What would be an "average" price for a 16 day trip to Thailand (not including international airfare)?

I have contacted several travel agents and the prices they have quoted me for a "package" just seem way out of line with prices and hotels I can book on my own.

Are hotel transfers, and private tours that expensive within Thailand or are the travel agents just trying to take advantage ?

You can do it much more cheaply on your own. You can book hotels online. You can arrange for guides recommended on this forum online. When you're in T-land, you can also arrange for specific tours. Either your hotel, a local travel agent or TAT can book anything you want.

Travel agents are making a profit. If you'd prefer to spend your money in other ways, book it yourself.

Also, some travel agents will book you a guide every day which you certainly don't need in Thailand. You can book transfer with a service like AAC or can take taxis to/from teh airport. Booking a transfer with your hotel will be much more expensive - 3-5 times the price of opne of the "limo" services.

Most of here on the board book everything ourselves for Thailand.

Definitely do it on your own. You can save a huge amount of money and frankly get better guides, drivers, hotels etc. If you give us an idea of what kind of hotel you want and where you want to go we can give you lots of advice. Many of us have been going to thailand for years and know it well. Just be warned -- we can also have very strong opinions!

What are you looking to do while you are in Thailand. It can totally depend on the services you use whether or not you are going to get a good deal in country. As for TAT I was mis-lead by them on a "luxury" bus to the south. It totally can be done by you. The main train station in BKK is easy to get tickets north or south and always go 2nd class sleeper. There are so many options it really depends on what you want to see???

Thanks everyone for your advice. When I checked prices on line for the same hotels our travel agent used, I found that not oly was the travel agent charging more for the hotels, but an additional $6,000 for transfers and guides!!

Basically we are spending one day touring in Bangkok (seeing the normal sights)
3 days in Chiang Rai, 2 days Chiang Mai, 3 days Siem Reap and 3 days Phuket.

Let's say we are in Chaing Rai and staying at the Anantara. Should I just book a tour of the golden triangle with them or is there a better company everyone uses while in that area?

There are several guides that many have used in your various locations. For Northern Thailand, many of us have used Sergeant Kai at ChiangMaiTours.com. In BKK, we had a great time with Tong who can be reached at TourwithTong.com. In Siem Riep, we enjoyed ponheary who can be reached at [email protected]. Depending on how far in advance you book, they may be busy, but all of them have others that many have used with excellent recommendations.

If you tell us your budget constarints, we will recommend hotels.

Yes, book it on your own and with the help of us in this forum. Happy Travels!

Unsolicited advice: You are going too many places in too little time. You lose most of a day each time you change locations. I'd cut at least one location (and my choice to cut would be Chiang Mai). Also, you have one day in Bangkok - not enough to even scratch the surface.

I agree with Kathie that you are going to many too many places for 16 days. I would definitely add several days to Bangkok and I would eliminate Phuket and possibly siem reap depending on your interests. But with this itinerary you will be spending most of your time getting to and from airports and waiting for planes. Thailand is a wonderful country and in 16 days you can get a glimpse of Bangkok, Chiang mai (my favorite city in thailand) and the golden triangle/chiang rai area.

i agree with kathie....can you trim things back a bit?? you will spend 1/2 your time going from one place to another....that is no fun, nor do you see much...

bkk alone is worth 5 days...

not sure where you are coming from but if from the west, you will be beat when you arrive: long flight and a huge adjustment to the heat and humidity... so day one and part of day two are often a blur and in some cases difficult to get through....

for this reason if you insist on going to a beach location i would head immediately to phuket for your adjustment time....

then i would do bkk, then up north, but for up north i think i would choose one or the other...my vote is for anantara...

i think you could do the whole trip for $6000, if you stayed at nice but not oriental level hotels...and that would be eating very very well...

i also would plan a couple of days in bkk at the end of your trip...

I'll chime in and agree with Bob's schedule. Start with Phuket so that you can get over jetlag a bit before jumping into amazing Bangkok.

I would also limit myself to 3 locations in this timeframe, so you are not constantly running to the airport to fly somewhere else!

Slow down... ! (smile)

Have a great time. When do you go?
Carol

Thanks everyone. I know we are trying to squeeze a lot into this trip, but there is just so much I want to see and so little time !! Perhaps we will start with Phuket, I am sure it will take us a little while to overcome jet lag.

I checked out some of the website for guides which you provided me chiangmaitours and tourwithtong. Good experiences with these groups?

How about booking tours directly with hotels? When comparing prices, the Peninsula hotel wanted $83 for a one way transportation from the airport, Tong however wanted only $23. If I book tours through the hotel will I be paying a much higher rate?

We are staying at the Anantara while in Chiang Rai, has anyone booked tours that they offer?

Our trip is in November, so I am doing all my research now!!

Yes, you will pay much more for less through the hotel. Sergeant Kai and Tong will provide a much more enjoyable experience.

Also, I hate to agree with Bob, but I think you would enjoy it more if you went to fewer locations. One of the true joys of Asia is slowing down and absorbing the ambiance. If you're like us, you will be drawn back again and again.

Book airport transfers with a company that does that, such as AAC limo. Using Tong, who really runs a guide service for an airport transfer makes little sense, even though her price is ok. Many hotels (and I've especially heard this of the Pen) will charge very high prices for an individual tour or a car and driver.

When I stayed at the Anantara, I did not book a tour with them, but I asked for a recommendation for a car and driver. That worked well for us. I'm one who isn't really interested in "tours" I do my own research and ask to be taken to particular place. If you want a tour, the Anantara can certainly arrange it. I would expect it to cast more than an independent agency, as you are paying for the convenience. Sometimes it's worth it to pay for the convenience.

in CR and north, it is more difficult to find people offering tours....the anantara will supply one of their cars and a driver for a large fee...i rented a car and drove myself...there is NO traffic..

tong is fantastic...can't beat her prices...cherry and ratt are also excellent...

I'm not even nearly as much of a fan of Bangkok as many here, but still, there's a lot to do there. You're going to kick yourself for only giving it one day.

Our basic costs (but we don't do private tours):

$79 USD per night for a great full service apartment in Bangkok.

$89 Flight to Chiang Rai.

Average of $30 per night for hotels in Chiang Rai area (basic), as we road tripped.

Self drive rental car from Budget, rent in CR, drop in CM: $45 per day

Baan Orapin guesthouse in CM: $65 per night, w/ breakfast

Flight CM to BKK: $89

Flight from BKK to Siem Reap (this was a budget buster, but it's the standard, group/package or not): $240

Siem Reap hotel (Bopha Angkor): $53 per night.

(skipping other places not on your list.....)

I don't think we roughed it or anything, but one could definitely make more upscale choices and still come out pretty well.

Let me clarify what we did at the Anantara. We did not hire one of their cars and drivers - their prices are high (though not outrageous). We asked for a recommendation for a car and driver and they arranged it for us. The cost was about what it would be for a car and guide in the Bangkok area - about US$100 for the full day, no extra charge for mileage (but that was before the big boost in gas prices). Personally, I'd prefer not to drive in these circumstances - I'd rather be looking at the scenery. If you would prefer to drive yourselves (and are aware of the liability issues), you certainly can hire s self-drive car in northern Thailand. You wouldn't want to rent a car in Bangkok, say. One of the delights in this part of the world is that you can hire and car and driver (and guide, if you wish) for a very reasonable price.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai are some of the easiest places to get tours in. You can get tours real cheap (compared to what you get when you are purchasing them from outside the country.) In Bangkok or Chiang Mai travel agencies have menu lists of available tours that you can choose from. You find the tour you want and the tour company picks you up at your hotel that afternoon, that evening or the following morning. When the tour is over they bring you back! Doing it yourself after you get to Thailand will save you lots of mon$y!

I would add some days to Bangkok in the beginning and spend the last night in Thailand in Bangkok too! This way you would not have to worry about any connecting flights breaking down and you missing your ride home.

If you have flights from Bangkok to other cities in Thailand make sure you know which airport you fly out of. Bangkok has 2 airports, Don Muang which handles many of the local flights and Suvarnabhumi which handles the international flights and a few local flights. These airports are not close together, they are on opposite sides of the city!

I would NOT stay overnight in Chiang Rai. In the evening it gets pretty dull. There are tours that leave from Chiang Mai that go to Chiang Rai. Along the way they stop at hill tribe villages, Long Neck villages and the Golden Triangle area. Various combination tours are available in Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai and other locations.

Cheapest way to get into Bangkok by taxi from Suvarnabhumi is by meter taxi! Outside the arrivals hall, near the curb is the meter taxi sign up desks. You pay a surcharge of 50 baht, any toll charges - usually totaling 65 baht and the meter fare. From the airport to the Sukhumvit or Siam area the price usually is around 350 baht for everyone in the taxi - not per passenger! You can stuff 3 or 4 tourists into a taxi. Avoid the touts in the arrivals hall unless you want to pay more for your rides.

Good luck.

SirH, they aren't talking about staying in Chaing Rai, they are planning to stay at the Anantara at the Golden Triangle... you don't go there for the night life.

As SirH says, you can book very inexpensive group tours from agencies in all of the well-traveled places. If you would prefer a private tour, all tour agencies can set that up as well.