mandelieu

We just bought tickets for an August trip to Thailand and Siem Reap. We're also considering a few days in Hanoi as part of the trip. We will be flying roundtrip from New York to Bangkok and I am now trying to decide where we'll go on the ground and what order makes the most sense. We anticipate flying from place to place. We would like to spend time in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, possibly Chiang Rai, Siem Reap, and possibly Hanoi. Any thoughts on the best order (particularly insights into how we could avoid flying back and forth to Bangkok to move between destinations) would be much appreciated. Also, any information on August weather issues that might be unique to Chiang Rai would be helpful. Thanks for all your expertise!

Kathie

How much time do you have on the ground in Asia?

For weather info check www.weatherbase.com and look at each city you are interested in.

You are making a lot of stops, and there are not non-stop flights among several of them. For instance, to get to Siem Reap you have to go through Bangkok, to get to Hanoi you also have to go through Bangkok. There are flights from Bangkok to CM and from Bangkok to CR, but no flights from CM to CR.

You have listed three destinations that sound like "for sure": Bangkok, CM and Siem Reap. Since your international flights are all in/out of Bangkok, you may want to divide your Bangkok time, a few days at the beginning, a few at the end. You could start in Bangkok, do to Siem Reap next, then fly through bangkok to CM (there aer about 5 flighst a day to/from Siem Reap and many more to/from CM, so you should have no problem getting good connections. From CM, if you wanted to go to CR (and have the time) you could hire a car and driver to take you there. You can fly back to Bangkok from CR and spend a few more days in Bangkok before flying home.

Unless you have a lot of time, it probably doesn't make sense to go to Hanoi as well. That would put you in three different countries, with three different cultures to learn about. While you could catch glimpses of all three countries, it would be hard to get any real feel for them.

If you have three weeks, you could visit 4 places without feeling rushed, and with plenty of time to wander and browse, important activities in an entirely new culture. If you only have two weeks, limit yourselves to not more than three places.

MichaelBKK

Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai AND Siem Reap will be a bit much of the same things. You didn't say how long your trip is. If it's only two weeks, you would be stressed doing more than three cities.

You also didn't say what you're interested in. Chiang Mai is good for shopping as well as sight-seeing, while Chiang Rai is more of a 'country' atmosphere.

Logistically, Bangkok Airways does have a flight from Chiang Mai to Siem Reap. Note that it's only one-way. There is no Siem Reap - Chiang Mai flight. So, you can go Bangkok - Chiang Mai then Siem Reap. VN Airlines connects Siem Reap and Hanoi if you want to do that.

As to weather, August is one of the wettest months in Thailand, especially in the north, but as you've no doubt seen mentioned many times already, rain come in heavy downpours lasting only an hour or two.

rhkkmk

it would be helpful for us to know how long your trip is for....how many days on the ground??

i always suggest that people have a few days in bkk at the beginning of the trip (3 at a minimum) to adjust to the heat and humidity and to recover from the flight....i then also like a minimum of 3 days back in bkk at the end....

SR is even hotter generally than bkk and it is harder work in some ways, but it is very rewarding....so fresh from a few days in bkk, i would head there...bangkok air is the way to go...expensive but direct...personally i prefer a minimum of 3 nites there with 4 full days....you can take the last flight out about 7PM to bkk and still have a full day of sightseeing there...

back in bkk i would spend the nite or two and then fly to CM for a few days---imo 3 is more than enough...if you have the time i would then be driven up to CR (3 hours) and spend another 3-4 days up there....imo, it is much nicer than CM....the anantara is fantastic if you can afford it---about 1 hour north of CR at the golden triangle....

from there i would fly back to bkk and go on to hanoi if you must....personally i would do VN on a seperate trip....haoni itself is worth 2-5 days....also halong bay...

but i would choose to stay in thailand totally....if you still have more time i would try a beach area----not sure of weather in Aug....samui/hua hin/krabi/khao lak/phuket are the most popular areas...i personally prefer samui...bkk air is the only one to fly to samui....you might look at their passes to save money if you go to SR and samui...and some of the other places....

finally i would find myself back in bkk for a few days...

it all depends on the # of days you have set aside

rhkkmk

guess we were all posting at the same time....lets get together and give the same answer once....same thoughts it seems...

MichaelBKK

I know, I thought I was the first to respond, but then Kathie's response showed up before me, so I guess she hit 'Post' first.

mandelieu

Thank you very much for all your helpful advice. It looks like we will need to choose among the possible destinations since we don't have time to do them all without a big rush. Just one more question: how different are the experiences in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai if we were staying outside of CM at the Four Seasons? Will a stay at the Anantara Golden Triangle be very similar in feel?

MichaelBKK

Although each has it's supporters, the two places are close enough that I would strongly urge you to choose one or the other. For a first-time visitor, I think Chiang Mai has a wider range of things to see and do, but I know others will disagree.

Kathie

As Michael says, it's really a matter of personal preference. I would say that the two experiences would be different, and you should choose on the basis of what you want to do while you are there. I'm not a fan of CM, but some people love it. However, if you spend all or most of your time at the 4Seasons, it won't really matter that the closest city is a mess of urban sprawl with terrible traffic and lots of particulates in the air. (obviously, my bias)

I loved my stay at the Anantara and would return. I liked the very rural area, the gorgeous view over the Golden Triangle area, and the peace and quiet. I enjoyed a day of visiting the nearby town of Chaeng Sean and Doi Tong, the Princess Mother's estate.

rhkkmk

anantara and 4 seasons are not even in the same league....

4 seasons is full lux...fabulous grounds, lux accomodations....way outside the town...

anantara is a lovely remote 4 star place .....i would not consider it lux in the same way as the 4 seasons....don't get me wrong it is quite nice but not over the top like the 4 seasons...

michael is right there is more to do in CM....

mandelieu

We've decided to go from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, then to Siem Reap, on to Hanoi, and back to Bangkok. I'm having trouble finding a direct flight from CM to SR (it was mentioned by one of you in an earlier posting), so any further information would be appreciated. Other than that, we're able to fly from place to place without connecting in Bangkok. Thanks.

rhkkmk

have you looked at bangkok air...limited schedule, not everyday

KimJapan

Bangkok Air briefly had a flight CNX - REP. It was crazy expensive, and was discontinued shorly after it was begun.

rhkkmk

kim, it is still showing as available...i put in a date in march and it came up with a fare of 11,000+ and 7000+

KimJapan

That's good then. I looked for it and it didn't come up, and had heard it was discontinued. The price, though, is crazy expensive.