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| Owl of Minerva |
Thailand Holiday - advice please!Help needed! YY you might be particularly useful here
Managed to blag nearly 6 weeks off work this winter so going to take an overdue long holiday 
I fly out with 2 mates to Bangkok on 12th Dec and come home on 20th Jan (my mates go home 1st Jan so will be on my own after that). Our flight stops in Dubai at 7am on the 13th and leaves at 11pm - does anyone know if we are OK to leave the airport and head into Dubai for the day? Arrive Bangkok at 8am on the 14th - spend one night there - and then fly to Krabi on the 15th. Will spend a while around there and then go over to do all the best islands etc. Anyone got any suggestions as to what islands/areas to to go, where not to go in this area? And what to do etc.? We will stay in this general area until the 1st Jan. After my mates go home I am also open to ideas as to what to do next! Maybe I will go to Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos for a couple of weeks for something different. Any suggestions welcome Thanks |
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| YAIYAM |
You should have flown out a week earlier and probably saved yourself £200 each.
Where abouts are you staying in Bangkok? As you are only there one night to start with then I would say a trip down Nana Plaza & Soi Cowboy would be in order but stay well clear of Pat Pong as this is Just a tourist please hand your money over place. I am afraid I have never been to the West coast of the south or to any of those Islands so cannot really help you there. I have only been to Koh Samui and a few islands surrounding there and Koh Samet which is up in the north off the coast of Rayong, personally I tend to avoid the Islands as you pay well over Inflated tourist prices for everything and the only reason to be there is If you want to sit on the beach all day as there is not to much to do besides this especially on the very small Islands. As for what to do after your friends have gone i would say either Cambodia, either Into the capital(fly) or make your way to Angkhor which is well worth seeing. The only place to go on your own in Laos is Vientine as it is a very poor country and unless you are with someone who speaks the language It is dificult to get around. Vietnam is nice but apart from the beaches you are better off going to Cambodia |
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| Owl of Minerva |
I know but not possible due to work commitments I'm afraid The first couple of weeks i'm happy to spend relaxing and partying so I think the islands are the best place for that. The last few weeks are when I'll do the more cultural stuff. Angkor does look very interesting |
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| YAIYAM |
For some sort of night life on the Islands you need to go to the larger ones like Koh Samui which also does have other stuff to do during the day besides the beaches as some of these Islands have nothing on them but beaches and your places of stay. Stay clear of the so say great full moon beach party places they are cr@p and you might as well be in a rave in some field in this country, all be it a bit warmer. I would say some where like Cham and Hua Hin have Just as good beaches and more to do in the evening without going to the extremes of the night life lof somewhere like Pattaya, If of course you want the wild night life then you would be well to spend at least a few nights in Pattaya Just for the experiance more than anything else. |
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| YAIYAM |
Heres some pictures of Hua Hin Owl
http://images.google.co.uk/images...&resnum=4&ved=0CCIQsAQwAw |
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| Rowan |
Well if you *really* want to do something different -
one of my mates went out as Alan and came back as Andrea... 
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| alansouthcoast |
It wasnt me either.
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| YAIYAM |
We did realise she was not talking about you andrea |
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| lochsong |
Interesting crowd you mingle with Rowan.
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| Owl of Minerva |
Rowan or Ryan? |
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| lochsong |
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| The_Pilgarlic |
A very good friend of mines wife is Thai and they have a house in Krabi which I've visited a few times. The west coast is very nice and Krabi is a pretty basic town/port and not very touristy. Just next door is Ao Nang and Railay Beach (Railay is only accessible by boat or rock climbers!) which are a bit more lively.
They are all on the Andaman Sea which is beautiful and full of islands and a haven for divers and snorkellers. You could get any number of trips to/around them, but the bigger, more advertised ones will go to the more obvious places - Koh Phi Phi Islands. Phuket is a couple of hundred miles further up the coast and they have recovered well from the Tsamani and if you have time worth a visit for a couple of days. IMO, Kho Samui maybe well known and where all the travellers head, but its a decent place to spend a couple of days and you can fly there quite cheaply internally or get the ferry. YY is right about Bangkok that if you only have one Nana Plaza is a good place to go. I stayed in the Nana Hotel for a couple of nights and there is enough there to entertain. However, if you end up with any more nights, don't dismiss Pat Pong as although it is very geared toward fleecing the tourist, that only happens if you let it and aside from that it is a real eye opener so you could argue that seeing it may help appreciate other areas more. As also mentioned Pattaya is another which would be an experience and needs to be seen to be believed. YY also endorses Hau Hin, and although I've never been I know that's sound advise as whenever my mate heads back to Thailand he always has a few days in Hau Hin either at the start or the end of his visit. All in all I think it's a lovely country with stunning scenery, wonderful food and full of decent, smiling people. |
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| gromero |
Hey Owl, how spooky, I'll be out there for the first time around the same time as you. I land the day before NYE, leaving 18th Jan.
My Dad retired and moved out there a while ago for the amazing golf. We're going on a bit of a long trek down the coast, taking in Hua Hin to go up Buddha Mountain, a couple of the National Parks are also in this region, bridge over the river Kwai etc. Then we're doing a bit of island hopping, to ultimately get to Koh Similan for the diving, and then eventually over to Koh Pha Ngan for a party (which although my not be YY's cup of tea, plenty of my mates recommend, as long as you don't go to the main 'full moon party'). I'm lucky that I have my Dad to drive us everywhere, and drop us off at the ferries and pick us up when we've had enough. But with your 6 weeks out there, you should be able to cover more ground than me in 2 1/2 weeks. If I had more time out there, I'd definitely go to Angkor, one of the best temples in Asia! |
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| Papa 3 |
Watched a bit of the program Big Trouble in Thailand last night, take care when you are out there Owl, some of the places already mentioned on this thread were mentioned. Whatever you do don't hire a Jet Ski and damage it, to an oldie like me it looks frightening, they are stricter than our Mods  
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| kickingkyle |
Read this the other day, isnt Pattya supposed to be a right dive? Heard this from numerous sources. My brothers currently in Thailand, think hes in Koh chang at the min. | ||||||
| YAIYAM |
I would not say Pattaya is a dive, It is just really a city built on its night life so there is not that much to do during the day apart from sober up. I would say to any single male between 18-30 you would be hard pressed to beat a 2 week holiday in Pattaya |
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| Owl of Minerva |
Anyone know much about Ao Nang near Krabi?
My mates are suggesting going there for a few days but i've read quite a few things saying it is not very interesting/boring |
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| The_Pilgarlic |
see my previous post, but to add - Ao Nang and Krabi are nothing like the hustle an bustle of Bangkok, Pattaya or Phuket, but I'd say worth a visit for a few days. If you don't like it, you can get up to Phuket in about 4 hours. I haven't been since 2003 and at the time Ao Nang was growing quite quickly in terms of becoming more of a resort. If you want more in depth details on both Krabi and Ao Nang I'd be happy to get you some. |
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| Owl of Minerva |
Cheers, and thanks for your previous reply too. One other question! I was told I didn't but will I need a Visa? This website suggests that I can only stay 30 days without one http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/newversion/visa/visa_exemption.html But if I am in Thailand from 12 Dec - 4th Jan, then go to Laos/Cambodia til the 19th/20th Jan, and then return to Thailand does that mean I am ok as I have not been there for more than 30 consecutive days?! I'm confused! |
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| The_Pilgarlic |
That is correct. If I remember, you don't need a visa for a holiday but you have only 30 days in the country. As you will get a stamp in your passposrt to say you have left Thailand and entrered Laos/Cambodia you can then return a few days later (think you have to be out the country 24 hours). At the time you are going you may find the East side weather is a bit inconsistent - i.e. Xmas in Kho Samui may not be great. YY's advise on Pattaya is right - it's not a dive / dump and you could do far worse than having a couple of days there too. It's a great experience, although not necessairy somewhere you'd want to take a prudish, over sensitive person! 
You would possibly be better off basing yourself in Phuket to do the Islands and for night life and things to do but don't discount Krabi / Ao Nang altogether - you need a quieter few days it's a nice enough place and may fit the bill (prices may also be more competative than Phuket). Thailand is one of those places that does not always get a good press which I think is unfair - it's like the majority of other places in the world...... there is a culture to accept and respect and if you do that (whether you agree with it or not) you wont go far wrong. |
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| YAIYAM |
You wouldn't need a visa for Thailand if you did what you are saying you are going to do but I am pretty sure you do need a visa to enter Cambodia or Laos. | ||||||
| Owl of Minerva |
Yes I think I am going to go to Laos, and you can just buy a visa on arrival |
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