Thailand - Where to go

[kdogg]

I will be heading off to Thailand in December. Searching through some threads, it appears that a few people have been down there. I was going to be down in Thailand for a week (split between Bangkok and beaches).

I was wondering if I could get some advice:
1. How much time to spend in Bangkok (to see most of the major attractions)
2. Which beach to go to (I really want to be blown away).
3. Have the major spots (Phuket, Krabi) recovered from the tsunami?

Thanks for any advice.
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[DementedReality]

Originally Posted by kdogg

I will be heading off to Thailand in December. Searching through some threads, it appears that a few people have been down there. I was going to be down in Thailand for a week (split between Bangkok and beaches).

I was wondering if I could get some advice:
1. How much time to spend in Bangkok (to see most of the major attractions)
2. Which beach to go to (I really want to be blown away).
3. Have the major spots (Phuket, Krabi) recovered from the tsunami?

Thanks for any advice.

i have been there twice ... i didnt do any tourist things though.

here is some advice though. if the girl is hot, she is probably not.

check out walking street in pattaya. unbelievable. words cant descibe the debauchery.

[BerubeHater]

Originally Posted by kdogg

I will be heading off to Thailand in December. Searching through some threads, it appears that a few people have been down there. I was going to be down in Thailand for a week (split between Bangkok and beaches).

I was wondering if I could get some advice:
1. How much time to spend in Bangkok (to see most of the major attractions)
2. Which beach to go to (I really want to be blown away).
3. Have the major spots (Phuket, Krabi) recovered from the tsunami?

Thanks for any advice.

I was in Phucket a few months after the Tsunami and it was practically rebuilt, however, I would avoid Phucket. It is the more touristy and americanized and the beaches wern't that great. It was also the most expnesive place is Thailand.

From what I heard, Kho Phi Phi, had the best beaches since it is a small island, and I am assuming it is back to normal now.

There are also some real nice beaches on the East Coast such as Ko Samet and Ko Chang, both are more off the beaten trail, if that is what you are looking for. If you happen to be near Ko Pha Nang around the full moon party, defenitely check it out.

Depending what you wanted to see in Bangkok, you could probably do it all in a day or 2.

[Claeren]

You need to post more of what you are looking for. Ar eyou old/young alone or with a gf or kids, etc, etc, etc.


If you are a 20-something like me and are strickly there for a week... I guess i would go to Railay (Near Krabi) and Bangkok. Really though you should push for longer - Thailand is AWESOME.

Koh Tao, Haad Yuan, Koh Payam, Koh Ang Tong, Koh Lanta, Koh Chang (east one and west one), Koh Samet etc etc. There are sooo many awesome places.

Phuket, Koh Samui, Pattaya, etc are all GROSS. Overbuilt and totally westernized.


I spent 3 months in Thailand before the tsunami and 4 months after and Koh Phi Phi was so much nicer before than after. It was one of my favorite places before but had lost all of its charm on the return trip. There is still super nice snorkeling and diving (as well as visiting where they filmed 'The Beach') but there are nicer places if you have to pick one.


I picked Railay because it is, relatively speaking, easy/fast to get to by plane or train form Bangkok, is very scenic, not overbuilt, has the HUGE limestone cliffs that are relatively unique, has world class climbing, and a good party scene...



Claeren.

[Daryei]

http://www.kohjumonline.com/

A very underdeveloped island..difficult to reach, but a great place to get away from everything ....

[GoinAllTheWay]

Mike Oxlong is there right now and will be back later this week I believe. Send him a PM, sounds like he went to some pretty cool places. Knowing him he will throw up a thread summarizing the trip but if not, I'm sure he would have a ton of suggestions for you.

[HelloHockeyFans]

If you're a guy, and you meet a girl there, just be careful. Apparently, the whole transvestite thing there is HUGE and some of the hottest women you'll ever see any where, you'll see in Thailand, except they happen to be men...

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

If you're only going for a week you're pretty much screwed, as you'll be wishing you had a lot more time no matter where you go.

Bangkok was pretty cool, but no matter where you go it'll be crowded.

For getting around, make sure you fly from place to place as you can easily eat up a day traveling by bus, and with only a week to do everything you'll want to get around as quickly as possible.

Okay now a few suggestions. (Most places will be misspelled)
1) If you're looking for straight up debauchery Bangkok is a pretty good place to be. The Pat Pong district has some "interesting shows".
Pattay is also a pretty good place to get really creeped out (I went with 35 rugby players and were were all a little disgusted by this place).

2) If you're looking for beaches I'd say the best are on Ko Phi Phi.
This is where "The Beach" was fillmed, and there are some really spectacular places to snorkel, party, or just chill on the beach. It's not incredibly touristy compared so some other places and you can get some really cheap accomodations. The only downside is that it is a ways from Bangkok and it'll likely take you a full day to get there and back so that really kills your week.

3) If you're looking for the mother of all parties go to Ko Pha Ngang. This is where the full moon party is (if you're there at the right time). It's huge, but it's filled with a lot of tourists. The beaches are okay, but not nearly as good as Ko Phi Phi.

4) If you're looking for a bit of a different experience head north to Chiang Mai. It's a rather large city with a huge ammount of temples and cool things to see. There are also a huge number of tours you can take to go hiking in the jungle, ride elephants (admitedly this is something I kind of wish I hand't done) and go riding down the river on a bamboo raft.

5) If you want a beach near Bangkok (for ease of travel) head to Ko Samet. It is not too far from Rayong (which is also near Pattaya). It's okay, but it's kind of pricey and full of tourists.

6) Another really cool place to visit is Krabi. This is further south so there are a lot more muslims there, and this can cause some problems, but it's a really cool place with lots to see. (Also the kick off point for Ko Phi Phi)

Anyway, if you haven't already, but the lonely plant book for Thailand as it has a lot of really good information.

And remember. DON'T UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TALK BAD ABOUT THE KING!

[return to the red]

spent about 3 days Bangkok and then off to Kho Phi Phi. Three days is really all you need in Bangkok as it get's to be a big "been there done that" scenario (but that's my experience). We flew from Bangkok to Krabi and then off to Kho Phi Phi. This was about 2 months before the Tsunami and I would go back in an instant, I found it very relaxing with great snorkeling and some beautiful beaches. We did a nature Hike as well and that was pretty cool but hot as hell.

A little story I wrote, you'll have to excuse the writing, I was trying to sound smart and edumacated
http://travel.canoe.ca/Travel/MyTrav...04/950209.html

[kdogg]

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll be heading down with my wife and my brother and sister in-laws, so I don't think we'll have to be worrying about the transvestite thing

It seems like most of you are telling me to stay away from Phuket, and Ko Phi Phi has the nicest beaches.

We should be booking this weekend, so you guys gave me a lot of great things to consider and places to consider.

If anymore people have ideas, keep throwing them out. I'm also trying to figure out what to see in Bangkok.

Thanks again guys.
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[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by kdogg

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll be heading down with my wife and my brother and sister in-laws, so I don't think we'll have to be worrying about the transvestite thing

It seems like most of you are telling me to stay away from Phuket, and Ko Phi Phi has the nicest beaches.

We should be booking this weekend, so you guys gave me a lot of great things to consider and places to consider.

If anymore people have ideas, keep throwing them out. I'm also trying to figure out what to see in Bangkok.

Thanks again guys.

Some cool things in Bangkok.

1) You have to go to the Palace Temple (I can't remember if that's exactly what it is called, but everyone will know what you're talking about, if you just ask about the Emerald Buddah) It's INSANE.

2) Ko San Road (horribly misspelled I'm sure). This place is pretty cool if you want to do any sort of shopping for knockoffs, or to find a cool place to eat/party. It's pretty much where backpackers congregate to get in touch with home and do a little bit of partying, but there are some really cool places to see.
Also, if you want to buy a new suit (I HIGHLY recomend you buy at least one suit while you are there, as you can get a custom suit for very cheap, I got a great one for $150, the same thing here would be at least $1000 I'm sure), but there are a lot of tailors here.

3) If you want to do some really cool shopping go to "MBK", it's a huge mall, and I guarantee you've never seen anything like it. They've got a huge floor of just cellphones. Literally hundreds of stands/shops selling all matter of phones, ipods, camers, and other electronics, and if you work hard enough, you can get some pretty good deals. But if you're limited on time, I'd suggest you leave it out, as there are way better things to see.

Finally, as far as food goes, if you want to stay safe, go with boring food where all the white folk are eating. This will be more expensive, and not nearly as much fun. If you want the best food, walk around untill you find where the locals eat and try those places out.

If you go to anywhere with a beach, forget about staying in a hotel. Bungalows are the way to go. You should be able to find something with airconditioning for under $15 a night, and if you can stand the heat, you can liley find something for way less (some as low as $5/night).

[BerubeHater]

Originally Posted by kdogg

Thanks for the tips guys. I'll be heading down with my wife and my brother and sister in-laws, so I don't think we'll have to be worrying about the transvestite thing

It seems like most of you are telling me to stay away from Phuket, and Ko Phi Phi has the nicest beaches.

We should be booking this weekend, so you guys gave me a lot of great things to consider and places to consider.

If anymore people have ideas, keep throwing them out. I'm also trying to figure out what to see in Bangkok.

Thanks again guys.

If possible, take an extra week. I spent over a month in Thailand and only saw about half of it.

[Claeren]

Hell, i spent 7 months there and am trying to get back to see more...


I disagree PhiPHi has the nicest beaches. Before the tsunami you could make the argument that they might, but after the tsunami they certainly do not.

I can think of a half dozen places off the top of my head that have far nicer beaches.


And i don't mean to be offensive at all, as i am sure BringBackShantz had a wonderful time in Thailand, but i generally disagree or only marginally agree (or agree, but have a different take on it, etc) with everything he has said. I am not saying he is wrong at all, but it is certainly a case of different strokes for different folks... i guess you have to figure what kind of 'folk' you are... lol...



Claeren.