Thailand!

MarkyByrne90 · 20-04-2014 1:26am #1

Hey, myself and 4 of my mates are heading to Thailand in July for 3 weeks, we're starting off in Bangkok before making our way out to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan (full moon party ðŸ˜ðŸ˜Ž) and then onto Phuket. I've been all over Europe, went Interailing 2 years ago(had a blast) but I've never been to Asia. I'm wondering hat to expect when I reach Thailand, is it what it's hyped up to be? Is it Paradise as they say,Is it dangerous, cheap/expensive etc. I can't wait to go I love traveling and want to see as much of the world as possible.

lemmno · 20-04-2014 12:50pm

MarkyByrne90 wrote: »

Hey, myself and 4 of my mates are heading to Thailand in July for 3 weeks, we're starting off in Bangkok before making our way out to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan (full moon party ðŸ˜ðŸ˜Ž) and then onto Phuket. I've been all over Europe, went Interailing 2 years ago(had a blast) but I've never been to Asia. I'm wondering hat to expect when I reach Thailand, is it what it's hyped up to be? Is it Paradise as they say,Is it dangerous, cheap/expensive etc. I can't wait to go I love traveling and want to see as much of the world as possible.

Jealous!!! The holiday of a lifetime awaits you! It's amazing, rough in parts depending on where you go and pure paradise in others. If I were you I'd cut down on Phuket time and head out to Phi Phi. I went to Bangkok, Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, and Koh Phagnan-happy to answer any questions you have on any of them. I don't know of you're a student or working but it's cheap...I had been warned that it 'wasn't as cheap as everyone said it was' but I found I couldn't spend my money over there!

MarkyByrne90 · 21-04-2014 10:15pm

Cheers for the feedback Lemmno,

Im a part time student (studying Digital Marketing and Advertising) and I also work in retail. Anyways back to the main topic of conversation THAILAND!!

We booked through Cassidy travel we got quoted 1500 for flights (including internal flights) and accom in the places i mentioned above. Ive heard mixed things about Phuket, just like you said. I want more than anything to go to Phi Phi (where the flim The Beach was filmed right?) also I hear Chaing Mai up North is pretty cool too. Travel agent said we could change part of our itinerary within a certain time. So would you definetly recommend skipping Phuket? and head to Phi Phi instead?

When were you in Thailand and how long did you go for?

lemmno · 21-04-2014 10:53pm

MarkyByrne90 wrote: »

Cheers for the feedback Lemmno,

Im a part time student (studying Digital Marketing and Advertising) and I also work in retail. Anyways back to the main topic of conversation THAILAND!!

We booked through Cassidy travel we got quoted 1500 for flights (including internal flights) and accom in the places i mentioned above. Ive heard mixed things about Phuket, just like you said. I want more than anything to go to Phi Phi (where the flim The Beach was filmed right?) also I hear Chaing Mai up North is pretty cool too. Travel agent said we could change part of our itinerary within a certain time. So would you definetly recommend skipping Phuket? and head to Phi Phi instead?

When were you in Thailand and how long did you go for?

Went two years ago and I was there just under 3 weeks. I was only in Phuket for one night, we didn't stay in patong but we drove through it on the way to Karon which is a LOT nicer...but one night there was enough really. Nothing wrong with it per say but when you only have 3 weeks id definitely get another night or two (or three or four!) in Phi Phi instead!! You can get the boat from there and do the maya bay (the beach) tour thing which is well worth it. Bring runners for the walk up to viewpoint and set off early so you don't miss sunset-the sun sets early and quickly! Great night life there too.
Can't remember exact details on flights but We booked direct with emirates, got the flights for about €950 and then booked the internal flights with air Asia again ourselves. Cheap enough when done well in advance.

Graham_B18C · 22-04-2014 3:34am

Have you priced booking it all separately yourself? After a quick check on sky scanner you can get return flights for about 740-800. That'd leave 700 each for hotels. 35 quid a night per person is serious money for accommodation in Thailand. Internal flights are dead cheap too, take a look on air Asia to get prices of internal flights. Personally I try my best to avoid travel agents, why pay for something that's easy to do yourself?

But as far as money goes, Thailand is dead cheap. If flights and accommodation is already sorted before you go then about a grand would be a good budget but obviously the more you have the better for trips and whatever else you wanna do. Some of the elephant treks and stuff in Chaing Mai can be pricey, same as the zip line tours and stuff

gibbsongraham1 · 08-06-2014 8:19pm

MarkyByrne90 wrote: »

Hey, myself and 4 of my mates are heading to Thailand in July for 3 weeks, we're starting off in Bangkok before making our way out to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan (full moon party ðŸ˜ðŸ˜Ž) and then onto Phuket. I've been all over Europe, went Interailing 2 years ago(had a blast) but I've never been to Asia. I'm wondering hat to expect when I reach Thailand, is it what it's hyped up to be? Is it Paradise as they say,Is it dangerous, cheap/expensive etc. I can't wait to go I love traveling and want to see as much of the world as possible.

Me and my mates are doing the very same trip at the start of august, was just wondering did you book flights to ko samui direct of are you flying to the mainland surat? and what kind of price did you pay for them? Also does anyone know of any cheap car rentals companys in thailand?

mcratsix · 27-02-2015 10:28pm

Me and my friend are doing the same sort of holiday, except we want to go to vietnam, cambodia and laos. Never holidayed without my parents before (I know that's kind of embarassing, but I'm only 19), so there's a lot I don't know. Do you have to book all your hotels/hostels in advance? Is there decent internet in Cambodia/Vietnam/Laos?

Graham_B18C · 27-02-2015 11:50pm

No, you don't need to book hostels in advance. You can generally just rock up. And yeah, the Internet is fine. Pretty much everywhere will have Wifi

Ed_Stephens · 28-02-2015 7:01pm

The internet in some third world countries would put Ireland to shame, for the poster going to Cambodia and Vietnam you could be better of going to Thailand first as it's less of a shock to the system and much more tourist ready. I mean that from an infrastructure point of view, ie good hotels, easy to get around etc. You also don't need a visa for Thailand, just fill out a form on the plane prior to arrival, for Vietnam you have to post your passport to an embassy and Cambodia charge for an evisa although you can do a visa on arrival which is badly organised.

Don't confuse Phuket with being exclusively Bangla road, it's quite a small part of the island and there's plenty of Paradise places around, it's also easy to do a day trip or overnight to Phi Phi from Phuket. Although Bangla has gone through a lot of changes over the past couple of years, there's still plenty for everyone here. Never done or want to do a full moon party, there's lots more fun to be had in Thailand than this.

mcratsix · 28-02-2015 8:44pm

Ed_Stephens wrote: »

The internet in some third world countries would put Ireland to shame, for the poster going to Cambodia and Vietnam you could be better of going to Thailand first as it's less of a shock to the system and much more tourist ready. I mean that from an infrastructure point of view, ie good hotels, easy to get around etc. You also don't need a visa for Thailand, just fill out a form on the plane prior to arrival, for Vietnam you have to post your passport to an embassy and Cambodia charge for an evisa although you can do a visa on arrival which is badly organised.

Don't confuse Phuket with being exclusively Bangla road, it's quite a small part of the island and there's plenty of Paradise places around, it's also easy to do a day trip or overnight to Phi Phi from Phuket. Although Bangla has gone through a lot of changes over the past couple of years, there's still plenty for everyone here. Never done or want to do a full moon party, there's lots more fun to be had in Thailand than this.

If I leave Thailand and need to get back in, do I need a visa?
I know there's a 30 day free visa on arrival, but does that continue if I'm leaving and re-entering the country?

gustafo · 28-02-2015 9:42pm

mcratsix wrote: »

If I leave Thailand and need to get back in, do I need a visa?
I know there's a 30 day free visa on arrival, but does that continue if I'm leaving and re-entering the country?

if you are re-entering thailand by road at a border without a tourist visa you will be given 15 days visa free, if you are re-entering by air you will be given 30 days visa free.

mcratsix · 28-02-2015 10:21pm

gustafo wrote: »

if you are re-entering thailand by road at a border without a tourist visa you will be given 15 days visa free, if you are re-entering by air you will be given 30 days visa free.

Thank you!

Package · 04-03-2015 1:34am

MarkyByrne90 wrote: »

Hey, myself and 4 of my mates are heading to Thailand in July for 3 weeks, we're starting off in Bangkok before making our way out to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan (full moon party ðŸ˜ðŸ˜Ž) and then onto Phuket. I've been all over Europe, went Interailing 2 years ago(had a blast) but I've never been to Asia. I'm wondering hat to expect when I reach Thailand, is it what it's hyped up to be? Is it Paradise as they say,Is it dangerous, cheap/expensive etc. I can't wait to go I love traveling and want to see as much of the world as possible.

thats a good goal,, do you blog? id love to swap strys. message me with the details

Ed_Stephens · 05-03-2015 9:40pm

mcratsix wrote: »

If I leave Thailand and need to get back in, do I need a visa?
I know there's a 30 day free visa on arrival, but does that continue if I'm leaving and re-entering the country?

No when you leave your passport is stamped again to record your exit, when you re-enter you get another 30 day visa on arrival. Too many of these stamps would attract attention due to ex-pats doing visa runs across land borders but for what you're doing it should be fine so long as you've proof on onward journey.

physiopad · 15-03-2015 3:18am

Big Tip: Do not book through Travel agent. Use skyscanner.

Also do not book accommodation in advance. Standard of hostels in very high in SEA so not worth wasting money of hotels. Plus hostels are much better craic.

Ed_Stephens · 15-03-2015 10:13am

^^ There's some well dodgy hostels too, you'll have no problem meeting people anyway but if you do want a hotel you can do it through booking.com with a free cancellation. Good 4 star hotels are available for half the price they are in Ireland so why bother with a hostel?

physiopad · 15-03-2015 4:27pm

Ed_Stephens wrote: »

^^ There's some well dodgy hostels too, you'll have no problem meeting people anyway but if you do want a hotel you can do it through booking.com with a free cancellation. Good 4 star hotels are available for half the price they are in Ireland so why bother with a hostel?

Hostels are much cheaper again

Booking.com cancellation must be made 2days in advance to qualify as "free cancellation" which for many backpackers is still very restrictive.

Tucker688 · 15-04-2015 10:58am

Hi Lads,

Me and 5 of my friends (all lads early 20's) are heading out to Thailand on the 27th of May for 3 weeks, All we have booked at the moment is flights.

We plan on going to KOH SAMUI for two days when we land, then to KO PHANGAN for five for the Full moon party etc. Then we will be moving on to the other islands of PHI PHI and KO TAO and then back to BANGKOK for the last two nights.

Any advice on how much money we will need and things to do speaking from experience?

lemmno · 15-04-2015 11:23pm

I had €1600 with me for 3 weeks and I didn't spend it all. Id say I probably spent €1200 which probably sounds like a lot but I paid for accom and some flights out of that too. Stayed in one hostel and the rest were all 4/5 star hotels. We didn't scrimp on anything either. We did an activity of some sort almost every day and ate out every night. You really can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be.
One tip I will give you though is 5 nights is a lot on koh phagnan. I'd probably cut that down to a max of 4 but maybe others would disagree.
I was there for 3 weeks and I was in chiang mai, Phuket, phi phi ,koh samui, koh phagnan, Krabi and Bangkok. You really can see a lot in 3 weeks.
feel free to ask if you have any questions, happy to help. It's an amazing place you'll love it

Tucker688 wrote: »

Hi Lads,

Me and 5 of my friends (all lads early 20's) are heading out to Thailand on the 27th of May for 3 weeks, All we have booked at the moment is flights.

We plan on going to KOH SAMUI for two days when we land, then to KO PHANGAN for five for the Full moon party etc. Then we will be moving on to the other islands of PHI PHI and KO TAO and then back to BANGKOK for the last two nights.

Any advice on how much money we will need and things to do speaking from experience?

Tucker688 · 16-04-2015 9:29am

Thats good I was planning on bringing €1500-2000. We plan to party a good bit out there in koh phangan and arrive there 29 MAY with the full moon on the 2nd June. Did you encounter any trouble with police or get pick pocketed etc? Thanks fo the reply

lemmno · 16-04-2015 11:48am

Tucker688 wrote: »

Thats good I was planning on bringing €1500-2000. We plan to party a good bit out there in koh phangan and arrive there 29 MAY with the full moon on the 2nd June. Did you encounter any trouble with police or get pick pocketed etc? Thanks fo the reply

Nope nothing like that. It was much safer than I thought it would be. We were 4 girls though(apparently girls are often safer out there than men) and we stuck together like glue and only bought buckets from reputable places. On one night we bought a bucket from a stall and asked for vodka, the bottle said Smirnoff but the contents most certainly did not!! We also didn't bring much valuables and we had an emergency meeting point arranged should anything go wrong, but I really did feel very safe at all times: I'd recommend leaving two days after full moon to avoid the crowds on the boats but it really is your choice.

Ed_Stephens · 16-04-2015 8:19pm

It really depends on how much you want to party, beer can be a euro a drink in bars or it can be 4-5 euro or you can go to the nearest 7/11 and get a bottle of Thai whiskey for 8 euro. Agreed on Koh Phangan, the full moon party is so over rated and there's much better fun to be had in Thailand. Bangkok will be your most expensive spot but if you stay out of the tourist traps then your euro will go further even though the exchange rate is terrible.

A Primal Nut · 18-04-2015 4:55pm

I wouldn't suggest a package trip for Thailand because hotels are so cheap to book on their own.

Other than that, enjoy it. It's an amazing place for a holiday and has everything.

Gally05 · 29-05-2015 6:48pm

some good reading and advise to be had here. Im also heading in july for a couple weeks. flying into Kuala Lumpur for a couple nights first and on to bangkok then (prob stay 3 nights in bangkok ) .

Were flying to phuket then (8 nights before we fly back to bangkok and on to Vietnam)

was planning on booking the same place for eight night in phuket and just doing day trips etc .. but reading up on it now i'm not so sure , maybe do a couple night in Phi Phi rather than just the day trips ? what peoples opinions ?

Flying into Ho Chi Minh from bangkok and have 7 night in Vietnam , but have no plan for vietnam yet ! any suggestions are welcome

Gally05 · 02-06-2015 6:39pm

whats peoples opinions on Bangkok , were looking at spending four nights here as part of our trip ?!

is this to long ?

also were in Karon Phuket for a week, but will prob take a trip to Ko Lon and Phi Phi for a day/night .... are they easy enough to access

Ed_Stephens · 02-06-2015 8:35pm

4 nights is nice for Bangkok, lots to see and do, lots of travellers make the mistake of underestimating the amount of time they should spend in Bangkok and instead head for the beaches the day after they land.

Gally05 · 02-06-2015 8:40pm

plenty time for beaches in the following days and weeks !! I just wasn't sure if 4 nights in bangkok was too much !!

Shepherd1 · 03-06-2015 9:49am

I was all over Asia and I can say Thailand is not my favourite, however I think it depends how high your expectations are.. I have been to Koh Phangan and Koh Samui in January and of I liked it, but it was a tourist rip off when I compare it to other countries in Asia, nevertheless if I compare it to European countries it is quite cheap!
I can highly recommend Cambodia, much more adventurous, more culture to explore and the islands are much more beautiful than in Thailand and not that touristic.

If you go to Thailand have fun at the Full Moon party, but take care of your valuables!

Tucker688 · 18-06-2015 10:28am

Just back from three weeks in thailand yesterday with 7 lads heres my reviews:

Koh Samui: Stayed for 3 nights, good nightlife kind of sleazy and expensive compared to the other islands, especially the ARK BAR. Recommend two nights here max

Koh Phangan: 5 nights including full moon, very good for partying and the full moon is epic. Make sure to get accomodation close to the beach as it would be a treck everyday otherwise.

Koh Tao: 3 Nights. Nicest and cleanest island. Great for relaxing and scuba diving.

Koh Phi Phi: 8 nights. Night life and scenery is unreal. Cheap and the beach is hopping every night.

Bangkok: Bangkok is just bangkok haha

Gally05 · 20-06-2015 8:48pm

Anyone got any recommendations for places to stay in Bangkok ,Id like something fairly decent

lemmno · 20-06-2015 10:52pm

Princess pathumwan hotel. Connected to the mbk mall and very helpful helpful staff. Example of this being a porter who gave us the low down on how to avoid being ripped off by shops, taxi drivers etc.

Thailand!

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