Hello--I need help planning a trip to Thailand in Dec of this year (if possible). I'm traveling with my husband for about 10-12 days. We would like to stay 2 or 3 days in Bangkok at the Oriental and the rest of the time in Phuket (Banyan Tree). I don't know where to start because I've never booked a trip on my own! Before going to a travel agent (as always) I'd like to see if I can get some advice and price the trip on my own. We live in Jersey. Any help would be appreciated.

You may have it backwards, maybe you should think 7-8 days in Bangkok and the rest in Phuket- especially if you are a shopper! BYW I grew up in jersey- in Camden and then Atlantic City- moved to Ca. after college- Rutgers.

I would advise going with the Peninsula rather than the oriental- review all the posts here on that topic and then make up your mind.

If you are in Jersey, be sure to consider (based on where exactly you are going) the non-stop Newark to Singapore flight - Singapore Airlines 18 1/2 hours.

Bill T-My husband went to Rutgers, class of '95. Maybe I'll space out the days more, but I want more beach/laying around doing nothing time. We just got back from Germany and Prague, and I'm ready for some pampering...

Stockexchanger-How would I go about booking that flight?

Thanks

If you fly Singapore Air ((the gold standard of airline travel BTW) I think they let you stop over in Sing for a few days- that would be nice.
I'm from the class of 74- New Brunswick campus

Another option is to Fly Eva Air to Taipei and then on to BKK. We did this from Houston to BKK using Eva air. We hooked up with Continental to LA and then Eva Air to BKK via Taipei. They have Evergreen delux service- like business class only much more affordable- and you get Continental FF miles for the entire trip!

I agree with BillT about more time in BKK. Don't worry, if you stay at either the Oriental or the Peninsula, pampering will not be an issue. Spa, pool, food, massage, no problem. There won't be any sand.

Hi...you book through Singapore Airlines. We are about to take it on July 30th. You leave Newark at around midnight and you get in to Singapore at 5:30 a.m. We are going to stay in Singapore a few days (I love the city) before going on to Bali. This makes the trip SO much easier without having to switch planes along the way. They just started this flight on 28 of June and it is the longest non-stop flight in history. I would definitely do it from NJ. (I am in Philly). Also they have a promotion double miles (which is a ton of miles!) and it is a very reasonable price in my opinion.

With 10-12 days it would be a shame to fly all that way to spend most of it on a beach, and a very hot and humid beach, at that. And I would suggest you try to get over to Siem Reap in Cambodia (Angkor Wat Temples), which we did at the start of our trip to Thailand.

We flew United (had the least expensive fare) from JFK over the Pole to Narita, Japan with a 2-hrs layover then onto BKK. Stayed at an airport hotel, then flew next morning to REP and spent two days Temple sightseeting. Then returning to BKK, you need at least 4-days here. And I would second staying at the Peninsula rather than the Oriental.

Apparently you don't want to visit other areas of Thailand, and that is fine, as there is plenty to see in and around BKK. So wanting beach after is perfectly understndable, but do remember that it is brutally hot & humid.

I live in NYC and am very familiar with the "ugly" summer weather - I know hot & humid quite well, as do you. But SEAsia kicked our butts; more often we were looking for our air conditioned car, hotel room and shade when in Phuket (and I'm out in the sun and on the beach regularly back in NY).

If you need a good tour operator who specializes in SEAsia, with very good prices, contact:

InnovAsian Travel (located in Hartsdale, NY)
www.innovasian.com
800-553-4665
Ask for Gregg as he can arrange whatever you need.

I als0 used Innovasian on our first trip. Gregg is very helpful. If you use him, you'll have no worries whatsoever. He uses the services of a Thai agency, East-West Siam. Their guides are very helpful and responsive.

When we were in Thailand we didn't go to Phuket, instead we went to HuaHin to lay on the beaches. I would recommend going there it was beautiful. Apparently Hua Hin is more relaxing. Unless you like the hustle and bustle I wouldn't spend more than 3 or 4 days in Bangkok. Enjoy your holiday.

Bangkok doesn't have to be stressful. It has some of the best hotels in the world and if you want you can be a lounge lizard the whole time in Bangkok and just rest,get massages,swim,etc. But, I would say, at least, 5-6 days in Bangkok,too.It's a great city...on the top 5 lists of several travel magazines. And if you stay on the river, you can take the river taxi to some of the sights like the Royal Palace which is very nearby the river hotels. Or as others suggested, relax in Singapore which is a great place...super clean,organized, incredibly good food, and air conditioning everywhere...even in the subway system.If you need shopping tips then pull up my post entitled...Great shopping guides for Southeast Asia. Happy travels!