thailand??

eevyhayes

Hey,
Im considering going to thialand this summer. Just wondering what your experiences were like of it. Which areas are the best to go?? is it cheap?? and also what would be a good time leant to go for?? are there any good websites out there about thialand travel or anything??

thanks alot.

Frisbee

Places I enjoyed the most:

Ko Samui
Ko Phangan
Ko Phi Phi

And I know it's not Thailand, but Laos was amazing.

Out of that lot Phi Phi was probably my favourite.

I spent 1400 in 7 weeks, so roughly 200 a week. Neither slumming it nor living the life, just always went for the cheapest place that had air con.

I was there between June 23 - August 11 last year and the weather was fine, only a few heavy rain showers, and they only usually last about an hour anyway.

Maserati23

Best website for any info is Teakdoor.com:)

darrenh

I'd say your best advice is to look at www.travelfish.org. Its an excellent up to date site with itineraries that will at least give you a bit of direction. The Islands in the south are pretty cool but when you've seen a few you've seen them all. The centre and north are my favourite parts of Thailand.

pablodunlop

Just left Bangkok yesterday, it's pretty amazing! Khao San road is lots of fun, the Chatuchak weekend market is massive and a must-see. Grand palace, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and I forget the name of the temple with the giant gold buddha....all good spots to visit too.

Went to Sukhothai for a day, it's all you need really to visit the heritage park which I'd recommend too. Chiang Mai is further up north and is another great place to visit. Not too big but not too small, great place to do a cooking course, visit elephant camps and tiger camps. If you have time Mae Hong Son is a lovely little town to visit, it's a 7-8 hour bus ride or a half hour flight from Chiang Mai but book early. Chiang Rai is good for trekking but not much else really.

It's quite cheap in most places,Bangkok is a bit pricier but you can pay for as much or as little comfort as you want. Haven't got there yet but I've heard from other travellers that it's relatively expensive at the islands down south.

I found the government buses to be a great way of getting around, quite cheap and there's a lot of sleeper buses so you can save on accommodation. Air asia have cheap domestic flights if you book early. If you're planning on coming for a long time the Lonely Planet guide is your bible

cojomo2

pablodunlop wrote: »

Just left Bangkok yesterday, it's pretty amazing! Khao San road is lots of fun, the Chatuchak weekend market is massive and a must-see. Grand palace, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and I forget the name of the temple with the giant gold buddha....all good spots to visit too.

Went to Sukhothai for a day, it's all you need really to visit the heritage park which I'd recommend too. Chiang Mai is further up north and is another great place to visit. Not too big but not too small, great place to do a cooking course, visit elephant camps and tiger camps. If you have time Mae Hong Son is a lovely little town to visit, it's a 7-8 hour bus ride or a half hour flight from Chiang Mai but book early. Chiang Rai is good for trekking but not much else really.

It's quite cheap in most places,Bangkok is a bit pricier but you can pay for as much or as little comfort as you want. Haven't got there yet but I've heard from other travellers that it's relatively expensive at the islands down south.

I found the government buses to be a great way of getting around, quite cheap and there's a lot of sleeper buses so you can save on accommodation. Air asia have cheap domestic flights if you book early. If you're planning on coming for a long time the Lonely Planet guide is your bible

That's the best advice you will get.

PrettyBoy

eevyhayes wrote: »

Hey,
Im considering going to thialand this summer. Just wondering what your experiences were like of it. Which areas are the best to go?? is it cheap?? and also what would be a good time leant to go for?? are there any good websites out there about thialand travel or anything??

thanks alot.

I was there last summer. I've spent summers in Spain and the U.S., but Thailand was by far the best. Your money goes a lot further and you meet great people from all over the world - American, Australian, Chinese and plenty of Irish among others.

Bangkok is great but a few days there is plenty. Everywhere else is seriously laid back - Ko Samui and Ko Phangan have beach parties every night, plus the huge full moon parties every month. Phuket has a great strip, great beaches. The day trips are brilliant too.

We were living the good life over there - hotels cost between €15-€18 a night but they had all you needed - double bed, TV, DVD, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, balcony, fridge and, most importantly, they were extremely clean and well-looked after. We weren't interested in slumming it - spending the extra few quid on decent accommodation was well worth it and we're going to do it again this summer.

I was over there for 8 weeks and spent around €2,000 (give or take). I'm planning on going for longer this year.

preddy

Just remember our summer is there quiet rainy season.
Weather doesnt really get cold but can be cloudy alot of days.

snoop09

PrettyBoy wrote: »

I was there last summer. I've spent summers in Spain and the U.S., but Thailand was by far the best. Your money goes a lot further and you meet great people from all over the world - American, Australian, Chinese and plenty of Irish among others.

Bangkok is great but a few days there is plenty. Everywhere else is seriously laid back - Ko Samui and Ko Phangan have beach parties every night, plus the huge full moon parties every month. Phuket has a great strip, great beaches. The day trips are brilliant too.

We were living the good life over there - hotels cost between €15-€18 a night but they had all you needed - double bed, TV, DVD, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, balcony, fridge and, most importantly, they were extremely clean and well-looked after. We weren't interested in slumming it - spending the extra few quid on decent accommodation was well worth it and we're going to do it again this summer.

I was over there for 8 weeks and spent around €2,000 (give or take). I'm planning on going for longer this year.

Hi, im planning on going to phuket in mid may, the cheapest deal i can come up withfor direct flights from dub, transfers, hotel, is roughly €1,000.
Do you know where i can get the best deals or what would you recommend for me to do, thanks

PrettyBoy

snoop09 wrote: »

Hi, im planning on going to phuket in mid may, the cheapest deal i can come up withfor direct flights from dub, transfers, hotel, is roughly €1,000.
Do you know where i can get the best deals or what would you recommend for me to do, thanks

www.ebookers.com would probably be your best bet.

dearg lady

snoop09 wrote: »

Hi, im planning on going to phuket in mid may, the cheapest deal i can come up withfor direct flights from dub, transfers, hotel, is roughly €1,000.
Do you know where i can get the best deals or what would you recommend for me to do, thanks

Generally you'll get better deals on booking accomodation and transfers over there, BUT if you're going for a only a short time and/or going for better than backpacker accomodation, you're probably better to book ahead, and save yourself the hassle.
How long are you staying for? 1,000 doesn't seem too bad including all that

dearg lady

ps, who flys direct from Dub to Phuket??

PrettyBoy

snoop09 wrote: »

Hi, im planning on going to phuket in mid may, the cheapest deal i can come up withfor direct flights from dub, transfers, hotel, is roughly €1,000.

Forgot to mention that you'd probably be better off arranging hotels when you're over there rather than booking now. Haggling is normal in Thailand and nine out of ten hotels will give you a decent discount depending on how long you're staying.

radiodrive

I booked my flights to thailand for E170 with Air asia. If you book in advance they are cheap as hell. I'm guessing they'll be more during the summer, but after spending a month here i have yet to spend E1000.

dearg lady

radiodrive wrote: »

I booked my flights to thailand for E170 with Air asia. If you book in advance they are cheap as hell. I'm guessing they'll be more during the summer, but after spending a month here i have yet to spend E1000.

:eek: 170 from Ireland to Thailand? One way? still, wow!!

rossom

whats your route radiodrive to get such cheap flights!? I checked airasia site there and they say you can only go from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur

chalupa

Hi just wondering how you booked your flight to tailand for €170. I was on the Air asia website and they only fly from London to Kaula Lumpur.

Thanks for your help
Richard