honeymooners12

I have searched and read many helpful posts. It seems to be the consensus that you don't need a travel agent to plan a honeymoon in Thailand. I've been searching for a reputable one in the US, but haven't found one that specializes in Thailand honeymoons (that isn't a tour group agency).

My plan now is to do Bangkok to Chiang Mai to then maybe Krabi or Koh Samui or an island. We have 2 weeks. Is this enough time or should i cut out Chiang Mai? If I plan this myself I have a few questions.

We want to leave the NYC area on December 22nd which puts us in Bangkok on December 23rd (late). What is the best way to get from the airport to the hotel? Without a travel agent, I would not have private transfers. Is this ok in that I've never been to Asia before (we have travelled a lot so feel comfortable outside of US) Would like to stay in Bangkok for 4 days. I read tours with Tong is great so I would book something with them. I also read to stay along the river. I read Kiwicollections is great to book with. What would be a great choice for a hotel for a honeymoon centrally located?

What is the best way to book air within Thailand? I'm worried because of the holidays that I might not be able to find great pricing. We would go to Chiang Mai on December 27th until Dec 31st. I am looking into the elephant camps and a cooking class.

I would like to spend from Dec 31st-Jan 5 on an island. How do I get here from the North? Take a plane back to Bangkok? Which island is best? I'm not interested in Phuket (too touristy). I was interested in Koh Samui but read that Krabi is better for this time of year. Any recommendations of what to do on New Year's Eve?

I then would have to get back to bangkok to fly home to NYC on Jan 5th. What is the best way from the islands?

This is a lot of questions and any help/input you can give would be much appreciated. We are young/mid 30's looking for luxury mixed with adventure/culture.

Thank you!!

live42day

I booked Bangkok Air on line. You can get a discovery air pass which can only be purchased outside of Thailand and may reduce your costs.

You can get a cab from the Bangkok airport quite easily. You go outside and there are people who will ask where you are going, then you line up and they get a cab for you. They will tell you the price to expect before you get in the cab.

You can fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and then from there to Samui or Krabi. You may have to tranfer planes through Bangkok but not a big deal.
I prefer Krabi. I was just there in Jan and we did day trips snorkelling from there which was great. I have been to Samui too, but prefer Krabi. Personal taste however. You can then fly back to Bangkok from either island.

There are other modes of transportation, bus, ferry etc but with two weeks I would just fly.

Kathie

The maximum number of stops you want for two weeks is three, so you can visit Bangkok, Chiang Mai and a beach in two weeks.

You are traveling at the most expensive time of the year. Flights within Thailand will not be the issue for you, accommodation with be the issue. Flights are pretty reasobanly priced. You have a number of options, Thai Air is excellent and is full-service, Bangkok Air is also very good and full service. The Discovery Pass may or may not be helpful to you, and seats for the pass will be more limited over the holidays. Air Asia flies to some of these destinations. It's cheap, but has the disadvantages of a low-cost airline, like limited baggage allowance (and if you go over it can be very expensive). Anyway, you can book flights on any of these carriers online. You will want to fly between all of your atops. Ther are frequent flights, so booking should not be a problem.

If your budget will accommodate it, the Anantara at the Golden Triangle has a great cooking class and elephants on site. It would be a good substitute for Chiang Mai.

You need to choose and book accommodation as soon as possible. There are lots of booking sites, don't restrict yourself to one.

For New Year's Eve, if you are at the beach there will be a mandatory (expensive) NYE function.

In Bangkok, look at the Peninsula as the classic honeymoon option.

honeymooners12

Thank you so much for your responses! I feel good about my itinerary now from bangkok to chiang mai to krabi.

I will look into hotels ASAP. Any recommendations for hotels that would be great for a honeymoon in Krabi and Chiang Mai?

Kathie

price range per night?

honeymooners12

I am willing to spend $300 a night

rhkkmk

easy with that budget---almost any hotel in thailand, but xmas week is tough..

plan a couple of days in bkk up front and a couple at the end to be able to enjoy it the most..

peninsula hotel for bkk is my #1 choice for honeymoon--let them know your status for a possible upgrade..

you should be aware that mANY thai hotels require a mandatory in house dinner on xmas and new years eve, which can be expensive, but also lavish..

conrad, four seasons, kempenski, st regis, plaza anthanee (starwoods), hyatt are some other nice bkk hotels..

the sheraton krabi is lovely as is the amari vogue (my honeymoon choice) just up the road.... fly to krabi on air asia or thai air.

the renaissance at koh samui is nice--bkk air to samui (expensive)..

i love the jw marriott in khao lak---i will be there in november---fly to phuket and take a taxi or have them come for you or rent a car as i do--1 hour drive north--easy.

rhkkmk

do you have your bkk flt yet?

i love both finn air via helsinki and korean air via seoul from jfk... or bus class only singapore air from newark..

honeymooners12

Thank you so much for all of the hotel and flight information-it is really helpful. We don't have our flight but we are anxious to book since we know it's a busy time.

beanweb24

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