Help with itinerary for 11 days

Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 09:25 PM
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Help with itinerary for 11 days

Hi All

My husband and I are planning to visit Thailand from 22nd April to 2nd May (effectively 10 nights and 11 days). We are in our 30s and are active enough to endure a fast paced vacation. We are looking for scenic beaches and places which may not necessarily be touristy but easy to travel to. My rough itinerary is as follows:

Day 1, April 22 - Reach Bangkok and take an early morning connecting flight to Phuket
Day 2 - 3, April 23 - 24 - Visit the near by islands as day trips such as Similan Islands, James Bond Island
Day 4, April 25 - Take a ferry to Koh Phi Phi
Day 5 - 6, April 26 -27 - Koh Phi Phi
Day 7 - April 28 - Leave Koh Phi Phi for either Koh Lipe or Koh Samui
Day 8 - April 29 - Koh Lipe / Koh Samui
Day 9 - April 30 - Leave for Bangkok
Day 10 - May 1 - Bangkok
Day 11 - May 2 - Late night flight back home (flight time 2:05 AM)

I need your expert help in putting the following missing pieces:

Phuket

1. Should I pre-book the day trips from Phuket or buy on the spot. Any idea as to cost would be welcome.
2. What are the must visits in and around Phuket. My research resulted in James Bond and Similan Islands. If there is anything better please let me know.

Ko Lipe or Ko Samui

3. Now is the most tricky question for me. Should I go to Koh Samui or Koh Lipe? I read Koh Lipe is the more beautiful of the 2 while not being too touristy. I will be ok with it as long as it offers better views and is not too cumbersome to travel to and from.
4. If I decide on Koh Lipe, are 2 days good enough? What is the best way to travel from Koh Phi Phi to Koh Lipe and from Koh Lipe to Bangkok. Costs involved?
5. If I go to Ko Samui, can I go directly from Ko Phi Phi or do I need to come back to Phuket.

Bangkok

We have practically 2 full days and a half (day on which we travel from Ko Samui / Ko Lipe).
What would be the best way to utilise this time. We want to keep some time for shopping. Does it make sense to take a day trip to Erawan Falls? Is it worth going to or is there a better option to utilise a day in Bangkok? Can we do it on the last day on which we need to catch the late night flight?

Which would be the best place out of the above to do scuba diving?

Sorry for too many questions but my fellow fodorites have always made my trips the best with their valuable advices. Seeking your help again.

Thanks

Shveta
Shveta is offline  
Old Feb 25th, 2017, 10:08 AM
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A few thoughts:
In my view the best Phuket beaches are near the airport: Nai Yang is delightful.
Chinatown in Phuket town is worth an evening walk- quite atmospheric.

In Bangkok the river area is where you should concentrate your time. And the ferries are easy to use. A cup of coffee at the Shangri La is a nice way to watch the river traffic. Wat Pho is super.
AndrewLondon is offline  
Old Feb 25th, 2017, 11:07 AM
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Forget about Koh Samui. 1. It is heaving with tourists. Great if you like spending time with drunken partygoers. If not avoid. 2. It is on the gulf coast, across the peninsula from Phuket, making it problematic to get to.

Ko Lipe is a nice enough island, one of the less touristed and more picturesque in Thailand.

Similan islands are a very long boat ride from Phuket and not really worth the effort unless you want to scuba dive.

Koh Phi Phi is possibly the worst example of over- tourism in the whole of Thailand. Avoid.

Erawan falls is an entire day out from Bangkok - just not worth the effort when there is so much to see in the city.

I don't wish to seem harsh, but it seems you haven't really thought this through?

With just 9 days you would be better off just sticking to Bangkok and a beach destination. Maybe 4 and 5 days in each. In order to make best use of your time, look up the flight schedules to find the most convenient flight to get to and from Bangkok. Phuket will have the most flights, but Krabi may be worth a look too. Koh Lipe will likely involve a flight + bus + ferry, using up most of a whole day.
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Old Mar 4th, 2017, 02:25 PM
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Don't book day trips in advance via the internet. If your staying in a remotely tourist area there will be multiple people advertising similar trips so you can compare prices and be able to book them the night before. I found that if you book multiple day trips through the same person, they will sometimes give you a discount.

Depending on what time you get in to BKK, since I think the 30th is a Sunday, you could go to Chatachuk Market, which is a huge weekend market and is perfect for buying souvenirs. It'll be extremely busy but I think it's worth the experience. If you do go, buy the little popsicles they sell. They are like 20 baht and help you stay hydrated.

Also I would recommend seeing the Grand Palace and Wat Pro if you haven't already as opposed to seeing Erawan Falls. As someone else mentioned there is a lot to do in BKK.
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Old Mar 4th, 2017, 04:00 PM
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I agree with Crellston, choose two places, Bangkok and a beach location. Don't book any day trips in advance, but do so once you arrive - you will have lots of options. The only day trip out of Phuket that I recommend is John Grey Sea Canoes.

If you have 10 nights, that is nine days - don't double count your days.
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Old Aug 1st, 2017, 04:35 AM
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Hi Sveta,

Just wondering if you went to Koh Lipe? I am planning to go there early 2018 and currently interested to stay at a hotel called Lipe Beach Resort which is located on sunrise beach. It looks really nice and perhaps you stayed or have been there?

Maybe anyone else who reads this and can give me some advice as well? At the moment I am considering 2 options but not yet sure which one to pick if we are going:

1. https://www.lipebeachresort.com -or-
2. http://www.kohlipe-timetochill.com

Our plan is to go in February 2018 for 5 up to 7 days!
Holiday2018 is offline  
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