First visit to Thailand-Itinerary question
 

Hi everyone, I started planning our first trip to Asia and it will be spent in Thailand. We are traveling with 2 children – 19 and 16. We will have about 14 days. We will fly to Bangkok and spend 2-3 days there. 6-7 last days of our trip will be in Samui- we need our beach time after a long winter in Canada :)
My question is about 4-5 days in between. We would like to explore the northern Thailand, particularly Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
came across the information about Mae Hong Son Loop, which looks very beautiful and interesting. I know that July – August, when we are planning to come, is a rainy season in the North. Should we spend time on Mae Hong Son Loop if it will rain most of the time (not a fan of rain at all) or should we spend it somewhere else? Thank you very much!

We loved driving the MHS loop and have done it a couple of times. Early July weather will likely not be too bad -short showers with a bit of sunshine but towards August the heavier rains come. The loop has a lot of sharp bends (they sell tee shirts proclaiming how many!) great fun when it’s sunny, But not for the faint hearted in the wet!

Better weather will be found in Borneo ( Jungles, wildlife and mountains), Bali. We took a flying visit to Taiwan in July. It was hot, very hot! But we had a great time. Some photos etc on our blog @ https://accidentalnomads.com/category/taiwan/

Fret not. Rent a car in CM, cruise the MHS loop. 1000s of 'guest houses', mini-hotels, restaurants and food vendors in every town. One of the great values of T'land, compared to NAmerica, is the generally calm, sweet and unhurried disposition of the Thai people. So, take your time and a small umbrella.

imo, 2-3 days in Bangkok is not enough.. remember you will be very tired at the start of your trip from the flight.
i'd add a couple of bkk days at the end. tons for your kids to do there

love MHS loop - rain might be a problem, but the scenery is stunning and as said there are plenty of places to stay.
I always recommend that people doing these sort of areas rent a high ground clearance pick up truck or SUV - these vehicle are better able to deal with the vagaries if twisty mountain roads. 4WD is also an asset to fall back on.
With high ground clearance you can see better too!