Thailand, Koh Chang and Chiang Mai ?

quidsy

I just came back from Koh Chang & have to say, althoughi t was lovely, I wont be going back, deathtrap mountain roads, take a long time to get anywhere & once there, not that much to do.

I will stick with Samui, Samet or Phuket in future.

CM is great for a few days, it is a small city & although lots to do there is limitations to the amount of elephant rides you can do.

vegasvisitor

sarah69696pink wrote: »

Lesley I LOVE Bangkok - one of my fave cities in the world and could happily spend over a week there - but also love the sea, so have split my breaks on my last two Thailand visits - this thread is helpful for me as when we go next year I want to venture somewhere totally new - possibly Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai area.
I've stayed in various places in BKK and personally like the riverside area - if you get a river view that alone can be fascinating to sit and watch with a nice cool drink
I too am veggie and can recommend the Loy Nava cruise - their veggie food was lovely. One tip I would say is clarify everything you are served in hotels etc - the Hilton have given me both chicken and foie gras as veggie options (because they are not beef!) generally though everywhere has been fine and there are lots of veggie streetfood options like pad thai and spring rolls....I also did a cookery class that was brilliant and they happily amended all the food for me to be able to cook veggie options.
There is loads to do in BKK itself and lots of day trips you can go to from there too - enjoy!

I'm so pleased to read this Sarah :j

I'm hoping that the Riverside area will give us just enough peace and quiet to enjoy the pool etc as well. The hotel pool overlooks the river, and I had already heard that the riverwatching is an experience in itself so we have booked a riverview room - so it's great you agree on that!

We will also have a balcony. We did wonder about upgrading to a club room (£30 per night, with canapes, soft drinks and alcohol 530-730). It sounded good at first, but we did this when we were in Malta earlier this year. Similarly it included 2 hours of alcohol and it was the same times as well, but we found we'd try to have a few drinks to make the most of it, and then not enjoy our dinner properly and had soft drinks with dinner due already having had wine. We also already have breakfast so we won't benefit from that. It sounds good, but I think we'll end up trying to make the most of it and the timings maybe aren't the best.

I believe wine is quite expensive, perhaps we will try to take a couple of bottles (maybe from duty free in Dubai, as I'm not sure we can take it through Dubai from the UK), and hubby can also get beer easily enough over there and we can have an occasional drink on the balcony watching the river.

Doshwaster

lesley74 wrote: »

I believe wine is quite expensive, perhaps we will try to take a couple of bottles (maybe from duty free in Dubai, as I'm not sure we can take it through Dubai from the UK), and hubby can also get beer easily enough over there and we can have an occasional drink on the balcony watching the river.

Yes, wine is fairly expensive in Thailand as it is all imported. If you like a tipple then save the wine drinking for special treats and learn to develop a taste for domestic Thai beer and spirits (Thai "whisky", which is actually rum, is very cheap but it is an acquired taste)

PompeyPete

We stayed at the Navalai River Resort in Bangkok a couple of years ago which had a direct river-view balcony, which was great, but was it really that necessary?

Earlier this year we stayed about a hundred yards away at the New Siam Riverside, and didn't bother with a balcony.

Each hotel has a pool and both have riverside terraces. So tbh you get all the river views sat on the terrace, so paying extra for a balcony wasn't really a justifiable expense imo.

Both the hotels I've mentioned are in Banglamphu, not far from Khao San Road and a lot of the major sights. The public river ferry stops at Pier 13 right outside The Navalai.

We've stayed in several area of Bangkok over the years, and Banglamphu is where we'll always stay from now on, and the New Siam Riverside offers the best value of anywhere we've stayed in Bangkok.

My favourite destinations in Thailand are Nong Khai which sits on the Meekong right by the Thai/Laos border, Prachuap Khiri Khan which is about 50 miles south of Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi [Bridge of the River Kwai] which is a couple of hours west of Bangkok, and Ayutthaya the old capital of Siam.

I think that Chiang Mai is too much like a mini Bangkok, and the air is too polluted. To really enjoy Chiang Mai you need to get out of town and explore a bit.

Heliflyguy

Doshwaster wrote: »

Yes, wine is fairly expensive in Thailand as it is all imported.

We covered this before maybe you forgot but Thailand produces its own wines too.

NiftyDigits

lesley74 wrote: »

I'm so pleased to read this Sarah :j

I'm hoping that the Riverside area will give us just enough peace and quiet to enjoy the pool etc as well. The hotel pool overlooks the river, and I had already heard that the riverwatching is an experience in itself so we have booked a riverview room - so it's great you agree on that!

We will also have a balcony. We did wonder about upgrading to a club room (£30 per night, with canapes, soft drinks and alcohol 530-730). It sounded good at first, but we did this when we were in Malta earlier this year. Similarly it included 2 hours of alcohol and it was the same times as well, but we found we'd try to have a few drinks to make the most of it, and then not enjoy our dinner properly and had soft drinks with dinner due already having had wine. We also already have breakfast so we won't benefit from that. It sounds good, but I think we'll end up trying to make the most of it and the timings maybe aren't the best.

I believe wine is quite expensive, perhaps we will try to take a couple of bottles (maybe from duty free in Dubai, as I'm not sure we can take it through Dubai from the UK), and hubby can also get beer easily enough over there and we can have an occasional drink on the balcony watching the river.

Put it in your hold luggage from the UK. Your luggage will be checked all the way through, so it's not a problem.

But, there is Customs and Excise in Thailand. The official limit is a litre each of alcohol. Wrap it in bubble wrap and seal it in plastic bags, so that if there is an accident, it won't damage your other belongings.

Look here if you like your wine...

vegasvisitor

That's interesting that website. Looks like wine might be about £8 upwards per bottle, I can deal with that if I buy a couple of bottles for the room. I might just consider packing two bottles in my hold luggage though. That way I get the type I want, and no hassle of finding it in a shop when I get there. My husband will drink beer (I believe there is a heineken brewery in Bangkok, and he often likes local beers when on holiday anyway. I don't like beer at all, so am unlikely to acquire a taste for that :rotfl: I wonder what local cocktails might be like in bars though?

I'm also going to look up the dinner cruise that was recommended....thanks all :beer:

Doshwaster

lesley74 wrote: »

I wonder what local cocktails might be like in bars though?

Depends on what kind of bars you go to. In the more touristy/backpacker places they are very strong and are often served in buckets.

Try the Golf Bar on Khao San Road:
http://edwud.com/ed-okeeffe-photography/2012/08/16/golf-bar-on-khaosan-road-bangkok