Hope you all can help me. Our itinerary so far is:

Phuket 7 nights (Marriott time share)
Siem Reap 2 nights
Bangkok 4 nights

We will fly bewteen the cities so what is the best order of visits?

Also, I wanted to add Chiang Mai but it will be diffuclt. What are we missing by not going there?

Thnaks for the help.

David J

I think you really need to pause and consider what is important to you. To visit just the major temples at Angkor takes three full days in Siem Reap. If you want to do a school visit or other things, add another half a day. So your current itinerary doesn't allow for adequate time even for the places you've listed let alone adding Chiang Mai (though I'm not a fan of CM). Is there any way you could add another day or two to your trip just to do the three place you mention?

If you didn't have a time share week, I'd really recommend that you cut some of your time in Phuket. Phuket is nice, but it's an international beach resort, so doesn't give you as much cultural exposure.

Since you have to fly in and out of Bangkok, it often makes sense to spend a couple of days at each end of the trip. However, your time is so limited, I'd say that you should have all of your Bangkok time at either the beginning or the end.

You'll want to buy a Bangkok Air discovery pass. You will fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap, then there is a flight from Siem Reap to Phuket once a day that counts as just one leg in the airpass. You will then fly back to Bangkok.

So you might do it this way: start with 4 nights in Bangkok. Acclimate to the time zone and the heat. See some of the major attractions, etc. Fly to Siem Reap. Again, you really need three full days there, which would mean you'd need to add two days to your vacation. From Siem Reap, you'd fly through Bangkok onward to Phuket. From Phuket you'd return to Bangkok for your flight home.

kathie has made good points....i might add as an alternative to spend one nite at the airport in bkk and then fly right to phuket where you can make all your adjustments and then go to SR and finish up in bkk when you will be at your most alert and get the most out of the visit...

this assumes that you arrive in bkk at nite like most flights do...if you arrive in the day i would try for a flight directly to phuket immediately...allow about 4 hours for the switch over....

we had lunch at that marriott last week and may do the same today as we head back that way...

just for your planning purposes please note that travel from the marriott into town takes about 45 minutes plus....you would do well to rent a car for at least part of the time...

there is lots going on at the marriott just now with more timeshare being built and also the completion of a new anantara hotel...

you will love your time there...

rhkkmk,

Can you expand on your comments regarding the Marriott on Phuket?
We intend to visit the first weekend in December this year. Are we going to be running into a lot of construction? You mention a lot going on there, not exactly what I was looking for in a visit!

no i do not think it will bother you at all....it is away from the main hotel....

i would not worry about it...you might send them an email and ask that you be way away from any construction just in case...

I recently booked a Bangkok Air Discovery Pass itinerary from BKK to Siem Reap with a return flight to Phuket. The Phuket flight I'm booked on changes planes and flight numbers in BKK, thus counting for two segments. The Discovery Pass still netted me a substantial savings.