Week in Bangkok and surrounding areas.

NoNameNoNumber · 8 Apr 2019 at 09:53

We were thinking of spending 2 days in Bangkok and then moving south to an island, Koh Samui, Koh Toa et al. Worry is spending too long travelling though given were only there for a short time.
Therefore I've been looking along the lines of staying closer to Bangkok, it has been suggested that we stary in/near Bangkok itself but I would like to cram as much in as poss.
Ko Lan, Ko Sichang look like decent islands and they are much closer to Bangkok.

We would like to spend some time with some elephants out there too but so far finding a sanctuary with the elephant's welfare at heart is proving a little difficult, not interested in riding a drugged and beaten elephant!

No party/drug fueled, hippy, hedonistic, backpacker activities required ta.

Any experiences and tips you guys could share would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

Jimbeam3678 · 8 Apr 2019 at 13:27

Chang Mai is very good

killem · 8 Apr 2019 at 14:04

Spent 3 weeks last november in Thailand. Had 4 days Bangkok 3 days up in Kanchanaburi to take in the bridge over the river Kwai and hellfire pass.then 5 days Hua Hin for a bit of pool and beach time at the hilton there, i then got the ferry across to pattaya mainly for the sanctury of truth. I then went back to Bangkok for 2 nights before flying home.

Bangkok is great you could spend 2 days doing the temples, Grand Palace and Lumphini Park. Take a day trip to Ayutthaya which is the old capital and is on my to do list for this years trip, a day taking in some of the massive shopping centers that a doted around and an evening boat ride down to Asiatique. A trip to Nana and / or Soi Cowboys is an experince even if you are not there for that kind of activity the areas have good bars for just having a drink and people watching.

Travelling while in Thailand is cheap. I was not on a tight budget so I was hirering a airconed car and driver to take me places and wait while I did the tourest bit then drive me back and it was costing me about £25 a time and these places were around 60-80 Km distance from where I was staying but there are other cheaper options like Train, Boat, Mini Bus & coaches.

I staid away from elephants due to the same reason as you but I know there is a santury near Hua Hin that treats them well.

Hope all this helps

JBuk · 8 Apr 2019 at 15:07

Although I’ve been to koh Samui twice it’s not somewhere I’d recommend as there’s some much nicer places, I didn’t really like the beaches but there’s some good speedboat trips out to the Ang Thong national marine park

I’ve never been to Chiang mai but I’ve always heard it’s worth a visit

Phi phi is a really nice relaxing island , you can hire a long tail boat and pilot quite cheap, go snorkelling, diving , plenty of walks, get drunk on a beachside bar watching fire dancers

Bangkok is awesome , there’s loads to do

River cruise , cheapest is just use the regular ferry service

Hire a Tuk tuk to take you round, visit the zoo, visit one of the many temples , shopping malls, I like terminal 21 for the cheap food court and culture themed levels and the Siam paragon mall with the aquarium , watch some Thai boxing at the stadium , people watch at red light areas ,take a trip to the river market, go to the sky bar at Lebua state tower (some scenes from the hangover 2 were shot here)
There’s so many places to eat it’s unreal, from your street food to fine dining there’s the lot, I prefer to go to the high end buffets so I can try a bit of everything

Wherever you go you can travel easy and cheap , there’s plenty of tourist offices so most can be arranged while you’re there

Lopéz · 8 Apr 2019 at 16:38

When are you looking to go? It's quite important as the weather can be very different in the various regions of Thailand.

I've found this site pretty accurate.

wez130 · 9 Apr 2019 at 02:36

If you're like me, a couple of, days in BKK is not going to be enough. I've been twice for a week at a time so far and it still hasn't been enough for me. I want to go and spends another month in BKK at some point in the future, then a couple of weeks in chiang mai and then some of the lesser known parts of Thailand. There's so much of BKK i still haven't seen yet. It's definitely the top of my visited cities list so far. My plan is to wait a couple of years whilst i build my restaurant up (it's going well so far), then when i sign my next 3 year lease, the plan is to sell the business and then literally get on a plane to Bangkok, start there and travel all over SE Asia / Tibet / China / Mongolia etc until the money runs out, then come back to NZ and start all over again

NoNameNoNumber · 9 Apr 2019 at 06:36

Jimbeam3678 said:
Chang Mai is very good

Looks it, but it's not gonna work with our timeframe this time

killem said:
Spent 3 weeks last november in Thailand. Had 4 days Bangkok 3 days up in Kanchanaburi to take in the bridge over the river Kwai and hellfire pass.then 5 days Hua Hin for a bit of pool and beach time at the hilton there, i then got the ferry across to pattaya mainly for the sanctury of truth. I then went back to Bangkok for 2 nights before flying home.

Bangkok is great you could spend 2 days doing the temples, Grand Palace and Lumphini Park. Take a day trip to Ayutthaya which is the old capital and is on my to do list for this years trip, a day taking in some of the massive shopping centers that a doted around and an evening boat ride down to Asiatique. A trip to Nana and / or Soi Cowboys is an experince even if you are not there for that kind of activity the areas have good bars for just having a drink and people watching.

Travelling while in Thailand is cheap. I was not on a tight budget so I was hirering a airconed car and driver to take me places and wait while I did the tourest bit then drive me back and it was costing me about £25 a time and these places were around 60-80 Km distance from where I was staying but there are other cheaper options like Train, Boat, Mini Bus & coaches.

I staid away from elephants due to the same reason as you but I know there is a santury near Hua Hin that treats them well.

Hope all this helps

Thank you, very helpful and certainly given my something to research, the private taxi service sounds ideal!
I could happily spend the duration in/around Bangkok tbh but it's the OHs birthday and she's got it in her head she wants a 'paradise beach' setting for a few days, so looking lik a trip to some islands is inevitable.

JBuk said:
Although I’ve been to koh Samui twice it’s not somewhere I’d recommend as there’s some much nicer places, I didn’t really like the beaches but there’s some good speedboat trips out to the Ang Thong national marine park

I’ve never been to Chiang mai but I’ve always heard it’s worth a visit

Phi phi is a really nice relaxing island , you can hire a long tail boat and pilot quite cheap, go snorkelling, diving , plenty of walks, get drunk on a beachside bar watching fire dancers

Bangkok is awesome , there’s loads to do

River cruise , cheapest is just use the regular ferry service

Hire a Tuk tuk to take you round, visit the zoo, visit one of the many temples , shopping malls, I like terminal 21 for the cheap food court and culture themed levels and the Siam paragon mall with the aquarium , watch some Thai boxing at the stadium , people watch at red light areas ,take a trip to the river market, go to the sky bar at Lebua state tower (some scenes from the hangover 2 were shot here)
There’s so many places to eat it’s unreal, from your street food to fine dining there’s the lot, I prefer to go to the high end buffets so I can try a bit of everything

Wherever you go you can travel easy and cheap , there’s plenty of tourist offices so most can be arranged while you’re there

As you say, most could be sorted as we arrive, I just don't want to land in Bangkok and bumble around aimlessly. We've kinda crossed Koh Samui off the list, maybe all of those islands actually given its another 11hrs travelling in an already short week.

I guess the street food rules applicable across Asia still apply here?
No salads, ice cubes, or cooked then reheated stuff.

Lopéz said:
When are you looking to go? It's quite important as the weather can be very different in the various regions of Thailand.

I've found this site pretty accurate.

22nd April.
Thanks, I'll take a look.

wez130 said:
If you're like me, a couple of, days in BKK is not going to be enough. I've been twice for a week at a time so far and it still hasn't been enough for me. I want to go and spends another month in BKK at some point in the future, then a couple of weeks in chiang mai and then some of the lesser known parts of Thailand. There's so much of BKK i still haven't seen yet. It's definitely the top of my visited cities list so far. My plan is to wait a couple of years whilst i build my restaurant up (it's going well so far), then when i sign my next 3 year lease, the plan is to sell the business and then literally get on a plane to Bangkok, start there and travel all over SE Asia / Tibet / China / Mongolia etc until the money runs out, then come back to NZ and start all over again

Congrats on th restaurant, sounds like an awesome plan you have.
Its my first time in Thailand although I've done other parts of Asia, (Taiwan, China, Vietnam) and I NEED to go back to all of them. Fascinating places for sure. So yeah, fully appreciate a few days isn't gonna cut it. We're in Beijing for a surprise party and didn't want to spend 12 days there so booked BKK

MikeTimbers · 9 Apr 2019 at 07:33

Street food is actually pretty safe in Thailand. I have lived there on and off over the past two decades and have had food poisoning twice but never from street food. Once was McDonalds! Nearly killed me.

If you must visit an island bits of Koh Chang are still nice but personally I find all the islands hideous - run by mafia, over-exploited and full to bursting.

But then I dislike Bangkok with a passion (good shout on Lebua though - great bar!)

Go north up to Sukothai and Ayuthaya.

And if you have scruples about elephants, you really should read up on the political situation because the Thais are being treated extremely badly. The military is in complete control of the country and the recent election was a farce with the results being actively twisted since to keep the generals in power.

tres · 9 Apr 2019 at 09:13

Spent 4 months in Bangkok a few years ago
Incredible city. So much to do. Hit up MBK for your cheap shopping fix, enjoy the street food, visit a skyscraper restaurant

killem · 9 Apr 2019 at 10:02

Most of the Islands are pretty far out from Bangkok so you will lose a lot of time in your short stay traveling. have a look at the resorts in Hua Hin. only 3 hours by car from Bangkok and there is some very nice resorts along this coast with private beaches just make sure the one you book has jelly fish nets fitted.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BqMccgRlkyy/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet

This is where I stayed which is right at the heart of Hua Hin town.

TNA · 9 Apr 2019 at 10:11

Jimbeam3678 said:
Chang Mai is very good

Agreed. I would suggest the overnight train there from Bangkok.

Also hit up Ayuthaya, by train that takes a couple hours.

Install grab app (like uber) helps getting around and can be cheaper than tuk tuk on slightly longer journeys or if you need air con.

Hilly · 9 Apr 2019 at 11:51

NoNameNoNumber said:
We were thinking of spending 2 days in Bangkok and then moving south to an island, Koh Samui, Koh Toa et al. Worry is spending too long travelling though given were only there for a short time.
Therefore I've been looking along the lines of staying closer to Bangkok, it has been suggested that we stary in/near Bangkok itself but I would like to cram as much in as poss.
Ko Lan, Ko Sichang look like decent islands and they are much closer to Bangkok.

We would like to spend some time with some elephants out there too but so far finding a sanctuary with the elephant's welfare at heart is proving a little difficult, not interested in riding a drugged and beaten elephant!

No party/drug fueled, hippy, hedonistic, backpacker activities required ta.

Any experiences and tips you guys could share would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

Baan Chang in Chiang Mai I'd recommend; been there and spent a great day with the elephants

panthro · 9 Apr 2019 at 14:38

killem said:
i then got the ferry across to pattaya mainly for the sanctury of truth. I then went back to Bangkok for 2 nights before flying home.

I lived in Pattaya for a year and never visited. I kind of regret it. Was it in a good state of repair when you went?

killem · 9 Apr 2019 at 15:42

panthro said:
I lived in Pattaya for a year and never visited. I kind of regret it. Was it in a good state of repair when you went?

Yeah its nearly finished. Still have to wear a hard hat near and inside of it but it really is a work of art. Well worth a visit seeing as I did not enjoy pattaya city much due to being on my own and an introvert who hardly drinks. Planning on going back for a few days in november but this time with a travel buddy so hopefully I will enjoy it more.

killem · 9 Apr 2019 at 15:53

@panthro Just seen your blog. Very good and informative. My current plan for Novembers trip is Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Pattaya and Koh Chang. So you blog has given me some ideas for how to fill my time. Thanks.

Rannoch · 9 Apr 2019 at 15:55

panthro said:
I lived in Pattaya for a year and never visited. I kind of regret it. Was it in a good state of repair when you went?

That’s the pull of Pattaya. I could never leave.

Throrik · 9 Apr 2019 at 15:58

If you're interested in the Elephants grab a quick flight to Surat Thani and go to Elephant Hills - I went there last year after a lot of research and it won me over more than Chiang Mai for the welfare of the elephants.

https://www.elephanthills.com

Short distance to Khao Sok National Park too, would recommend, although I did fall into a river mid hike which was uncomfortable. Flight cost me about £30.

Psycho Sonny · 9 Apr 2019 at 16:46

NoNameNoNumber said:
We were thinking of spending 2 days in Bangkok and then moving south to an island, Koh Samui, Koh Toa et al. Worry is spending too long travelling though given were only there for a short time.
Therefore I've been looking along the lines of staying closer to Bangkok, it has been suggested that we stary in/near Bangkok itself but I would like to cram as much in as poss.
Ko Lan, Ko Sichang look like decent islands and they are much closer to Bangkok.

We would like to spend some time with some elephants out there too but so far finding a sanctuary with the elephant's welfare at heart is proving a little difficult, not interested in riding a drugged and beaten elephant!

No party/drug fueled, hippy, hedonistic, backpacker activities required ta.

Any experiences and tips you guys could share would be awesome. Thanks in advance!

Bangkok is like any other major city.

Overpopulated. Pollution. Litter everywhere. Constant traffic jams. Constant scammers.

Spend 2 days there max. Do not listen to anyone telling you places are shut and come back in 2 hours and my friend here can show you the sights in his tuk tuk, etc.

Use the sky train and walk.

panthro · 9 Apr 2019 at 17:43

killem said:
@panthro Just seen your blog. Very good and informative. My current plan for Novembers trip is Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Pattaya and Koh Chang. So you blog has given me some ideas for how to fill my time. Thanks.

Thanks very much, it's my wifes (she was my girlfriend when she wrote the Thailand section). I'll let her know!

panthro · 9 Apr 2019 at 21:38

Vargas said:
That’s the pull of Pattaya. I could never leave.

Lol. It was a fun year. I lived on Beach Road Soi 5 near the Amari. Thankfully I had to leave as work moved me to Australia. I've seen what happens to people that stay there too long and go native.