amueller

Hello
I'm a soon to be 30 yr old male from the New England (Beantown) area and have my semi-annual vacation coming up this end of august. I have 1 1/2 weeks vacation planned and have been eyeing a trip to Thailand or one of the surrounding Asian countries. I actually got my inspiration for Thailand after reading an article on Concierge.com about the 20 best James Bond places. One of the Thai Nat'l parks actually was featured in "The man with the golden gun". After seeing how beautiful that nat'l park is, I decided to give Asia a try. Since I am planning on traveling alone, I am looking for advice which country would best suit my needs for as little touristy experience as possible (if I want touristy I could do London, Paris or other main Metros). I am looking for a nice "meet the locals" experience in Asia. Does anyone have recommendations? In addition, I am also trying to figure out whether I should go through a travel agency or do my own bookings/arrangements.

Thanks

cruisinred

This end of August as in 2 weeks from now?

Start by checking on airfare availability...the Thai air non-stop from JFK is the quickest....connecting from Boston. Other Beantowners on this forum recommend an engine like Orbitz to check these fares.

amueller

Additional question - since I am off work from 08/25 to 09/04 I do realize that I have about 2 weeks only until my vacation - so my other questions was going to be if it makes sense to do this trip so short planned or if I should wait and maybe do a week in October for my b-day.

Thanks

amueller

Yeah, as in 2 weeks from now I looked online and found a few fares from JFK though on Cathay Pacific for around $1400; But am still quite undecided if Thailand would be the right choice. I have also been reading a lot about Cambodia, but then have heard/read a few stories about the dangers of Cambodia as well. I figured Asia for my next vacation would be a lot different from my usual vacation spots like Germany (my home) or Greece or South America (been to Brasil before too...)

cruisinred

It sounds like you don't need to stay in fancy places, so you should do fine booking places at the last minute. So, with help from this forum, you can definitley put together a last minute trip.

- Would definitely recommend the Thai air non-stop flight versus Cathay pacific...about the same price, but shorter flight and bigger seats.

- With 2 weeks, you can definitley do Angkor Wat (Cambodia) a few days in Bangkok and time at the beach. It is the rainy season in the area of Thailand (near Phuket) where the James Bond movie was filmed....but that usually just means a few afternoon showers, not monsoon rains.

-The area of Cambodia near the Angkor Wat ruins is quite safe. Lots of people on this forum have been there, even with younger kids, with no problems at all. It is much more developed than you are probably imagining.

- For a great deal on flights within in Asia (Bankgok-Angkor Wat- Phuket and back to Bangkok) check out the Discovery Pass from Bangkok Air....a great deal on 3 flights or more and pretty nice airline.

amueller

Thanks for the great leads! I have looked at the Bangkok Air pass but also have seen that there were some booking/flight restrictions and that some folks had not so great experiences, although I never let that deter me. It definitely does make me feel better to hear that it is pretty safe in Cambodia. After the last 4 days of research on Cambodia and Thailand it seems that I was on the right track with the locations that I had in mind. I will see how much Thai Airways will be. Too bad my friend can't get off work, otherwise I would have gone with him (he works at Delta part time and him and I usually fly on a buddy pass from him). I will see if I can put an itinerary together shortly and post it for review. One item tho that did stick out with Cambodia were a lot of travel reports where the tourists were almost cornered by beggars in Cambodia. I would probably have a hard time not giving coins to them, but it would in the end be a drip on a hot stone anyway. One more thing, I did read that in the National Park (Phang Nga Bay) area are some wicked cheap accommodations for 40 or so USD and was wondering if anyone on here has ever stayed there. It seems more like a very quiet, off the beaten path bungalow arrangement, but enticing.

amueller

http://www.dnp.go.th/parkreserve/asp...ommodation.asp

Ao Phang-nga is the place with the bungalow style accommodations btw

smartcookie

Not sure what your budget is, but Cambodia is pretty cheap. I've been finding simple but nice and clean budget accomodations in Angkor Wat for only $20 per night or so during high season. There are many recommendations here. There are many cheap guesthouses in Bangkok as well where you can get a room for under $40 as well. Since it's better weather in Ko Samui, I would use the Bangkok Airways pass to go there instead. I think they fly directly from there to Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) too. So you can get 3 legs, BKK-Samui-Siem Reap-BKK for a pretty good price with them. I just ordered 4 legs with their pass and everything is very smooth. Just check out the times you want on their website and call 1-866-bangkok to book. They will send e-tickets and you can pay with a credit card. Those 3 places will make a great trip for you. If you're interested in diving, you can also take a boat to Ko Tao island from Ko Samui.

Kathie

There is no direct flight between Koh Samui and Siem Reap, you have to change planes in Bangkok. It takes two Discovery Pass coupons for that. There is one direct flight from Siem Reap to Phuket, and it takes one coupon.

smartcookie

Sorry. Kathie is correct. Phuket makes more sense for the pass. Just make sure the weather is good. And if you don't go to Cambodia, then you can use the Thai Aiways pass which only works within Thailand.

laartista

Hey, my friends and I will also be there end of August from New York. Will be in BKK 8/30-9/4 and Koh Samui 9/4-9/9. So funny we are flying Delta because my friend flies for them part time-BUDDY PASSES! Anyway, if you are in Bkk same time you are welcome to hang with us. Have fun we plan to.

rhkkmk

i to am from boston and have usually flown on northwest through detroit and narita to bkk....30 hours...next spring i will take thai from jfk....17 hrs 10 minutes....

bkk is a fantastic city and spend some time there....more interesting than europe...in some ways....can be cheap too...weather is always like the last week in boston and then some...

good hotel site: www.huahin.20m.com

samui might be good for you

orgy7

so whats your budget?

are you willing to do the semi backpacker thing?

unless you willing to stop at some abscure litle town on the rail line most places will be fairly touristy.

so an option may be fly to bkk then fly to phuket or penang malaysia and make your way up the ccost by train.

then it's the choice between cambodia, laos, or chiang may/ chiang rai. plenty of info on this forum about those areas ..

amueller

Update -

Thanks for all the responses! Everyone here has been extremely forthcoming and helpful with their responses. After talking with my Delta-Airlines friend, I have decided that instead goign this August, I will go in October for my 30th b-day.
I also have requested a full 2 weeks vaca from work, so that won't be a problem then.
Here is the itinerary that I would like to do:
-Flight from Boston to BKK (via NY)
spend 3 days (nights) in BKK then
-Down to Ao Phang-nga (via flight to Phuket, 1 night stay, then boat), staying there for 2 nights and back to Phuket by boat
-Train to Chiang Mai, 2 nights there
-Flight to Siem Reap via BKK, staying in Cambodia for 3 nights
-Back to BKK and on to the States after 1 night in BKK
That should leave me 2 days (1 night) in case something comes in between

Any suggestions for itinerary items to change?

Btw - travel budget is flight (however much that will be) but then $2000 for the inland flights and accomodations/food with a $750-1000 reserve for emergencies

cruisinred

Sounds like busy plan, but doable.
You might consider adjusting the itinerary to do Siem Reap, and then Phuket. This will only count as one flight leg with the discovery pass as it is a direct flight (you do have to connect in BKK, but this flight for some reason still counts as only 1 leg). Also, it would be nice to have your relaxing beach time at the end, after your time at Angkor Wat.

rhkkmk

fly to chaing mai....its only one hour and can be done very cheaply....nok air, air asia or one two go airline...

plan to come to the boston fodors GTG on oct 13 in cambridge at the hotel @ MIT....many from this board will be there and you will get tons of info...

if interested contact me at [email protected]

bob

amueller

Good Morning and thanks again for the prompt comments. I adjusted the itinerary

-Flight from Boston to BKK (via NY)
spend 3 days (nights) in BKK then
-Flight to Siem Reap, staying in Cambodia for 3 nights
-Down to Ao Phang-nga (via flight to Phuket, 1 night stay, then boat), staying there for 2 nights and back to Phuket by boat
-Train to Chiang Mai, 2 nights there
-Back to BKK and on to the States after 1 night in BKK
That should leave me 2 days (1 night) in case something comes in between

I can definitely say I am wicked excited about this trip! As a side note, since I was born and raised in Nuremberg, Germany, and have spent a ton of time in Salzburg and southern Germany, if anyone on this board is considering a trip into that area, I'd be more than happy to assist (although this is the Asia Forum). Also, I have spend a quite long vacation in Brasil (Uberaba/Minas Gerais, the Pantenal, etc), Greece (Aegean Sea - like Santorini, Naxos and Mykonos) and am happy to share ideas/past trip experiences as well.

amueller

rhkkmk - Thanks for the invite. That is actually right when I am going to be in Thailand/Cambodia However, would love to go and meet folks at a GTG next time it is in the N.E. area.

Kathie

October in Phuket can be very rainy, rough weather. The boats may or may not be running.

Slow down a bit. I'd say 4 stops is absolute max for the amount of time you have. I'd recommend you choose one place for beach (I'm not sure your plan for Phang-nga will work with the weather). October is a difficult time at beaches in Thailand, Phuket is likely to be a bit stormy, but I expect you can enjoy it as long as you don't count on being able to do the boat trip.

Three nights in Siem Reap is a minimum. I agree that going to Siem Reap and then to Phuket makes more sense and will save you money, as there is one flight a day direct from SR to Phuket that counts as one leg for the discovery pass.

I'd cut out Chiang Mai and substitute a smaller place (CM is a huge, sprawling city) such as Pai or Mae Hong Son.

So:

3 nights BKK
3-4 nights SR
3 nights Phuket
2-3 nights Pai or MHS
1 night Bangkok

That would be my suggestion.

amueller

Kathie, thanks for the info and recommendation.

Your suggestions make sense. and I noted them. After looking up some info about Pai and MHS, I think after this travel report (http://www.bootsnall.com/travelstori...mar04pai.shtml) I will opt for Pai.

Thanks again!

Andreas