Have 7 weeks to visit Thailand, Cambodia and Thailand and will be first trip to these areas.
Initial plan for Bangkok for 1 week, Chaing mai possibly for 4 days, through Vientiene, Laos (open for suggestions also ) , Hanoi and area to beach for 1 week, possible CONSIDER train down coast to Nha Trang ( 4 days ) and on to Saigon for 5 days ( how long would this take, have plently of time for train trip if advisable).
Up to Phenom Phen for 4 days, then Angkor Wat for 4 days then to Bangkok. Need to fly to Singapor for 3-4 days business max. R/T from Bangkok. Would like to fit in Phukett also. Excuse spelling of any preceeding words as I am leaving for Europe Tuesday of this week.
Any help regarding trains and planes to achieve this trip is really appreciated. Any Bangkok travel agencies that would be helpful to facilitate.

If you notice I am mostly trying to going in a circular route as best I can with some obvious exceptions. Am aware of Air Asia, sawadee.com and agoda.com. Concerns would be that I only have hotel reservations arriving to and leaving Bangkok to return home so considering the time of year am I safe getting hotels when I get boots on the ground in Bangkok. Prefer hotels in lower mid price level in that I sleep there only but where do I draw the line.
HELP is really appreciated as I am seasoned traveler but again, first trip to this area.
Many thanks,
jimdtrvl

At this time of the year you can probably wing it on hotels. Do be aware, though that you often get a better price by pre-booking. At the cheapest ranges, you might be able to get a better price by walking up and negotiating. Sometimes you can get great deals at www.latestays.com when you are booking just a week or two (or even just a day!) in advance. Internet rates are almost always cheaper than what you can get at the front desk.

Thoughts on your itinerary: I'd be bored with 4 days in Chiang Mai... consider going up to the Golden Triangle area for a couple of days. For Laos, don't miss Luang Prabang. Hanoi area has lots to see and do. Four days in PP is overkill (excuse the awful pun), and depending on your level of interest in the temples of Angkor, 4 days there may not be enough.

If you want beach time, remember that Phuket is not the only beach area in Thailand. Other options include other places in the Adaman Sea side like Krabi and Koh Lak, Koh Samui on the Gulf of Thailand side and Hua Hin, just a couple of hours drive south of Bangkok.

For flights, you might find the Bangkok Air Discovery Pass to be a really good deal, but it would require that you book the pass before you leave the US. Given how flexible you want to be it may not work for you. You'd have to book all of your flights (you need a minimum of three legs on Bangkok Air) in advance, but you can change your flights as long as there is a seat available in your fare class. The flight between Siem Reap and Bangkok is quite expensive, and Bangkok Air is your only option, so if you can make the Discovery Pass work for you it would be well worth it.

Agree with Kathie that you should definitely add Luang Prabang, and reduce time in Chiang Mai and PP. Not sure what beach you are thinking of near Hanoi, but include an overnight in Halong Bay and consider a trip out to Sapa.

I've done the train trip from Hanoi to Saigon (stopping off on the way) and while the trains aren't as comfortable as Thailand, and certainly not as comfortable as China, they're not bad (well, aside from the train to Sapa). I wasn't that keen on Nha Trang, if you want beach time you might look at Mui Ne. Definitely consider Hue and Hoi An on the way south.

For train info see seat61.com.

Thanks Kathie and Thursdaysd for the information which helps me reconsider a couple of areas in my time frame and possible redirection of another. Will definitely see if I can make Discovery pass work also.
Again, thanks for the help.

jimdtrvl

Thursdaysd, I would love to hear more about the train. We, also, are considering taking the train from Hanoi to Saigon (with a stop in Hue/Hoi An). If you want to contact me directly: [email protected].

The train in Vietnam is quite convenient. it costs around $50 to go from Hanoi to Sai Gon or vice versa. The price may range depending on the quality of the train and seat. For hard seat without air-con, you just have to spend $25, however, i guess the more expensive, the better it is.