knowlesj

Hello-

I will have a few days in April to travel and I would like to go to Southeast Asia for the first time. My priorities are being able to attend Songkran, the Full Moon party, and to see Angkor Wat. All other days/locations are flexible.

Afternoon/evening of April 8- Leave NYC or Philadelphia
April 10-11 Bangkok
April 12-13 Chiang Mai for Songkran
April 14-15 Kho Pha Ngan for the Full Moon
April 16-19?? Angkor Wat
Evening of April 19/Morning of April 20- Flight to NYC/Philadelphia

Would I have time for Kuala Lumpur during this trip or is that rushing it? Would anyone recommend spending extra time in Koh Lanta/Phuket/Maya Beach or perhaps Koh Chang on the way to Cambodia?

I have seen flights leaving from Siem Reap to NYC/PHL which is what I would do to maximize time and not have to return to Bangkok. Another option (because I do not have a lot of time in Bangkok at the beginning of the trip) is to return to Bangkok on the morning of the 19th and not leave until a 10/11pm flight that night. My budget is about $1000-$1500 USD.

I truly appreciate any advice that you all have.

Thank you!

knowlesj

I apologize for the incorrect tags! I accidentally submitted it before I had a chance to edit them.

Hanuman

For Songkran I would book your hotels and flights, especially the domestic flights, ASAP. Suggest you take a low cost airline from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and I recommend either Nok Air or Air Asia.

With your budget a comfortable 3 star or a guest house will work and along with the airfare it should be OK for Thailand and Angkor Wat - note that Air Asia fly from Bangkok (DMK) to Angkor Wat now.

For accommodations in Thailand have a look at Swasdee.com or Agoda.co.th for rates.

Kathie

What you are doing is very rushed - there is certainly no time to add in another destination. Indeed. you do not have enough time to do justice to the destinations you have. It takes three full days just to see the major temples at Angkor. Get a copy of Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor: A Guide to Cambodia's Wondrous Temples to prepare.

I'm not sure what you are seeing that leaves Siem Reap and arrives NYC/PHL. Most of the flights out of REP are short hops to Bangkok or KL, but Korean Air does fly to Siem Reap, so perhaps it's a Korean Air flight through Seoul that you are seeing.

I do think you would benefit from more time in Bangkok, but it would be a trade-off. Any chance you can add even another day or two?

loribarber1

I agree with Kathie - your itinerary seems very rushed. My husband and I visited Thailand and Cambodia for a month in February - all destinations on your itinerary (full moon party too). You will spend a lot of time in transit and not have much time to check out the destinations. Koh Phangan especially takes time to get to. As much as it stinks to cut things out, you may have a better time if you do so. Here are our trip reports with tips on how to get around: http://latitudeb.com/koh-phangan-thailand/, http://latitudeb.com/bangkok/, http://latitudeb.com/chiang-mai-thailand/, http://latitudeb.com/cambodia/.