Help with 2 week Thailand itinerary
 

Hello,

We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers. We are planning to go to Thailand from October 14th till 28th. Our interests are:

1) Snorkelling, spending time on beaches
2) Amusement parks for kids
3) Couple of hikes and short bicycle rides.
4) General sightseeing including downtown Bangkok

How should I distribute my time ?
Bangkok 5 days ?
Phuket 4 days ?

Any other spots ?

Please advice

We enjoyed 5 days in Chiang Mai.

Be aware that October tends to be rainy in all of the beach areas of Thailand, on the Andaman Sea, the Gulf of Thailand, and even the usually sunny Hua His area. But the good news is that it rarely rains all day. Still, the teenagers may get restless with the rain, and many beaches will be red-flagged. If you could go in November, you would get better weather.

Some tourists prefer to do Bangkok for a few days to get used to heat and time changes. See the city a little bit and then fly to a beach area. Return to Bangkok for a few days before flying home. Do your last minute shopping at that time, continue seeing some of the city.

If you have some winter clothing or stuff you don't want to carry all over Thailand the first hotel you use can store some items for you. Stay at the same hotel when you return and claim your stored articles.

There will be some prevailing weather conditions for the month you visit. Some beach areas are a little better than others depending on month you visit. December-January weather a little better overall but also more expensive. (High season.)

Tourists do visit Bangkok and Phuket every day of the year rain season or not. Some tourists do prefer Phuket during the rainy season because hotel prices are lower. Some surf conditions may affect travel by boats if visiting islands. Some beach restrictions can be imposed because of surf conditions, etc.

Google search can give you some things for kids to do in Phuket and Bangkok. (Sample below.)
http://www.family-travel-scoop.com/t...in-phuket.html
http://www.bangkok.com/fun-stuff-for-kids.htm
http://flashpackerfamily.com/top-ten...kok-with-kids/

For Bangkok, my friend's kids liked touring the Royal Thai Air Force Museum. Also the Forensics Museum. (Teenage boys.)


Bangkok is a very big city. They have rail service from Suvarnabhumi Airport, subway and city rail service called the Skytrain. Some tourists choose hotels located so they can use the Skytrain. The Skytrain does not go everywhere so you still have to depend on meter taxis. (Meter fare is cheaper than paying a flat rate!) Google search will give you some pointers on using taxis in Bangkok.

When scheduling internal flights out Bangkok to other cities keep in mind that there are 2 airports. Don Muang is the older and smaller airport.

An old style printed travel guide is still helpful for visiting Bangkok.

Good luck.

Folks,

Thanks for your replies.

I need to decide between Thailand and Japan.

So is Thailand really not good to visit in October (14th till 29th) due to the rains ?

Will activities like snorkeling etc be closed during this time ?

We have never been to either of the countries and Thailand certainly looks to be much cheaper than Japan. But I do not want to miss out on any activities due to the rains in Thailand.

Thanks.

Thailand is certainly cheaper than Japan. October is a nearly ideal time to visit Japan.

If you opt for Thailand, have some contingency plans just in case you encounter a lot of rain. With climate change, it is hard to predict.

Hello,

Which are very good amusement/water parks in Thailand ?

How is my itinerary below for 12 -13 days ?

Fly in to Bangkok. Spend 6 days and do couple day trips in and around Bangkok.

Fly from Bangkok to Phuket. Spend 4 days in Phuket. Do beach activities including snorkeling etc.

Fly from Phuket to Phnom Penh. Visit Angkor Wat. Stay for 2 days.

Fly from Phnom Penh back home.

Or is it better to fly in and out of Bangkok only and take an internal flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh ?

Thanks.

You are aware that Angkor is not close to Phnom Penh? It is near Siem Reap, so you would want to fly to/from Siem Reap.

If your whole trip is 12-13 days, you haven't figured in travel time. It clarifies things to plan how many nights to spend in each place, 3 nights = 2 full days.

Sorry, I can't help with amusement parks.

Hi,

For snorkeling I would recommend Anthong Marine Park near Ko Samui

https://www.thetripgoeson.com/single...-Park-Thailand

Plenty to keep all the family entertained there.

Best,

Steve

Snorkelling anywhere in the gulf of Thailand in October, including Angthon MP mentioned above is going to be rubbish in terms of both the weather and the visibility.

Given your stated interests I would have a rethink on going to Thailand unless, as Kathie has suggested, you can defer your trip for a month. In which case head for the Andaman coast where the snorkelling and diving pops are vastly superior. I know nothing of theme parks but I would imagine that Phuket is going to cater for that need.

Bangkok is the most common platform airport after Singapore in Southeast Asia. It is better to fly back to BKK then connect your departure flight, of course it also depends on what your departure destination is. Maybe Phnom Penh or Siem Reap would work better in this case?

And yes, you should give Siem Reap 2 nights at least.