Hi fodorites!
I am just embarking on planning our 10 year anniversary trip to Thailand so I need lots of help.
1. I am looking for recommended itineraries for a 2 week trip. I have heard amazing things reading these chats about Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Also looking for some time at a beautiful beach with other things to do.
2. Is November a good time to go?

Let's start with that!
Thanks for the help in advance. We are really looking forward to it.

Congrats on 10 years!!!!

Do you have 14 days of on the ground time in Thailand?

If so, then what we usually say is:

Bkk 4 days

CM 4 days

Beach 4 days

Bkk 2 days

Home

If you don't want to do the beach, what else would you be interested in?

Our first trip to Thailand was in nov and it was great for us!

November is a good time to go. For two weeks, you should plan on three locations. From what you've written, it sounds like Bangkok, a location in the north and a beach are what you are looking for.

In the north, Chaing Mai isn't the only option. I'd suggest you also look at the Golden Triangle area (the Anantara at the Golden Triangle). Another option to consider is to substitute Angkor for Northern Thailand.

As far as beaches are concerned, you'll need to tell us more about what you want from your beach time. Remember that all of the beach areas are basically international resorts. So if all you want to do is relax and swim, that's fine, as you'll get your cultural exposure elsewhere. Do you want a lively beach with lots of restaurant and bar options? Do you want a quiet beach? Are you looking for a big resort with lots of activities or a small boutique property that offers comfort and privacy?

In Bangkok, I'd recommend staying along the river. The Pen and the Oriental are the usual high end choices, but there are other less pricey but still very nice options on the river (Shangri-La, Sheraton Royal Orchid Towers, Millenium Hilton and the Marriott Resort and Spa).

You are welcome to look at our photos of SE Asia, www.marlandc.com The photos may give you a better idea of whether you want to visit Chaing Mai or the Golden Triangle or Angkor.

you are in for a fabulous trip...

in two weeks, if you were to stay only in thailand, i would suggest about the same as 'duo' has suggested....its a good idea to split bkk at beginning and end so as to allow you to adjust to the heat and humidity at the beginning of the trip and then to do the heavy lifting (sightseeing, shopping) at the end of the trip...

i would be inclined to reverse the bkk days however and put 2 or 3 up front and then go to the beach, then go to chiang mai for maybe 3 days max and then return to bkk...

picking your hotels is the key to a successful trip... november is the very best time of the year to go...the later in the month the better...

let is know something about your budget for hotels and we can makes several suggestions for hotels, but generally on this board in bkk we prefer the riverside hotels...my personal favorites are the marriott resort and spa and also the peninsula... another option is the serviced apartments like the centre point group or the ascott group...

many of us like to hire a driver/guide for some of out touring in and around bkk and also in chiang mai....many are favorites on this board including cherry, tong and rat---rat has a sister who is well liked for touring in chiang mai....

give us some more parameters and we will give you more info than you can shake a stick at....

Wow. Thanks everyone for such fast replies.

I think for a beach our first priority is gorgeous and relaxing, to counter all the touring in other areas, but something to offer in the evenings (good restaurant, maybe dancing would be nice).

I have a lot of Marriott points so the Marriott Resort and Spa may be a perfect option in BKK.

Any thoughts on a Singapore/Bali/BKK/Chiang Mai itinerary or is that too much?

Haven't set the duration but we were planning on taking 2 weeks off of work and I know we lose a couple days getting there. I am near Washington, DC.

Thanks again for any recommendations.

Hi Haley, I'm from the DC area too. You will have a spectacular time. Make sure you do as much as possible there! Flying ANA out of Dulles?

Singapore/Bali/BKK/CM is way too much in two weeks. You add significantly to your travel time with this sort of itinerary. Stick with three stops in Thailand.

Thanks Kathie. We will limit the destinations. Still trying to find those perfect 3.

Mango7-
I am using United miles so whatever the partners are but yes out of Dulles! With that said my first priority is nailing down my dates and inbound/outbound flight first then figure out my internal itinerary. I can't book until this fall anyway right (11-12 months out)?

Is it better to book internal flights there or before we leave?

No question, getting those award tickets nailed down this the first priority (I also use United miles, but to upgrade to Biz) and they are bookable about 330 days in advance. You can wait a while to book your internal flights, but do book them before you go. The price will be the same, and who wants to spend their vacation buying plane tickets?

Very first thing you should do is book your award tix. I just went thru a really tough time after getting tix on the Thai Air JFK-BKK flight, then it was cancelled. I kept calling back every few days and finally someone worked with me for a couple of hours until he found flights. They are biz class, but he said that it is easier to get coach. Don't waste anytime - - you can plan the internal itinerary afterwards. We were also thinking about adding Bali on this trip but it is not as easy getting to Thailand because it is farther south. Pick either Indonesia or Thailand and stick with it. Oh, and obviously I am also from Washington!

Meant to edit rather than post! Bali is farther south, harder to get to and from.

If you have lots of Marriott points....

The JW in Phuket is a terrific hotel. Large, great pools, great landscaping, long beach and good service. However, it is isolated, requiring a taxi to restaurants, etc., and the beach is pretty open (not aqua blue water). Also, it can get crowded with kids but late November you should be fine. Of course, it is a bit distant from the "real Thailand," but it is a heck of a relaxing place. And, on points, I don't think you can go wrong. You can take taxis wherever you want to go. The hotel is only 15 mins or so from the airport. There are many restaurants at the JW but they are on the expensive side and there is better dining outside the hotel. Have fun. Thailand is great.

I'm in the midst of planning a trip to Thailand (and perhaps Bali) as well. We would also be using FF miles via the Star Alliance and I've been doing my homework on the options (we are in RDU so we are looking at the same options as you). You can look at flight options by going to http://www.staralliance.com. You get more control over the options displayed by downloading the timetable instead of using the online version.

Also, you can look at award availability across all Star Alliance partners via ANA's website. You have to sign up for an account there, but it is free. This makes your award ticket planning much easier as you are not dependent on UA call center agents (who are often clueless or not willing to search too hard).

United has the most options out of IAD to BKK, but ANA also has some out of IAD. General consensus is you will have a much higher quality experience on Asian carriers vs. domestic carriers. One caution about ANA is the pitch in coach - if someone in your party has long legs, they might not be comfortable. I'm trying to avoid both of these airlines as I think UA in coach long haul is dreadful.

Since Thai cancelled the JFK/BKK direct flight, the choices to BKK pretty much stink from the East Coast. We're thinking about trying out the A380 along the way - you can catch it for LHR to SIN. We love Singapore Air anyway and it would just add a few hours to an impossibly long trip so why not? With 4 of us, we're never going to fly business or first on award tix together so the A380 would likely be our only shot at flying in an upper deck.

If you're not familiar with United's stopover rules, you should check them out. I think most programs allow one stopover (with rules) or an open jaw, but not both. This could impact your paid flight budget if you don't plan smartly.

For our award tickets we would probably fly into BKK and return out of Bali. We would pay for the internal flights and a one way to Bali. The return options are brutally long and Singapore is the only option out of Bali. We might break it up with an overnight along the way - no stopover if you stop is less than 24 hours.

I'm sure you already know all of this, but wanted to mention it just in case. The options are endless and confusing if you are trying to time flights in order maximize traditional sleep times. Good luck with your planning.

ANA is a united partner....i just flew them from bkk to tokyo and it was fantastic..

Yes, ANA and United are members of the Star Alliance. My only word of caution regarding ANA was the short pitch (31&quot and narrow width (16.5&quot in economy. If you visit flyertalk you will find many comments about these dimensions being uncomfortable as they are smaller than almost every other carrier making the US/Asia trek.

the plane i flew on from bkk to nrt was very comfortable and the seat was not narrow...

We started using ANA for between Japan and JFK last year, and we all find the seats in economy to be more comfortable than the others we have flown...United, Northwest and Continental...over the years we have lived in Japan. ANA service trumps the other airlines we have flown by a good margin, too. ANA's food is edible in economy.

United's, NWA's and Continental's economy pitch is also 31" on their transpacific aircraft, and any additional width they claim to have I have never noticed. ANA's seats do not feel any more narrow, to me at least.

kim is right....and i am wide!!

jw marriott in phuket would be a fantastic kick back location for you...

My reference was to Star Alliance carriers and no sane person would fly United in economy on a long haul. It's good to hear neither of you had issues with ANA. Everyone raves about their food and service. For me, however, there are simply too many reports of men having comfort issues, particularly when I can get to BKK on some combo of Air Canada, Singapore and Thai using my miles and know I will have decent service and be comfortable.

Here are some comments for reference:

http://www.airlinequality.com/Product/Yseat-NH.htm

You will find other similar comments on Flyertalk.

It seems logical to make the seats smaller because the general size of the average Asian person, who will be the predominant passenger on their planes. I usually try to get a front row economy seat. Works pretty well. The Super Economy sounds great nontheless.