Thailand Impressions
 

I just returned from a 15 day trip. I appreciated this forum when planning the trip & wanted to return the favor. My wife & I (both in our mid forties)arrived in Bangkok via Osaka on JAL from LAX. We used miles to get first class which was a real treat on the 17 hours of flying. Those sleeper beds are great. We stayed at the Peninsula which was absolutely first class with great service & gorgeous rooms. We visited the Chatuchak market since we arrived on a weekend. It was too big to believe but a wonderful introduction to southeast asia. It was very hot, 90's in the day & 80's at night with high humudity so we limited the lenght of our activities. We did a khlong (canal) & Temple of the Dawn tour on a longtail boat with a guide arranged by the hotel which was excellent. Jim Thompson's house was also enjoyable but we were ready to leave the big city after our 4 days there.

We flew to Chaing Mai for 3 days. The Rachamankha Hotel was fabulous. A very serene place in the heart of the city. We had a great guide (reccommended by a friend)for our entire stay: Tommy from Next Door Tours e mail: [email protected]. He met us at the airport & showed us the sites. He wanted to go to stay at a hill tribe Village for a night but we didn't have time. Wat Doi Suthep was great. Although we loved the hotel, we would have preferred just trekking since Chaing Mai was still very busy just like Bangkok.

We then used Bangkok Air coupons for the trip back to Bangkok & on to Siem Reap for 3 days. We stayed at Hotel de la Paix which is new, very beautiful but the service was almost too attentive. Our guide Pech Kunthea ([email protected]) was excellent. We visited the temple complex & the lake.

Our last 3 days were at Sila Evason Hideaway on Koi Samui. It was nice but too far away for us. We prefer to be able to just walk around without having to take a car to town or the beach. The little beach there was little. We found a great little Indian restaurant in Boput (Tandoor).

It was a fabulous trip, the people everywhere were beyond friendly. I have never traveled in Asia & it was refreshing. I will be happy to answer specific questions.

Thank you for the report. I'm glad you liked your introduction to Asia, and, if yo're like many of us, you'll keep returning!

Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip. A couple of questions:

Do you have any other restaurant tips for Koh Samui?

Did you have someone from the hotel come to fetch you from the airport or are there taxis readily available?

We will also be staying at the Rachamankha Hotel in Chiang Mai. Did you find it to be far from the places you wanted to go to in town? Was it a problem catching transportation from there?

Where was your best meal?

Thanks for the advise.

Thanks for taking the time to give us your impressions. The experience of others provides an opportunity to make informed choices with limited time. We're going to Angkor Wat in December. Did you take any anti-malarial medecines? If so, which one? Thanks.

Thanks for the report!

I would like to know if you typically don't like big foreign cities. Have you been to Rome, Mexico City or Istanbul? If so, did you enjoy them?

I ask this because it sounds like 4 days in Bangkok was plenty for you and we are considering 6 days/7 nights in Bangkok.

I typically love big cities like the three I mentioned but I HATE breathing in so much pollution and it sounds like Bangkok is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

An insite as to what you prefer will really help me with my upcoming trip in Feb.

Cheers!

Tamara

BKK IS one of the most polluted cities in the world, but planning accordingly can help cut down the effects. First of all, because it is so hot, you will not spend that much time outside walking (or doing much of anything else). Second, make a concerted effort to avoid the pollution-filled things - i.e. take airconditioned cabs instead of tuk tuks.

I have severe allergies and am very sensitive to pollution. While I noticed it in BKK, it did not adversely affect me too badly. The heat (and the parasite and bacteria I picked up) actually had a worse effect. The times we were outside exploring temples and such, I don't think I noticed it as much. It was really just when we were outside around the congested streets (waiting for a skytrain, etc.)

Of course, this is just my take. Others might have reacted differently.

In response to questions;
Offwego: As far as restaurants in Koi Samui we also liked Poppies on Chewang Beach. You can eat at Sila Evason Resort "on the Rocks" which is expensive but a beutiful romantic setting. There are taxi's in all the areas we went but we did arrange for the hotel to pick us up everywhere we went as it was relatively inexpensive & a nice treat to avoid the usual airport hassels. As far as the Rachamankha in Chaing Mai, I can't say enough about how nice it was. We rented a scotter right across from the hotel to cruise around the old city ($5 for the day) but there are always Tut-Tuts there to take you anywhere you wish. I reccommend a car for going further afield. I was not however impressed with Chaing Mai's "beauty" as a city. The best meal there was at the Hotel. We did the "Traditional Hill Tribe Dinner" at the Cultural Center & gave it a +/-.
Gpanda: We followed the CDC's reccommendation & took Malrone 2days prior to visiting Angkor Wat & 7 days after. We had no GI problems with it but it was expensive.

Eurotraveler: It's hard to guess what the right time is to spend in cities & I agree it is very indivdual. If you have daily side trips planned more days are necessary of course. FYI in the last few years I have been in Buenos Aires 4 days, Rome 3 days which worked well for us & we love big cities. These are all part of a larger trip usually 10-16 days. 6+ days in Bangkok would have been too much for us since our 4 days also included the 1'st day doing nothing resting at the hotel because of jet lag. Doing nothing at the Penunsula however is very enjoyable! Good luck.

We are booked at Hotel de la Paix next month. Can you give any more details about the hotel? What did you mean by the service being too attentive, how was the food, any recommendations re: their facilities, spa, etc? Also, how did you find your guide, through the hotel or from a recommendation? thanks.

To DC:
I would absolutely reccommend Hotel de la Paix. It was beautiful & the rooms were outstanding. The staff couldn't be nicer or helpful. The guide was reccommended by the hotel & was excellent. We didn't use the spa but it looked great. The food was excellent. Hope this helps.