Where to stay in Thailand: floating bungalows, tree houses & more

A country that sees 30 million tourists a year won't have trouble offering you places to stay of any kind. While the specific places will depend on your itinerary, here are a few general types of accommodation you can consider sleeping in at least once on your trip to Thailand.

Floating bungalows: hear the sounds of the jungle at night

Kayaking to our floating bungalows in Khao Sok National Park, Thaialand | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

A night in a floating bungalow will easily turn into a highlight of your trip to Thailand. There are popular 2 day/1 night tours in Khao Sok National Park in Southern Thailand, where you'll explore Cheow Lan Lake and sleep more than an hour by boat from the nearest shore. The bungalows are very basic: essentially just a floating box containing a mattress with a mosquito net over it. During our stay the raft house gently swayed, while the whole jungle orchestra performed a lullaby for us, including monkey calls, insect mating cries, and the roars of indistinguishable beasts. The views at sunset are magical and the night sky makes you believe it's the first time you've really seen the stars.

The night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

If you're traveling on a budget and you're struggling to find cheap flights to the far-flung destinations on your list, you're sure to experience Thai night trains at some point. During the high season, tickets for long-haul trains on popular routes such as Bangkok – Chiang Mai and Bangkok – Suratthani sell out very fast, and you'll have to book your seat/bunk bed a week or two in advance.

The sleeping cars in Thailand come in two varieties – with AC and with fan (cheaper). The fan option was quite bearable despite all the bad reviews we had read about it (and we also met Santa Claus from Australia in that car, but that's another story to be told some other time). When the sun sets, the attendant unfolds the seats into beds and gives you linen and pillows. When the sun rises, make sure you wake up to see the majestic light and mist show out the window.

The view from this hostel says it all | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Our riverside camping spot in Chiang Mai felt so much like home that every day we woke up with the irresistible urge to stay for another night, and in the end we prolonged our stay four times. The hot weather in Thailand makes it pleasant to sleep outside at night – a mosquito net is all you need and it's crazy cheap.