Many questions about Thailand

Hi. My husband and I are going to visit Thailand for the very first time from Nov 9-21 for our long overdue honeymoon. I would be greatful if someone could answer some of my questions.

1. It is better to book everything through a travel agent (a relative of ours recommend one that works in Thailand) or to book everything online by ourselves? If it%26#39;s the latter, which websites are best for booking flights and hotels in Thailand?

2. We are planning on being in Bangkok for a couple of days and then visiting Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi. Is this too many places to visit in 12 days and what is the best mode of transportation (air, bus or train) between these places?

3. Which hotels would you recommend in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi? Since this is for our honeymoon, we would like to stay in a newer, well-kept place that is modern and most importantly clean. We would prefer to spend maximum $100-150/night.

4. Is it better to pre-book activities (eg. elephant trek, golf, island tours) or to book when we are there?

Thank-you so much!

Many questions about Thailand

I am from Thailand now i move to Florida, Usa and work as travel agent here. If you want me to book ticket for you to Thailand I can get special price for you. and for hotels too.

From Bangkok to ChaingMai you can go by air take time about 1 hours if you have time and want to enjoy and relax by train its take time about 13 hours . For me I think better go by air.

and Bkk to Phuket by air and then you can go to Krabi by bus and by air from Krabi to Bkk or you can take a bus from Krabi to Bkk its take your time about 10 hours by bus, by air about 1 hours.

For activities you can go there and book when you be there.

Many questions about Thailand

I%26#39;m at the stage now where I find it better to book the majority of flights and accommodation myself,as then I have no one to blame (if hotel%26#39;s no good etc...!)You say you have budget up to 150$ per night,so I personally suggest you look at 2 accommodation sites which are reputable for your needs(Asiarooms.com and wotif.com).These can and do save people a lot of money I%26#39;ve found on quoted hotel rates(the 17% taxes are already factored in!)Remember that a travel agent will add a commission on as well.If you plan and decide your itinerary,you will be better advised to fly within Thailand(due to your limited time ).AirAsia are the domestic budget airline and again,speaking from experience I have found it cheaper and better to book the earlier flight to a location(7-30ish and the later ones out(6-30),as i%26#39;ve found this maximise%26#39;s your time in a place and saves money..but again this is a personal choice.In Bangkok,try the Furama Xclusive(Sukumvit Soi 21 near Asok SkyTrain).I have stayed there and they have been charging a good rate on wotif. of late(about 110$ per night)Very clean and rooms have dvd,cd and great beds...staff are extremely helpful!

Also,%26#39;The Horizon%26#39;s Hotel%26#39;at Kata Beach is just one suggestion to keep in mind down in Phuket(check the Phuket forum)many people and ex-pats will help you with any questions you have.

Enjoy your Honeymoon!

Jed.

Hi ,

Have a look at The Bodhi Serene Hotel in Chiang Mai.

Cheers,

Stewie.

at your budget

Bangkok--Pullman Bangkok, Davis Bangkok

Chiangmai--De Naga Chiangmai, Tamarind Village

Phuket--Burasari Resort, Cape Panwa Hotel

Krabi--Pakasai Resort(if not hate walking 5-10 mins to the beach). Aonang Villa Resort is a beach resort though

Hi There!

1. Generally better to book everything yourself if you have the time. There are several reasons for this including

- any frequent flyer points for hotels are normally accrued by booking direct wheras travel agent bookings normally don%26#39;t accrue points

- travel agent bookings normally contain a commission (don%26#39;t have a problem with that) and if you book yourself you normally find it is less.

- booking flights normally the airline websites will have the best rates - places like zuji.com, webjet etc normally charge a booking fee. For hotels look at the hotel websites which normally now guarantee that they will offer the best prices instead of lastminute.com etc - check out www.accorhotels.com, indraregent.com, sheraton.com etc.

2. It is better given that it%26#39;s your belated honeymoon to select two instead of three places. You spend less time packing and unpacking and rushing to and from airports. If your heart is set on all three additional places it would probably be better to extend your vacation or leave it until the next trip. If you really want to do all of it, you%26#39;d be best to use air because Chiang Mai is to the north and Phuket and Krabi are south and it%26#39;s about an hour%26#39;s flight from Bangkok which means at least a day%26#39;s travel by car or train. My suggestion is Bangkok + Phuket (city + beach) or Bangkok + Chiang Mai (city + mountains) depending on what you like to do/see. Both are very different destinations - although you could say that Phuket is now very commercial - a la Venice Beach in CA, with lots of hotels, shops, hawkers selling everything from a-z followed by amazingly beautiful scenery ';island paradise'; style when you are outside of the main tourist areas - such as a boat ride to James Bond Island where they filmed the man with the Golden Gun...

Chiang Mai is known for its hill tribes in traditional costumes, golden triangle, elephant rides, beautiful scenery in the valleys and much less commercial than Phuket.

3 Bangkok hotel - Sheraton or Mariott are well kept and clean places. Phuket - stay at Patong Merlin - one of the first hotels on Patong Beach in Phuket.

4 It%26#39;s better to book when you%26#39;re in Bangkok/Phuket etc as you%26#39;ll be paying in Thai money rather than CAD. Also if you decide not to go on a tour or find something more interesting there%26#39;s no cancellation fees. When you prebook there%26#39;s often no refund. The only time to book to guarantee a place is where you really want to do something that%26#39;s in demand or you are travelling throughout the school vacation period.

Have a great time in Thailand!

Hi I found this cool website www.bkk4you.com with a lot of infos about Thailand

Hi,

You can easily book everything yourself.

Flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

Air Asia, Thai Airways, Bangkok Air

Flight direct from Chiang Mai to Phuket

Thai Airways

Phuket to Krabi by road around 3 hours - approx 2500 baht

Flight Krabi to Bangkok

Air Asia, Thai Airways

Book all your tours when you are in Thailand, it%26#39;s cheaper.

As for hotels, I would look at the relevant forums and the hotel reviews (there is a tab to the left hand side of the main forum page)and get an idea of the sort of hotel you like, there are so many.

Hotel Booking sites: Asiarooms.com, Sawadee.com

You would probably need to split your time equally between the destinations to get a feel but it means a lot of travelling, you would have to account for 1/2 a day minimum each time you move on.

Sarah

xx

Thank-you to everyone for all the helpful suggestions!

I do suggest you drop one of your beach destinations. Personally, I%26#39;d go to Krabi rather than Phuket, and you can always make an excursion on one of your days to see a bit more (islands nearby). Even if it%26#39;s only a few hours by road between Krabi and Phuket, it tends to kill a day every time you change location, wait for transportation, get settled in a new hotel etc.

You will need to fly. And the best way to get the best prices on domestic flights is to book them yourself on the web. Thai Domestic, Air Asia, Nok Air and Bangkok Airways all fly Bangkok to Chiang Mai and back (Thai and Nok Air use Don Mueang Airport (DMK) rather than Suvarnabhumi (BKK). Thai, Air Asia and Bangkok Airways fly Bangkok to Krabi and Bangkok to Phuket.

I would echo the suggestion to use Asiarooms and Wotif (three weeks before you go). But I%26#39;d like to add Asiatravel.com, which I%26#39;ve used often for about 10 years to book rooms in Bangkok. For $150 CAD you should be able to get quite nice hotel rooms in Thailand, especially if you avoid the big international chains. One tip: luxury serviced apartments are an especially good deal in your price range. Look at Centre Point properties in Bangkok. And, yes, they do rent out by the night and have all the amenities of a hotel and more.