One of the best places to honeymoon? Kuoni says Thailand.

Banyan Tree Koh Samui - a perfect honeymoon hideaway

 The word honeymoon itself is enough to bring sighs and gushes to the lips of young maidens, and fleeting clouds of twinkling stars to their eyes. The stuff of fairy tales since they were little princesses ...

So no pressure then when it comes to choosing the best honeymoon destination.

Especially if it's only a once-in-a-lifetime experience (which we all sincerely hope it is when going into it.)

Let's narrow it down for you. The good folks at Kuoni have just released their 2013 Travel Trends report and Amazing Thailand ranks number 3 in terms of the most desirable and best places to go for a honeymoon this year.

A couple I know were both working in a resort in the Maldives when they got married. So, if you already live and work in the Maldives -- another shitty day in Paradise! -- where do you go for your honeymoon?

In their case, Bangkok. Jing Jing!

Andrew wanted to play golf with his mates, and Liz was happy to trawl the shopping emporiums of the City of Angels.

Personally I might look further afield to some of the smaller islands. Ko Samui comes immediately to mind. (For your info, the word koh in Thai means island, so need need to repeat Koh Samui island.) I have blogged about Samui a fair bit, so have a little search around my blog archive.

Beautiful sunsets and romantic beach walks

Then there's Yao Noi, a really unspoilt little island in the Krabi area (so you could combine a few spots, some lively, some quieter and more secluded in your trip). If you really want to indulge in the most wonderful spot, choose the Six Senses Yao Noi. 

Ko Lanta is another that comes to mind in the Krabi area, in the Andaman Sea, with endless stretches of white sandy beaches. As does Khao Lak, just north of Phuket.

All those places will give you idyllic beaches, sunshine, diving and snorkelling. 

Do I actually recommend Phuket? Frankly I am over it as I've been travelling there since 1988 (!) and I can see how it's really popular with the beach and beer crowd -- not really how you want to spend your honeymoon is it? (Or if so, good thing you are not married to me!) Although there is the Millionaire's Mile of Anantara, Indigo Pearl, JW Marriot, etc up the very top north west of the island.

But if you prefer mountains and quieter bucolic times, choose Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai which also have a lifetime's worth of cozy and secluded resorts, with languid vistas of rice fields and beautiful valleys.

Gardens at Doi Tung, Chiang Rai province.

So that's almost a top 10 destinations for honeymoon in Thailand. Hope it's been a useful starting point for you? Let me know.

Of course, if you'd like to go to the Maldives for honeymoon anyway, it's easy to access from Bangkok too. So you can have the best of both worlds, and, like Liz and Andrew, claim you spent your honeymoon in Bangkok.

Trip Advisor's Best Beaches in the World 2011 ...

Koh Panghan ... not just for full moon parties.

Trip Advisor's 2011 Awards for best beaches -- or coasts with with most, if you will -- have just been announced.

So put on your sunscreen, floppy hat and budgie smugglers (Speedo swimming costume) and have a cruise through this list of Amazing Thailand award winners and the beaches that were voted by millions worldwide:

Koh Panghan - Thailand, #25 in the world, #3 in Asia. Salad Beach.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g303907-Ko_Phangan-Vacations.html

Koh Samui - Thailand, #4 in Asia. Lamai Beach.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293918-Koh_Samui-Vacations.html

Kao Lak - Thailand, #5 in Asia. Khao Lak, Bang Niang, Khuk Khak Beach.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g297914-Khao_Lak_Phang_Nga_Province-Vacations.html

Koh Phi Phi Don - Thailand, #6 in Asia. Ao Ton Sai Bay.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g303908-Ko_Phi_Phi_Don-Vacations.html

Krabi Town - Thailand, #8 in Asia. Phra Nang Beach.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g297927-Krabi_Town_Krabi_Province-Vacations.html

Koh Lanta - Thailand, #9 in Asia. Long Beach, Kantiang Bay, and Klong Dao.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g303905-Ko_Lanta_Krabi_Province-Vacations.html

So Amazing Thailand has scored 6 out of Asia's top 10 beaches, jing jing.

This proves Thailand is not just Phuket, Samui and Pattaya. There are plenty of other beaches, bays and islands in Thailand to explore.

Is there a Thai beach that you think should be on that list? Let us know.

Luxury spa villas: best villa in the world -- Pimalai Resort and Spa Krabi Thailand

The bubbly has all been drunk, the tuxedos and glittering ball gowns (not mine you understand, jing jing) sent to the dry-cleaners. The dust has settled and it's all coming back to me now ...

Trip Advisor 2010 Awards -- It's Thailand for Bargains, Families, Romance and Relaxation

Breaking news ...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Lloyd, I hear you say: this is more stuff that is months and months old, tell us something new.

Well, I promise this is real news, hot off the wire this morning. It's the Trip Advisor 2010 Awards (hey, these guys are punctual, we're not even at the end of January yet; anything could happen in the next 11 months). Now I happen to put a lot of store in these things because it's voted by real travellers, ordinary folks who've spent time in a hotel or resort and loved it or loathed it enough to spend precious time recording their thoughts on the website to warn or welcome others. And when you accumulate their opinions, and measure them against everywhere else in that city, country or the world, you get a real idea of where a hotel -- or country in this case -- is batting.

So, without much further ado, it leaves me nothing more but to ask for the envelope and announce the Thai winners in this year's awards. And the winners are ... (cue dramatic drum roll)

Top 10 Bargain Hotels in the World:

5. Secret Garden, Chiang Mai. (A very well kept secret -- I live there and I've never heard of it!)

Top 10 Bargain Hotels in Asia:

1. Secret Garden, Chiang Mai. (Yaay, Chiang Mai, go home team -- woooooh!)
4. Oriental Kwai Resort, Kanchanaburi
8. Chatrium Suites, Bangkok
9. Fern Paradise, Chiang Mai. (Wooooh!)

Top 10 Family Hotels in Asia:

2. Oriental Kwai Resort, Kanchanaburi
3. Rimping Village, Chiang Mai. (Thunderous applause, woo-woo-woo-woooh!)
5. JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, Mai Khao, Phuket
8. Holiday Inn Resort, Phuket
10. Yaang Come Village, Chiang Mai. (The applause nearly lifts the roof off the stadium.)

Top 10 Hotels for Service in Asia:

1. Rimping Village, Chiang Mai (The roof is now fully off the stadium and the applause can be heard as far away as Gdansk in Siberia, where the service is terrible ...)
2. Sandalwood Luxury Villas, Phuket
4. Secret Garden, Chiang Mai. (Cue the Mexican Wave ... )
6. Fern Paradise, Chiang Mai. (... and keep it going, round and round.)
8. Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai (The crowd is now on their feet, a standing ovation. I've never seen anything quite like it.)

Top 10 B&B Inns in Asia:

1. Pak Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai. (Woohoooo!!!)
2. Baan Orapin B&B, Chiang Mai. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, don't stop, don't stop!)
6. Baan Sukhumvit Inn Soi 18, Bangkok
7. Luang Chumni Village, Ayutthaya
9. Baan Hanibah, Chiang Mai (Woo-hooo-hoooooooo!!!)

Top 10 Hotels for Romance in Asia:

1. Cape Sienna Hotel & Villas, Kamala, Phuket. (See photo, copyright of someone whose permission I never sought because, well, they're getting some free publicity here, so seems fair enough usage eh?)
7. Sandalwood Luxury Villas, Koh Samui
8. Ban Sabai Sunset Beach Resort & Spa, Koh Samui
9. Silawadee Pool Spa Resort, Lamai, Koh Samui

Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Asia:

1. Layana Resort & Spa, Koh Lanta
7. Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa, Koh Samui

Top 10 Relaxation/ Spa Hotels in the World:

1. Bandara Resort & Spa, Bo Phut, Koh Samui.

Top 10 Relaxation/ Spa Hotels in Asia:

1. Bandara Resort & Spa, Bo Phut, Koh Samui
3. Sandalwood Luxury Villas, Koh Samui
7. Santhiya Resort & Spa, Koh Phangan
8. Cape Sienna Hotel & Villas, Kamala, Phuket
9. Montra Hotel, Koh Samui

Top 10 Trendiest Hotels in Asia:

2. Sugar Palm Grand, Hillside, Kata, Phuket
3. Vie Hotel Bangkok, Bangkok

Damn, those places must be trendy. I'm writing this from the Tenface Hotel in Bangkok which is amazingly arty-farty and it doesn't even score a mention!

So there you have it. My completely impartial, unbiased guide to the best of the best in the world, Asia, and Thailand. Honours spread fairly evenly, although I do think that Chiang Mai has been harshly overlooked here. I mean only 12 mentions of Chiang Mai in this honour roll seems like some sort of conspiracy ...

Anyway, good to see Thailand scoring highlight in value, romance, family fun and overall relaxation categories. But then I'm probably not telling you anything new there.