Has anyone been to Thailand?

[Iowa Lizzy]

DH and I are planning a trip for next summer and we're leaning towards Thailand at the moment. I'm thinking right now we'd do 3 or 4 days in Bangkok and then head south to maybe Phuket and spend the rest of the time diving and relaxing on the beach.

From what I can gather, flying there is going to be a major PITA. We're from STL, so it looks like it's going to be at least three flights to get there and take at least 24 hours. Add in that we'd need to fly from Bangkok to Phuket and I'm starting to get overwhelmed. I've been to Singapore and Bali when I was younger, and that took a full day of travel, but I was with my family and they did all the planning. Has anyone on PS been and can give me some help? Should I work with a travel agent or figure it out by myself. I've only worked with a TA one time (honeymoon to Bora Bora) and I ended up sending her links constantly to get lower prices and basically planned the whole thing. When all was said and done, I kept thinking "why the hell didn't I just do it all myself?"

Aside from the logistics, does anyone have any recommendations for "must do" activities or sights? DH is really into exploring (museums, churches/temples, etc) and while I love to get out and experience the culture, I also need to be able to relax and just soak it up.

Any and all advice is appreciated!

 

[sonnyjane]

I can't comment on what to do, since I haven't been, but my close friend's sister had a destination wedding in Thailand in March of this year and yes, the flight IS long. She was coming from San Diego and said actually time spent in a plane was about 23 hours. She took a prescription sleeping pill and said that helped a lot, especially since one leg was 11 hours by itself. Once there, she said it was amazing. They ended up staying for another full week (so 10 days total) after the wedding festivities in order to make the excessive travel time worth it. Also factor in things like the time zones and flight time when planning how long you'll be there. For example, they were in Thailand for 10 days, but the entire vacation, including travel time and time zone changes, meant that their trip was actually 13, nearly 14 days long. Basically, it looks amazing in her pictures, my friend said it IS amazing in person, just have to put in a lot of travel time, and make sure you're there enough to make it worth all that travel!

 

[Porridge]

Hey TG. I was in Thailand for nearly in month in 2006. I can't comment on the flying cos I flew from Dublin.

Bangkok is cool. Your hubby will get lots of temples etc there. How long are you going to stay for? To be honest, and this is my own opinion but also the opinion of most people I've spoken to, the east coast is nicer than the west so may I suggest you consider Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao instead of Phuket? I loved that area. Flying to Samui from Bangkok is a breeze. The airport on the island is so cool. There are gorgeous secluded beaches on the north east of Phangan, and great scuba diving around Ko Tao.

We also went to Chiang Mai up north and stayed a few nights in the jungle, on a trek. That and the city itself were great cultural experiences. I loved the night markets.

Have a great time

 

[TristanC]

Hi there, I've been a number of times. By next summer, hopefully all the mess from the recent massive floods would have been resolved.

Whilst in Bangkok there are a number of things and places that you can consider doing depending on your proclivities:
1. Budget shopping: Check out "Platinum Mall" where you can find a lot of wholesale clothes at very low prices, it is a multi level wholesale apparel mall, a great place for buy more save more style shopping without much haggling. They will simply open with a buy 2 for $XXX or buy 3 for $XXX and you can try to bring it lower from there, but there is less wiggle room than on the streets where you can be taken for 5 times the price if you don't negotiate.

2. Market Strolling: Check out the weekend market at Chatuchak market. I would strongly strongly advise being there at 9am in the morning, so that you can stroll around till noon or so before the heat gets to you. They sell everything from clothes, bags, leather, live animals and pets, food, snacks, souvenirs, sculptures... you name it and if Bangkok has it, Chatuchak has a stall that sells it. I would strongly advise trying some of the roast meats that they sell in the market eateries (brilliant), and a freshly churned coconut ice cream at a stall that specialises in making and selling just that each day.

3. Temples: There are literally hundreds of temples in Bangkok. Most hotels have a guided tour of the key temples, and it takes half a day or so. I'm not massively into temples, so I skip this though I have been to many during my trips to Bangkok.

Note: If you flag down a tuk tuk, and ask to go to temples/scenic locations, they MAY try to reroute you to a more 'special' temple, followed by a drop off for a no obligations stroll through a diamond wholesaler or gems wholesaler. Frequently these prices are cheaper than retail stores, but the quality varies significantly. So be careful in communicating which temple you want to go to, and negotiate a one drop fare. These side track rides can eat up a lot of valuable time if you are on a schedule.

4. Malls: The perennial favorites are Siam Paragon (branded shopping) and Mah Bong Kong (MBK) for mall shopping. MBK in particular has a BRILLIANT food court. Definite things to try there are the Pad Thai, the Stewed Pork with rice, Grilled Meats, Thai Desserts, Beef Stews. These are thai variations but the eatery is very authentic thai, very very very cheap, and yet clean and in an air conditioned environment. As an asian, I could eat 90% of my simple meals at this food court and not feel like I've missed out on local fare at all. MBK has any number of massage places, and good local handmade shoes as well.

5. Thai Boxing (Muay Thai): You can schedule your trip to coincide with a local fight, and get tickets to attend. Very local flavour, and quite cool. The section is kind of away from the general bustle of thailand though, so this would be a destination event plus perhaps a nice restaurant nearby or at the hotel on your way back.

6. Gem shopping: If you don't know your stuff extremely well... don't. Or if you do, then restrict it to lower value items. The government centers have decent prices, but they are close to retail. Alternatively you can visit the wholesalers gem districts. If that is what you want, I would check if you can schedule an appointment for viewing at places like AJS Gem before you go.

Have fun!

Oh, Phuket is small and has little to do other than laze on the island and debate on what to feed yourself. So not much planning required there. Just relax.

 

[justginger]

I've been to Thailand once and can't elaborate on anything not already posted because honestly, it wasn't my favorite holiday. It was my first introduction to SE Asia, which I now know is not my cup of tea. I did spend time on Koh Chang and enjoyed it, it was just the hectic pace of Bangkok that I couldn't handle.

However, I am always a big advocate of planning your own holidays. Everything I've ever needed is on tripadvisor.com. I get immense satisfaction oh of doing my own holiday leg work, and it keeps me extra excited about the trip for months in advance!

I hope you have an excellent holiday.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

I've been to Phuket once, just 2 months before the Tsunami so a few years ago now. Honestly, I found it to be quite seedy and didn't enjoy myself that much. I wished we had spent a little more and gone to Koh Samui or Krabi, apparently the diving is better there too.

Can't comment on the flight since I cam from the opposite way but if you have made it to Bali you can make it to Thailand. from memory the flight from Bankok to Phuket wasn't very long anyway.

I just have to add.. My views come from someone who prefers Bali/Indonesia over Thai culture so I am a little biased. However the Thai food is awesome.

 

[Dandi]

DH and I went with friends in October 2007 for three weeks. Chiang Mai was our favourite place, I loved the history and culture there. It wasn't as commercialised as Phuket, although Phuket was so much fun! The night life is insane. Koh Samui is lovely as a place to unwind and relax, and Phi Phi island was great too, heaps of snorkling and boat tours, and had a typical 'village' feel to it. I can't comment much on Bangkok as we were only there for one night, but the markets were awesome!

ETA, we planned the whole thing ourselves online, the only thing we booked through an agent was the return flight because they had an awesome deal that we couldn't get anywhere else.

 

[TristanC]

I've been to Thailand once and can't elaborate on anything not already posted because honestly, it wasn't my favorite holiday. It was my first introduction to SE Asia, which I now know is not my cup of tea. I did spend time on Koh Chang and enjoyed it, it was just the hectic pace of Bangkok that I couldn't handle.

However, I am always a big advocate of planning your own holidays. Everything I've ever needed is on tripadvisor.com. I get immense satisfaction oh of doing my own holiday leg work, and it keeps me extra excited about the trip for months in advance!

I hope you have an excellent holiday.

It is harder to picture southeast asia as a destination for people from the UK or Europe, because the destination is completely different. Well, other than Hong Kong or Singapore - if you need a more first world asian feel.

 

[natascha]

I love Thailand! I was actually not so convinced before going but the Thai really got to me, they are so lovely and helpful.

Bangkok is great, lots to do and very busy. I would not plan anything for the first day when you get there since it is very hot and humid and Bangkok is pretty crazy.

Personally I would recommend the East coast. Koh Tao and its diving is world class, Koh Phangang is good for the Full Moon party if you are into that otherwise I would skip it. I would skip the flight and take the night train. Very comfortable, you get a goodd nights sleep, it is more fun than flying and you don't have to deal with the airport hassle.

 

[honey22]

Not sure what time you are planning (when it your summer months?) but it's monsoon season on the west coast of thailand (Phuket side) from May to October, with July being terrible. You don''t want to go to that side at the time of the year, but luckily Koh Samui (east coast) should be great weather. Check out the tripadvisor forums on both Phuket and Koh Samui to get an idea of the best times to travel, as their monsoon seasons are opposite to each other. Makes for many months to travel in Thailand.

We love Thailand! We went there for 2 weeks in May this year and we have already booked to go back for nearly 3 weeks in June next year. The food is perfect, the service the best I have ever experienced and the beaches are gorgeous. Not to mention, 5 star resort are super cheap compared to here in australia. We can't get enough!

 

[SB621]

TristainC already said alot of what I would recommend. I was in Thailand for several weeks in 2008 for a vacation with DH.

I would add that I thought Phuket was extremely tourist in the main section. I would ventur 30 minutes away from the main area and stay at one of those hotels. There is less to do around in the immediate walking area but you miss all the crowd. DH and I stayed at the Twin Palms Phuket on Millionaire's cove and it was wonderful! We also stayed at Aryia for 3 days (down the street from TP) and it was beautiful as well though it didn't have the beach front that TP had.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Wow! Thanks so much to everyone that has replied so far! I really, really appreciate it.

We are tentatively looking at going towards the end of June/early July right now to coincide with our anniversary but nothing is set in stone. I'm definitely not set on Phuket at this point and the more I hear about it, the less I want to go there. We want to stay at a resort that has a PADI dive center. I have found one called Zeavola on Koh Phi Phi. Any thoughts on that?

Does 10 days split between Bangkok and a tropical location sound like enough time? We, unfortunately, are not blessed with a lot of vacation time here in the US. It would end up being closer to 12 or 13 days once we factor in the travel time.

I know absolutely NOTHING about gems at this point. I need a crash course in colored stones!! When were were in Tahiti for our honeymoon, I didn't buy a single pearl. The pricescoper in me couldn't purchase anything jewelry related that I hadn't researched.

To me, Thailand sounds like a perfect destination for us. We want to be busy for awhile and just go go go but then we really need some down time. We went to Egypt a few years ago and we were scheduled with things to do from the moment we woke up at 6am until we were ready for bed. I needed a vacation AFTER that vacation. On the flip side, when we took our honeymoon, we barely had any activities planned and we were so bored. I'm looking for a happy medium.

Oh! And the Thai boxing sounds like so much fun! DH used to be quite into kickboxing and mixed martial arts so I know he'd really love to see that. I read somewhere that you can visit an elephant sanctuary. Has anyone been?

 

[natascha]

Wow! Thanks so much to everyone that has replied so far! I really, really appreciate it.

We are tentatively looking at going towards the end of June/early July right now to coincide with our anniversary but nothing is set in stone. I'm definitely not set on Phuket at this point and the more I hear about it, the less I want to go there. We want to stay at a resort that has a PADI dive center. I have found one called Zeavola on Koh Phi Phi. Any thoughts on that?

Does 10 days split between Bangkok and a tropical location sound like enough time? We, unfortunately, are not blessed with a lot of vacation time here in the US. It would end up being closer to 12 or 13 days once we factor in the travel time.

I know absolutely NOTHING about gems at this point. I need a crash course in colored stones!! When were were in Tahiti for our honeymoon, I didn't buy a single pearl. The pricescoper in me couldn't purchase anything jewelry related that I hadn't researched.

To me, Thailand sounds like a perfect destination for us. We want to be busy for awhile and just go go go but then we really need some down time. We went to Egypt a few years ago and we were scheduled with things to do from the moment we woke up at 6am until we were ready for bed. I needed a vacation AFTER that vacation. On the flip side, when we took our honeymoon, we barely had any activities planned and we were so bored. I'm looking for a happy medium.

Oh! And the Thai boxing sounds like so much fun! DH used to be quite into kickboxing and mixed martial arts so I know he'd really love to see that. I read somewhere that you can visit an elephant sanctuary. Has anyone been?

Ten days should be fine for just two places. We were there during July for 28 days and spent a lot of time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai( up in the North, actually my favorite place, incredibly beautiful and so much to do), Koh Phangang, Koh Tao
( spent more time here than planned since we got a major cold ) and even headed up overland into Cambodia to see Ankor Wat.

Normally I like spending 3-4 days in smaller places like Islands and 4-5 days in bigger places like Bangkok ( not including travelling days).

We did not visit Koh phi phi but I think it is on the Phuket side and from what I heard was a good place for lazing around but not much else.

I would recommend staying in Koh Samui or Koh Tao. Seriously the diving in Koh Tao is amazing and they have lots of snorkeling trips etc, but it is a small island and people who go there are there for the the diving etc so it has a very nice, calmer vibe, people party but not too hard and touts will not bother you the same way they do elsewhere. Koh Samui is much bigger and has more too do (they also have an airport so you can fly in directly) so it depends on what you are looking for (the islands are just hour's away from each other by speedboat).

I am a big fan of their train system ( http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm ). You get on the train in the evening (8-9pm), have a great nights sleep (comfy beds with curtains, blankets, pillows, AC, etc), you can even get a hot breackfast served in bed . You arrive early in the morning and take a catamaran speedboat ( do lompraya, the cheaper one is really horrible) to the Islands.

Me and my SO are usually pretty active on our holidays and we loved Thailand. On the Islands I would recommend diving or snorkling (Practically every hotel in koh tao is PADI ), a bit of jungle activity and cooking classes (also muay thai if you are into that). Bangkok has everything ( you must take the waterbusses that the locals use, great way to see bangkok and feel it), the temples and Grand Palace, the markets, etc oh and massage every night.

The food is amazing, but remember that their food culture is food stalls out on the street. That is where you will find the best and freshest food. For a nice dinner I really recommend la Table de Tee in Bangkok http://www.latabledetee.com/menu.php . Really nice fusion food in a tiny restaurant with an amazing 6 course weekly changing menu.

I plan and organize our vacations myself and we like trying new things and getting lost in the more real areas not only staying at a resort. So if you are that type of gal and have any questions about anything ( I pretty much research everything too death) ask away!

 

[honey22]

Koh Phi Phi is on the west side and will also be in monsoon season. Like it can be torrential rain for the entire day, days on end at times! Also the snorkelling sites on the west side are closed during monsoon season due to the bad sea conditions and low visibility.

If you want to dive/snorkel you will only be able to do it on the east coast I am afraid.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Honey22, thank you so much for the warning about monsoon season. I looked it up and the weather in Koh Samui does look much better for that time of year, but I desperately want to see those beautiful cliffs and rocks coming out of the water on the western side of the island. I think we might just reevaluate when we want to go and push the trip back to November or December.

Natascha, I will definitely be hounding you whenever we finally book the trip! I too am a Trip Advisor junkie and have been known to spend hours reading countless reviews and viewing traveler photos. Thanks for the tip about the train, also! I'm going to look into that!

Thanks again ladies!

 

[honey22]

I completely understand! The limestone cliffs are amazing. We went on a day trip which included sea canoeing around them and it was spectacular!!

Nov or Dec would be perfect weather, but of course the rates are higher too. We travelled in May as the accommodation rates are 50% off (yes! actually 50% of high season rates!!) and the weather was still ok.

If you travel in April, you will get shoulder rates, not as expensive as peak but not as cheap as 50% off and the islands/snorkelling etc will still be open. And great weather too.

Have a fantastic trip!!!!