Thailand Ideas

licklerose

PompeyPete wrote: »

What was it like in Sangkthlaburi and Nong Khai? How was the overnight train to Chiang Mai? Much going on in Kampot?
It'd help people to ask questions if you told us where you went?

Ok here's where I went to on my trip:

Bangkok,
Siem Reap,
Phnom Penh,
Sihanoukville,
Mekong Delta (Chau Doc),
Ho Chi Minh City,
Nha Trang,
Hoi An,
Hue,
Halong Bay,
Hanoi,
Phuket,
Koh Phi Phi
Koh Jum

Quite a long list (hence why I didn't post it to start with). Feel free to ask me any questions on the above places!

Doshwaster

robj4y wrote: »

central phuket is a brilliant base camp . i went there in january for a few weeks . couldnt get bored OF PHUKET [not patong] , cos we go-ped all over the island for a few quid a day . diff beach every day , never went to patong beach once ! been there a few times now , love it . done a lot of thailand places .
PATONG GOOD FOR PARTYING AND FOOD AND SHOPPING THO :coffee:

Very true. The problem is most people think Phuket = Patong whereas the reality is Phuket is a very large island with a lot a variety. Patong is Patong but elsewhere it can be very quiet. Karon is only a few miles away and is a much more relaxed resort though out of season it can be a little too quiet.

As you say, it is fantastic as a base camp for exploring the region on daytrips or overnighters to Khao Lak, Phi Phi, Khao Sok National Park, Phang Nga Bay or Krabi.

robj4y

agreed yeh if you wanna go travelling a bit further phang na , krabi phi phi , stunning ! cant believe anyone could seriously slag off phuket but i suppose its easy to bash out 'crap' on a keyboard isnt it . its obvious they must have booked the wrong resort , or maybe some fundamental mistake with a jetski or something in patong . basically it would come down to lack of prep/research/info .
however some people swear by patong cos its so wild , and that there is the beauty of phuket - its what you want to make it . budget hotels , fake watches cheap drinks and go go bars , OR 5* condo's , idyllic unspoilt beaches , and desginer class . throw in amaznig food and people and low prices ... i dont get why someone wouldnt enjoy ? go north thailand for unspoilt thai , or koh samuii for similar phuket vibe . theres also hua hin , or pattaya each with their own flavours . phi phi is absolutely unreal , krabi and phang na beautiful . and hundreds of tiny 'robinson crusoe' islands with nobody on them you can day trip to .
bang for buck thai is still better than usa , mexico , malaysia , bali and everywhere else ive been to .

hanwellmike

It might be worth checking out Thai Air for a ticket from LHR to Phuket. A few years ago I was going quite regular to Thailand from LHR. 3 or 4 days in BKK then down to HKT. It was always cheaper and easier to book the BKK-HKT leg as part of the main trip, as long as you specify the 3/4 day stopover in BKK. If you book BKK-HKT separately it is around £100 return, but you might find it's only an extra £40-50 if booked up front as part of your UK to BKK ticket.

Anywhere on Sukhumvit Road between Soi 3 and Soi 20 will be a good location in BKK. Lots of hotels to choose from on the internet. As for Phuket then I liked the place a lot but now prefer Pattaya which is very noisy and brash and only 2 hrs in taxi from BKK.

robj4y

skyscanner , kayak and martin lewis' guides also help find cheap flights . seen rtn flight on flightcentre the other day ... 1p flight + 299 taxes = incredible !

Mat_Lock

Places I went to in Thailand and scales of enjoyment

Bangkok - big city, lots of stuff going on, scams, tuk tuks, ping pong shows, markets, shopping centres, boozy travellers - 6/10

Kanchanaburi - Death Railway, Bridge over River Kwai, Elephant Trekking, Bamboo Rafting, chilled out, war memorials - 8/10

Koh Samui - Only spent 1 night so can't comment but know there are nice areas and horrid areas oh and it smells bad - can't score as 1 night

Koh Phangan - Home of the Full Moon Party, full of boozy young tourists, has to be done once though (I did it twice), some lovely quieter beaches and places around the island away from the main tourist areas - 6/10

Koh Tao - Loads of dive schools, pretty little island, still fair few tourists but very laid back. Learnt to dive here (Buddha View Diving, recommended) - 8/10

Koh Phi Phi - I can imagine it pre-tsunami and pre-The Beach and it must have been a magical place but now seems to be a massive tourist trap. Still enjoyed the boat rides around the islands and snorkelling - 7/10

Krabi - Really enjoyed my stay here, didn't feel too over touristy, plenty of beaches around such as Ao Nang. Good local markets and local foods. I ate every day for about £4 3 meals a day. Did a boat trip to some islands I can't remember name of but was stunning - 8/10

Chiang Mai - Bustling busy northern city, kind of half and half touristy and travellers but still maintains some charm about it. Good base to plan treks and trips across the border. Enjoyed the drinking holes here - 7/10

Pai - Absolutely fell in love with this place. Spent 11 nights here and wish I still spent longer, strange thing is there really wasn't much to do there. It was just peaceful, relaxing, plenty of nice places to eat, this is where the Thai people come for holidays, not many tourists. We organised trek here which we said had to be authentic and it was, 3 nights under the starts eating what we could catch,shoot in the jungle - 10/10

I went to a host more other places but can't remember names, did the long train not from BKK to Chiang Mai but from East to West and that was great fun too.

I enjoyed Laos equally as I did the north of Thailand too. Drifting down the mighty Mekong river on a long boat for 2 days was an epic highlight !!

robj4y

good review that mate

tamalyn

phuket and koh samui are expensive and rip offs, chang mai for the trekking is a must (get a cheap night train from bangkok) and a trip to the river kwai is great especially saying on a river hotel (shack lol) the waterfall was fab, 7 levels and u can swim in it.
we had a great time in koh phi phi and ao nang and railey beach were my faves!! koh lanta was amazing too for peace and quiet.

have fun and a =m so jealous want to go back

robj4y

i live in uk , and phuket and koh samui are dirt cheap - hotels petrol food clothes anything you want .

hels123_2

I went in 2001, flew in to Bangkok, and did the over night train to Phuket, it was great! I cant remember how much it cost, but it was great fun, loved it!
Did Bangkok,Phuket, Krabi, and Kho Phi Phi ...........which was just stunning, I dont know how it is post Tsunami? Then Pattaya (omg....vile place!) and back to Bangkok. Loved every minute of it, was only for 3 weeks but had the time of our lives.

Have a great time!