to pay entrance fee for your vehicle and passengers and respect the park rules. www.khaoyainationalpark.com

11 - Pak Chong Night Market was an accidental find as we were quite bored one evening and decided to hunt down a night market. Online search pointed us to Pak Chong Night Market which is a good 35 minutes drive from our Escape hotel. Even though it was a compact bazaar alongside the main road, it was quite a diverse bunch of stalls especially the street food vendors. We munched on crispy fried pork belly while inspecting the bbq seafood, stewed trotters, fried insects, salads and fresh fruits.

12 - Midwinter Green is designed like an elegant European castle that houses a gourmet shop, wine cellar, a huuuuge restaurant with outdoor dining and private dining rooms. We enjoyed our al fresco dinner of grilled pork chop, French fries and green curry (dry-style); though the cream of mushroom soup was lacklustre and watery. It was a little pricey by Thai standards but the attentive service and live band with great acoustics really enhanced the dining experience. www.facebook.com/Midwintergreen

13 - Escape Hotel made us feel at home especially the security guards who greeted us daily. We loved the boutique hotel’s minimalist design, gorgeous pool, views of surrounding greenery, and evening dining and drinks on the lawn dotted with teepees and fairy lights. A highlight was the breakfast buffet - although not the most expansive, it was superb in quality and the views were lovely. I enjoyed the Thai porridge, pig blood soup, fried rice, curry of the day (the green curry was the bomb), and the detox juice boosters. The only downsides: the room was quite small, there was only one English Channel (BBC News) and the kids play area could be improved.

15 - Botanica Khao Yai stood out for its lush landscaping, two fab pools, spacious room with a roomy bathtub in the balcony, good choice of English cable / movie channels and central location near many attractions and eateries. The reception staff also spoke very good English and were helpful. Downsides include a lacklustre buffet breakfast, no towels at the pools, and poor Wifi reception. We saw many families here and thought a kids play room would be icing on the cake!

More Misses Than Hits...

- Primo Piazza was disappointing for us but lots of people seemed to like taking photos here. Granted it was pretty and lush from the outside but we had to pay the entrance fee of 200 baht per adult (100 baht for kids) to see an empty soulless piazza, one miserable shop, eatery and a barn of fluffy albeit filthy alpacas, merino sheeps and donkeys. Nah.

- Palio Shopping Village was pretty run down and I didn’t like the shops with cheap mass produced stuff, save for a graphic tee-shirt shop and the Jim Thompson store where I bought mulberry tea and mushroom crackers. Some corners were photogenic enough to lure people in for photos. Have a look anyway since it’s free.

- Farm Chok Chai was okaaay for us but not wow. It was raining when we went and we didn’t want to do the tour due to the weather but we inspected the shops, animals feeding stations and the baby animals looked sad. I couldn’t bring myself to bottle feed a hungry calf his mother’s milk. And a big NO to elephant rides. Boo.

- PB Vineyard was near our Escape Hotel and we went for dinner at its restaurant which offered a great view of the vineyards except it was all dark (lunch might be better). The staff were very friendly and attentive - kudos to them - but the overpriced food were small in portion. The bottle of wine we had was disappointing for its price. Perhaps do the tour which includes a tasting of their wines.

- GranMonte Vineyard was another highly rated attraction for its guided tour, rooms and restaurant which was empty when we arrived at 1pm for lunch on a weekday. The linguine with prawns was passable while my pot-roasted spare ribs was lukewarm and devoid of flavours. The glass of wine was okaaay but overpriced again. I liked the grape juice best. Ok maybe we should stop comparing the vineyards here to the ones we visited in Australia and Italy.

- Khao Yai Floating Market: from what we read online, no. Just don’t go.