Help planning Thailand trip!
 

We're planning a bit of a last minute trip to Thailand departing August 4th for 3 weeks. Chaing Mai or Mai Hon Song? Perhaps both? Phuket or Krabi? How about Phi Phi? We are hoping to trek for a few days in the north, then dive and perhaps do a bit of rock climbing. Any suggestions for an itinerary? Many thanks!

If it were me, I would do this. The trip from Chaing Dao to Mut Mee's is a little long, but there is some great looking stuff around there. Mut Mee's, elephant camp and Chiang Dao Nest are also not luxury places, so this isn't the itinerary for you if you want only luxury hotels.
3 nights Chiang Mai
2 nights Chiang Dao Nest or Elephant Camp
2 nights Mut Mee's
2 nights Vientienne, Laos
4 nights Luang Prabang, Laos
1 night Bangkok or 0 nights
4 nights Koh Samui or Koh Tao
3 nights Bangkok (or 4)

You can trek and climb from Chiang Dao Nest and Mut Mee's. Weather on the Gulf of Thailand is better at this time of year than on the Phuket side, so I'd go there rather.

If you wanted to skip Laos, then I'd do this.
2 nights BKK
4 nights Chiang Mai
3 nights Chiang Dao Nest
2 nights Elephant Camp
2 nights Kanchaburi
4 nights Samui or Tao
4 nights BKK

I hadn't considered Laos but now I'm fascinated! What about flying to Siem Reap? How much time does it take to do Ankor properly? Do you prefer Koh Samui to Koh Tao? Thank you so much for your help!

You could fly to Siem Reap from Bangkok on Bangkok Airways, or you could fly to Phnom Penh on Air Asia or Thai Airways. You would need at least 3 days for temple. We will spend a week to 10 days in Siem Reap next summer.

I haven't been to Koh Tao, but it seems a bit less overdeveloped than Koh Samui, which makes it attractive to us. We haven't been to Koh Samui for a few years, but it is very developed and very much for tourists unless you get well out of the main beach areas of Chaweng and Lamai. We found Chaweng and Lamai to be very unattractive and unappealing, but the place we stayed was lovely...we haven't been back since the ownership changed, though, as e-mail with the new owners showed us that the general philosophy had changed.

You might find these links useful or interesting.
http://www.bopha-angkor.com/gallery.html
http://www.peaceofangkor.com/ToursMini.htm
http://www.angkor-lanoria.com/uk/contactuk.htm
http://www.mysteres-angkor.com/english/default.htm
http://www.hoteldelapaixangkor.com/poolside.php
http://www.shintamani.com/index.php
http://www.palmvillage.com.kh/gallery.php
http://www.pansea.com/eng/angkor_infor.html
http://www.pavillon-indochine.com/
http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia-twodragons.htm
http://www.auberge-mont-royal.com/fac.html
http://www.travel-cambodia.com/marin...ouse/index.htm

http://www.setthapalace.com/rooms_restaurants.html
http://www.thavonsouk.com/index.htm
http://www.salalao.com/
http://www.phousihotel.laopdr.com/
http://en.tigertrail.travity.de/page...B90AD42B343%7D
http://www.geckovilla.com/gallery.html
http://www.ubikasia.com/satrihouse/index_english.htm
http://www.3nagas.com/
http://www.gibbonexp.org/en/visit.htm
http://www.luangnamtha.com/ghres.html
http://www.travelfish.org/location/l...pasak/don_khon
http://salaphae.salalao.com/
http://www.laoairlines.com/travelag.htm
http://www.calaoinn.laopdr.com/
http://www.wowlao.com/greenheart/
http://www.lanigh.laotel.com/main.html
http://www.hbrm.com/restaurant.htm
http://www.thongbay-guesthouses.com/home_vte.htm

http://www.jamahkiri.com/marina.htm#
http://www.thipwimarn-resort.com/cottages.htm
http://www.baanrailanna.com/eng/main_th.htm
http://www.joyshouse.net/new_site/inside/culture.htm
http://www.chiangdao.com/nest/contactcdn.htm
http://www.relaxbay.com/gallary.htm
http://www.sensiparadise.com/facilities.html
http://www.thipwimarn-resort.com/index.htm
http://www.kohtaoseaview.com/gallery.html
http://www.kohtaoboutique.com/facilities.html
http://www.kohtaobliss.com/kohtaocab...mmodation.html
http://www.baanpaivillage.com/pai.html
http://www.fernresort.info/rooms.php
http://www.mutmee.net/010050_prices_and_booking.htm
http://www.baansingkham.com/
http://www.nova-collection.com/artlab.php

These links should keep you busy for a while.

A couple of thoughts: Travel in SE Asia lends itself best to slow travel, staying in each place a while. I wouldn't spend fewer than three nights in any place, and would recommend 4 or 5.

The Temples of Angkor are truly one of the wonders of the world. To see the major tempels takes three full days, but if you are really interested in teh tempels, you'd probably enjoy a week there. There are also side trip to Tonele Sap and to local schools. (Check out www.thePLF.org)

I loved Laos, and would highly recommend some time in Luang Prabang. Ther are lots of Hmong villages in the area. We happened to be there during Hmong new year, and we visited a village during the celebration. We were the only non-Hmong visitors.

Koh Samui has a well-developed tourist infrastructure, much more than Koh Tao. So it depends on what you are looking for. SInce you are thinking of venturing into other malarial-risk areas (Siem Reap and Luang Prabang). you might consider Koh Chang, another less developed island in the gulf.

For photos of Angkor, Luang Prabang and many other places in SE Asia, www.marlandc.com

KimJapan,
Planning this trip is so overwhelming! Thank you for all the links!

I've always dreamed of diving with whale sharks/giant mantas, but since I'm a school teacher, its August or nothing! So would you say Phi Phi is not a good bet this time of year due to weather?

Phi Phi, Krabi, Phuket, all the areas on that side of Thailand are very rainy in August. The water would be so churned up you couldn't dive, and there are red flag water conditions enough of the time that you can't swim. Take a look at the weather stats: www.weatherbase.com

You'd have more of a chance for good weather on the Gulf Side. Here's a link to a chart comparing rainfall between Phuket and Samui. Phi Phi is like Phuket for weather. http://thailandforvisitors.com/south/phukvsam.html

Koh Tao is very well known for its excellent nearby dive sites.

Hey, Kim, that's a nifty link!

I found that site a good while back. Makes it simple to see the general trend of rainfall on each side. I'm a visual person, so it's easier for me to look at a graph than to compare statistics.