Samet Nangshe viewpoint, Phang Nga Bay, Thailand

Pop the question – the most romantic Thai places to get engaged

Heading to Thailand with your significant other for a honeymoon in the tropics? Well, in that case, we’re too late. But if you and your partner haven’t tied the knot just yet and you were planning on taking matters into your own hands, read on!

The Thai kingdom, with its picture-perfect beaches fringed by palm trees and rugged rock formations, is the stuff of romantic legend: think ancient temple ruins, remote islands, pristine mountain ranges and a spicy, sensual cuisine… You wouldn’t be the first visitor to spontaneously fall to their knees here, though with a bit of planning, you can do so in the perfect setting. Sound intriguing? We won’t accept no as an answer.

 

Similan Islands

With less than 4,000 daily visitors allowed on the eleven islands that make up the secluded archipelago known as Similan National Park, lovebirds stand a good chance of finding a quiet spot somewhere on a beach all to themselves. Because there is little in terms of development here (don’t expect luxury resorts; they’ve been demolished to allow the islands to retain their natural beauty), the archipelago is nothing short of a slice of paradise with a private feel: this is the Thailand you know from travel brochures, and for a few hours, you and your significant other can have a piece of it all to yourselves. A place this heavenly, who wouldn’t want to put a ring on it?

 

Ayutthaya’s outlying temples

But stunning scenery and privacy can be found beyond Thailand’s islands, too. In the case of Ayutthaya, where the most visited temples are all located on the former capital’s main island, Koh Mueang, lovebirds are perhaps best off heading out of the centre. Many historical structures are ageing peacefully in the verdant plains surrounding the ancient city. Take your partner on an afternoon biking adventure to the dramatic Chedi Phu Khao Thong, for example, and don’t forget to bring a blanket and a picnic hamper. You won’t need much more for a history books-worthy proposal in the presence of ethereal beauty – well, other than a ring, that is.

 

Samet Nangshe viewpoint

Need a sunset for that perfectly theatrical moment when you fall to your knees? We get it. Thailand has no shortage of stunning, fiery red and orange sky panoramas, but a few special places stand out from the crowd, and Samet Nangshe viewpoint is certainly one of them. The popular vantage point in the southern Phang Nga Province offers perhaps the single most breathtaking view of legendary Phang Nga Bay. Needless to say, you won’t have this magical place to yourselves. But then again, who says a small, cheering crowd of friendly locals and tourists can’t be an added bonus as you pop the question in the warm, salt-tinged breeze coming in from the sea?

 

Sangkhlaburi’s Mon Bridge

Still completely off the tourist trail, sleepy Sangkhlaburi oozes old-world charm everywhere you look. The remote town, hidden away in the dense jungle of Kanchanaburi Province, has a solid offering of beautiful sights, but none is more unique than the rustic ‘Mon Bridge’. The second-longest wooden bridge on Earth, you’ll always find a quiet spot somewhere along its 850 metres (though there’ll no doubt be a local youth playing the ukulele somewhere in the distance). While away some time watching longtail boats float down the Songaria River below as small, riverside houses light up with the light of a hundred lanterns in the evenings – if this doesn’t get a ‘yes’ out of your significant other, we don’t know what will!