Booking accommodation in SE Asia

Lucifer-0

Hi there.

Just looking for advice from anyone who travelled Thailand and/or Malaysia on booking accommodation.

My question is should I book accommodation in advance? Or would I be ok arriving in Bangkok and taking it from there? I.e. travelling around Thailand and booking places when I get to them? I have a number of places I'd like to visit but am not sure how long I'll be spending in them so am unsure whether to book any where yet.

Thanks in advance.

darrenh

Book when you get there or a day in advance to make sure its available.

nxbyveromdwjpg

No need to book in advance really unless its NYE night or some other crazy time

gustafo

For thailand no need to book just get there early and have a look around a few places, plenty to chose.

Lucifer-0

Thanks folks.

magentas

OK I'm not contributing anything new here! but definately just go with the flow, there is any amount of places to stay so don't tie yourself down to somewhere before you've seen the accommodation and location.

In Bangkok you will more than likely be staying in khao san road where all the tourists stay and you really will have your pick there!

Any other town or city, there will be a gazzillion people waiting at every train station/airport/ferrry port/bus stop offering accommodation with free transfers, they normally offer to bring you there for a look, there is great value to be had, just be clear on what you're looking for (central location, air-con etc)

I think the only exception would be the islands during a full moon party

As you said yourself, you may want to stay longer in some places and likewise, get out of some places sooner than planned!

This way you are flexible enough to plan your itenary as you travel.

Have a blast!

vill@in

I'm leaving in a couple of days to travel around SE Asia for 10 weeks, and the only accomodation I've sorted is for the first night or two I arrive. Otherwise it'll be a case of doing a bit of investigating along the way, and as everyone else has said, going with the flow.

I just figure it'll be better to have somewhere booked for when I arrive, cos after travel for almost 24 hours solid the last thing I'll want to do is look around for somewhere to stay! So better to have arranged a place to go crash out straight away...

When you goto Bangkok, head to newMyHouse on Thanon Rambutri.. Went back twice now nd met loads of new people each time. It's cheap nd close to Khao San Road.

Shots

hey!
Like everyone has already said booking in advance is not generally necessary however if you are planning on going to a full moon party in Koh Phangnan you will need to book it beforehand, friends of ours who hadnt booked anywhere ended up having to stay on other islands (which wasnt the end of the world since there were plenty of taxi boats to take them back to their islands at night but it did work out pretty expensive and a bit of a pain!). Luckily we had booked a bungalow here http://phanganhualaemresort.com/index.php the resort was in the hills near the beach but not too close at the same time! we had the best views of the sea and the beach (which was amazing at night with all the festivities going on) and the owner Tom was really friendly and helpful! If you stay there make sure you order a lemon shake!

Also depending on your travel plans there is no need to spend your first night in bangkok! We decided to leave bangkok until our last few days in Thailand as all the hustle and bustle can be a bit much after such a long journey! Instead we got a taxi in the airport down to a small island called Koh Samet. It was the perfect place to unwind after the flight with beautiful beaches and relaxing atmosphere! We stayed in a great resort http://www.ko-samet.com/samed-grand-view-resort/ however we decided to splash out and get a speedboat to that part of the island from the mainland! if you wanted to get the ferry you would probably have the get another taxi when you get to the island and after all the travelling it might be easier to stay somewhere closer to the port!

Have a great time in Thailand Im already planning my next trip there!

I would definitely recommend staying in Bangkok for a couple of days when you land.. The culture shock is pretty huge and that's what it's all about. I meant to stay 2 days and ended up staying 9 days my first time.