Thailand Classic: Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Phuket

Private airport transfer to the Mandarin Oriental. The rest of the day is entirely yours — perhaps a walk along the riverside promenade, or simply settling into your room and ordering afternoon tea in the Authors' Lounge, where Somerset Maugham and Noël Coward once drank gin slings.

Your private guide meets you at 09:00 for Bangkok's most iconic morning. The Grand Palace complex — still the spiritual heart of the kingdom — houses Wat Phra Kaew, home of the sacred Emerald Buddha. Afterwards, a five-minute walk brings you to Wat Pho, with its 46-metre reclining Buddha and one of Bangkok's finest traditional massage schools. Afternoon at leisure.

A morning on the water: your guide arranges a private long-tail boat through the Thonburi canals, past wooden stilt houses, orchid farms and neighbourhood temples that feel entirely removed from the high-rise city. Cross the river to Wat Arun — the Temple of Dawn — whose porcelain-encrusted spires are even more spectacular up close than in photographs. Afternoon free for shopping at the River City antiques complex or simply relaxing by the riverside.

Morning free in Bangkok before a midday transfer to Suvarnabhumi Airport for your included one-hour flight to Chiang Mai. Your Chiang Mai guide meets you on arrival and transfers you to the Rachamankha. This evening, a gentle orientation stroll through the old city's moated walls, ending with dinner at your guide's favourite local restaurant.

Chiang Mai has over 300 temples within its walls and surrounding valleys. Today we visit the finest: Wat Chedi Luang, whose ruined 14th-century chedi towers over the old city; Wat Phra Singh, with its exquisite Lanna-style bot; and the atmospheric monk's quarters of Wat Suan Dok, where you're invited to join a Monk Chat — a gentle conversation about Buddhist life that many guests find unexpectedly moving. This evening, explore the Night Bazaar at your own pace.

Drive up into the misty hills above the city to Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai's most sacred temple, legend has it founded when a white elephant carrying a Buddha relic chose this mountain and trumpeted three times before expiring. The views over the valley from the 1,676-metre summit are extraordinary. Continue deeper into the hills to visit a Hmong hill tribe village — a community that has maintained its distinct culture, textiles and crafts for generations.

A full day at one of Chiang Mai's most respected ethical elephant sanctuaries, home to rescued elephants formerly used in logging or tourism. You'll spend the morning walking with the elephants through forest, feeding them, bathing them in the river, and learning their individual histories from the mahouts who care for them. This is not a riding sanctuary — the emphasis is entirely on observation, care and conservation.

Morning at the Warorot Market — Chiang Mai's oldest and most authentic covered market, where northern Thailand's culinary landscape comes alive in stalls of dried chillies, lemongrass, galangal, sticky rice and Chiang Mai sausages. You'll choose your ingredients here before transferring to a cookery school set in a traditional teak house garden for a half-day Thai cooking class. Afternoon and evening free.

Morning free in Chiang Mai before transferring to the airport for your included flight south to Phuket. Private transfer to Trisara on the island's quieter north-west coast. The remainder of the day is devoted entirely to your villa, your pool and the Andaman sunset.

The spectacular limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay — made famous by The Man with the Golden Gun — are best explored by private longtail boat, away from the speedboat crowds. Your guide accompanies you through the sea caves and mangrove lagoons of Ao Phang Nga National Park, stopping at the extraordinary "James Bond Island" (Ko Tapu) and the sea gypsy village on Ko Panyi. A full morning on the water, returning to Trisara in time for lunch.

A completely free day at Trisara. This may be the best possible use of it: the Andaman Sea on your doorstep, your private villa pool, the spa, the snorkelling off the resort's own beach. Or perhaps a private boat trip to nearby uninhabited islands. There are no obligations today.

A final morning at leisure — perhaps a last swim or a long breakfast on your villa terrace. Your private transfer to Phuket International Airport for your onward journey.