juliegw

Hello -
I've been a longtime reader of this board, never posted before but love everyone's friendliness and ideas.

We are planning our honeymoon for mid-September to Ko Samui (is it rainy season there or is Phuket better?), Bangkok and Chiang Mai/Golden Triangle. If anyone has any suggestions on hotels for this area, we'd love it. Right now we are looking at the Peninsula in Bangkok but are unsure in Ko Samui or up north. Any other suggestions for restaurants, shopping or activities/site seeing would be much appreciated as well.
Thanks so much!!

rhkkmk

penn would be fabulous for bkk for the honeymoon or the marriott if you did not want to spend quite that much but for the honeymoon penn is perfect!!

up north may i suggest the anantara in chiang saen....it is lovely

on samui, the pansea is quite nice and there is a new anantara on samui as well...we particularily liked the bophut beach area to be away from the hub bub of chaewang beach---but that area does have some nice hotels as well

dwchicago

Sounds like you have a great honeymoon. I am planning on going to Chang Mai and the Golden Triangle too. We are debating staying at the Mandarin or the D2. Is it better to be in the mountains or in the city? Any thoughts on the Golden Triangle also?

Kathie

I highly recommend the Anantara at the Golden Triangle - a gorgeous resort! If you fly into Chaing Rai, the hotel will pick you up at the airport and transport you an hour north to the resort. personally, I think it's worthwhile to get the transfers, about US$100 RT.

If you want to go to Chaing Mai as well, I'd suggest staying in the city there, as you'll be out in the mountains at the Anantara. Also, consider how many places to visit. Remember that travel in Asia is best done at a slow pace - and you are on your honeymoon. Each time you change location, you'll basically lose a day.

Bella_Bluebell

Take a look at Sala Samui on Ko Samui. I think it looks amazing for honeymoon and at that time, you should be able to get a good deal on the price too. Private pools and outside bathrooms, absolutely beautiful.

JamesA

September time Koh Samui has good weather, Phuket/krabi area is rainy season. It all depends how you want to spend your time, if you have enough time a mix of Bangkok, somewhere in the North or North east and then some beach time, Samui if you want busy ( although you can still find quiet parts ) or quieter islands / beaches, depends so much how you want to spend the time.

juliegw

Thanks for the great suggestions. I'm not familiar with the Sala Samui. Does anyone know more about that resort compared to the Sila Evason or Anantara in Ko Samui?
We are hoping to fit Bangkok, the beach and some time up north in.
How much time do you recommend spending in the Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai area?

Bella_Bluebell

I would say Sala Samui is probably the most popular honeymooner resort on Ko Samui. It's USP is that almost all rooms have private pools in enclosed walled gardens/terraces.

If you go over to tripadvisor.com and do a search on the Ko Samui forum there are many posts on there about it (there has been a recent post on here also)/ Also many reviews in the review section, including candid photos taken by guests. It is more highly reviewed than Anantara and Evason. - Reviews are on this page - http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...-Ko_Samui.html

You will also find reviews of Anantara and Evason there too. If you are interested, do book early though -there have been posts on that board from disappointed people who can't get a room having set their heart on it. We couldn't get availability for our dates in August either.
BB

rhkkmk

i don't like CM so about 2 days is max for me, but you could do it fine in about 3 days....CR/golden triangle can be done nicely in about 3 days as well....the two cities are about 3 hours apart by road....you could of course spend weeks in both places..

Zoey

We are going to Thailand for our honeymoon in July and wanted to stay at a gorgeous hotel in Ko Samui. I checked out the Sala Samui online and it is stunning but they did not have the room I wanted available. Instead we opted for Muang Samui Resort and Spa which I thought looked stunning as well. We are staying in a royal suite which offers a garden balcony with a jacuzzi and daybed. This is the site where I booked our room:
http://www.r24.org/beachsiam.com/samui/muangsamui/
Remember, we have not been yet and booked solely on the reviews of this forum and the site.

Bella_Bluebell

Zoey - my friend's sister got engaged there last year and is honeymooning there in August this year. I think the resort looks beautiful - particularly the Royal Suite. She had nothing but praise for the place. Looks to be a great choice, hope you have a fab time