Please Help-I dont know where to go!
 

Hi,
I am flying to Singapore on a business trip and decided to add some extra vacation time as this is my first time to Asia. I really want to go to Thailand but my schedule is a little bizarre. I could really use any help possibleplanning my itenerary as I dont know the travel times between most cities. I will be arriving in Singapore on Monday July 11 around midnight. I was thinking about hoping a plane to Chiang Mai to spend a few days there. I also want to go to Pattaya but I have to be back in Singapore no later than Sunday morning for work. I am done with work on Friday evening July 29 and my flight back to the States doesnt leave until Monday morning. I was thinking that over this weekend I would fly to Bangkok and spend Sat and Sun there with my coworkers. Is this too compicated?? There are so many things I want to do: elephant riding, caves, visitiing tribes, whitewater rafting, parasailing, beaches, shopping, temples, etc. I dont know where to start. Any advise on how to trim down my trip would be extremely helpful. I am a recent college graduate so my budget is severely limited (ie. hostels and budget airlines) but I still want to have a good time travelling alone. Thanks in advance.
Tameka

A rather belated answer to this one, I’m in India at the moment. I would suggest that you consider flying Silk Air to Chiang Mai on the 12th and base yourself there until the Saturday when you would head back to Singapore. You should have time to do most of the things you want to do. If your budget is limited, I don’t think that you could manage Pattaya as well -- and that could well be a blessing.

It is certainly feasible to think of flying to Bangkok late Friday and back to Singapore on the Sunday evening. However, you might like consider going to Melaka in Malaysia instead.

I personaly would not bother going up to China gMai as Silk Air only has about 3 flights per week and I think you can find most of what you want by doing Phuket.
Silk Air has great flight times to and from Phuket ( these may vary 5 to 10 mins either way )
All are Daily:-

Dep SIN 0855 arr Phuket 0935
Dep SIN 1855 arr Phuket 1935

Dep Phuket 1015 arr SIN 1255
Dep Phuket 2015 arr SIN 2255

This makes quick trips/weekend trips ideal, you can get out on the evening flight or if too tight workwise go for the morning flight. Tiger Airways is a budget carrier and they have 1 flight a day early morning.

In addition to beach you can also do Elephant rides, sea kayak, jungle trek, other soft adventures etc etc. Wat Chalong is a nice temple and although you won't have such big city style and as many temples as Cghiang Mai the ease and simplicity of the flights make up for it.

There are incredible deals on flights at the monmenet and thru July on Silk Air ( they are 100% owned by Singapore Airlines and are highly efficient and reliable plus great service for these short sectors ).

www.silkair.com

Note that Fri night ex SIN and Su night ex Phuket(HKT) are the busiest flights as popular for weekenders.

Hotels, budget anything from USD 20 to USD 40, if you just want an a/con room clean and comfort close to things the Montana in Patong is a bargain, in fact less than USD 20 I think, also hotels across from the beach at Karon USD 30/40 easy.

I mentioned recently that although the North of Thailand is great for those heading for a short time perhaps to Phuket, remember that you can do treks, tours, adventure stuff etc from Phuket also.

If you still want Bangkok for weekend the choice of airlines is huge! Even on Singapore Airlines and Thai return fares go for around USD 150-200 return, others such as Scandinavian, Finnair, Turkish etc are even less, there are budget carriers around the USD 120 return , Valuair are very good, Singapore based, but the top carriers are just a little more. Deals on the airline webistes and also you can try MISR Travel Singapore. For bangkok hotel anything from USD 25 will give you a/c and clean and decent. Cheap and budget Phuket hotels you can find lots on:

www.patong-beach-hotels.com, not just patong but all the other Phuket beaches too. Look at the Montana in Patong for very cheap large hotel, the "Old Phuket Hotel" at Karon beach which is a lovely 2 star++ hotel for the USD 30/40 mark and across the road from the beach.

www.airfares.com.sg
www.valuair.com.sg
www.singaporeairlines.com
www.silkair.com

See the post headed "Reminder Treks etc" as has link for things to do around Phuket.

meekmeak, just a thought. you should consider spending your free week in Bali. You can spend a few days on the beach soaking up the sun and a few days inland in Ubud soaking up culture.

Bali is quite cheap (and getting cheaper as the currency is dropping) and there are a lot people your age there to hang out with. It's very visitor friendly and easy to get around.

If your company is paying for your roundtrip ticket to Singapore it's usually easy to tag on Denpasar (Bali) as the farthest destination for a minimal amount.