Planning trip to Thailand

lolosaur

Looking at going to thailand with the OH early next year and need advice/ reccommendations. (looked at other threads, nothing answered really)

looking at flying into bangkok. 2 days there.
train up to cheang mai overnight and 2 days there. go wash an elephant, see the sights etc.

Then fly to.... phuket/ko samui?
not sure, where is best to go and if this is the route to take?

probably want to take 2 flights internally at most.

will be a 2 week trip so probably 3/4 nights in most places.

OH cant hike long distance as is a lazy sack of spuds so anything to be done wouldnt be a day long hike etc...

Would like to find hotels that are cool and quiry at reasonable price but not S**tholes at the same time.

Any recommendations on things people have done.

Elephants/ scenery/ beeches/hotels/ areas to stay or not.
Places to see/things to do alll that jazz.

I want to try and create the most enjoyable 2 weeks of my life as this is a once in a lifetime trip for us. unless we go back again..... then it would be a twice in a lifetime trip.

royster999

Id recommend Phuket for a weekend to experience the madness of Thai nightlife.
Then get the ferry to Ko Phi Phi and stay there for 4 nights. It is an idyllic island with fabulous beaches. There is lots to do there too.

lolosaur

cheers.

Any recommendations on where on phuket to stay?

royster999

We stayed in the Aspery hotel for 2 nights for €40.
Really nice comfortable hotel.

lolosaur

royster999 wrote: »

We stayed in the Aspery hotel for 2 nights for €40.
Really nice comfortable hotel.

I was looking into hotels, the 4/5 star ones which i was told were cheap as chips are still over 100 euro a night!!!

Is a 3 star 40 quid a night hotel still a decent place to stay?

Just worried ill end up sleeping on a pallett in a hut.

royster999

This place was nice and comfortable. Nearly in line to a 3 star here.
All we wanted was a clean comfortable room to sleep in. Nothing fancy.

lolosaur

royster999 wrote: »

This place was nice and comfortable. Nearly in line to a 3 star here.
All we wanted was a clean comfortable room to sleep in. Nothing fancy.

Sounds fine to me!!!

anto9

lolosaur wrote: »

I was looking into hotels, the 4/5 star ones which i was told were cheap as chips are still over 100 euro a night!!!

Is a 3 star 40 quid a night hotel still a decent place to stay?

Just worried ill end up sleeping on a pallett in a hut.

Anything around B1000 (E30 ) a night ,should be decent.Phuket has higher prices ,Chiang Mai cheaper .I use www.bookings.com.I would only book the first night or two though as you can just walk in to most Hotels .

lolosaur

anto9 wrote: »

Anything around B1000 (E30 ) a night ,should be decent.Phuket has higher prices ,Chiang Mai cheaper .I use www.bookings.com.I would only book the first night or two though as you can just walk in to most Hotels .

Cool,

Thats some really good advice

Osgood

I am also planning a similar trip this September and I'm wondering if booking in advance is really needed for hotels/beach huts and internal flights? Any nice beach huts recommended for the islands off the east coast?

The Buster

Osgood wrote: »

I am also planning a similar trip this September and I'm wondering if booking in advance is really needed for hotels/beach huts and internal flights? Any nice beach huts recommended for the islands off the east coast?

I have been there a few times and only really ever book the first 2 or 3 nights before going and then book for the rest of the nights either by turning up at the hotel or online a night or two in advance. Again with internal flights I would book my first flight out out of Bangkok (if flying) and then book others as required. Flight prices are usually stanardish so ok booking day or two in advance. Never had any trouble but I suppose if need to fly back to Bangkok before flight home you should prob book a few days in advance to make sure there is availability

Ed_Stephens

You can save a lot more money by waiting till after April as this is the Thai new year and also after this is when Thai low season kicks in. The best deals are on the internet unless you can speak some Thai and can haggle properly with the locals. It's also cheaper to get to Phuket rather than Samui, Bangkok airways fly there 7 or 8 times a day from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. Karon or Kata are popular with couples as they have nice beaches and don't have Bangla road's nightlife. Patong is still worth a visit imo especially during the day but to be honest it's got plenty of good options at night, live music etc. The open air beer bars are very welcoming of couples. For your first trip I'd be inclined to spend more time in Bangkok and avoid the long trip to Chiang Mai, there's plenty to see and do in Bangkok.

Since you mentioned elephants it's worthwhile remembering that animals used in the tourist industry here are generally mistreated and it's probably best to avoid them.

Centara operate a very reasonably priced hotel chain around Thailand but I think holding off till after April will definitely reduce your costs. Also don't bother going with an all inclusive package as eating out in Thailand is very cheap. Also don't change money until you get there, the rate over there is much better and no commission is charged.

Markets are plentiful and well worth a visit, Bangkok offers some of the best shopping on the planet. If you do stay in BKK for a while make yourself familiar with the BTS skytrain transit service where you can get an all day pass for about 3.50. You can also buy a tourist sim card at the airport for 300 baht for 7 days internet access, they're also available in any 7/11 store.

It's pretty cheap to hire a driver for a day to take you around, there's plenty of recommendations on Tripadvisor or your hotel can organise one but this will be more expensive

Ha Long Bay

If you are visiting Chiang Mai I would recommend the Elephant sanctuary (elephantnaturepark.org) you spend the day with the elephants getting to feed them etc.

Long Gone

Ed_Stephens wrote: »

You can save a lot more money by waiting till after April as this is the Thai new year and also after this is when Thai low season kicks in.

True, but it's low season for a reason - It gets hellish hot after April for a few months.

Ed_Stephens

Long Gone wrote: »

True, but it's low season for a reason - It gets hellish hot after April for a few months.

I think it's more to do with rainy/monsoon season, never found it hellishly hot maybe I'm getting used to it.

Long Gone

Ed_Stephens wrote: »

I think it's more to do with rainy/monsoon season, never found it hellishly hot maybe I'm getting used to it.

Depends where in the country you are. Well used to the heat myself but the mid-day temps and humidity in Phuket that time of year are a killer and really sap your energy. One St. Patricks Day a few years ago I went down the pub mid morning and had a right good skinfull of Singha to celebrate. I then took a few really hot chicks in my jeep over to Kata Noi Beach for a swim and (despite already having a decent tan and getting them to near smother me in suntan lotion) I was burnt to a crisp after a couple of hours frolicking with them in the surf. .:D