orangeboy

We will have about 2 weeks in the area this july. Trying to decide on an itinerary...we are torn about using a free stopover in Beijing on the way back home or to spend time in Chang Mai or Koh Samui.

the order of days can can be changed....

Day 1-3 Bangkok
Day 4-6 Chang Mai
Day 7-9 Angkor Wat/SR
Day 10-12 Koh Samui OR Chang mai
Day 13-15 Chang mai, Koh Samui or free stop over in Beijing?

We are active nature types but enjoy the big cities too. We are always on the go but wonder if we might need a bit of beach?

Perhaps Koh Samui would be a great place to recover from the jet lag but logistically might be difficult to get to after arriving in BKK from Vancouver (via shanghai. Maybe BKK a better place to get rested?

any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kathie

I find your itinerary a bit confusing. Are you planning on going to Chaing Mai twice? Personally, I find Chaing Mai rather boring, and would spend two days there tops.

With a mere two weeks in Asia, I'd suggest that you devote that time to Thailand with your side trip to Cambodia. I'd recommend starting in Bangkok, spend a few days, then fo to Angkor. The conventional wisdom is that it takes three days to see the majot temples. Do your research to decide if you want more (or less) time. If you want to visit more of the "minor" temples, you'll need more time. From there you can go some place to slow down. Visiting the temples at Angkor is exhausting. If you want a beach, fine. The beaches are lovely, but you might want something different. There are some lovely resorts outside of Chaing Mai, as well as a lovely resort in the Golden Triangle. I'd finish up with a few last days in Bangkok before your departure. In two weeks, I'd say choose three locations (In the example above you have Bangkok, Angkor, Northern Thailand). Or you could choose Bangkok, Angkor and a beach. Either way, I'd forget Bejing or Shanghai this trip, save them for a time when you are visiting China.

laurie_ann

Following Kathie, instead of beach would you consider a nature break? I was looking at a new place, just mentioned in Conde Nast Travel article on hot new hotels, Kirimaya at the Kaho Yai national park in Thailand. It says only 2 hours to Bangkok. Also if you are already going north to Chiang Mai I would consider spending more time and consider going further north to golden triangle area for hilltribe exploration or south to Lampang to the elephant conservation center (www.changthai.com, including opportunities to learn to ride elephants the traditional way and stay overnight) if you are more into nature. With visa requirements and all for China, I think I would save that for another trip. Enjoy planning your trip! Wish we had time for everything we wanted in our two weeks in Thailand in August.

orangeboy

thank you for your replies. Yes, itinerary does look confusing
I accidently typed in chang mai twice...so no we will only go there once.

Upon further reflection how about this?

BKK 3 days
Chang mai 2 days
Chang rai 2 days
Angkor Wat 4 days
Koh Samui 3 days

Too much travelling perhaps? Maybe we should shave off one location...but which?

It probably comes down to Chang mai or chang rai...a question that is asked a lot!

KimJapan

I'd do 3 places and skip Beijing...if you could add those two days on anyway, but keep them in Thailand it'd be great I think. I'd consider adding a fourth stop if you for sure had 16 days and a Discovery Air Pass and there was someplace you couldn't imagine skipping. I tend to like to unpack and settle into a place a bit...but everyone is different, right?

I'd start and finish in Bangkok. -
Day 1 - 3 Bangkok
Day 4 - 6 Chang Mai/Rai
Day 7 - 10 Angkor
Day 11-14 Samui if you want a beach
Day 15 Bangkok (the day before flight to ensure it isn't missed)

I've flown into Bangkok from Japan and gone on to Koh Samui the same day. It's possible, depending on what time your flight gets into Bangkok. You can check the bangkokair.com site to see the flight schedules. A Discovery Air Pass might be good for you...worth checking into and considering.

When you say active nature types...I'm assuming you mean hiking, swimming, biking...outdoors kind of things. We found some good hikes in the center of Koh Samui, that ended up at some neat waterfalls and high places with a nice view of the sea...these kinds of places aren't marked on maps - we asked at our hotel and they knew some places llike what we were looking for. They then drew us a map by hand. We needed 4 wheel drive to get to the starting point.

JamesA

If you want some beach time you don't have to fly, you can get to beaches within a few hours of Bangkok by cab or Limo. Hua Hin has some excellent beach hotels/resorts like the Hyatt Regency, Sofitel, Anantara, also a Hilton Resort. Or you could head uin about one and a half hours by limo or cab to pattaya and Jomtien, again good choice of accommodation, Dusit, Royal Cliff, marriott etc, thouse Pattaya is more for shopping and nightlife ( it is a city after all ) or Hua hin if you wanted some beach but also night markets, restaurants etc.

orangeboy

Thanks again for the replies. I have considered Hua Hin however the reviews for this place are mixed re: the beach and IF we are going to spend time on the beach, I want it to be a really nice one...so Koh Samui seems the best bet. I am now wondering if we should scrap the beach altogether and maybe extend our days elsewhere. Kim Japan, yes we really enjoy hiking and such and would love to do a bit of safe treking in Thailand. I'm not sure about the hilltribe hikes though. We are more into the scenery and ruins or a couple hour hike to a beautiful remote temple would be cool... Anyway, thanks and everyone is invited to respond with advice as I try to piece this trip together!

cheers.

CFW

July will be rainy season in northern Thailand, I believe, so you should factor that in. I would keep Koh Samui in because it is wonderful to end your vacation with some beach time before you head back, and the beaches in Thailand are beautiful and very different than what you will find in North America. Where are you thinking of staying? What is your price range? People rave about the Anantara in the golden triangle area --reached from Chiang Rai. And we loved the Rachamanka in Chiang Mai. We also really enjoyed the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, about an hour south of Chiang Mai, where we did an elephant trek. But that depends on the weather in that area in July. Wherever you decide to go, you will love Thailand and the warm and gentle Thai people. We can't wait to go back.