Everything You Need to Know about a Glamorous Thailand Trip Under 45K Including Flights

Here's a detailed price information for your Phuket and Bangkok trip.

Contrary to popular belief, Thailand is not overdone. Not if you know how to have a good time. And having a good time really doesn’t mean that you have to burn a hole in your pocket. I had a recent Thailand trip that included Phuket and Bangkok, and trust me, my holiday was luxurious, full of fun activities and right under my budget. That’s the ultimate vacation goal, right?

For the longest time since Covid struck like a sad meteor, my vacation dreams were crushed. But after a good gap, I made an impromptu decision to visit Jibhi, Himachal. But my sister wanted to give me a birthday gift, and she literally bought me a return flight ticket to Phuket, Thailand. The price of the flight tickets lured in my holiday-deprived friends as well, and together, all of four us applied for a 5-day leave.

Stay with me here. Let me break down my trip cost category-wise and I will give you some alternate options as well for a great Thailand trip. Here we go!

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport

Flights

My flight was from Kolkata to Bangkok and then, I had a connecting flight to Phuket. I could have done a ferry. But since the tickets were cheap enough, I thought I could save the hours that way. So, for the first leg of the trip, I stayed in Phuket for three nights and then I explored Bangkok for the next two nights.

Cost from Kolkata to Bangkok return flights – 8,590 INR

Cost from Bangkok to Phuket return flights – 3,076 INR

Please keep in mind that my flight only allowed a carry-on suitcase weighing no more than 7 kgs which was fine since I was going just for 6 days.

Alternatively, you can have a fantabulous vacation in Koh Samui or Koh Lanta, which are some of the most gorgeous islands that have less people but more natural elements to explore.

For Koh Samui, you can take a flight from Bangkok. But for Koh Lanta, you need to get a ferry transfer. This is what the price looked like when I was looking for the tickets:

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Bangkok to Koh Samui return flights – 5,998 INR

For going to Koh Lanta, you need to book flights till Krabi and from there, get yourself a van or bus transfer.

Bangkok to Krabi return flights – 4,038 INR

Krabi to Koh Lanta return bus – 1,462 INR

IBIS Style Patong Phuket

Stay in Phuket

Now, let’s come to stay options. In Phuket, we stayed at Ibis Phuket, Patong, near one of the most happening beaches, Patong. But since we went during off season, Patong was not crowded and we had a beautiful beach time that was relaxing and peppy at the same time. Ibis Phuket is a well-reviewed hotel and is safe and very conveniently located. You can also stay near Old Town Phuket, but you don’t get the luxury of a pool at a cheap rate in those. Plus, the Patong Beach was right across the street.

Ibis Phuket Patong for 3 nights (including breakfast) – 7,313 INR

Here’s a great alternative for you if you want to live near the gorgeous Old Town:

The Blanket Hotel Phuket Town for 3 nights (including breakfast) – 8,447 INR

Siam Eco Hostel

Stay in Bangkok

Let’s talk about the stay in Bangkok. I stayed at one the most prime locations in Bangkok city, Siam. And all over Bangkok, you have some terrific hostel options to choose from, which are affordable, extremely clean and convenient for all your needs. You can even get a private ensuite or a private room if you aren’t comfortable with dorm rooms. Since I was with friends, we booked the Siam Eco Hostel and got ourselves 4 beds in a 4-bed dorm room. We booked from this amazing website called Hostelworld.com and our stay was more than perfect! It was not at all cramped or felt anything like a cheap backpacking hostel; in fact, it quite the opposite. So earlier, when I mentioned that it was a luxurious trip, it did feel like one even without all the moolah paid.

Siam Eco Hostel for 2 nights (including breakfast) – 1,673 INR

There’s another wonderful hostel if you do want to check it out:

Kloem Hostel, 1 bed in a 4-bed mixed dorm for 2 nights (including breakfast) – 1,365 INR

Transfers in Phuket

Alright, then! Hotels, check. Flights, check. Now we come to transfers. Let me detail how we travelled Phuket and Bangkok using public transport and vehicles. From Phuket airport to the hotel, we booked a cab from outside the Arrival Gate. Since we were a group of 4, the fare got divided between us, coming to 466 INR.

For the next two days, we activities planned that had hotel pick-ups and drop offs included in the price. On our fourth day, we checked out from the hotel and headed to Old Town on a cab, and from Old Town, we moved to the airport. Again, since it was 4 of us, it was easier for us to get cabs instead of the bus.

Transfers in Bangkok

We reached Bangkok airport late at night and were too tired to take the metro. So, we got ourselves another cab to the Siam Eco Hostel.

For the next two days, we availed Tuk Tuk rides and metro rides, which were the most convenient way to get around. Here’s a breakdown of the cost:

Phuket Airport to hotel – 1,400 INR (taxi)

Tuk Tuk ride on Night 2 – 520 INR (for 4 pax)

Tuk Tuk ride on Night 3 – 478 INR (for 4 pax)

Bus from Patong Beach to Phuket Airport – 322 INR

Bus from Patong Hotel to Old Town Phuket (return) – 644 INR

BTS Skytrain ride all day pass in Bangkok for 2 days (metro) – 670 INR

Tuk Tuk rides around Bangkok city – 478 INR (for 4 pax)

Sightseeing and Activities

So, this was a definitive price breakup of all the transfers within Phuket and Bangkok. As reflected in the number of vehicles we used, it is clear that we did not leave a minute behind. Now, let’s come to the most exciting part of the tour: sightseeing.

We were in Phuket to avail some of the best water activities but also to have a relaxe time in the ocean. We got the best of both world from Klook. You can book your activities there as well. But I was in no mood to bargain my ticket prices and I got a decent deal at Klook, where I booked two amazing day trips, that included hotel pick-ups and drop-offs, filling lunches, and amazing activities like kayaking, snorkelling, paddle boarding, etc. We only had to pay an extra National Park entry fee which is a mandatory expense of 400 TBH.

On day 1, I booked a speedboat tour package to Maya Island, Phi Phi Don, Khai, and Bamboo Island.

On day 2, we got a Big Boat tour package to James Bond Island, Phang Nga Bay, and Hong Island.

On day 3, we explored around Old Town on foot and apart from food, didn’t spend any money there. I’ll come to shopping later.

In Bangkok, we had a Longtail Boat leisure ride around the city river. Plus, the extra charges were for Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and Wat Phra Kaew. Khao San Road and China Town charges were only for the street food we ate around, and I’m coming to it next.

Here’s how the sightseeing cost looks like:

Day 1 Maya Bay tour through Klook (hotel transfer, breakfast, lunch, activities included) – 3,659 INR

Day 2 Ao Phang Nga tour through Klook (hotel transfer, breakfast, lunch, activities included) – 3,457 INR

Longtail Boat relaxing ride in Bangkok – 450 INR

Wat Pho – 240 INR

Wat Arun – 240 INR

Ferry from Wat Pho to Wat Arun – 8.00 INR

This is all that we paid for. If you want a better experience than this, you can definitely fit in more stuff if you have more time. But trust me, you will barely find the time to sleep if you follow my itinerary for 5 days.

Food

Now, let’s talk about food. I will not be detailing what were the items that I ate day-wise; that’s for another article. This one’s too long anyway. So let me just conclude by saying that if you eat well, go to decent restaurants or cafes, you will spend about 700 – 800 TBH per day. This includes pre-lunch juice or slushie, lunch, evening snack and then dinner. Bear in mind that you already have breakfast provided by the hotel. If you also get package boat trips, then you get lunch included in the tickets.

So, pre-lunch juice, lunch, evening snack, beer and dinner come to cost – 1,912 INR per day x 5

Therefore, food for 5 days – 9,560 INR

Shopping

Well, shopping is to each their own. I spent about 500 TBH in shopping, which came to 956 INR. So let’s increase that budget a bit and round that off; and this sets you back by 2000 INR.

Here's the detailed price breakdown for your convenience: