8 days right amount for Northern Thailand?
Oct 28th, 2004, 07:01 AM
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8 days right amount for Northern Thailand?
We're trying to finalize our first trip to Thailand for the end of January.
Do you think that after flying to Chiang Rai staying up north for 8 days flying back from Chiang Mai to the beach for 8 days then BKK for 5 days seems right?
We hope to do a tour of 3 or 4 nights. I would love to stay at the Anantara Resort after reading so much about it, however don't know if it fits into our budget.
We're wondering about not booking all the nights and the tour till we get there. Comments? Any favorite tours from anyone would be appreciated. Thank You
Do you think that after flying to Chiang Rai staying up north for 8 days flying back from Chiang Mai to the beach for 8 days then BKK for 5 days seems right?
We hope to do a tour of 3 or 4 nights. I would love to stay at the Anantara Resort after reading so much about it, however don't know if it fits into our budget.
We're wondering about not booking all the nights and the tour till we get there. Comments? Any favorite tours from anyone would be appreciated. Thank You
Oct 28th, 2004, 07:15 AM
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when you are in the CR area i suggest that you rent a car...there are hardly any cars on the roads and the roads are very good...it allows total flexibility....we did this for our 4 days in CR (anantara) last june...avis is at CR airport as well as others...the roads are very simple and usually 2 lane...its almost impossible to get lost...
in the northern area, n of CR, there is not all that much tourist infastructure...you have to rely on the hotels and it is very expensive...there are two other major hotels in the chiang saen area near to the anantara...stretch your budget if you can, stay at anantara....we ate one nite at the thai kitchen restaurant 1/2 way between chiang saen and the anantara...very cheap and good...live music if you can believe it...eat inside or out...it was about the only decent restaurant, other than hotels, that we saw...
the cooking classes at the anantara are fabulous by the way...i made my res with them directly for a cheaper price including breakfast...look at their web site,,,they often have simple packages...
it is a 3 hours drive from CR to CM by the way....anantara is 1 hour north of CR....
the princess mothers' former estate, doi tung, is worthy of at least 1/2 day visit in the north country...
january is still a popular time of year so i would book ahead...its not the place to be wandering around looking for a place to stay at 6PM in the dark...honestly there are not that many places to stay outside of CR itself...
we did not go into the center of CR at all except to the craft center on the main road 2 miles from the airport towards town...
the airport is small but quite nice and quick...the food at the airport is the cheapest i have ever had at an airport....thai air provides good service to bkk...there are cheap flights to CM as well...$30 i think..
in the northern area, n of CR, there is not all that much tourist infastructure...you have to rely on the hotels and it is very expensive...there are two other major hotels in the chiang saen area near to the anantara...stretch your budget if you can, stay at anantara....we ate one nite at the thai kitchen restaurant 1/2 way between chiang saen and the anantara...very cheap and good...live music if you can believe it...eat inside or out...it was about the only decent restaurant, other than hotels, that we saw...
the cooking classes at the anantara are fabulous by the way...i made my res with them directly for a cheaper price including breakfast...look at their web site,,,they often have simple packages...
it is a 3 hours drive from CR to CM by the way....anantara is 1 hour north of CR....
the princess mothers' former estate, doi tung, is worthy of at least 1/2 day visit in the north country...
january is still a popular time of year so i would book ahead...its not the place to be wandering around looking for a place to stay at 6PM in the dark...honestly there are not that many places to stay outside of CR itself...
we did not go into the center of CR at all except to the craft center on the main road 2 miles from the airport towards town...
the airport is small but quite nice and quick...the food at the airport is the cheapest i have ever had at an airport....thai air provides good service to bkk...there are cheap flights to CM as well...$30 i think..
Oct 28th, 2004, 09:23 AM
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By my count, you will be in Thailand for 21 days. Unless you are a dedicated beach person, 8 days strikes me as too much time there. While the beaches are wonderful, there are beaches all over the world. I would suggest that you take advantage of being in Asia and reduce your beach time by three days and go to Ankgor Wat.
Oct 28th, 2004, 09:28 AM
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I'm with Gpanda in terms of the length of time at the beach and for the same reason. But my suggestion would be to reduce your time to 4 or 5 times at the beach and add the time to Bangkok.You won't be sorry.
Oct 29th, 2004, 07:36 AM
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LanaB -- If you're interested, Precisionreservations.com has rates for Anantara that are much lower than booking through the hotel directly (e.g., $115 USD per night instead of $201, for my dates). In fact, I asked Anantara if they could match Precisionreservations.com's rate and they said they can't, so I should book through them. This is my first time using this service but others here recommended it.
