Holiday to Thailand Advice

Carriexx

HI,

I am booking a holiday to Thailand in March , was going to stay in Bangkok for 1 night then plan our 2 week trip down to the Islands while in Bangkok. Has anyone any advice? I was also thinking of maybe going by Dubai for one night then direct to Phuket instead of Bangkok?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

athtrasna

Carriexx wrote: »

HI,

I am booking a holiday to Thailand in March , was going to stay in Bangkok for 1 night then plan our 2 week trip down to the Islands while in Bangkok. Has anyone any advice? I was also thinking of maybe going by Dubai for one night then direct to Phuket instead of Bangkok?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

Don't skip Bangkok, it's amazing. Have spent nearly two weeks there over two trips and would go back in a heartbeat, so much to do and see! The islands and resorts are nice but after a few days you realise that you could be on the Costa del Sol or any other beach destination closer to home, it's not that different

conor_ie

If you can, try and get to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan. I went when I was staying in Koh Samui.. only way to describe it is mental!! One of the best nights of my life!

Paul_Hacket

It's impossible to answer without knowing your interests. If you're a young person in your 20s who is mainly goint to Thailand to "party" then you would have one kind of itinerary. If you're older or more interested in culture, scenery, food, etc. then my advice would be very different. I've been a bunch of times, personally I can't stand the over touristed party islands, or at least can only stand them for more than a couple of days. If you're there to go to raves though then those are the places to go, just understand that you'll be surrounded by aussies and European student backpackers on the beaches and won't get much or any real interaction with the locals.

Carriexx

HI, thanks. We are in our early 30's but not after a big party holiday really! Food, beaches and culture more so

Paul_Hacket

Two weeks isn't a huge amount of time in a country the size of Thailand, you'll have a hard time hammering down an itinerary. IMO you should start in Bangkok, spend a 2 - 3 nights there. When staying in Bangkok most people choose to stay in one of two area, either Banglamphu, home of the famous Khao San Road tourist ghetto or Sukhumvit, which is basically the city center. There's an argument to be made for both, however if you get away from Khao San Road in Banglamphu you can get a better sense of the history and atmosphere of old Bangkok than you will by staying in Sukhumvit. I also like taking the ferries on the river from Banglamphu to various wats (temples) and markets, so it's personally where I stay.

After Bangkok your could head north to Chang Mai and onwards to the golden triangle. If you had more time you could continue on to Lao via a boat ride on the mekong. To get to Chang Mai you can take an overnight train from Bangkok, which I found interesting. The north is probably my favorite part of the country. In towns such as Pai in the golden triangle you can rent mopeds and just toodle around villages. Locals will come out to talk to you when you stop and you'll get a good sense of ordinary people's way of life.

When you're done with this region you could catch a flight from Chang Mai down to one of the islands. I don't recommend Phuket as a destination - it's totally commercialized in a very aggressive way - however if you only have two weeks your best bet is probably to fly there from Chang Mai and then take a boat somewhere less spoiled. If you're into diving/snorkelling I would recommend the Similan Islands (google them). It will take you abut 3.5 hours from Phuket airport if you time it right. There are no commercial hotels on the Similans to my knowledge, you get your accomodation via the Thai National Parks Service, which are basic but the setting is sublime. If you want to go the other way in terms of luxury then consider looking for one of the better boutique resorts on Koh Phi Phi.

Obviously the above itinerary could also be done in reverse, going south to the islands before going up north. This might actually be more relaxing if you'd like to get in some beach time at the beginning of your vacation.

Hope the above helps!

Ed_Stephens

I'd do at least 5 nights in Bangkok as there's just more options there. There's also the Silom area near the river to consider staying as lots of the temples and Grand Palace are there. Lots of hotels near the Saphan Taksin skytrain station as this is also the interchange with river ferry service. Samui is a great option for a more relaxed style of island to Phuket which does have its problems. Spending days in each would be a pretty good start, personally I wouldn't try to squeeze too much in as there's so much to see that you wouldn't be doing it justice. If you've never been before Thailand can be a put of a culture shock so take the time to get settled and enjoy it. My trips there are in double figures and I still haven't seen it all.

nice_guy80

I believe in keeping travelling while the bags are packed.
fly straight into Koh Samui or Phuket and you can take a few days to chill. cheap food and drinks taste all the sweeter. Island hop up to the full moon party or down to Phi Phi and other islands via ferry.
Bangkok can be done at the end of the trip as it has the international airport that is easy to access with the airport train.

there is so many ways you can do it.
happy planning.

The Davestator

I think two nights in Bangkok is plenty unless you're seriously into Buddhas! I did three nights and was ready to leave after two. We did very long packed days, so saw what we wanted and moved on to Chiangmai etc.
Favourite is Chiangmai - loved it there

Fratton Fred

Most important advice.

Don't forget the Imodium!

conor_ie

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Most important advice.

Don't forget the Imodium!

+10000000

Ed_Stephens

The Davestator wrote: »

I think two nights in Bangkok is plenty unless you're seriously into Buddhas! I did three nights and was ready to leave after two. We did very long packed days, so saw what we wanted and moved on to Chiangmai etc.
Favourite is Chiangmai - loved it there

You need to look harder

Royal Palace,
Wat Pho and Wat Arun - both unmissable even if you're not into Buddhas :pac:
Chatuchak weekend market
Siam Square
Endless Shopping - Emporium, Central all the markets including the floating one
Lumphini Park
Night at the Thai kick boxing stadium
Teak Mansion
Jim Thompson's house
Chao Praya River cruise
Chinatown
Massages at 2.50 an hour
If you want to see some of the crazy nightlife then Soi Cowboy, Khao San road and Nana plaza

So much good places to eat and drink and then you'll want to relax in your lovely hotel. Seriously anyone who thinks spending two days in Bangkok is enough really hasn't tried hard enough.

More ideas here http://www.bangkok.com/attraction/

athtrasna

Ed_Stephens wrote: »

You need to look harder

Royal Palace,
Wat Pho and Wat Arun - both unmissable even if you're not into Buddhas :pac:
Chatuchak weekend market
Siam Square
Endless Shopping - Emporium, Central all the markets including the floating one
Lumphini Park
Night at the Thai kick boxing stadium
Teak Mansion
Jim Thompson's house
Chao Praya River cruise
Chinatown
Massages at 2.50 an hour
If you want to see some of the crazy nightlife then Soi Cowboy, Khao San road and Nana plaza

So much good places to eat and drink and then you'll want to relax in your lovely hotel. Seriously anyone who thinks spending two days in Bangkok is enough really hasn't tried hard enough.

More ideas here http://www.bangkok.com/attraction/

All of the above plus the breathtaking aquarium

Ed_Stephens

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Most important advice.

Don't forget the Imodium!

10 plus trips never had any food problems and I've eaten from a lot of street carts, but if you do subscribe to the sure you wouldn't know what you be eating brigade it's much cheaper to buy immodium in Thailand and there are pharmacies absolutely everywhere. You can get a lot of stuff you'd need a prescription for in Ireland over the counter in Thailand.

Paul_Hacket

Funnily enought Thailand is one country I've never had food poisoning in. Their diet is actually really well balanced and digestion wise I always felt great over there, unlike when I get back to Ireland and start to feel a bit "peculiar" after a few days of being on our high meat diet.

Ed_Stephens

I think people confuse the effects of jetlag and the change in environment with food poisoning. Given that you're drinking a lot more water and sweating a lot more this can mess up your hydration and make things not as solid as usual. Some rehydration sachets are as good a bet as immodium.

blowin3

Lots of great advice there and some members went to a lot of effort to give it fair dues. Two weeks is short and it depends what you are looking for. But 2 nights in BK at the start is a definite and maybe 2 at the end if you want its a big hot smelly exiting city that will blow you away. I still feel exited there and I must have visited it over 50 times. Than you have to make a choice go north cooler Chang Mai or Rai and very beautiful laid back. Go south beaches and lots of commercial areas as in Samui and Phuket ,Krabi, PiPi. There are very beautiful and undiscovered areas around Ranong which is a border crossing to Burma and islands Ko Chang noi or Phayam. But a warning I have given to others stay away from areas where there are drugs Fullmoon parties etc lots dodgy people and worse corrupt police. My wifes family comes from the islands and I have fair idea what I am talking about. Stay safe and have fun.