Thailand assistance
 

Hey all.
My wife & I are going to Thailand for 2 weeks in March/April and would like some input. We will be visiting Phuket, Chiang Mai & Bangkok.
Here's the plan:
4-5 nights in Phuket
2-3 nights in Chiang Mai
5-6 nights in Bangkok
Our questions are:
1) What is the flying time between Phuket-Bangkok & Bangkok-Chiang Mai?

2) Considering we want to scuba dive, explore the area & otherwise relax, is 4-5 nights sufficient for Phuket? Any opinions on Thavorn Palm Beach resort in Karon?

3) Has anyone done elephant trekking in Chiang Mai? Is it a whole day thing?
Thoughts on the River View Lodge (their website does not seem to have an email address for inquiries)?

Thanks for your time...

Your outline sounds perfect for divers. The thing about elephant riding is that 2 hours is about the maximum. You sit in a wooden platform that is parallel to the ground. It is not overly comfortable. When you go up a hill, the platform remains parallel to the sloping ground and you sort of hang on to the front to keep your balance. Even tougher, when you go down a hill, you hang on to the back. Having said that, a 2 hour elephant ride through the hilly jungle is delightful.

The flying time between Phuket-BKK and BKK-CM is about an hour, maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. There is a direct P-CM flight thta's a little longer, maybe 1 1/2 hours.

the time you have laid out looks good...you might want to consider phi phi for your watersports....

you need to allow 1/2 day for each change in location at a minimum....

jamesA will undoubtably have some good info for your on phuket and the hotels you ask about....

what budget do you have for hotels?? that would help us make better suggestions....

consider the marriott resort and spa in bangkok....it is our favorite, one the river and does not cost an arm and a leg.....great pool and relaxing area...

Hi.

Hotel budget-wise...about US$90/night max.
Thanks...

You can easily find nice hotels for way under $90 in Chiang Mai which will enable you to spend more elsewhere.

try this hotel site: www.huahin.20m.com

Assuming you want to average $90 per night, the hotels are generally cheaper in CM, so you can save there and spend a little more in P or BKK. The general consensus on this forum is that in BKK the river is best, but this will cost more. If you want to stay in town, closer to the shopping, you can also find relative bargains in BKK. This might allow you to up the price in P. If you sketch out some possibilities, we'll chime in with our uninformed opinions (Bob?).

Seems a lot of people book quite a lot of time in Bangkok. I personally feel a couple of nights on arrival and one/two for departure is enough to see the highlights. I'd cut back a couple of days and add to Chiang Mai/northern Thailand portion instead.

It has been several years since I stayed at the River View, but my former-beloved and I enjoyed the place a lot. It was both comfortable and had a decidedly Thai (or at least non-Western) feel to it; breakfast on the patio by the pool was a daily treat. The staff were helpful and friendly, and the trip they arranged for us to Doi Suthep was especially memorable. The River View is also in a great location, a 5-minute walk from the Night Bazaar.

I'll also tell you that I have read both favorable and less-than-favorable reviews from others since I visited.

I always like to put the beach portion of an itinerary at the end - some R&R after.

With this in mind, I'd do BKK first for at least 4-days, then head up to Chaing Mai and even the Golden Triangle split between 4-5 days, then head down to Phuket 4-days, then 1-full day BKK to catch up on last minute sightseeing and/or shopping.

As divers, you do know - no flying 24-hrs after diving, so you have to allow for this before boarding a flight to elsewhere in Thailand or your homebound flight.

As others have mentioned, elephant trekking is best for 2-hrs max. as it's not all that comfy atop. Also, from comments on this board, Chaing Mai may not require more than 1-full day, as the area up near the Golden Triangle is much more interesting. From here you would fly from Chaing Rai via BKK to Phuket, unless you're fortunate to get a non-stop.

Just my ideas.

FYI - The Four Seasons is opening a tented camp in the Chiang Ria area in early Feb, soft opening mid-January.

For Phuket like most islands deciding 'which beach' is the main thing.
It is also 'vitel' whether you want absolute beachfront place or are happy with something across a beach road as there are not many at all right on the beach. Karon is a good choice beachwise and plenty of nice places 'across the road' from the beach, if you like to go straight from your hotel room thru the gardens and pool onto the beach and then have the ease of popping back to the pool area or your room ( for bathroom etc ) then getting a place with absolute beachfront is important.
Kata Thani is nice but for value for money the Karon Beach Resort is good if you are happy 3 star range and within your price range. It has the benefit of pool right on the beach and is also easy walking to restaurants and shops and not too far to patong for nightlife. In kata the aptly names 'Kata Beach Resort' is very similar to the Karon Beach Resort.
These areas are not nearly as busy as Patong but enough restaurants without being over crowded.
You then have quieter beaches such as Nai Harn further south or beaches north of patong such as Surin / Bangtao, and of course Patong if you want to be is a very busy area.
At quiet Bangtao the BW premier is good value.

But do tell us is right on the beach is a requirement.

As for elephant rides. I did an 8 hour ride several years ago in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The elephants weren't at a camp -- nor was it set up for tourists. A bunch of villagers just took us. It was near Buon Ma Thuot and it was a highlight of the trip because we went places and saw things that we never would have seen otherwise. Was it comfortable? No. Am I glad I did it? Absolutely. Now I would not want to go around a ring even for 10 seconds. But if you really get to see something and experience something it is wonderful.