Hi myself and my wife would like to visit Thailand for our next holiday but we dont know where would be best and what time of year.
1. We'd like it as sunny as possible (dont mind the odd bit of cloud or the odd down poor)
2. Somewhere as pretty as possible
3. Somewhere tranquil but not to far from some bars and restaraunts.
So where in your opinion would be best and what time of year?
Thanks for any help. Allan & Louise

Allmoo - you need to do some research, but you've come to the right place! The busiest tourist time in Thailand is December through February - it's considered the cool season (which is a relative term - it's still hot!) and rains very little. There are pretty areas in both the north and south. Do you prefer beaches or mountains? In the north, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Mae Hong Son offer the opportunity for treks, elephant rides, and visiting hilltribes. The south has numerous gorgeous beaches. So it depends on your preferences - what do you like to do on vacation? Suggest you read some of the Thailand threads and look at a basic guidebook to help narrow down your questions. And then we're here to provide whatever help we can!

karen, above, is right...of course she has not been there yet, but we will overlook that....haha

late october to end of february is generally considered the best time for thailand in general...there are some issues with some islands at that time but you can work that out...

bangkok is a fabulous city and plan to spend some time there at the beginning and end of your trip...

the other two choices are beach and up country ...

phuket and samui are generally the most popular beach areas...i personally prefer samui...it costs a hair more to get there but is less expensive in some ways than is phuket...

i like the bophut area of samui....peace resort is where i have stayed...5 minute walk to the town of bophut whuch has some restaurants and some bars and diving facilities...

the resort has a very good reasonable restaurant and a fabulous pool and nice beach (not fabulous but nice)--great views however..

phuket is huge and spread out...i find it overdeveloped in many ways...

up country there are many spots, but the main ones are chiang mai (thailand's 2nd largest city) and chiang rai---laid back and perhaps more for back packing and trecking...the golden triangle is north of there and quite interesting...

get your self a good travel book, like fodors or frommers and read up on thailand and then come back to us for ideas...

a great hotel website is:

www.huahin.20m.com

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention I haven't been there yet? I've got to quit trying to be the expert!
Baa - I feel sheepish.
(But I MEAN well!)
Karen

Thanks guys
Defo more a beach couple than mountain.
we work hard all year so our main priority when away is lying by the pool or beach with odd day trips to see local wildlife
In the evenings we like quiet'ish bars and nice restaurants.
Leaning towards Phuket last week in Jan, first week in feb or 14 weeks over new year.
Cheers, Allan & Louise

14 weeks!!!! Sorry meant 14 nights.
Al & Lou

So are you planning to just go to a beach? Or do you want some time in Bangkok or another location? Where are you coming from? (That makes a difference in terms of jetlag, etc.)

Wont be visiting Bangkok, this is a pure chillin holiday.
We toured the west coast of the U.S. for 3 weeks this year so we need to relax big time.
Were comin over from the UK, jet lag wont be to much of an issue as its never realy bothered us.
Thanks.