NYE in Thailand with @Merenator: A Dean's List Destination

Welcome dinner at Nikita’s Beach Restaurant, or similar, is included. Your meal will be a set menu with a non alcoholic drink included. Additional food and drinks will be at your own expense. Restaurants are subject to change based on availability.

As a signature Dean's List service that is normally only offered to clients, come learn mobile videography and photography techniques to make the most of all of your trip's photos and videos! Meredith is also happy to teach you how to edit reels and TTs more quickly.

Overnight in Phuket

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Wyndham Grand Nai Harn offers a buffet with a combination of Thai, American, and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

At around noon, you'll be picked up from the hotel for a 20 minute private transfer to Chalong Pier to board a shared catamaran to Koh Hae or Hey Island, also known as “Coral Island”. This island is popular for its majestic coral reefs located almost immediately offshore, making Koh Hae an ideal snorkeling site. Swim among the plentiful aquatic life and discover an abundance of marine creatures like multicolored parrot fish and coral rock cod. Then the boat will head towards two of the best viewpoints of the island at sunset: Phromthep Cape and Krating Cape view point. From there, you will take some amazing photos of the sunset and have dinner on board before returning back. Note that during rainy season (from May - Oct), dinner will be arranged at Coral Island instead of on the boat to avoid rough sea conditions. Provided gear: snorkel, mask, and life jacket. Once you’re back at the pier it is a 20 minute private transfer back to the hotel.

Dinner on board the catamaran cruise is included. Dinner is typically a set menu of Thai cuisine. Water and soft drinks are included.

Overnight in Phuket

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Wyndham Grand Nai Harn offers a buffet with a combination of Thai, American, and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

You’ll take a short 15 minute ride over to Rawai Market to experience the hustle and bustle of the local market where your guide will take you to try some seasonal fruit and fresh juices. You’ll also get to walk around and shop for souvenirs! You’ll then take a 10 minute transfer next door to Wat Chalong, the most important Buddhist temple in Phuket where people go to pay their respects to several late, revered monks, including Luang Pho Champ and Luang Pho Chuang. You’ll be mostly walking around flat, city streets today so just regular comfortable shoes is fine, but note that you should not wear shorts or skirts to the temple (or you can pack a sarong). Take a 20 minute transfer back to the hotel.

From the hotel, you’ll take a 30 minute private transfer to experience one of the highlights of Phuket’s nightlife with a show at Phuket Simon Cabaret, a magnificent spectacle in the island’s most renowned entertainment venue. One of Southeast Asia’s most outstanding entertainment attractions, the cabaret draws more than a thousand enthused visitors from around the world each evening, putting on a show to remember and running through a range of musical theatre from cultures around the world each and every night. Check out the extravagant costumes and stage design, glittering lights and majestic sounds, as the show comes to life with you in the audience. After the show, take a 30 minute private transfer back to the hotel.

Overnight in Phuket

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Wyndham Grand Nai Harn offers a buffet with a combination of Thai, American, and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

In the morning, you’ll be picked up from the hotel for a 20 minute private transfer over to today’s Thai cooking class. You’ll first visit the local market where you will pick up the ingredients. Once back in the kitchen, you’ll learn the theories and techniques behind Thai cooking. Each of you will have your own wok and stove to learn how to make a four-course meal that includes a curry, soup, stir fry, and a dessert. Note that you will also receive a recipe book after the course to take home!

Lunch is included as a part of the Thai Cooking Class. The menu consists of the dishes that were created during the cooking class.

From the cooking class is a 30 minute private transfer to Old Town Phuket. This will be your time to explore freely around Phuket Old Town or ask for recommendations from the guide. You will meet back with the guide at a designated spot. Phuket Old Town is a picturesque and culturally rich district located in the heart of Phuket, Thailand. This historic area is renowned for its well-preserved Sino-Portuguese architecture, which reflects a blend of Chinese and European influences from the late 19th century. You’ll take some time here to explore the area. Visitors to Phuket Old Town can walk down narrow streets adorned with colorful, colonial-style buildings, intricate facades, and charming shuttered windows. The area is a treasure trove for photographers, offering unique and captivating photo opportunities at every turn. In addition to its architectural beauty, Phuket Old Town boasts a vibrant arts and culture scene. You'll find art galleries showcasing local talent, street art that adds a contemporary flair to the historic streets, and quaint cafes where you can enjoy a cup of coffee or a meal. From Old Town Phuket is a 40 minute transfer back to the hotel.

Enjoy a one-hour Thai massage, a rejuvenating and therapeutic bodywork session that combines acupressure, gentle stretching, and deep tissue massage techniques included at the hotel spa. Note that this will be done in rotation as there are not enough masseuse/masseurs for everyone to get a massage at the same time.

Overnight in Phuket

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Wyndham Grand Nai Harn offers a buffet with a combination of Thai, American, and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

On this full-day optional excursion, you’ll be picked up from the hotel in the morning and spend your day basking in the sunshine on this speedboat excursion (public boat) around the stunning Phi Phi Islands. You’ll stop by Maya Bay, as seen in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach”, now reopened after some long-term conservation efforts (please note that swimming is not permitted there). Don’t fret; you’ll have a few other swimming opportunities. You’ll be snorkeling at Yongkasem Beach and Leam Tong Bay and then head to swim in the world-famous, crystal-clear Pileh Lagoon, and get an opportunity to explore the Viking Cave. After you’ve worked up an appetite, you’ll head to a restaurant on Phi Phi Don for an included lunch. You’ll finish off today’s boat excursion by enjoying the beautiful Andaman sunset at a secret island beach location while sipping on a cold one. So, sit back, relax, and soak up the sun of the Phi Phi Islands. Note from the operator: the routing of the trip may be subject to change without prior notice depending on the sea level each day. Life jackets, snorkeling equipment (snorkel and mask, not fins), two bottles of beer or soft drinks are included. You should pack swimwear, a towel, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and your cameras!

Overnight in Phuket

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Wyndham Grand Nai Harn offers a buffet with a combination of Thai, American, and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.

After a 30 minutes transfer you will arrive at Hidden Forest and enjoy complimentary tea and coffee. You'll begin your tour with a presentation and educational video about the project and the work to protect the elephants, and also important safety rules. You will enjoy an amazing encounter to feed the elephants then take a scenic walk through the forest observing and learning about the elephants including their history, their stories, and their unique personalities. Relax in the Bamboo Observation Huts as the elephants graze, play in the mud or bathe nearby with stunning views of the forest and a view over the valley to the Big Buddha. Make sure your camera is fully charged as there are lots of fabulous photo and video opportunities and plenty of time to thoroughly enjoy our peaceful nature reserve. There are an abundance of butterflies and dragonflies, and you'll often see eagles soaring the skies, or egrets fishing in the pond. After you experience with the elephants, you'll have lunch and then return to your hotel.

Lunch at the Hidden Forest Restaurant is included. You meal will be a vegetarian Thai buffet, subject to change.

Farewell dinner at Three Monkeys Restaurant,or similar, is included. Dinner is typically a set menu of Thai cuisine including an appetizer, main, and dessert. Additional food and drinks will be at your own expense. Restaurants are subject to change based on availability.

For each Dean's List Destination, we try to find a way to support a local nonprofit or need in the community before dinner. This is TBC, but we will be researching an optional activity like a beach clean up that gives back to the environment and positively affects the local community.

Overnight in Phuket

Breakfast at the hotel is included. Typical hotel breakfasts are continental full/America, or buffet style. Wyndham Grand Nai Harn offers a buffet with a combination of Thai, American, and Intercontinental breakfast. The exact breakfast offered will be determined by your finalized hotel.