snchampi

Hello all, me and my girl friend just graduated from college last week and are spending 6 whole weeks in Thailand!! From the end of the year until the 8th of Feb. We plan on spending the 1st half in the north and the second half in the south. We will fly into Bangkok on the 30th and stay for new years (any one know of a cheap and safe hostel or accommodation that we should book for the new year? We are cutting it close!) Then spend about two weeks in the north, starting out on bus to Chang Mai. From the 20th of Jan through the 8th of Feb we will go to the south west and around there: Ko pha ngan, Ko samui, Ko tao, Ang Thong National park for a day or two, etc. These are all just general ideas. We would love anyone's specific recommendations or insights--places to stay, sights not to be missed. All of it! Our budget is around $2300, so we are working with roughly $50 a day. I was thinking of bringing a bag with wheels instead of a backpacking pack, do you think that is a bad idea? Thanks for any info!

rhkkmk

i think a rollie is a great idea....by the time you leave thailand you will have at least three, even on a budget...

look at this site for hotel prices...

www.huahin.20m.com

it lists them by location....koa san rd area is central area for backpackers....but there are many other reasonable places around bkk to stay...

SirHalberd

For Bangkok choose a hotel near the Skytrain route so you can use that rail service to get around the city quick and cheap. If you are really young you might want to consider Khao San Road area where there are lots of lower priced hotels and lots of kids - but no Skytrain stops.

Here are some links to hotels/hostels:

http://www.sawasdee-hotels.com/index.html

http://www.suk11.com/

http://www.theatlantahotel.bizland.com/

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/hotels-s...it-bangkok.asp

http://www.bangkok-inn.com/

For Chiang Mai you also might consider taking the overnight sleeper. You do have to book that train ride a couple days ahead of time to guarantee a sleeper. You arrive in Chiang Mai early in the morning, sleeping on the train saves you for paying for another night in a hotel in Bangkok.

Have you sorted your visas out? Most tourists from Europe, Oz and America will get a free 30 days at the airport. What has changed is if you arrive in Thailand at a land route border crossing you only get 15 days now. If your visa is for 60 days then no problem but if you intended to leave Thailand for another country and then return for a free 30 days you can't get 30 days now unless you fly in - only 15 days at the border!

Here is another local forum on Thailand with up to date info on visas and perhaps even a few more hostel/hotel recommendations.

Thai Visa Forum (most of the writers live in Thailand full time!) http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/

Bag choice is up to you. Believe it or not thousands of travelers use suitcases! Don't believe me just see what comes off the carousel when you pick up your bags. A bag with wheels is okay, often you may have to go out into the street because the sidewalk is cracked or too many lift ups, etc. But a wheelie works too! Bring bags that you can lock up! When you leave your hotel room lock you bags. When you are on the plane, bus, train or in a taxi keep your valuables with you or within sight - do not put your money, jewelry, small electronic things, passport or meds in the check-in bag out of sight!

Good luck.

Bella_Bluebell

hello - i think if you are travelling around islands, going on buses, treks etc, it is easier to have a backpack. It is much harder work to push a rollie around for anything other than short distances on some of the road surfaces/on and off boats etc and easier to carry a pack on your back. If you are travelling the way you outline and on a budget so not in cabs, you will be doing more than the normal level of walking! We use backpacks that have zip up covers so when zipped up they look like smart black canvas bags. I really do think that you might regret anything other than the smallest bag with wheels. I have seen many people struggling on and off boats etc with roll on suitcases - not fun!!

As to places to go - check out the travelfish website and get a lonely planet or footprints guide to help you. From Chiang Mai, you could go to Mae Hong Son and Pai - look for filmwill's latest thread as he has just done this. Near Chiang Mai is the elephant conservation enter, you can do a 3 day mahout training course there, staying in guesthouse style accommodations. Down south, I love Thong Nai Pan Noi on ko pha ngan - take a look at Baan Panburi(think website is www.baanpanburiresort.com) as a place to stay, nice beach huts and within your budget plus fantastic food on the nicest beach in KPN. I think you will find Samui a bit pricey but there are cheaper places to stay - you might get a good recommendation on the lonely planet thorn tree forum. Also on that side, Ko Tao is great if you fancy learning to dive. It is also a great time to visit the andaman coast - get a ferry-bus ticket from Samui to Krabi and work your way around from there.
BB

Garryphillip

I recently came back from bangkok. Normally stay at the siam heritage always use the tailor service Excelsior at the hotel.
Due to the politic turmoil in thailand hotels in thailand are pretty cheap and its at 50 percent off. The occupancy rate at this time should be around 80 percent but has dropped to 20 .i normally pay 3500 for The siam heritage and this time i got it at 2000.
I would recommend you to get a hotel since it is better and can get a price of a guest house.
In front of the siam heritage there is 2 hotel coming up . 1 is 5 star lemeredien and the other is DE arni . De arni rates are 1250 Baht per night.
The location is perfect for all the temples near the river and shopping site.
hope it helps.
Cheers,
Garry

crellston

Two sites definitely worth looking at for budget accomodation are:

www.hostelworld.com
www.hihostel.com

They are both easy to use to book online and have pretty good user review systems.

In BKK we stayed at Jysk guesthouse, a great location, close to the river and skytrain, just behind the Oriental.

I would suggest a backpack rather tahn a roller case as, based on where you are planning to go I don't think there are too many places you could roll cases anyway!

Have fun, it sounds like a great trip.

crellston

Link to Jysk
http://www.jysktravel.com/

seeksocean

bookmarking

JamesA

Also considor the slepper trains to Chiang Mai, overnight, that gives you the transport plus you save a night's accommodation.

If you want to get then from Chiang Mai to Koh Tao / Koh Phangan area cheap then you can take the overnight bus south from Chiang Mai that passes well to the west of Bankok to Hua Hin, that would be around $27 each ( no website ), from there you can take a bus and ferry combo onwards to Koh Tao or Koh Phangan ( it also continues to Koh Samui )
http://www.lomprayah.com/E/route.htm
That again about $27.
The weather will not be at the best that time around Samui/Koh Tao/Koh Phangan area.
You can bus/ferry from there to Krabi if yuo want to head to Phi Phi or perhaps Koh Ngai etc down south.

http://www.airasia.com has some excellent budget deals, they are offering thousands of tickets at just tax, surchares and fees, that could be good to/from Chiang Mai, for Samui from Bangkok http://www.bangkokair.com has some specials also ( from Samui boat to Koh Phangan or Koh Tao ).
You could then fly back from Phuket with Air Asia to Bangkok.
http://www.beachsiam.com/where_to_go.html some simple ideas, also the 'getting around n hailand' for the airlne websites and train websites,
http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm is good for train travel information.

Chiang Mai about $15-18/20 would get you a/c room with shower etc fairly easily.

With a budget you need to plan with care, transport costs can build up.
$50 is about THB 1,700 at the moment, food is cheap, use 7-11 / grocery stores for drinks etc.

If you think, very roughly, 500-700 for accommodation, 300-400 food etc it is easily done, just take care on the travel costs one place to another. Using the vernight train to Chiang Mai as an example saves you a room night, bus and then the bus/ferry combo to Koh Tao etc, budget flight back from the south.

Keep baggage to a minimum, cheap clothing is cheap. If you stay one place and go somewhere else for a day or 2 and plan going back through sam place again, those guesthouses/hotels etc will always keep any baggage for you.

JamesA

Note: For a 6 week stay you will need a Tourist Visa. Make sure you have that arranged right away if not alreay.

JamesA

Sorry, I never get my brain together at one time!
Travel between 30th Dec and Monday 4th Jan throughout the country will be 'very heavily booked up' as both 1st and 2nd Jan now holidays also. Trains and buses, flights will be very full !
Take that into your plans as so many people move around the country during that period.