| Thailand recommendations 13:51 - Mar 22 with 3197 views | runningman75 |
Hoping for a winter break maybe November/ December and wanting to deal with my fear of going on a long haul flight. Was hoping to get to Thailand. Not sure if Bangkok is appealing as heard mixed reviews. Possibly like a nice beach break, decent bars and possibly some English football as long as the r's are not on Sky. Also would like some local interesting cultural sights ( no lady boys). |  | | |  |
| Thailand recommendations on 14:32 - Mar 22 with 3174 views | FDC |
I enjoyed Bangkok, pretty lively and easy to get around on the inter-rail. Some nice temples, Wat Phra Chetuphon (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) definitely worth a look. Also in the north you've got Chiang Mai, which is good for temples, hiking in foot hills if that's your bag, and great food.
Down in the gulf there's some lovely beaches. I wouldn't bother with Phuket. Instead head to Railay on the Krabi peninsula, and in particular Tonsai Beach. Tonsai is a bit hidden away, in that you have to either get a long-tail boat there or hike through the jungle. Well worth it though, dramatic limestone cliffs jutting out of the water, a cool bar and a nice beach which seems to attract a weird mix of rock-climbers and hippies.
Long Beach on Koh Phi Phi is pretty nice too. Most of Phi Phi is a party zone: fire dancers, buckets of cocktails, nitrous oxide, that sort of carry on. But still got some good beaches too, and Long Beach is a good compromise between being near the action and being a nice place to go snorkeling in the day time [Post edited 22 Mar 2016 14:33]
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| Thailand recommendations on 19:52 - Mar 22 with 3077 views | enfieldargh |
Depends what you 'really' want
Pattaya has plenty of night life, plus a few posters on here.
Krabi has nice beaches and is quiet but has plenty of stuff going on, beach parties etc..
I've never done Phuket but loads of options there.
Ladyboys are everywhere but easy to spot, check out the size 9's. Thai girls usually have little feet
Thai airways fly A380 as do Emirates ethiad which is like sitting in a cinema for 10 hours.
Thailand is a fantastic place, great food and the locals on the whole are friendly.
Cultural places are mostly in Bangkok. My favourite is the erewan museum/ temple just outside Bkk.
Try a two centred package with say 3/4 days in Bkk then hit the beaches.
Phi phi is idyllic or koh samat koh samui
Football is shown litterely everywhere.
God how I miss LOS |  |
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| Thailand recommendations on 19:59 - Mar 22 with 3074 views | dermyqpr |
| Thailand recommendations on 19:52 - Mar 22 by enfieldargh |
Depends what you 'really' want
Pattaya has plenty of night life, plus a few posters on here.
Krabi has nice beaches and is quiet but has plenty of stuff going on, beach parties etc..
I've never done Phuket but loads of options there.
Ladyboys are everywhere but easy to spot, check out the size 9's. Thai girls usually have little feet
Thai airways fly A380 as do Emirates ethiad which is like sitting in a cinema for 10 hours.
Thailand is a fantastic place, great food and the locals on the whole are friendly.
Cultural places are mostly in Bangkok. My favourite is the erewan museum/ temple just outside Bkk.
Try a two centred package with say 3/4 days in Bkk then hit the beaches.
Phi phi is idyllic or koh samat koh samui
Football is shown litterely everywhere.
God how I miss LOS |
Did Los have big feet. ??
:) |  | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 20:34 - Mar 22 with 3045 views | pastieR |
had an ex who was thai, but haven't spent a massive amount of time there...
but from my experience
- don't spend more than a couple of days in bangkok, it's ok but thailand's real beauty is outside the cities
- phuket only go if you like to party or sleaze
- krabi I could quite happily spend the rest of my life there, get a traditional boat to explore the islands, I would advise getting your own then you can pick and choose when you want to go
- heard good things about kao samui, but never went as always went back to krabi
- finally get a moped if you can, definitely get to explore more
- also get a traditional massage, there's no pain like it, but you feel like a new man after it | | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 22:59 - Mar 22 with 2995 views | danehoop |
| Thailand recommendations on 20:34 - Mar 22 by pastieR |
had an ex who was thai, but haven't spent a massive amount of time there...
but from my experience
- don't spend more than a couple of days in bangkok, it's ok but thailand's real beauty is outside the cities
- phuket only go if you like to party or sleaze
- krabi I could quite happily spend the rest of my life there, get a traditional boat to explore the islands, I would advise getting your own then you can pick and choose when you want to go
- heard good things about kao samui, but never went as always went back to krabi
- finally get a moped if you can, definitely get to explore more
- also get a traditional massage, there's no pain like it, but you feel like a new man after it |
Used to have Thailand as our rest and recuperation location for the family when we worked in China. Wonderful place and should be nice at that time of year.
Depends what you want to do to be honest. 2-3 days in Bangkok is usually enough. Then if you want piece quiet and beautiful beaches, try cha am or Hua hin. Has the advantage of being relatively unspoilt and about 2-3 hours drive south of Bangkok.
Pattaya is closer about an hour away from Bangkok and a bit of a mixed bag. Seedy as hell in places, but doesn't have to be, some nice hotels and interesting things to do, but generally feels like an overdeveloped place. Some decent shopping, but it does for me feel like the worst of Thailand in many respects.
Phuket I would recommend, but try the area around Karong beach rather than the town itself to stay in. That gives nicer hotels and beaches, but bit quieter, though only 10 mins by cab or til yuk from the town. The town is also fine, some good shopping and lots to see and do. It has a few seedy bits, but very touristy and easy to avoid.
Most things are cheap. Recommend the meridian resort there if there is an offer. |  |
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| Thailand recommendations on 03:32 - Mar 23 with 2959 views | timcocking |
You travelling with wife/kids or alone? You want unspoilt empty islands and jungles or busy tourist areas with lots of nightlife and stuff to do?
Bangkok's rubbish really. Interesting if you've never seen it I suppose. Traffic and fume choked constantly. Take out the odd temple or market, it's just shopping malls (and bars).
Phuket is, without a doubt, the best island, but very heavily developed nowadays. It's big, has everything. Phuket town is perhaps the coolest Thai city in Thailand. No tourists. Nightclubs without foreigners. Great. Patong a huge busy tourist area. Many foreigners.The best beaches by far and I've seen them all. Some a little busy, others almost deserted. Others deserted completely. Also has traffic jams everywhere nowadays, sadly. Plenty of stunning islands near by as well. All easily accessible from here (Phuket). The Andaman coast is the nicest in Thailand. You could easily visit a few different islands. They all have different characters, all amazing.
Koh Chang is a big, pretty quiet island, cool and beautiful, a little nightlife, good for up to a week. I had my own treehouse 10 metres from the sea for about 15 quid a night.
Koh Lanta quiet, a little dull (muslim island so less nightlife), still empty and beautiful. good for a few days or so. watch out the monkeys don't 'ave you.
koh Phi phi full of predominantly young white people partying constantly, dirty but breathtakingly beautiful, few days only
koh samui overrated but nice, quite big again, got a lot there, inferior to Phuket though.
Koh phang gnan white people with dreadlocks and fluorescent paint full moon party stuff.
Pattaya is mostly for nightlife really. Wouldn't swim there in a hurry. Loads of bars.
Krabi is cool. Midway between developed and quiet. Again, stunningly beautiful.
Chiang Mai up north. Hill tribes, mountain treks. No ocean. It's ok, but surely not as good as the islands.
Just off Phuket is about three or four national parks stretching a long way Khao Lak, Khao Sok, Phang Na etc. Amazing up there. No tourists, wild jungles, lakes, beaches with Tigers and stuff. No nightlife though.
Loads of different areas, it would depend what you most want. And how long you're here for. A quiet island like Koh Lanta is awesome to hire a moped and explore for a few days, not so much for a few weeks. Phuket you could stay for years.
All Thais are obsessed with English football, so you won't be able to avoid that, every single game is shown live. But minimal championship sadly.
Let me know you want any more advice, not much I don't know about Thailand.
Ps no avoiding the ladyboys, loads of 'em...
Personally, I'd probably visit a few islands. I'd just buy the return flights to Phuket. I'd land at Phuket, see that for a week, get the ferry to Phi Phi for a couple of days, see them, get the ferry to koh lanta for a few days, get the ferry to krabi for a few days and fly back to Bangkok from krabi. Cheap, hotels for 20 quid a night, ferries just a few pounds. It's all just a few miles apart. Nowhere in the world more beautiful and there's enough nightlife in all of those places. If you book hotels from UK, they'll put you in expensive hotels. If you want expensive hotels, that's fine. You can usually grab cheap rooms on these islands easily though for 20 quid or less if you'd prefer. When I'm on the islands, I actually tend to prefer these sh!tty bungalows, they're kind of cool...
[Post edited 23 Mar 2016 4:45]
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| Thailand recommendations on 04:06 - Mar 23 with 2944 views | mcqpr10 |
What a place!
My favourite is Koh Phangan. Beautiful beaches and bars, really relaxed apart from the nights when the full/half moon parties are on. Koh Toa is quiet and as close to paradise as you will get. Wasn't a fan of Koh Sanui, reminded me of a scaled down Magaluf or Malia and wouldn't go again. Bangkok is good for a day, see the sights and a night on the Khoasan Road. People are lovely, and pretty cheap too. Enjoy! | | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 10:23 - Mar 23 with 2819 views | Bluce_Ree |
DO NOT read any books about Thai prisons or the justice system.
If a cop comes up to you, kill yourself immediately rather than end up in their prison system. They were only going to charge you with attempted murder for no reason. |  |
| ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH MARTI THE REDEEMER WHO STRENGTHENS ME. |
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| Thailand recommendations on 10:34 - Mar 23 with 2817 views | SuffolkHoop |
Thailand is great - if you're sensible. Bangkok is a fascinating place, like nowhere else I've ever been - incredibly hot day and night, relentless activity, cheap, fun and probably very dangerous. You really need to keep your wits about you at all times and I really can't stress this enough. I'd really recommend a trip to the temples of Aruthaya (although take some drinking water!).
Otherwise, I particularly enjoyed a place called Railey Beach on the west coast. Koh Phi Phi Don is good too.
Without sounding like a bore, the most important piece of advice I could give is to drink within your limits while in Thailand. A lot of British tourists I saw were getting carried away with the relatively low cost of boozing which leads to all the other extra curricular activities Thailand has to offer. When things go wrong they can go wrong very quickly if you're not careful and people get themselves into real trouble.
Enjoy and be careful. |  | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 12:26 - Mar 23 with 2789 views | 1MoreBrightonR |
A lot of people dont like bangkok but it's probably my favourite city in the world. very hectic but an amazing mix of east and western culture and pretty nuts too.
Koh Lipe if you want a small quiet island with amazing beaches. Koh Mak is a nice quiet option close to bangkok...relatively not that touristy. | | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 12:30 - Mar 23 with 2783 views | runningman75 |
Thanks will look into some of the places. Not a big drinker and do not fancy waking up next to someone with a bigger Adam's apple than mine so will be careful with the drink. Tend to only drink beer or wine so buckets of cheap local spirits do not really appeal to me. | | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 20:08 - Mar 23 with 2693 views | enfieldargh |
Most spirits like vodka whiskey etc are counterfit unless you are I. A decent hotel chain so the your formaldahide intake will increase
Beer should be safe but wouldn't be surprised if even some beer is hookey
A lot of mini street bars appear late at night. My mates tg had one on suk11 in one of those customised vw travellers. Told me that they weren't sure their spirits were kosher but beer was safe
The buckets of spirits at full moon parties have all sorts of crap in them
Watch out for alchol related scams if on your own but this is the same in most countries as a single traveller
Don't pick a fight with a Thai you will loose physically and financially
Sounds grim but it's not really just be savvy | |
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| Thailand recommendations on 22:04 - Mar 23 with 2662 views | OakR |
In Bangkok if you are there on the right night go and check out the Thai Boxing (I think there are 2 main stadiums). I got the cheap tickets both times I went as the betting is as interesting as the fight itself.
For culture just north of Bangkok on the train is Ayutthaya http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576 - easy to get to on the train. Public transport on trains and coaches in Thailand is really good. The shared minibus type ones are ok but tend to be late in my experience and are definitely more cramped and less air conditioned.
I visited these waterfalls when I was there but they are quite off the beaten track http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/asia-thi-lo-su-waterfall.html
Ultimately Thailand has something for everyone, at all budgets. Really nice people and relatively cheap. | |
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| Thailand recommendations on 00:53 - Mar 24 with 2632 views | Monkey_Roots |
Koh Samui was like Bogna in Thailand, some places anyway. Koh phangan was beautiful - jungle and beach, what's not to like? Leo was my beer of choice, Tum Yum soup, and laab my daily fix. Next time I go, I will visit some of the other islands, but I'll steer clear of high tourist destinations - steaks and pizzas are not my idea of native grub. |  | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 05:02 - Mar 24 with 2612 views | johnhoop |
| Thailand recommendations on 00:53 - Mar 24 by Monkey_Roots |
Koh Samui was like Bogna in Thailand, some places anyway. Koh phangan was beautiful - jungle and beach, what's not to like? Leo was my beer of choice, Tum Yum soup, and laab my daily fix. Next time I go, I will visit some of the other islands, but I'll steer clear of high tourist destinations - steaks and pizzas are not my idea of native grub. |
This won't be of any use to the OP because it's ancient history but I can't help feeling a bit sad when I read what you and mcqpr have to say about what Koh Samui is like these days. When I first pitched up there in April 1979 at the end of about 8 months overlanding around Asia it was like something out of the old Bounty adverts. Chaweng beach was the most perfect one I'd seen anywhere in Asia with just a few little palm-thatched restaurants with little huts to stay in.By the time of my last visit in 83 it had become much more built on but was still a pretty cool place.
From what you folks are saying I'd probably be horrified if I saw it now. | | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 10:50 - Mar 24 with 2538 views | Monkey_Roots |
The best thing we did in Samui was to go up into the mountains, it felt very rural and simple.
The part we went to the most was boput (sp?), because we were regularly meeting up with friends who were visiting or lived their. Not my idea of what Thailand was about.
I've been to Borneo, and this is what set my expectation - isolated, beautiful, breathtaking nature. Koh phangan was lovely, but it made me want to go back to Borneo if I'm honest. | | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 12:18 - Mar 24 with 2509 views | thairanger |
| Thailand recommendations on 10:50 - Mar 24 by Monkey_Roots |
The best thing we did in Samui was to go up into the mountains, it felt very rural and simple.
The part we went to the most was boput (sp?), because we were regularly meeting up with friends who were visiting or lived their. Not my idea of what Thailand was about.
I've been to Borneo, and this is what set my expectation - isolated, beautiful, breathtaking nature. Koh phangan was lovely, but it made me want to go back to Borneo if I'm honest. |
Culture Chiang Mai
Beach Krabi
Poontang Pattaya
seedy Clubs and Bars Dr Bjs Eden Club and magic Table all Sukhumvit Soi 7/1
If you like driving rent a car and drive to udon Thani and cross into Laos over Friendship bridge stay in Laos few nights |  | | |
| Thailand recommendations on 15:00 - Mar 24 with 2474 views | timcocking |
| Thailand recommendations on 12:18 - Mar 24 by thairanger |
Culture Chiang Mai
Beach Krabi
Poontang Pattaya
seedy Clubs and Bars Dr Bjs Eden Club and magic Table all Sukhumvit Soi 7/1
If you like driving rent a car and drive to udon Thani and cross into Laos over Friendship bridge stay in Laos few nights |
Succintly put and fairly accurate. | | | |
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