Honeymoon Package in Thailand - ADVICE
 

Hello. My husband and I are taking our honeymoon in Thailand at the end of Nov/beginning of Dec (we are from Austin, Texas). I have been working with HoneymoonThailand.com for packages and have been happy. I wanted to get some feedback.

Has anyone used HoneymoomThailand.com for their packages?

We are staying at the following hotels...any feedback?
Samui - Arayaburi Boutique Resort
Phuket - Kata Beach Resort
Bangkok - Amari Watergate Hotel


Our itinerary is as follows.

Day 1 : Arrive Bangkok at night
: Meet and greet at Bangkok airport.
: Transfer from airport to hotel (hotel is near the airport)
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 2 : Samui
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Morning fly to Samui.
: Arrive Samui and transfer to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 3 : Samui
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Visit Angthong National Marine Park, Mo Koh Angthong National Park It comprises some 40 islands northwest of Koh Samui and cover some 250 square kilometers. Major park island, largely towering, verdant rock masses encircled by clear seas, include Mea Koh which has a beautiful beach and an emerald saltwater lake call Thale Nai, Wua Talap, Sam Sao with an exciting coral reef huge rock arch and Phai-Luak.
: Lunch is served on the island.
: Evening return to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 4: Samui
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Experience with Elephant Ridding in the jungle and travel to "KOH TAN" by boat enjoy swimming and snorkeling at Koh Tan (Tan Island) see the corals and colorful fish or sunbath on the private beach.
: Lunch is included.
: Evening return to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 5 : Samui
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Free and easy on the beach.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 6 : Samui
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Visit Koh Tao and Koh Nangyuan, these two rocky islands earn its reputations for underwater resources, unique beautiful bays and covers and coral garden under the crystal sea, relax and enjoy swimming or snorkeling.
: Lunch is served on the island.
: Evening return to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 7 : Samui - Phuket
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Transfer from hotel to Samui airport.
: Fly from Samui to Phuket.
: Arrive Phuket airport and transfer to hotel.
: Free and easy day on the beach.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 8 : Phuket
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Exploring Phi Phi Island, travel to Phi Phi Island by speed boat, Phi Phi island is located just 48 km to the east of Phuket, off the western coastline of Southern Thailand in the Andaman Sea. It is renowned worldwide for its natural scenic beauty with silver sand beaches fringed with palm trees, towering limestone cliffs and hills full of lush greenery. Offshore, a bank of coral reefs provide an unequal glimpse of marine life whilst spots such as the historic "Viking cave" add a fascinating dimension to exploration.
: Lunch is served on the island.
: You will enjoy swimming and snorkeling on blue crystal clear water, full of coral reefs and marine lives.
: Evening return to hotel.

Day 9 : Phuket
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Visit Coral Island, The beautiful and untouched Coral Island is to the south of Phuket. This Island is spectacular clear sea, clean white sand beaches astonishing coral reefs and marine life, will help you forget that time exists.
: Lunch is served on the island.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 10 : Phuket
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Visit Phang Nga Bay, takes you across Phuket Island to the mainland where we board the boat to the unique sheer sided limestone islands in the famous Phang Nga Bay. Explore and experience the whole Phang Nga Bay's national park.
: Enjoy lunch on the island.
: Enroute we visit the James Bond Island, Nail Island, Grotto Caves. This complete trip will show you the beauty of the whole bat view of "Karsts" and the purely untouchable inside lagoon of the giant "Limestone Mountain" around this area. You will have a great chance to have a close look at this enriched nature of wonder.
: Evening return to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 11 : Phuket
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Free and easy on the beach.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 12 : Phuket - Bangkok
: Breakfast at hotel.
: After breakfast, transfer from hotel to Phuket airport.
: Fly from Phuket to Bangkok.
: Arrive Bangkok and transfer to hotel.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 13 : Bangkok
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Free and easy day in Bangkok.
: Relax and overnight at hotel.

Day 14 : Bangkok
: Breakfast at hotel.
: Transfer from hotel to Bangkok airport for flight home.

Thank you so much for any feedback!!!
Cynthia

the first thing that cought my eye is that your ariving late driving all the way too the watergate which is a firly expensive business hotel. then waking up early too deal with all the trafic back too the airport.

Amari watergate is located in the midle of the garment district it's loud, and crazy in that area.. not exactly geared too honeymooners.

I don't know the Arayaburi Boutique Resort, but it's at Bophuket beach on Samui, it's a USD 50-75 a night twin with breakfast/tax/service place ( that gives you a good lead on what you are being charge to see whether a deal or not !! )

Kata beach resort is one I always recommend as it has absolute beachfront and one of the dew mid range places that are right on the beach yet easy for shops, so on that very good choice, that is about USD 150 a night twin with tax/service/breakfast range, again, easy way to see the deal you have.

Amari Watergate about USD 100 a night.
Oh, and it is 'not' near the airport !

I think with packages vital you discover first thing as to whether you are getting a good deal or not, sometimes these packages offer excellent value, sometimes you are paying way over the top.

Personaly I would choose my own accommodations and book the flights, tranport between airports and hotels is so easy and cheap.
You need to be sure you are getting value for your money from these guys first.


Now for flights, ok, there are budget airlines, but for a honeymoon let's pressume you are going for full service airlines.

BKK-Samui one way about USD 100, Samui to Phuket about USD 50-60, Phuket to Bangkok about USD 70 ( these are rough on the full normal fare airline fares ).

Day trips and tours, these of course vary.

Having everything arranged is great but let's see that you are getting a good deal, those hotel and air fares are 'fair' ( that is I am not making them any lower to be clever! ), those would be reaosnable rates/fares, now get that calculator and then you can see what deal you have.

On Phuket you are doing 3 day trips in one go, I would honestly book your trips once you arrive, they are easy to book the day before, you never know, you might feel tires, not up to the journey etc. really local tours on both Samui and Phuket are so easily arranged.

A couple of links for tours etc

Samui:

http://www.phuketjettour.com/tour/samui.htm

Phuket:
http://www.phuketjettour.com/tour/phuket.htm

Typo: Bophut Beach on Samui ( not bophuket )

I see you are coming all the way from the US for a beach honeymoon in Thailand. November and early December are the RAINY season in both Samui and Phuket, most especially in Koh Samui. Phuket is also rainy then, although less so than Samui. While you might luck out and get great weather, it is a big chance to take. The rainy season also brings winds, which affects water clarity for snorkeling and diving. Take a look at worldclimalte.com and weatherbase.com. (For Samui, use Surat Thani as that is the closest place. ) The honeymoonthailand.com website says something like "rain rarely lasts for more than few hours"; well, I lived in Singapore for 5 years and now live in Hong Kong and I can tell you that it can rain for days on end here in the tropics, most especially during the rainy season.

As the package does not include airfare from the US, I think you could do all of this on your own for the same price or even less, and get better hotels into the bargain. IMO the only thing travel agents are good for is getting bargains on airfares, if you have a US travel agent that can get you a good deal on the international air fare and some hotels, that would be worth looking into. The day trips you can easily do on your own. Please include at least 3 days in Bangkok. At the very least, whether you take the package or not, try to move the trip to mid-December, as weather will be better and you will get pre-Christmas prices.

Finally, Thailand is a very long way to go to and sit on a beach. While the beaches are pretty, they are in no way spectacular, esp Phuket. The beaches of the Caribbean are, IMO, much, much more beautiful. Koh Samui is a bit prettier, IMO, than Phuket. The outlying islands off Phuket, like James Bond Island, where I see you are going, are quite beautiful, so it is good you will see them, albeit for one day. But to go all the way to Thailand to sit on a beach is a lot of time and money to spend for a beach experience. Phuket or Samui as an add-on to a trip to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong or someplace else in Asia is fine. But you only have one day in Bangkok, which is not nearly enough to see and experience that exciting and truly exotic city. If you want really beautiful beaches, powdery white sand, azure waters, etc and don't want the Caribbean, you need to go to the Maldives or Tahiti, IMO (or some of the islands off the east coast of Malaysia, which are in the rainy season in November and December).

I stayed at the Amari Watergate my first trip to Bangkok back in 1995, and while it's a nice hotel, I haven't stayed there since. Back then it was brand new, but I have no idea how it has held up. I would stay on the river, especially for a honeymoon. The river is very romantic and watching the river come to life in the morning is wonderful. I would stay at either the Peninsula (my first choice), the Oriental, or the Shangri-La.

I also think you have way too much beach time and not enough time in Bangkok, which is a fabulous city. I'm not a beach person however and 3 days in Phuket was about 2 days too many for me and my husband. It's your honeymoon though so only you and your finacee know what you want.

I personally would pick all the hotels myself and not use anyone to plan my vacation. Thailand is very easy to get around and it's always better to book things yourself, or at least plan it yourself and then see if an agent can get you a better deal at hotels. Sometimes they can, sometimes not. We always plan and book everything ourselves using the internet.

I agree with Cicerone 100%. If you want a beach holiday there is absolutely no reason to fly all the way to Thailand. Thailand is a fabulous country but the beaches don't give you any sense of it.

Take a moment and re-think whether you want to spend all of your time on a beach. If so, then you should book on your own. You'll get better rates at better hotels. We've travelled to T-land during that time period and had no rain in Phuket.

I agree with the above posters that you should spend much more time in Bangkok. Thailand is special because of it's culture and people. You can experience that in BKK. At the beach, you'll just have people bringing you drinks and offering massages. You can go to Cancun for that. However, if you're set on beach-beach-beach, you'll still have a great time.

I also don't know the level of relaxation you are looking for on your honeymoon. It seems to me like you have almost all of your days pre-booked. After going through the stress of a wedding, do you really want to be locked in to tours and be on the go all the time? Some people do, but it is not my cup of tea.

We are starting our honeymoon in Koh Samui too so we can get in some relaxation and beach time. I know of all the things there are to do on the island, and I also know it is pretty simple to arrange to do those things the day before or even the day of. So, I would not dream of locking myself into tours when I might wake up one day and just want to lay on the beach!

I also agree that, if you are going for just a beach, don't go to Thailand. We wanted a mix, so we are starting on the beach, to get fully relaxed, then going up to Chiang Mai to get a little city/jungle experience (this is where we plan to do things like elephant treks, etc.) and then end it with Bangkok. You simply should not go to Bangkok for just one day. You will try to squeeze too much in and get exhausted and therefore be frusterated with your visit to a magical city that you would fall in love with if you could see it properly.

You did not tell us what you are paying for your package, but like others here, it is probably overpriced. I know going through a travel agent gives people a sense of security, and when going to certain places, I would definitely want to use one. But, Thailand is one of those rare places where it is probably easier and more economical to do on your own. I know your travel agent has done a lot of work for you, but maybe you should just take the ideas given to you and look around on your own a bit.

You're no doubt tired of hearing this, but I expect that you've overpaid for rather mediocre hotels and lots of tours that you'd probably rather not do.

Like others, I'd suggest that if you want to go to Thailand for your honeymoon, then make sure you do some things to experience Thailand - spend time in Bangkok (on the river), perhaps make a trip to the Golden Triangle (the Anantara there would be wonderful for a honeymoon), and spend a little time at a beach, probably Phuket at that time of the year, as Samui will be really rainy.

You can easily and inexpensively book everything yourself. If it were me, I'd book all the hotels and flights in advance and book any day trips from Thailand, as they will be MUCH less expensive and you can decide exactly what you want to do.

lol , ya I waited a while for everyone too chime in before realy saying that the packed seeems like a bad deal... I'm curiouse too know how much ya paid.

I don't like or dislike the big lux river hotels in bkk. but I do think that they are a good option for honeymooners.

what is your budget.?

I would love too see how she spells her name in thai. I have a strange feeling RATT.. is not correct . for one TT is not commenly used in any phonetics when translating thai to english, it eitthe t or th. or d. and if Im not mistaken words that end in T are pronouned as d

this has actually bugged me for a while now. I have a feeling her name is pronounsed rad. or lad the "a" sounding like "alarm" but pronouned quickly and sharply.

and I get the feeling she tried too pronouse her name but farangs could not pronouced it and she justt said "mai pen raai". and let every one calll he
ratt as in the only big hair band which I liked, heck the guy ate a rat in the video how can you beat. that.

The true thaiis please help out... I am an absulute moran when it comes too thai.

damn I post the above messge in the worng thread. fodors GODS please ZAP my last 2 post on this thread.

Have to agree with others - if looking for a beach holiday, no need to go as far as Thailand. We visited during the same time period as you a few years back, ending in Phuket - let me tell you, that it's so hot, you can't sit on the beach all that long. You've got to be in the water or protected somewhere. And we know heat from NYC summers where we sit in the sun often. Even the Caribbean sun/weather has never been as hot as in Southeat Asia.

There are prettier and more conducive romantic beach destinations for honeymoons closer to home - the Caribbean, bermuda, Panama, Cuba, Mexico, Baja, even Hawaii.

But if you want to visit Thailand, then visit Thailand - Bangkok, Chiang Mai, the Golden Triangle and end with a few days in Phuket.

well you must really be "bummed out" by now having read all of this....but i have to agree with what has been said..

i am exhausted just reading it....i got all the way to day 11 before i saw that you had some free time....YOU HAVE ALLOWED YOURSELVES TO BE WAY OVER-BOOKED...IMO..

we would love to help you on fodors get more bang for your buck and still do much of what you propose...

the armari is not my choice in any way for a honeymoon...get rid of it...

may i suggest a cheap version of the bkk riverside hotel....the marriott...for about $125 you can have a nice room with a fabulous pool...there are other more expensive options...

in samui, may i suggest the peace resort or one of the resorts in chaewaeng beach or baan bophut...

i would skip either phuket or samui...do one or the other and i would add several more days in bkk...

you can pick up all the tours you want once you get there....no need to pre-book..

phi phi was badly damaged in the december storm...not sure what conditions exist there currently...

gently may i suggest that you rethink the whole thing??

november/december are the beginnings of high season so you need to get moving if you are making changes...

here is a hotel site for price comparisons:

www.huahin.20m.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your feedback!!! It is VERY much appreciated!!

My husband and I are talking over our options. We have not booked anything except for our airline tickets, which are refundable.

If we decide to stay with Thailand, I am sure I will be posting again to get suggestions!!!

Again, thank you to everyone that offered your suggestions!!

Best Regards,
Cynthia

Cynthia, Good luck in figuring out what you want for your honeymoon. As you can tell from this board, there are lots of options is Asia. People here aren't shy about stating their opinions. People will be glad to help if you decide to go to Asia. We can recommend places to go, things to do and see, particular hotels depending on your budget, etc. What's important is to get what is right for you.