thailand multi centre ideas

shinhead

looking to go next march for 2 weeks + any links or trips you have been on any tips would be appreciated do not want to do any cooking lol

thanx doshwaster some great tips there budget is around £1600 each for 2 peeps 3 * and up
things we want :beer:to do

Patara Elephant Farm, Chiang Mai

Doshwaster

If you have 2 weeks in Thailand I wouldn't recommend trying to do more than 3 places otherwise you just spend too much time travelling and not enough time holidaying.

I've done several trips to Thailand but I think my favourite one was a 2 week 3 centre trip to Bangkok (3 night), Chiang Mai (4 nights) and Karon, Phuket (5 nights)

Two or three nights is enough for any trip to Bangkok. There are loads to to do but it is a city best done in small doses before you need to escape the traffic, noise and pollution. Don't try to do everything in one trip as you are sure to be back another day.

You can take the sleeper train up to Chiang Mai but it is cheaper and quicker to fly. I love CM, the traffic is hectic but otherwise it's a very relaxed place. There's lots of tours (including the elephant farms, see http://www.chiangmai.bangkok.com/tours/) during the day and the night markets are excellent.

By now you'll be ready for the beach so take your pick of a resort. Phuket is the easiest to get to as there is a direct flight from CM. On Phuket, I find the main Patong resort to be too wild for me but there are other parts of the island such as Karon and Kata which are much quieter - and cheaper. Don't make the mistake of thinking Patong = Phuket, that's like saying Spain = Benidorm. The region around Phuket is fantastic for day trips see (http://www.phuket.com/tours/10mustdo.htm)

After that, fly back to Bangkok and onwards to home.

If Phuket sounds too touristy for you then there are lots of smaller destinations to discover. There are plenty of Thailand regulars on this forum so if you can say what sort of accommodation you like, and your budget, then you'll get lots of advice. The beauty of Thailand is that you can just as easily spend £20 a night as £200.

shudd1967

Chiang Mai is lovely but please don't do the elephant farms, if you want to see the elephants and know they are being treated well go to the Elephant Nature park (pretty sure thats the name). You can wash them in the river and feed them but not ride them. They are all rescued elephants. Remember in Thailand an elephant has no rights, they are not suppoed to be in the city centres to beg but they are sadly. Take a look on youtube and search under elephant training Thailand and you will see some horrific images that made us not go to anywhere else but the rescue centre.

Highly recommend staying in Khao Lak for the relaxing bit of the holiday. Do the Surin Islands trip, it is just amazing, the underwater life around the protected islands is just stunning. The scenery is breathtaking.

If you do Bangkok I recommend an acompanied tour. I cannot remember who we used and they were amazing. Its on the tripadvisor forums, something like Kung tours? We booked for a 1 day tour saying what we wanted, private mini bus (4 of us so very comfy) and ended up booking for a second day to be taken to the best places to shop and not be ripped off plus a few other places we hadn't even thought of.

Thailand is beautiful!

shudd1967

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/

shinhead

thanx will check out the links some great info cheers

littlereddevil

Hua Hin is nice , only about a 2.5 hour transfer by road

shinhead

not happy with flights back from phuket got to pitstop maybe have a few days in dubai or ? on way back

budget is know £2000 each after a bit of a look around

shudd1967

I found Trailfinders were brilliant and I don't think I would have saved any money doing it myself. I don't believe there are any direct flights from Uk to Phuket (could be wrong). We did 3 nights in Bangkokj, 3 nights Chiang mai and then 6 nights in Khao Lak.

The connections from phuket to bangkok were unbelievebly simple. flew with Eva air internationally. Can't remember who internal flighst were for internals, Bangkok airlines or Thai airways - mind you they were all good.

Doshwaster

shinhead wrote: »

not happy with flights back from phuket got to pitstop maybe have a few days in dubai or ? on way back

Dubai is a good option. Talk to Emirates as they usually have some very good stopover packages (see http://www.emirates.com/english/destinations_offers/dubai_stopovers/dubai_stopovers.aspx). Even if you don't want a stopover in Dubai, Emirates are still a good option. Phuket to BKK on Thai then back to the UK on Emirates is a well beaten track. I prefer it to flying BKK-UK non-stop as you get to stretch your legs half way and their A380 service is fantastic.

shinhead

thank you all so much the links and general info is making our choices so much easier

plz keep it coming looking to book around new year ish

PompeyPete

3 nights BKK, staying either close to the river, or near the sky train.

3 nights Kanchanaburi. Get the early morning 3rd Class only train from Thonburi train station. Lovely, atmospheric trip.
Stay in Kanchanaburi village. One day early bus to Hell Fire Pass just past Nam Tok. Bus back to Nam Tok, lunch. Then take the Death Railway back to Kanchanaburi, and wander round the Bridge over the River Kwai.
Hire a pushbike for a day, and ride around the quiet flat lands, visit the pristine, atmospheric Commonwealth War Cemetaries, and museums.

Train back to BKK. Overnight sleeper train to Nong Khai.
Spend a few days relaxing in Nong Khai, a laid back frontier town on the Meekong right opposite Laos. It's a bit like Chiang Mai, but much smaller and without the zillions of 2 and 4 strokes which (imo) ruin the place and make crossing the road a perilous occupation! You can cross the Friendship Bridge into Laos and spend a day in the capital Vientiene (but you'll need to fork out a visa, which for a day trip isn't really worth the expense).

Then back to BKK for the last night or 2.