Need help planning my Thailand trip!
 

Hello everyone. A friend referred me to this website and I was hoping someone could give me some advice on planning my trip to Thailand. I am not an experienced traveler, and I've been given a great oportunity to go to Thailand for two weeks in January. I've been going to websites and reading my guidebook but I'm getting really overwhelmed. Here's what I have so far:

-Flying into Bangkok, staying 2 days
-Taking an overnight train to Chang Mai where we want to visit some hilltribes
-Ending on a beach

My problem is that I'm still not sure what beach to go to, but Ko Samet seems good. But we are also interested in going to a Full Moon Party, which is on Jan. 22. Would it be silly to fly into Bangkok and then go straight to Ko Phangan? How would we get there?

Thank you!

first of all i assume you are coming from north america?? right??

you will be overwhelmed upon arrival because of jet lague, the heat and mostly the humidity....day one is a total waste....i might suggest that you go directly to the beach and save bkk for last...stay a nite or two on koh samui and then go to the party for one nite...

don't waist time on the train to CM...fly as cheaply as $25 and save 1/2 day and get a good nites sleep...

unless you hire a guide to seek out hill tribes way away from normal travel routes, you will be disappointed....they are overcommercialized.....like tv's and game boys....in the villages...

Thank you for replying! Yes, I will be coming from North America. My flight gets into Bangkok at 12:10 in the evening. Would you recommend staying the night and then heading for the beach or trying to go straight there upon arrival? I imagine we will be very tired but whatever is easiet.

And I actually was thinking about getting a guide in Chang Mai, depending on how pricey it is. We'll see. Thanks again!

First, you should plan the internal portions of your trip. Unlike RhkKmk, I don't think that the first day is a waste. I do agree that flying to Chiang Mai makes the most sense. It is cheap and you will conserve time. A typical split is 4 days BKK, 4 days Chiang Mai and 4 days at a beach. In January, the best beachjes are Phuket, Krabi or Khao Lak.

Arriving in BKK late at night, you will have to spend at least one night there. I suggest you spend two nights in BKK, fly to Chiang Mai, fly to Phuket and then two in BKK at the end of your trip.

I think it does make sense to go straight to the beach since you can just relax there for a few days(I'd make it 3 days). Then go to Bangkok for 3 days, fly to Chiang Mai for 3 or 4 days and return to Bangkok for another 2 or 3 days.

In terms of getting to the Full Moon Party, you can fly to Koh Samui on Bangkok Airways from Bangkok. You should actually look into purchasing their Discovery Pass (see bangkokair.com) which gives you good prices for their flights if you purchase at least 3 legs, which you will have. This is a good reliable airline too. Internal flights are $55 and the flight to Samui is $66, plus tax. From there, they arrange a shuttle to pier where you take the ferry to get to Koh Phangan. The ferry takes about 30 mins and costs about 200 baht. I would recommend spending all your beach time on Koh Phangan. It's a great time to go there weatherwise. However, I would recommend staying on the opposite side from the Full Moon Party where the better beaches are, even though they're a 20-45 min drive away. If you want a less touristy beach experience, you don't want to stay at Haad Rin beach where the party is.

Just curious...what is a Full Moon Party and where are these held?

The Full Moon party is a party held by western (mostly backpackers) visitors on Koh Phangan. It is notable for the loud (mostly Techo) music, vast quantities of alcohol and drugs. The partiers produce literally tons of garbage that has to be removed from the beach the next morning.

Depending on your age and your inclination, it's either a fabulous must-do or something to be avoided at all costs.

If you opt to go, avoid the overloaded and dangerous boats returning to Koh Samui that night/early morning.

Note that it is not in any way Thai; it was started by young travelers to Thailand.

A picture's still worth a 1000 words -- this website says it all and has helpful tips if this is something you want to check out.
http://fullmoonparty-thailand.com/

Think of the movie the Beach and realize everyone doesn't look like Leo, and Leo at this point, is a little older too ;)

a 12:10 AM arrival means there would be no flights available till the next day....in that case i might choose a hotel in town with a fantastic pool for say 2 days....marriott resort and spa is my favorite....royal orchid sheraton is another option....the pools there will allow to to climatize yourselves...

I was at the FMP in November and I wouldn't say the music is mostly techno. There are various clubs/bars along the beach with all types of music, including dance, hip hop, and techno.

There is one big party every month, during full moon, and two in December (full moon and new years). There are also a bunch of half moon etc parties at other times. The website mentioned above has the schedule.

Thank you for all of the help! I am trying to sort it all out :)

PS- Has anyone been to a half moon party? Are they just as "good"?

I wouldn't go out of my way to the FMP having been there now. It depends on your expectations. If you go with low expectations, it'll be a fun night. But coming from LA and having been to huge 20-30,000 people parties, this was nothing special with under 5,000. It's just a party on the beach with about 10-12 bars playing loud music and people drinking and dancing. if you've been to a "massive" rave, this is nowhere near that size. If you're on that island anyway, then go. And I love Koh Phangan. Half moon parties have less people, but same type of deal.