first thailand visit
Jul 12th, 2006, 04:48 PM
#1
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first thailand visit
My husband and I are planning a trip to Thailand the first 2 weeks of Nov. We have read that this is the beginning of the drier season. We will arrive in Bangkok and plan to stay 3 days there. We want to travel to Hua Hin for 2, days, then fly to Ko Samui for 3 days, then back to Bangkok for 1 night before leaving from there. Does anyone have any suggestions for us? We are 55 years old and very fit. We want to experience the wonderful, inexpensive massages, great food, and the culture.
Jul 12th, 2006, 05:01 PM
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Are you going to be there two weeks? I count only 9 nights...
I'm not sure why you are going to two different beaches, one of which will be quite rainy when you are there (Koh Samui). I'd suggest you eliminate Koh Samui and add the time to Bangkok and Hua Hin. Remember that you lose a day each time you change locations. If you are interested in teh culture, you want more time in Bangkok and less at a beach.
Bangkok has wonderful places to see (e.g., Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Po, Wat Arun, Erawan Shrine, Jim Thompson House) Fabulous Food (Lanna Thai at Face, Mahanaga, Peking Duck at China House, lots more) And wonderful shopping (silks, jewelry, and crafts).
Use your time in Hua Hin to relax and enjoy some spa.
Do you have hotels selected or do you want suggestions for those as well?
I'm not sure why you are going to two different beaches, one of which will be quite rainy when you are there (Koh Samui). I'd suggest you eliminate Koh Samui and add the time to Bangkok and Hua Hin. Remember that you lose a day each time you change locations. If you are interested in teh culture, you want more time in Bangkok and less at a beach.
Bangkok has wonderful places to see (e.g., Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Wat Po, Wat Arun, Erawan Shrine, Jim Thompson House) Fabulous Food (Lanna Thai at Face, Mahanaga, Peking Duck at China House, lots more) And wonderful shopping (silks, jewelry, and crafts).
Use your time in Hua Hin to relax and enjoy some spa.
Do you have hotels selected or do you want suggestions for those as well?
Jul 12th, 2006, 05:44 PM
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I'm also wondering if you have 14 days or 9 days. Assuming 9 days is what you have, I'd recommend Bangkok for 4 days, Chiang Mai for 4 days and Bangkok for 1 day before flying out. If you have 5 more days, you might want to consider a beach, might.
In November, Samui tends to be very rainy - it is in fact the rainiest month. It is also the rainiest time in Hua Hin (peak rain in October and November), though the average rainfall in these months is half of that of Samui.
If sunny weather isn't a crucial ingredient to your enjoyment then that's one thing. There is little to do on Samui other than relax though...not much in terms of culture, and it's an expensive flight for 3 days to a beach destination that may all be rainy. A better chance of nice weather is on the Phuket side of Thailand. You can compare the rainfall in Samui and Phuket here http://thailandforvisitors.com/south/phukvsam.html It's quite easy to sea the Phuket side of Thailand is better weatherwise in November.
You can also fly from Chiang Mai to Phuket non-stop once a day on Thai, which makes it a convenient option if you kept the beach stop. With 14 days, you could...
BKK - 4 days
Chiang Mai - 4 days
Phuket or Khao Lak - 4 days
BKK - 1 day
It doesn't sound like you have considered Chiang Mai, but I think you should. We went to Chiang Mai for the first time this past December (4th trip to Thailand though) and loved it. It's a city, but a small one. We did a wonderful private custom cooking class, went to elephant camp for 3 days, got massages and spa treatments, ate great food, relaxed. We particularly liked the Sunday Walking Street and Doi Suthep. You can easily start a one day or longer trek from Chiang Mai, which might be of interest to you as you make a point to mention you are very fit.
In November, Samui tends to be very rainy - it is in fact the rainiest month. It is also the rainiest time in Hua Hin (peak rain in October and November), though the average rainfall in these months is half of that of Samui.
If sunny weather isn't a crucial ingredient to your enjoyment then that's one thing. There is little to do on Samui other than relax though...not much in terms of culture, and it's an expensive flight for 3 days to a beach destination that may all be rainy. A better chance of nice weather is on the Phuket side of Thailand. You can compare the rainfall in Samui and Phuket here http://thailandforvisitors.com/south/phukvsam.html It's quite easy to sea the Phuket side of Thailand is better weatherwise in November.
You can also fly from Chiang Mai to Phuket non-stop once a day on Thai, which makes it a convenient option if you kept the beach stop. With 14 days, you could...
BKK - 4 days
Chiang Mai - 4 days
Phuket or Khao Lak - 4 days
BKK - 1 day
It doesn't sound like you have considered Chiang Mai, but I think you should. We went to Chiang Mai for the first time this past December (4th trip to Thailand though) and loved it. It's a city, but a small one. We did a wonderful private custom cooking class, went to elephant camp for 3 days, got massages and spa treatments, ate great food, relaxed. We particularly liked the Sunday Walking Street and Doi Suthep. You can easily start a one day or longer trek from Chiang Mai, which might be of interest to you as you make a point to mention you are very fit.
Jul 12th, 2006, 07:35 PM
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i agree, bag one beach and samui should be the one because of the rain...
assume you are coming from usa by your address, so plan on being very tired for your first full day and 1/2...for that reason i would add days on for bkk at the end of your trip to avoid missing improtant things, including fabric purchases (assume that is an interest??)..
i have a bkk restaurant listing if you are interested, just ask:
[email protected]
great food cheap in thailand...
generally your november dates will be perfect, especially in bkk....but the last couple of years weather has varried some...
wat pho is one place for cheap massages---thai massages are quite rough btw...
as for hotel i like using the www.huahin.20m.com site....inclusive pricing (tax and service amount to 17.7% in thailand)...
in bkk my favorite is the marriott resort and spa on the river....many of us prefer river locations...it will be about $135 for november....the discount prices have not been posted yet for november...about another month for that...some site have some but HH does not yet...
serviced apartments are a good option too....centre point silom is a popular one with fodorites...about $85 or less...
hotels are available at all levels as you will see on the HH site...select your hotel carefully...
we will be glad to help you, just ask
assume you are coming from usa by your address, so plan on being very tired for your first full day and 1/2...for that reason i would add days on for bkk at the end of your trip to avoid missing improtant things, including fabric purchases (assume that is an interest??)..
i have a bkk restaurant listing if you are interested, just ask:
[email protected]
great food cheap in thailand...
generally your november dates will be perfect, especially in bkk....but the last couple of years weather has varried some...
wat pho is one place for cheap massages---thai massages are quite rough btw...
as for hotel i like using the www.huahin.20m.com site....inclusive pricing (tax and service amount to 17.7% in thailand)...
in bkk my favorite is the marriott resort and spa on the river....many of us prefer river locations...it will be about $135 for november....the discount prices have not been posted yet for november...about another month for that...some site have some but HH does not yet...
serviced apartments are a good option too....centre point silom is a popular one with fodorites...about $85 or less...
hotels are available at all levels as you will see on the HH site...select your hotel carefully...
we will be glad to help you, just ask
Jul 13th, 2006, 05:27 AM
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You must not leave out Chiangmai. Weather is cooler than Bangkok and people are a lot nicer. Try the 3 or 4-hour spa packages. From BKK you can also take day trips to Ayutthaya (lots of history) and Kanchanaburi (Death Railway). I usually use asiarooms.com for accommodation in Thailand.
