I could use some advice on planning a honeymoon; we're getting married in early May, and trying to figure out if a three week trip to Thailand in May is a good idea. I've read that it's the beginning of Monsoon season, but not sure if we should put it off for next year, or perhaps go elsewhere during that time.

Any thoughts?

The simple answer is that yes, the three week trip is a good idea. Thailand has different rainy seasons depending on where in Thailand you are. Check out Weatherbase.com for average monthly rainfall and temperature. The weather will not be a barrier to a great trip. If you want beach time, you can pick the beach by the lowest rainfall.

Three weeks gives lots of time to see much of Thailand, bangkok, the north and the beaches are very different places. Depending on your budget, you might want to consider going to either Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Luang Prabang in laos in addition to touring Thailand. The air connections are much better than in the US and flying between cities is easier. Online booking is a snap.

We will also make hotel recommendations if you provide a per night budget. We'll also happily provide a whole lot of other extraneous information as well.

I'll be in Bangkok until the 19th. It is usually hot with some rain.

Samui was extremely hot last May.

Heya Seldom, congrats. Why don't you type in 'honeymoon Thailand [or Bangkok]' in the little search box just above - you'll find A TON of stuff there.

Make sure that you let hotels know you are on your honeymoon when you book. Complimentary champagne, room upgrades etc are strong possibilities!

Enjoy!

i have been in thailand 3 times recently in the month of may....the weather generally is quite fine....mornings are always nice, but it tends to cloud up by noon and about 30% of the time there is a shower or downpour by late afternoon or early evening...

my next trip will be in mayjune also...

there is plenty to do in thailand for 3 weeks or more...

splitting your time allows you to see a few different areas....

i like to start and finish in bangkok with several days at each end...

if you are arriving from the west, then expect to be tired for the first couple of days so plan to lay low on days one and two, don't plan too much....many like in fact to fly right on from bkk to a beach location after arrival... depending on flight arrival time that could be done immediately or done the next day....

spend say 5 days at a beach...if you don't want to fly then hua hin, a 3 hour drive, down the coast is very nice...look at the new sheraton, the fabulous hyatt and many other hotels...

low hotel rates start in may, btw...

phuket, krabi and khoa lak can also be very nice at that time of the year...

many like to visit the north also: chiang mai and chiang rai....the anantara in the golden triangle is a great hotel way in the north...one hour north of chiang rai....they have elephant training there also...

luang prabang, laos is a nice side trip from bkk as is siem reap cambodia (angkor wat)....

so you could make 3 or even 4 seperate destinations on your trip...

tell us about your budget and we can suggest hotels and activities to you...

having a guide in bkk is fun for a day or two....tong is excellent...

firm things up a bit and come back and ask questions....we love to help....

bkk hotel favorites: peninsula or marriott resort and spa, both for honeymoons...

Wow, great! That's very encouraging; I had almost reconsidered it. Thanks!

We won't mind a bit of weather; in fact welcome it. We've been imagining that we would splurge a few nights in nice hotels along the way, but mostly looking for an experience that gets us closer to the local culture. We're budgeting $100/day on average; hoping to include some day hikes, beach days, lot's of eating and a bit of diving while we're there. (My future wife has never been diving before, but wants to try a class while we're there.)

Also, is it worth it (or necessary) to bring bikes there, or are they easily rented?

there is one group in bkk that does bike tours....they are dutch i believe....

i'm thinking that good bikes cannot be rented except perhaps in some resort areas...locals can advise??

in bkk look at the centre point serviced apartments, esp. the CP silom as a hotel alternative...look at majestic grande hotel...splurge on your last two days at the peninsula if you can to leave a lasting memory of thailand...

I'll be back at my "home away from home" for a couple of weeks in the last part of April/early May. I like to stay in the Sukhumvit area, soi 8, at the Adelphi Suites apartment hotel. I have stayed there at least 4-5 times now.

I've always gotten their executive apartment. I believe they are all one-bedroom apartments. I like having a separate bedroom and living area with kitchen. I also like having a washing machine in the kitchen (although you need to hang clothes to dry, as the dryer is not like what we have in the USA). The bathroom has both a nice walk in shower with rainbath shower head AND a nice soaking tub (not jaccuzi).

This next trip, I'll be staying in the smallest accomodation, a studio suite. It has everything in one room, except for the bathroom. But still nice! No washing machine (but there is a cheap laundry place right across the street (soi) from the Adelphi. The bathroom does not have a soaking tub, but it does have the walk-in shower with rainbath head, which I love.

The executive apartment runs about $120 per night, while the studio is about 85-90. Both include the breakfast buffet.

As others have said, May is a hot month. But that doesn't stop fodorites from heading to one of our favorite places... Thailand!!!

Carol

This was all helpful, thank you! My understanding now is that there are two different monsoon seasons, and May shoujld be great in the Western Gulf area, so we're planning on doing our diving in the Koh Tao area.

Our budget is around $100/day for the two of us; we plan on splurging some days (it is a honeymoon after all) and going more budget on others. Could use some suggestions on that; if you were going to splurge for a few days at a private luxury cabana-style beach resort for a honeymoon, where would you go?

On our agenda right now:
- Cooking classes
- Emily wants to ride an elephant
- Dive certifications and extra dives
- Lot's of snacking, eating and lounging
- Day hikes
- Moderate mountain bike rides

Koh tao gives you the diving but not good for the other things, perhaps mix some days on Koh Tao for the diving and then stay on Samui ( which is very busy island ) but you get the activities etc. You can boat between the 2 easily.
Koh tao has plenty of budget accommodation and some good more luxurious, though the top end plasces on Koh tao tend to be expensive.
I would go budget for the diving on Koh Tao and then get some nice mid range beach resort on Koh Samui

Charm Churee might be nice,http://www.phuket-luxury-hotels.com/luxury-koh-tao.html
Michael from BKK was diving on Koh tao recently so he knows the best, so wait for some ideas from him.
If I can find his recent posts I will 'top-it' for you.

I tried the search function for Koh Tao and Tao but nothing came up at all going back years, but there certainly are plenty of posts.
If anyone knows how to get it, the search function didn't work for me though.