Thailand guide

lday77

Hi I have just booked what looks like a great deal:

Hongkong, Bangkok and Pattaya for £690 13 nights flying with Quatar going at the end of June

I've been to Hongkong before but never Thailand, as we're only in each place for a few days, I am staying room only so any great money saving tips for where to eat/drink what to see etc.

What is the weather like there in early July?

Also I'd like to buy a cheap guide, any recommendations, I would normally go to the Library but I'd really like to take the guide with me and don't trust myself not to loose it abroad.

alison74

I am sure you will be stopping at Doha if you are flying with Qatar Airlines, make sure you have some food with you to eat / drink as there are very limited facilities there for eating on your stopover, you would need Qatar currency aswell.

I ended up loking lost and pathetic and was given a water voucher by the only english speaking person in the airport - but was very hungry !
Onto nicer things........... Bangkok is fabulous but will be stinkingly hot in July still with bits of rain throughout the day (I am going back in August)

I found that the Lonely Planet City Guide Best of Range is good enough for the basics of Bangkok. About £7 ? try on Ebay / Amazon for cheaper.

Go onto www.tripadvisor.com and look for the Bangkok forums for unllimited info / questions on the city.

Remember to never pay first price for Tuk tuk, half of what they say is normal. I would only use them once for the novelty and then stick to air conditioned taxis which are cheap as chips and a whole lot comfier !

hlhassall

I was in Thailand in 2002 in July/August. Weather will be good and reasonably hot although it is the wet season so will be bursts of rain during the day.

Food and drink (and most things really) are very cheap in Thailand so you won't need much money. The cheapest places to eat are the food stalls in the street although the restaurants are not expensive.

Bangkok is full of bargains so pack light so you have room to take things home!

chris_k

Bangkok is a great city and it is extremely cheap.

If you want to do your own trips in Bangkok I recommend you by the Insight pocket guide. It has tours you can do by yourself to explore the city.

Hotels, the same as the UK, can charge inflated prices for breakfast. Phone the hotel and ask what you need to pay for breakfast. Also ask what they would charge to get a room on the executive floor. This is usually a cheap option to get breakfast and access to the executive lounge. The hotels also have a cocktail hour, which is usually 2 hours where you can have free canapes and alcohol. You also get all day soft drinks, coffee and fruit juices.

Black canyon, which is a coffee shop which does food is great. I am not sure if they do breakfasts, but I am sure if you have a late breakfast they can offer you something which is suitable.

I haven't been to Pattaya but I am sure that there are budget oiptions available.

Do not change currency oin the UK. Exchange rates in Thailand are better than in the UK. If you change cash then there are no bank/exchange charges on top.

lday77

Ooh excellent it sounds like I'm not going to need a fortune, which is lucky as I am certainly lacking a fortune right now!

I like the idea of 2 hour happy hours!:beer:

Cheers for the tip about the money, do you know where the best place to get it changed is?

Thanks I can't wait yipeee:T :T :T

linzibean

I went way back in 1997 (I cant believe it is almost 10 years ago!) and then there were small booths all around Bangkok that changed currency - shop around for the best deal.

I'd agree the street stalls are a great place to eat cheaply - and safely - the locals generally eat there and you can see the food being prepared in front of you.

chris_k

lday77 wrote:

Cheers for the tip about the money, do you know where the best place to get it changed is?

Thanks I can't wait yipeee:T :T :T

The exchange rate at all exchange places is about the same. they update the rates all day so you can't easily compare.

Don't go to a bank as they take forever and sometimes require your passport. There are many exchange kiosks that are bank owned and change money quickly.

Before you get to passport control at the airport there are some kiosks, the exchange rates here are the same as in the city.

Avoid changing cash at hotels as they give very bad exchange rates.

If you take travellers cheques you get a slightly better exchange rate, but they charge per travellers cheques to change. Therefore it is better taking higher value cheques.