Thailand in the next 2 weeks help please

PompeyPete

Licklerose, the taxi (and tuk-tuk) scam is almost as old as the Ark.
A taxi from the airport direct to your hotel would only cost 400 bahts (max) including tolls for 3 pax.

fifeken

phoodless wrote: »

Allow time for a very long queue at the airport to get a stamp in your passport. Same with coming back.

This was certainly the case earlier this year but I believe it has improved a lot now. I was there in April and although I had Fast Track both ways, I had a look at the queues and they were not too bad.

licklerose wrote: »

Also forgot to say - the metro is a great way to get from the airport to the city centre - at a fraction of the cost of a taxi (as taxis have to pay the road tolls). It's probably worth getting the train to somewhere like Siam Place and then getting a taxi from there to any central hotel.

If you have any decent size of bags forget about the new airport line as you have to change and it involves walks/stairs to get anywhere. A taxi costs next to nothing for door to door (and they can split the cost). The only problem is Bangkok traffic.

licklerose wrote: »

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Just post them here - you'll get lots more than one person's opinion and it also helps others with similar questions.

dickydonkin

Boozer wrote: »

Avoid sukhumvit Soi 4 and 23, well depending on what he is after :-)

Great for people watching though!

Go to the 'Big Dogs' pub at the entrance to Nana Entertainment Plaza, (Soi 4) wait for a balcony seat and enjoy.

Probably the best people watching seat in BKK.

Watching unsuspecting (or not) Farang (usually intoxicated) attempting to get a date with with Ladyboys is priceless.

As for food - I can highly reccommed a restaurant right outside Ekkamai sky train station. It is a beer garden setting used by the locals. Great food and well priced. It is not 'street food' (not that there is anything wrong with street food) but I just cannot remember the name - cannot miss it though.

I will be there in two weeks time.

If you have any decent size of bags forget about the new airport line as you have to change and it involves walks/stairs to get anywhere. A taxi costs next to nothing for door to door (and they can split the cost). The only problem is Bangkok traffic.

Good advice - however, on returning to Bangkok following a cruise in January, due to a long transfer at BKK, we were invited back to the Hotels Executive Lounge where we stayed prior to the cruise.

Rather than take our luggage back to the hotel, we left it in the Airport luggage holding area on departure level (CHUBB) and we took the new rail link into BKK.

A taxi is more convenient as it is door to door as opposed to station to station.

Doshwaster

fifeken wrote: »

This was certainly the case earlier this year but I believe it has improved a lot now. I was there in April and although I had Fast Track both ways, I had a look at the queues and they were not too bad.

Yes, I think they have improved - though obviously it depends on the time of day you arrive. When the new airport opened the queues were horrendous but the last two times I have been through they haven't been too bad.

BKK airport is fine for arrivals and departures but it is woeful for transit passengers as the transfer desks are miles from the gates. If you are flying back from a regional airport to catch a flight home don't try to do a tight connection.

I'd also echo the taxi comments. The new airport train may be fine if you are travelling light and are a Bangkok expert but if you have cases and it's your first time in the city then get a taxi. Actually, the first time I went to Bangkok I treated myself to a chauefeur driven Merc arranged through the hotel. It only cost about $20 at the time but I imagine it would be much more expensive now.

PompeyPete

Doshwaster wrote: »

When the new airport opened the queues were horrendous but the last two times I have been through they haven't been too bad

It all depends on how many of those big big birds hit the tarmac at about the same time rather than the time of day.

KimmyCustard

Be careful if the boys decide to visit one of the 'ladyboy/stripper' establishments in BKK! They are free to go into but apparently they charge approx £10 for a beer and the little Thai 'heavies' get very upset when you complain and try to leave! For this reason, we avoided such places but were offered menus in the streets outside, from ping-pong girls to banana action etc :eek:

Try the fried insects stalls, hilarious.

Definitely hone the bartering skills for the night markets and NEVER accept their 3rd price! Dont let them go to a cash machine with you either.....

We stayed at the Bel-Air Princess on Sukhumvit Rd Soi 5 for about £22 per person per night, including breakfast. Its very central to all the action but you can take the metro to other places in BKK as well. The Golden Palace is great as is Wat Pho where the reclining buddha lies. All near to each other. Take the water bus along the Chao Phraya river for about £2.

Krabi main town is very commercialised but there are some very pretty areas, you can have a massage on the beach, feed the wild monkeys, take a longboat over to Railay Beach (beautiful and where The Beach was filmed). The Thai food is great, the best prawns are in an outdoor place covered with blue umberellas (in Krabi), the chef is a HUGE Thai lady who makes the best garlic prawns for £3 each. Avoid the loo there if poss, very scary........

Cullumpster

oohh what is wrong with the 3rd price?

totallybored

Doshwaster wrote: »

Yes, I think they have improved - though obviously it depends on the time of day you arrive. When the new airport opened the queues were horrendous but the last two times I have been through they haven't been too bad.

Queues were horrendous when I was there last month, took well over an hour to get through it. I landed at 8am on a Saturday morning.

Cullumpster

would it be cheaper for them to buy their sun cream etc out there or is it more expensive? also what was that about the third price, is it something I should warn him about or is it just general bartering? thanks for all of the info guys x

Cullumpster

any other info would be brilliant thanks we're checking forums every day, volcano permitting he's flying on Sunday