Thailand Trip Idea

cherabelle

Hi All,

Wondered if anyone had any experience of touring Thailand?

There is 4/5 of us hoping to go next year possibly November time (we are flexible as to when is best to go). Ideally the length will be about 14 days but may be willing to stretch to 3 weeks if we can get really good deals and it fits our budget. Initially the plan was to go to just one place or a twin centre such as Phucket and Koh Samui but now we are thinking maybe enjoy of much as the place as possible.

We want a relaxing holiday so don't want to travel to a new place everyday but would also like to take in some culture as well. Fitting in some sights such as the Cave of Hearts, a beautiful unspoilt "beachy" area and hopefully an elephant rescue centre/ Jungle Safari.

If anyone has any ideas for a trip or have got an itinerary they have done so we can get some ideas that would be brilliant.

Thanks :-)

Cherabelle.

DomRavioli

Have you tried STA travel? They do some great far eastern getaways.

Doshwaster

So many options...

2 weeks may sounds a long time but you'll be amazed how quickly it passes so while touring the country might sound a good idea you really don't want to spend most of your time travelling.

It would seem a shame to go to Thailand and not spend 2 or 3 nights in Bangkok either at the start or end of the trip. It really is one of the craziest cities in the world.

I would do Phuket and Samui as they are probably a little too similar and are two of the most expensive parts of Thailand. Samui is a little cheaper but it is catching up with Phuket.

One suggestion would be: 3 nights Bangkok, 4-5 in Chiang Mai/Northern Thailand and then go Samui or Phuket for a week but there are dozens of other possibilities. For somewhere a quieter look at Krabi.

Have a search on past threads about Thailand as it is a topic which comes up regularly.

lovesgshp

I agree with Doshwaster, that 2 weeks is pretty short, especially if you want to see more of the country.
For 3 weeks I would probably do this:
I day/night in Bangkok to get over your initial flight.
Flight from Bangkok with airasia to Chaing Rai ( better place than Chiang Mai ).
Stay Chiang Rai, first night, then lookat booking this place for a few days. Wife has stayed there and enjoyed it.

http://www.akhahill.com/chiangraitrekking.htm

She then hired a car and went off to the Golden Triangle border areas, stayed around there for another 3 days, so first weeks gone.

Return to Bangkok, then you have a choice. You could fly with air asia to Phuket, or Bangkok Airways to Kho Samui. I prefer KS to be honest.

Kho Samui to Bangkok for 3 or 4 nights.

http://www.airasia.com/ot/en/where-we-fly/route-map.page

cherabelle

Thanks for your help everyone. I am going to contact STA and Travelbag see if they can have an idea. I have heard several people suggest Chang Rai so it must be worth a look into. I best get a map out. :-)

Thanks C xx

PompeyPete

Instead of either Chiang Mai or Chiang Mai, have a look at Nong Khai.

It's a lovely laid back border town, sat on the Meekong River in the North East of the country, on the Thai/Laos border. A great place to chill for a few days is...

http://www.mutmee.com/

A fun way to get to Nong Khai is on the overnight sleeper train from Bangkok.

Also have a look at Kanchanaburi for a bit of WWII history, culture, and fantastic scenery...

http://www.seat61.com/Bridge-on-the-River-Kwai.htm#.U-n17uNdVEw

When you stay in Bangkok, pick a hotel close to the Skytrain (BTS), Underground (MRT), or the river. You'll find it much easier to get about being close to public transport, but try and avoid the public buses, taxis or tuks tuks as the Bangkok roads can be manic and slow going.

Like Doshwaster wrote, two weeks will flash by.

mvteng

As everyone has said 2 weeks isnt long.

Personally I would do something like this

Arrive Bangkok 3 days
Chiang Ria - 3 days
Bus from Chiang Ria to Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai - 3 days
internal flight to Samui
Samui - 3 days
back up to bangkok for a final night before your flight home

Personally I found Samui had not that much to do (except lying about on the beach). If I was doing it myself I would ignore Samui & spend extra time in Bangkok region & Kanchanaburi, but I'm not really a beach person

Voyager2002

A few hours in Bangkok is likely to be enough...

paddyrg

Goodness, I usually allow a week or so to get over the jet lag! I wouldn't be in a rush the first few days, you'll be in all kinds of places, timezones, sleep etc.

Doshwaster

mvteng wrote: »

As everyone has said 2 weeks isnt long.

Personally I would do something like this

Arrive Bangkok 3 days
Chiang Ria - 3 days
Bus from Chiang Ria to Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai - 3 days
internal flight to Samui
Samui - 3 days
back up to bangkok for a final night before your flight home

That's pretty good route for a Thailand first timer, though if you want more beach time then I'd choose either Chiang Mai or Rai and extended the time on Samui. I'm not one for laying on the beach all day either but there are still plenty of things to do.

The flights to Samui will put a dent into your budget as Bangkok Airlines has a virtual monopoly on the rote so I'm not sure it would be worth going for just 3 days.

jtr2803

We did khao lak (an hour north of phuket) which had lovely beaches and was hassle free along with a few nights in a tree house in khao sok, which was stunning.

You could easily add Bangkok to that and stay longer in each place maybe? We only went for 11 nights and could have stayed ages, we will definitely be going back and have longer travel plans on the cards.