Thailand - where's good destination for a couple?

[bainbridge]

Hi GD

The reason I'm posting here is because many of you lot are very well travelled and as well as doing my own research I'd be interested in the views of those of you that have been there. We're looking for a sunshine destination for the end of April next year and after visiting lots of Europe together the time has come to go further afield. Now, I'd stay in a mud hut and sleep on straw if I had to, but the GF is very westernised, she won't be keen on roughing it and I want to avoid backpacking hostel-type places and stick to chain-hotel type places if we can, though we haven't got loads of money. I'm sure she'll love it, provided I get it right..

Here's the plan:

• Get a flight to Bankok. I figured that if we go to Thailand we must see the capital, plus I'd like to watch a fight there at the stadium if possible. Also maybe spend a day fishing in one of the lakes too while the GF sunbathes.

• Spend 1-2 nights there and then travel to a quietish beach resort. I have no idea where to go but we're both early 40s and prefer a relaxing day on the beach followed by a nice meal at a restaurant, rather than getting wrecked and partying with gogo dancers and ladyboys. Also I'm not sure if we'd have to get another flight to get from Bankok to our beach destination or whether we'd need to get a coach, or even if a hire car is a viable option.

• Come home. I don't know if we could get a flight back to the UK from another Thai airport or whether it's best to make our way back to the capital.

The final thing is I like fishing and the GF loves to sunbathe, so if someone could suggest a beach destination which has good beaches for both sunbathing and some shore fishing that'll be great

PS if I could do this for 2k that'll be amazing

Suggestions and comments most welcome.

Thanks

 

[killem]

Bangkok then Krabi.

or Bangkok then Hua Hin if you want somewhere nearer bangkok.

Direct flights are around £530-540 so 900 ish will get you good hotels there. I got the Hilton in Hua hin last year for £80 a night but you can get good places a lot cheaper than that in Thailand.

As for night life Pattaya is the only place in thailand that the vice is in your face. yes there is other areas with gogo bars etc but you will have to go looking for those areas and being with your GF you will be left alone in these areas.

 

[Ahleckz]

Fly into fly into Bangkok, few days there.
Air Asia flight to Koh Samui. It’s quite built up, but some nice resorts and got a good buzz to it. Spend a few days there and then get the ferry to Koh Tao. It’s beautiful, not very built up, known for its diving (gives out the second most PADI licenses after the Great Barrier Reef) And should be great for sun bathing and fishing.

Return to Samui, or visit other islands and then either head back to Bangkok or go to Phi Phi for a few days and then go back to Bangkok. Alternatively fly to chaing Mai from samui and enjoy the jungle for a few days.

3 nights Bangkok, 7 nights or so on the islands and then end up in Chaing Mai in the north of the country for some jungle exploring for a few nights and fly back to Bangkok for your flight home sounds great to me!

AirAsia are a budget airline but they are fantastic, and cheap! You should be able to on get return flights to bangkok for £400 from UK and internal flights shouldn’t be much.

Avoid Phuket and Pattaya.

 

[KubyNeeTees]

Bangkok and then Koh Phangan. I've stayed twice in the Santhiya resort and both times it was utterly amazing.

 

[VincentHanna]

Khao Lak

A few years ago we stayed at a hotel there for 6 nights. There were 6 or 7 independent restaurants on the beach, all were great. Hotel was very chilled

 

[tres]

Bangkok then the Chumphon Archipelago - Koh Phangan, Ko Tao, Koh Samui

Nicer than Krabi/Phuket. Has beaches, inland adventures, plenty of nice quiet areas and/or nightlife if you wish. Diving is superb.
Avoid Pattaya, it's scum.

 

[Ahleckz]

9th April - 24th April

Bristol (13.45) - Bangkok (09.35 on 10th)
£495 (KLM) - You can save £70 per person if you can fly from Heathrow.

12th April
Bangkok - Surat Thani (then need to get the ferry to Samui). Explore Samui/Tao/Phangan. Great beaches, diving, kayaking, etc.
£50 (Air Asia)

20th April
Surat Thani - Chiang Mai. Jungles, and a beautiful city.
£44 (Air Asia)

23rd April
Chaing Mai - Bangkok. Final day in Bangkok, watch a fight. Go home.
£31 (Air Asia)

Done.

 

[killem]

If you have not been to Bangkok before then 1-2 nights is not long enough to do it justice. I would do a few nights when you fly into Thailand and a few nights before you leave.

 

[killem]

9th April - 24th April

Bristol (13.45) - Bangkok (09.35 on 10th)
£495 (KLM) - You can save £70 per person if you can fly from Heathrow.

12th April
Bangkok - Surat Thani (then need to get the ferry to Samui). Explore Samui/Tao/Phangan. Great beaches, diving, kayaking, etc.
£50 (Air Asia)

20th April
Surat Thani - Chiang Mai. Jungles, and a beautiful city.
£44 (Air Asia)

23rd April
Chaing Mai - Bangkok. Final day in Bangkok, watch a fight. Go home.
£31 (Air Asia)

Done.

Just a heads up the airasia flights charge upto £20 a flight extra for 20kg checked bagage. I have Just booked Bangkok - Chiang mai return with them in november then going to Siem riep in cambodia from Bangkok return and it was £155 for each flight return with 20kg baggage.

 

[Ahleckz]

Just a heads up the airasia flights charge upto £20 a flight extra for 20kg checked bagage. I have Just booked Bangkok - Chiang mai return with them in november then going to Siem riep in cambodia from Bangkok return and it was £155 for each flight return with 20kg baggage.

GOod point. I have just checked and it's showing £10 for 20kg or £14 for seat selection, a bag and a meal.

 

[Infiniteey]

GOod point. I have just checked and it's showing £10 for 20kg or £14 for seat selection, a bag and a meal.

Lol at least its not as bad as Ryanair

 

[killem]

GOod point. I have just checked and it's showing £10 for 20kg or £14 for seat selection, a bag and a meal.

Its only 1 hour flight and even a 195cm tall person like me can cope with a cramped seat and no meal for that duration. Cost for mine is probably high due to the proximity to the flight time. Booking this far out looks a lot cheaper.

 

[A2Z]

Thailand is somewhere to go when you are single so you can enjoy as many of the local delights as you want.

Going with a girlfriend seems like such a waste to me.

 

[Ahleckz]

Thailand is somewhere to go when you are single so you can enjoy as many of the local delights as you want.

Going with a girlfriend seems like such a waste to me.

Some people don't like giving their money to pimps and encouraging an industry hell bent on exploitation and human slavery. But you know, each to their own.

 

[killem]

Just to give the OP some idea of what you can get for your money in South east asia this is a breakdown for my trip in 3 weeks time.

Flight London - Bangkok with Thai airways £540
2 nights at https://www.expedia.co.uk/Bangkok-H...110&top_cur=GBP&rfrr=HSR&pwa_ts=1571076703739 £100
Fly to Chiang Mai £155 return
4 nights at https://www.expedia.co.uk/Chiang-Ma...L-HERO-EN-GB_S2-P12_POS0_LNK24&rfrr=AB.5037.1 £152
Return to Bangkok and fly out 3 hours later to Siem Riep in Cambodia £155 return flight.
4nights at https://www.expedia.co.uk/Siem-Reap...L-HERO-EN-GB_S2-P12_POS0_LNK24&rfrr=AB.5037.1 £212
Return Bangkok
Spend the last 3 nights at https://www.expedia.co.uk/Bangkok-H...L-HERO-EN-GB_S2-P12_POS0_LNK24&rfrr=AB.5037.1 £347 but for a 5* place that is a very good price.

Total cost for 2 of us is £2511 but we booked on Expedia where one cash back site was offering 10% cash back for a 12 hour period on any hotel bookings so we saved £80 from that price.

 

[killem]

Some people don't like giving their money to pimps and encouraging an industry hell bent on exploitation and human slavery. But you know, each to their own.

Not very true about the avarage bar girl or freelancer in Thailand but I can see where you are coming from. Most are single mothers from poorer areas of thailand and Loas who send the money back to support thier family and child back in their home town. I spent 5 days in pattaya last year and It is not my kind of place. If you apply your comments to The Russian owned Gogos you would be spot on.

 

[Greeny93]

Not much of a poster, but logged in to add my two cents.

Bangkok is an incredible experience but as others have mentioned, impossible to do it justice in two days. However, it will give you enough of a glimpse to determine if you'd want to go back to do it properly.

Beach destination, everybody has their own opinions and you can't really go wrong anywhere in Thailand, but I would always suggest the further you venture from the touristy areas the better, more authentic and raw experience you'll have.

With that said, the popular Phuket and Krabi do have great areas (ao nang in Krabi and Ban kata khiri in Phuket for example) so don't be put off from these relatively easy to get to places.

However, for me, Ko Lanta is one of the best places I've ever been and couldn't recommend it highly enough. About 2 hours ferry / taxi from Krabi.

The place is very much untouched for the most part with only half the island having proper roads. Its the perfect balance of bars on the beach with fire breathers etc. But equally you can have a beach to yourself if you drive 10 minutes down the road. The night markets are the best I've ever seen, incredibly authentic and beautiful.

We were paying £5/ day for moped hire, £25 a night for a really lovely detached villa, and night markets evening meals were sub £1.

You'll have a great time wherever you end up, though. Just my two cents.

 

[JBuk]

phiphi island is nice but really good accommodation is limited and expensive , there’s some reasonably cheap places but will be very basic

Koh Samui , nice enough in parts but although I’ve been twice to Chaweng and tbh I’m not keen on it, there’s much nicer places although at £35 a night for a small resort villa with a pool that no one else seemed to go to was a bargain

Phuket, I’ve only been to Patong and I’m going back in a few weeks, hired a private villa with pool. Like many Thai tourist areas it has its seedy parts but they’re easily avoided . The beach is nice but very crowded

Bangkok - been loads , mainly on short stop overs . They’res some really good hotels in Bangkok at decent rates , it may be worth considering staying longer in Bangkok as it’s huge and so much to see

Also consider going a few weeks earlier as the weather will slowly start changing in April gradually getting wetter

 

[Rannoch]

Not very true about the avarage bar girl or freelancer in Thailand but I can see where you are coming from. Most are single mothers from poorer areas of thailand and Loas who send the money back to support thier family and child back in their home town. I spent 5 days in pattaya last year and It is not my kind of place. If you apply your comments to The Russian owned Gogos you would be spot on.

Yeah those Ruskies are a nightmare. My brother has had a few run ins with them.

 

[bainbridge]

Thanks everyone for your responses, very much appreciated and thanks to Ahleckz and killem for the detail

That's plenty of food for thought, I really like the idea of catching a ferry out to a quieter place to stay. One thing I didn't note was that as far as innoculations are concerned I've had jabs galore for different places but the GF hasn't had any since school, also I'm pretty sure she wouldn't like the way Malaria tabs make most people feel so it'll need to me somewhere not too remote.

We'll be flying out from Heathrow, I ran it through sky scanner and flights outbound Heathrow > Bangkok, 3 day stopover then Bangkok > Phuket, then the return flight to Heathrow via Bangkok costs £1148 with Thai airways via a 3rd party agent, or £1244 direct with the airline (I also ran the price through the Thai airline website and it was exactly the same). The Thai airline site advises tax, meals and 30kg baggage per person is included so I'm inclined to book direct. Air asia is a good shout, I'll have to see if using them for an internal flight can trim things down a bit.

What about flying to Bangkok for a couple of days, then flying down to Phuket and getting a ferry somewhere nice to stay for the duration, then heading back direct? I must admit all these place names are new to me