Our favourite places in Malaysia

It’s difficult to overstate the importance of Sukhothai in the history of Thailand. Abandoned for four centuries, today its 193 restored temples offer a glimpse into the civilisation that created the Thai alphabet, spread Theravada Buddhism, and gave birth to Thai culture.

The largest and most popular of the Thai Islands has as many different personalities as it has beaches — and that’s quite a few! Pay no heed to those who say Phuket is past its prime: there are pockets of paradise here to compete with anywhere in the world.

Wedged into a narrow valley in Thailand’s far north, with steep-sloped, jungle-cloaked mountains rising on all sides, Mae Hong Son is a laid-back base for adventures through forest and farmland to the villages of Karen, Lisu and Black Lahu ethnic minorities.

Krabi’s coastline is the stuff travel dreams are made of. Emerald vegetation clings to dramatic, gravity-defying cliffs, towering limestone pinnacles teeter precariously over the sea, and hundreds of little islands lie waiting to be explored.

Known for its low-key tourist scene, ultra-luxurious resorts, and peace-loving Muslim culture, Ko Yao Noi is an island idyll hidden among the famous party islands and backpacker beach towns of the Andaman Sea.

With its trifecta of swoon-worthy tropical scenery, cutting-edge spas, and unbeatable, ocean-fresh dining, could Ko Samui be the most indulgent island getaway in the world?

Sandwiched between party-happy Ko Phi-Phi and laid-back Krabi, Ko Lanta is a tiny little drop of beach-fringed greenery in the middle of Thailand’s famous turquoise seas. If you’re looking for a low-key island retreat, this is it.

Khao Sok National Park is the place to stay at a rafthouse lodge, to kayak on Thailand’s most beautiful lake, to follow your nose to metre-wide “corpse flowers”, and trek past whispering bamboo groves and hooting gibbons to remote wildlife sanctuaries.

Khao Lak’s beaches are straight out of central casting: pearlescent white sand, deep blue skies, and rustling palm trees leaning out towards glittering, turquoise seas.

Three hours’ drive from Bangkok, in a sleepy, riverside town surrounded by jungle, is the site of one of the most traumatic periods in Thai history. This is Kanchanaburi, home of the real-life Bridge on the River Kwai.

More than just a base for excursions into the northern hills or river cruises down the Mekong to Luang Prabang (though it’s that too), Chiang Rai is Thailand’s unofficial capital of offbeat travel.

In contrast to the mile-a-minute chaos of Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a breath of fresh air. Here, leafy boulevards and European architecture survive alongside temples dating back to the twelfth century.