Advice about holiday ing in thailand

CharlieRabbit01

Hi Pete we fancy somewhere different. Been to lots of beach places Europe.

We normally go for culture but this year fancy somewhere hot and beachy but also where we can eat local cuisine not just British food abroad.

We're looking for a nice white sandy beach and clear seas not pebble and shingle.

I am open to other suggestions

Leanne1812

I've been to Thailand a few times. Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Ko Lanta & Koh Samui. I have no desire to go back. I think there's far better places in Asia as in beaches & value for money.

If you're set on Thailand I'd probably say Koh Samui fits the bill best for most beach goers who like some nightlife too. I've been to Krabi and it was ok but not a lot to do by way of evening entertainment. I don't even mean nightclubbing just a few nice bars & restaurants. Bophut is nice & depending on budget The Hansar is a lovely hotel in a great location. No need to go all inclusive, it's cheap as chips to eat out though any drink besides beer is probably comparable with prices in the uk. Quite a few places have happy hour which helps.

My favourite places so far are Borneo & Vietnam (Hoi An). If you look at Travelbag website you'll be hard pushed to beat their hotel prices. I've been to Borneo twice & stayed in different hotels. The Tanjung Aru Hotel was terrific, great resort, very small beach but take the speedboat over to the islands and it's bliss. Some great sightseeing & excursions too.

Penang in Malaysia may be worth a thought too. Plenty to do on the island but you can't swim in the sea as there's a lot of jellyfish.

It is a long way to travel though for only 7 nights.

*Just read you want white sandy beach, Bophut is coarse sand. The only thing I didn't like about the area.

**You'll spend almost a day travelling each way so you'll need to account for 9 days/nights if you want 7 days holiday. Jetlag can be difficult too, usually takes me a couple of days to acclimatise. Many nights I've been sat on a balcony at 4am wide awake :-)

Leanne1812

PompeyPete wrote: »

If all you want is a beach, then why fly all that way?

Been going to most of SE Asia for the last 20 years, never for less than 3 weeks at a time [to justify the travel], and never with a beach holiday in mind, apart rom Khao Lak last year, which was nothing like real Thailand and was really boring.

Wonderful country, but there are better beach destinations closer to home

I feel the same about Khao Lak, we had a nice time and it was very relaxing but I've no desire to return.

PompeyPete

Bali.

Split your time with Sanur for the beach, and Ubud for the culture and the wonderful colours.

Wherever you go that's popular with Westerners in SE Asia the prices will generally be higher, and the food tamed down. Venture off the beaten tourist track and the opportuities quickly open up.

If you've only got a week or so you can't beat the Bodrum Peninsula down the Turkish Aegean Coast. Great breaches, wonderful scenery, easy to reach, lovely people, unbeatable vfm.

PompeyPete

Leanne1812 wrote: »

I feel the same about Khao Lak, we had a nice time and it was very relaxing but I've no desire to return.

Yep, it's definitely over hyped on Trip Advisor. But people seem to be reeled in by the hype.

CharlieRabbit01

We did see some amazing deals for what we are looking for in turkey but I've a fear of flying and parts of turkey are essential travel only so I'd rather avoid there.

I don't let my fear stop me from flying but if I can minimise risk I feel better.

I know the stats etc but I feel why fly there when there is a risk when I could go elsewhere and there isn't.

I hadn't considered jet lag etc. Lots of the packages were for a week.

It's why I came for advice really it's a different kind of holiday to our usual. But that's what we fancy this year just relaxing on the beach, the last time I did that was 12 years ago to bodrum a package deal through Thomson.

If you have other European suggestions please do share.

We don't need full on culture just not Britain abroad if you know what I mean.

eDicky

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

I know the stats etc but I feel why fly there when there is a risk when I could go elsewhere and there isn't.

I hadn't considered jet lag etc.

Although security precautions have been superficially improved since the 'Erawan bomb' last year, don't imagine that long-haul to Thailand escapes all risk. It's certainly a long way to go just for a few days on the beach, perhaps you should consider saving SE Asia for when you have more time and more interest in all the other things it has to offer.

NiftyDigits

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

We did see some amazing deals for what we are looking for in turkey but I've a fear of flying and parts of turkey are essential travel only so I'd rather avoid there.

I don't let my fear stop me from flying but if I can minimise risk I feel better.

I know the stats etc but I feel why fly there when there is a risk when I could go elsewhere and there isn't.

I hadn't considered jet lag etc. Lots of the packages were for a week.

It's why I came for advice really it's a different kind of holiday to our usual. But that's what we fancy this year just relaxing on the beach, the last time I did that was 12 years ago to bodrum a package deal through Thomson.

If you have other European suggestions please do share.

We don't need full on culture just not Britain abroad if you know what I mean.

You don't need a package. Go for a minimum of two weeks or you will just spend your time acclimatising or getting ready to leave.
Flights in May can be as low as £350 per person.Direct, around £450. Though I don't necessarily prefer the direct option, as it's too long. I prefer two shorter flights. Budget £40 per night for accommodation and you'll be fine. £560 for fourteen nights of accomm. £700 to £1000(to include internal) for flights. You can bring that in lower, but just giving you an idea.

Voyager2002

CharlieRabbit01 wrote: »

We did see some amazing deals for what we are looking for in turkey but I've a fear of flying and parts of turkey are essential travel only so I'd rather avoid there.

I don't let my fear stop me from flying but if I can minimise risk I feel better.

I know the stats etc but I feel why fly there when there is a risk when I could go elsewhere and there isn't.

I hadn't considered jet lag etc. Lots of the packages were for a week.

It's why I came for advice really it's a different kind of holiday to our usual. But that's what we fancy this year just relaxing on the beach, the last time I did that was 12 years ago to bodrum a package deal through Thomson.

If you have other European suggestions please do share.

We don't need full on culture just not Britain abroad if you know what I mean.

A couple of points:

Just because some parts of Turkey are risky does not mean that the whole country is: the best advice is that the tourist regions are safe;
And if you dislike flying, why go somewhere that requires a very long flight? What you want can be found around the Mediterranean: you might consider Puglia in Italy as well as the obvious candidates like Croatia; Greek islands; coastal Spain...

And as others have said, I would not consider such a long journey for less than two weeks.

NiftyDigits

Voyager2002 wrote: »

A couple of points:

Just because some parts of Turkey are risky does not mean that the whole country is: the best advice is that the tourist regions are safe;
And if you dislike flying, why go somewhere that requires a very long flight? What you want can be found around the Mediterranean: you might consider Puglia in Italy as well as the obvious candidates like Croatia; Greek islands; coastal Spain...

And as others have said, I would not consider such a long journey for less than two weeks.

Some of the places mentioned ma not be suitable for a beachfront type holiday in May. But if 1 week is all that is available, they should forget about Thailand. If just a matter of budget, as I've illustrated, £900pp can easily cover the travel and accommodation. for two weeks.