Tips on Thailand holiday

miracleboy

miracleboy

miracleboy

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Mrs Miracleboy and I are thinking of going to Thailand in August - never been before so don't really know a whole lot about it.

We're looking for 2 weeks, somewhere really nice possibly fully inclusive - money not an issue within reason.

She mentioned Phuket she has seen in her magazines, is this any good? I only remember the name from the tsunami. :(

Any advice greatly received - please assume no knowledge, on weather in August, places to stay, visit etc.

Will research myself in the meantime, but interested in any personal experiences.

Cheers
 
I'll most likely be there in September or so, and have a number of friends who have been and will be giving advice on where to visit, stay, etc, etc. Unfortunately I haven't chased them much yet, or really absorbed much of what they have told me since it's quite a while to go.

However, I wouldn't worry about money. Once you've got yourselves there, everything is apparently dirt cheap - just go a little away from the really touristy areas (which are cheap anyway) I think phuket is good, although I believe very busy as well. I've been recommended somewhere else, the name of which escapes me for now.
 
depends are you after luxury or adventure?

Luxury -> fly to bangkok
then fly to either phuket or koh samui from there.

Koh Samui is a lovely island slightly overrun by tourism now, phuket is on the opposite coast and is also very touristy. However both will provide the large resort full inclusive package you are after.

A bit more adventure but with similar luxury is
Koh Phangan - Thong nai Pan Noi
You can stay here which is very nice
http://www.phangan.info/index.cfm?a...02ea8e8f9-BD187F25-BCCA-7240-91251510A97DE180


However, thong nai pan noi may not provide you with a similar clientele, as the majority of other accommodation is backpackers.
 
have been ta BKK twice , if you go stay in the sukhumvit area not siam sq, the commercial centre is jus like any other big city but sukhumvit is mental

I have stayed in the Landmark and the Majestic Grande and both are fine

been to Phuket twice too, staying at Le Meridein both times ( last time was about 6 weeks ago ) , nice hotel and well located ( out of the way in the day with private beach etc and close enough to the big resorts for night time )

Phuket is very commercial but still a fantastic place



a tip for you, take an unlocked mobile with you and buy a Thai PAYG sim ( 1-2-call is the best ) , dial international using 007 instead of + and calling the uk costs 15p per min
 
miracleboy said:
What's the best airline to get there with? We normally travel with Virgin Atlantic (not sure if they go there). I guess BA, Singapore Airlines, Qantas?
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Eva are great for flying to Bangkok, their evergreen class is fantastic, and not too expensive :)
 
Pez said:
Eva are great for flying to Bangkok, their evergreen class is fantastic, and not too expensive :)
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that's who I flew with in April, I assume you mean the evergreen deluxe class

this has been replaced by elite class ( when the 747s were replaced by 777s ) , we used elite class, it added £320 each to the return ticket but was well worth it

they are a bit shy with the booze though ;) :p
 
miracleboy said:
What's the best airline to get there with? We normally travel with Virgin Atlantic (not sure if they go there). I guess BA, Singapore Airlines, Qantas?
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cheapest is usually with one of the middle east airlines such as Emirates or Qatar but you will have a stop on route to BKK

Thai are normally cheapest for direct , good legroom and service but personal TVs

BA are crap as always

EVA are good ( see above )

beware of connecting flights as, due to probs at BKK, they have reopened the old airport ( now coded DMK , Don Muang ) and many internal flights operate from here
 
Rotty said:
that's who I flew with in April, I assume you mean the evergreen deluxe class

this has been replaced by elite class ( when the 747s were replaced by 777s ) , we used elite class, it added £320 each to the return ticket but was well worth it

they are a bit shy with the booze though ;) :p
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Yeah thats what I meant, brilliant flying experience, only topped by Singapore Airlines whilst flying to Melbourne :)
 
phuket is a dump, don't even bother going there ...it's a mini BK

take my advice and goto koh samui, there's still life but more chilled out than phuket.

and much nicer beaches.
 
It's worth spending a bit of time in Bangkok if you can, someone else said the place was "mental", which I think is a perfect description :)

Two full days would be enough, in that time you can see all the Temples and stuff and experience the very unique nightlife. Bangkok nightlife has a certain reputation, which I am sure you are aware off, but don't let that put you off. You can have a great time in the bars and clubs, which are full of tourists and locals, without delving into the seedy side of life. The locals certainly know how to have a good time. Very happy bunch of people the Thai.
 
I stayed in Bangkok for over a week when i went travelling and obviously, it was far too long (we were going to get down to a resort but had run out of funds by then). I wouldnt recommend staying there for more than 3 nights, as it really starts to grate. Just the constant hassle on the streets, constantly arguing with taxi drivers to put the meter on (about twice we had to get out of a taxi because he was making excuses about the traffic and wanted to charge us 10x the real amount, and even once we got kicked out because he didnt want to put the meter on!). It's the only city i've been to where your worst fears are true; most people out there on the streets are there to rip you off. Sad, but true. We got stopped on the way to some sights a number of times with people asking us where we were going, then telling us it was closed to try and get us to go with them to somewhere else. We even got dropped off outside a side entrance at the Grand Palace where we got out, looked at a guy standing by the gate who closed it on us and him and the taxi driver tried to tell us it was closed and we should go to this other temple :rolleyes: So we walked round the corner and went in.

When walking to another temple we were waiting to cross the road and a seemingly nice guy came up to us with his girlfriend (he actually did a good act of waiting to cross with us), started off nie enough, talking about where we were from, where he learnt English etc.. then he moved on to how the temple we were going to was closed and we should go somewhere else. Argh!! :mad:

Having said that, Thai people are very friendly. Just dont trust anyone who comes up to you in the street really!
 
Scam said:
I stayed in Bangkok for over a week when i went travelling and obviously, it was far too long (we were going to get down to a resort but had run out of funds by then). I wouldnt recommend staying there for more than 3 nights, as it really starts to grate. Just the constant hassle on the streets, constantly arguing with taxi drivers to put the meter on (about twice we had to get out of a taxi because he was making excuses about the traffic and wanted to charge us 10x the real amount, and even once we got kicked out because he didnt want to put the meter on!). It's the only city i've been to where your worst fears are true; most people out there on the streets are there to rip you off. Sad, but true. We got stopped on the way to some sights a number of times with people asking us where we were going, then telling us it was closed to try and get us to go with them to somewhere else. We even got dropped off outside a side entrance at the Grand Palace where we got out, looked at a guy standing by the gate who closed it on us and him and the taxi driver tried to tell us it was closed and we should go to this other temple :rolleyes: So we walked round the corner and went in.

When walking to another temple we were waiting to cross the road and a seemingly nice guy came up to us with his girlfriend (he actually did a good act of waiting to cross with us), started off nie enough, talking about where we were from, where he learnt English etc.. then he moved on to how the temple we were going to was closed and we should go somewhere else. Argh!! :mad:

Having said that, Thai people are very friendly. Just dont trust anyone who comes up to you in the street really!
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This is all very true, most guide books warn you about these scams. The "temple is closed" and the "cheap gems" ones are both discussed in detail. I was shocked when locals tried to pull them on me, don't these guys know that every tourist is warned about them, I guess there are still some stupid people out there that fall for them. To be fair though, while people try to scam you, they are never aggressive, just say "thanks" and keep walking.

A book I had on Thailand said the Thais are a very friendly people and are too polite to bother you, so anyone doing so is up to no good. This is very true. I got lost a few times, so I approached a local and asked for help, they were great and at no time wanted anything from me. While the scams are a pain, they are also part of the character of the city. So don't let them put you off.
 
peter_hutson said:
A book I had on Thailand said the Thais are a very friendly people and are too polite to bother you, so anyone doing so is up to no good.
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That's probably the most succinct way of putting it
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One scam we probably should have known about was when we walked through the park and these ladies thrust birdseed in our hands. We didnt take it, but they hooked it on our bags as we walked off (!), blathering about it being good for the temple/you etc.. so we took it as a gift and carried on. Next thing we know they come running after us screaming all sorts; making a real scene. Then of course they wouldnt take it back no matter what. So we tried to walk off again and one of them started crying! What they want you to do is chuck it on the floor and then pay them for the privilege - yeah, right! :rolleyes:

All that negativity aside, i have no regrets about going to Bangkok. It's something you'll never forget. I can imagine doing the 'luxury' side of it would be amazing (and probably not too expensive anyway). Just keep on your toes :)
 
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