AmyH

After reading Crosscheck's trip report and continuing to monitor this forum, I have come up with a new itinerary for a family trip to Thailand in June (2008) that I would like to test drive
A few thoughts up front, we really do not intend to spend more than a few days in BK. I have read extensively and spoken with several friends who know us well and we feel that two full days will be enough to just get a taste. We are much more interested in countryside and then beach/national parks. Also, we are pretty lucky with jet lag and have always spent a good part of the first day on the go seeing sights.

Assuming flights stay roughly the same, we would take the Thai Airways flight that arrives in Bangkok at 6:30 am. Rather than have BK be the first stop (and with some jet lag, no less), I am inclined to immediately transfer to Siem Reap and start our trip there.

3 nights Siem Riep (Hotel de la Paix or similar). We would have two full days for temples and two 1/2 days in the area, counting the arrival day and departing day as 1/2 days.
afternoon flight BK/BK/Chang Rai

4 nights Chang Rai (Anantara).
We would have three full days here to do elephant camp, cooking class and three country tour.
afternoon flight to BK

2-3 nights BK (Peninsula or Oriental)
Hire Tong or another guide for one full day. We should be relaxed from Anantara and really ready for a full active city day.
second day exploring on our own.

Flight to ? (Phuket or Trang)

4-5 nights in Khao Lok or Phi Phi/Krabi (or even possibly Koh Chang)?

Really overwhelmed with choices. Do not want to change hotels. Would like to be able to relax at the beach, snorkel, do a hong tour, perhaps 1/2 day trip to Khao Sok to hike, see waterfalls, kayak. Friends stayed at the Aleenta near Phang Nga and loved it. Loft accomodations with private pool looks most appealing. I am overwhelmed with the possibilities in Southern Thailand!

late afternoon flight to BK and evening flight back to the States.

I so not think we will be able to get away for more than 14-15 nights "in country."

Any thoughts, ideas would be most appreciated.

Gpanda

This looks very good. I especially like your efficient use of time in BKK airport flights. Don't worry too much about the beach aspect. Just make an informed choice and go with it. You might inquire further about snorkeling. Pandas do not snorkel.

Kathie

It looks pretty good to me. I always get into Bangkok around midnight, and I find I can do a full day of activities as long as one of the activities is spa (;-)
I assume you know how you'll do arriving at 6:30 am. Heading immediately for Siem Reap is a reasonable approach, but do know that the heat, humidity and exertion (climbing steps designed for elephants) combines to make it a strenuous destination. Do take a little time to relax and do spa that first day as well as a couple of hours at the temples. The amount of time you have budgeted for Siem Reap wouldn't be nearly enough for me (we spent a week and didn't see all we wanted to see). This is the spot where I'd add an extra day unless you truly know you only want to see a few of the dozens of temples.

For the beach, do make sure you've checked the weather www.weatherbase.com for June. There are lots of nice options. One of the regulars here believes that PhiPhi is paradise.

rhkkmk

i would go to chiang rai first and then go to siem reap....if you have jet lague, and you will, i would not want to ruin SR....at anantara things are much slower and you could still do all your activities and not miss anything but in SR that might not really be true...

amy---have you ever flown that far and not had jet lague of some sort??

Gpanda

Upon reflection, Bob may be right. CR may be a better first destiantion. By doing CR first, you'll definitely be acclimated to time and heat when you get to SR.

zengeos

As far as Khao Sok goes, I believe its a 2 hour drive to and from Khao Sok from Phuket area...I would lan an entire day for Khao Sok, OR, better yet, do a 1 night stay in Khao Sok to enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset over the lak, or something similar. ts quite pretty, I understand, AND, if we had enough time we had planned to spend 3 days in Khao Sok.

Mark-

PegS

We're starting our planning as well. Int'l plane tickets have been purchased, but I'm waiting until closer to the date before I buy the inter-Asia tickets--given the whole airport situation. If we can get in and fly out of the same airport, we're thinking of doing the beach thing first. It will give us time to relax and acclimate to the time change before heavy-duty sight-seeing.

Gpanda

Peg-last November we flew from Bos-JFK-BKK-Phuket. We linked the entire journey through Thai Air evene though the BKK-Phuket portion was bought separately. Our luggage was checked through and we cleared customs in Phuket. Much easier.

rhkkmk

gpanda---remember there have been some changes in the airport situation since nov, '06....it is still unclear about domestic flights from the international airport...

rhkkmk

one last thing...i would be more inclined to return to bkk a day ahead of my flight home....just in case..
finish up with a nice day around a pool in bkk and relax...

glorialf

I agree with everything bob suggested-- go to chiang rai first since you will need a lot of energy for Angkor and very little for CR. I would also return to bangkok the day before your flight.

LeighTravelClub

Like your itenary very much. Straight to Siem Reap is something we have done in the past and it worked well for us. Try to fit in a trip to Tonle Sap Lake whilst you are there...a great day out and a break from temples. Lots of poverty there though and any kids clothes will be warmly received by families living around the lake.
For your beach period you mention a couple of options including Phi Phi, a place very close to my heart!
The Holiday Inn at Laem Tong beach has a lot going for it. Very good snorkeling right on the doorstep for all abilities. At low tide it is even possible to walk out to coral and stand with your head under water with goggles and see loads. So you don't even need to be a great swimmer. The most amazing clear water you have ever seen. Beautiful sandy beaches and not at all crowded.
If you want a change from the hotel food there is a beach restaurant named Jasmins run by the local sea gypsys serving all traditional Thai food and the most amazing fresh fish.....whatever they caught that particular day. Vegetables in oyster sauce....wow!!!
The hustle and bustle of Tonsai Bay is only twenty minutes away by long-tail, available anytime you like.
Check our site for more info and feel free to e'mail if you want any more details
www.leightravelclub.com

AmyH

Thanks All-
The suggestion to head right for Chiang Rai is "bril" We could start and end the trip in a leisurely fashion, exactly what vacations are about, and then move on from there to Siem Reap and BK. it also seems more transfer efficient. If there were flights from CR to SR, it would be all the better, but I do not believe that route exists, but is someone know differently, please advise.

Regarding jet lag, the farthest we have traveled was to Kenya and the flights were broken up but we have really had good luck with sleep on planes and adjusting body clocks (kids included). I am pretty confident that we could manage to get to Chiang Rai on the morning we arrive in Asia and enjoy the grounds and perhaps a short hike, before we fade. The one advanatge to going to Siem Reap first is the much shorter drive from airport to hotel v. heading to Chiang Rai and then another hour transfer to Anantara.

On the tail end, it would not be in our nature to fly to BKK a day ahead and incur the cost of transfers into and out of town and one night in a hotel just to be on the safe side. If the flights stay the same, the flight back to LA would leave at 7:30 at night. Plenty of time to take a morning flight from Phuket and then continue on home.

Still interested in thoughts in South Thailand, although I am leaning toward either Phi Phi or Khao Lok. We love new, boutique hotels. Is there a good site that lets you know when new hotel openings are planned?

JamesA

if you are flying back on the Thai flight to LAX you can check in at Phuket all the way thru to LAX, you will exit Immigration at Phuket and on arrival in BKK go straight to International, easy.

I think you need to give us your price range too as places can vary from 150 for a nice place to 750++, so the price range is substantial.

JamesA

June 'is' low season in the south so you would pay far less than during the high or peak season times.

AmyH

Thanks James-
We would like to spend less than $700 per night total for either two rooms or a two bedroom suite, but can move off that for "perfection." Have looked at the Aleenta and Zeavola, for example, and also Sarojin, but seen mixed reviews for the Sarojin on this Board and same with Zeavola.
If we are staying 4-5 nights in Beach area, would fodorites recommend renting a car to explore and if so, any rental companies come to mind?

LeighTravelClub

Have never stayed in the Zeavola but have had a couple of in depth tours round the place and have spent time with a few people staying there. No beachfront accomodation! The swimming pool looks like a stagnant pond.....green and uninviting and rectangular. Fancy rooms.....at least if you want a wide screen tv and dvd player! Without exception all I have spoken to, staying at Zeavola, have been mightily unimpressed.
If you are considering Phi Phi then a beachfront bungalow at Holiday Inn simply cannot be beaten. It has it all. More info if you want ...just ask.

Oh, there are no cars on Phi Phi. In fact there are no roads either!!

crosscheck

AmyH,

Green with envy - You'll have it all! You're doing our trip in a better order, PLUS a beach.

A great idea to go to the Anantara first - the perfect place to unwind and there's not much to keep you up late at night. If you go to BKK later in the trip you'll be able to take advantage of the nightlife.

Checked out the Aleenta when planning our trip and it looks incredible.

AmyH

Just an update on our planning and still trying to nail down the beach part of the trip. We have decided on five nights at the Anantara, followed by three nights in BKK (hopefully at the Pen) and then six nights at the beach. I know many will scoff at our allocation of time -- a beach is a beach and all that -- but it works for our family in trying to get some down time with the kids as they get older (14 and 12) and away from the stress of our jobs. Adding in Siem Reap did not seem advisable from most of the folks on this board given our schedule. If we did add Siem Reap, we would probably eliminate the city of Bangkok and maybe try flying from the US through Singapore to Siem Reap directly. Any thoughts on that approach?
I think we have settled on the Aleenta as it comes closest to fitting our requirements -- new or newish construction, quiet beautiful beach with no touts, relatively easy to get to/from and the possibility of day trips to Krabi for our climber or up to Khao Lok. it will be early June, so rainy but I keep reading about one lucky vacationer after the other traveling in low season so we will hope for the best, unless someone has a fab suggestion for a low key beach front resort that I have missed. I feel like I have looked at a gazillion websites and keep coming back to Aleenta. Are there any new hotels opening in the south that we should perhaps be keeping an eye on?
Thanks for reading!

Gpanda

I would not skip Bangkok for Siem Riep. Bkk is magical and should not be missed. The kids will have a much better time.