Thailand Itinerary- HELP!
 

My husband and I are going to Thailand and Malaysia June 3rd - 27th. We have planned the following itinerary and prior to booking our hotel arrangements, I wanted to get feedback from the experienced voices of the fodorites. I used the boards for our trip to Africa and it was fabulous. We arrive on the 6th.

3 nights in BKK- Banyan Tree Hotel
fly to Chang Mai.

4 nights in Chang Mai Baan Orapin or Rachamankha We haven't decided if we want quaint or western style stay. Is a side trip to Chang Rai or other areas possible with this amount of time? Looking for suggestions.
Fly to Phuket

4 nights in Phuket- JW Marriott Mai Khoa Beach
Fly to BKK

2 nights BKK- Peninsula still debating.
Fly to KL

4 nights in KL just to get a taste, planning to come back for a longer stay.
We heard it is one of the hidden gems of Asia.

We are really looking to do as much as possible but not feel like we are running all over the place. If anyone has information on good guides in BKK that would be great. We would like to do the hilltribe trek but with a more private tour. Any suggestions?

Are the cooking classes worth it? Do you learn or is it all a show?

Also what is the best way to book flights within the country? Should we wait until we get there? Are travel agents best or direct with the airline?

Also my husband is looking to have a few suits and shirts made while in BKK or Chang Mai any suggestions on quality tailors? We also heard on another board that it is best to bring your fabric with you. We were told that the quality of some of the other fabrics (besides silk) were not the best. Is this true?

Thank you for your help. All comments are welcome. We are looking forward to this dream trip.

I can't answer all of your questions, but I can answer some. I'm not sure what you mean by a side trip to Chiang Rai. You should allot at least two nights there. It's not feasable to do as a day trip if that's what you're thinking. You can arrange a private hilltribe trek once there, either through an agent or your hotel. We did a private tour to a few hilltribes and into Myanmar. It was one of our most memorable days. I personally like Chiang Rai better than Chiang Mai, but I got deathly ill in Chiang Mai so it put a bit of a damper on it. In CR we stayed at the Dusit, which was nice. Can't remember the name of the place we were at in CM but I didn't care for it, which is probably why I can't remember the name.

We spent three nights in Phuket (Dusit Laguna, okay, not great) and it was more than enough time but we aren't beach people. If you are, then you may enjoy it more.

The Peninsula is, imho, the BEST hotel in the world. Don't debate it, just do it!

Can't comment yet on KL. Will be taking our first trip to Malaysia this September. We're staying at the Mandarin Oriental in KL, which I hear is fabulous. Can't wait.

I've had several suits made in BKK and bought the fabric from the tailor. They were silk, however, and I was pleased. Most tailors are good, look for one close to your hotel since you'll need to go for several fittings and you don't want to be running around BKK to go for those.

I usually like to have all of my flight arrangements made in advance so I don't get shut out. It's probably cheaper to do it there though. Do a search on this forum, lots of people have gotten good results with local agents. Another suggestion is to look at Air Asia. They are dirt cheap and can be booked on the internet. http://www.airasia.com/general.php?p=pmain&l=en

It seems like your trip is well paced. You're spending several days in one place so it won't feel like you're always traveling. Have a great time!

Thanks Laurieco,
Do you think 2 nights in Chang Mai are enough and do the other 2 nights in Chang Rai?

We spent 3 in Chiang Rai and two in Chiang Mai. 2 and 2 is okay but if it were me, I'd cut a night off Phuket and spend it in CR. That's a personal preference though. You'll get a good taste of both places even in two nights. And remember, you don't have to see everything on this trip, you can go back. I've been to Thailand four or five times and I'm sure I'll be back many more. This upcoming trip to Malaysia will be our first time to SEA without stopping in Thailand and I'm beginning to think we made a mistake, but my husband can only go for about two weeks this time around--work always gets in the way :-( and I wanted to spend the time getting to know a new place.

four nights in kl might be good enough for a first timer. do this first, then think about doing it again for a longer stay.

i never thought of kl as a hidden gem of asia. i prefer penang. think about going to singapore. whatever you decide, it should be a great trip.

YandY-For the trek, you can correspond with Sergeant Kai at ChiangMaitours.com. We used him for some sightseeing in CM last year, he was great. This year, my son and his wife are going on a trek for 3 days and 2 nights with him. He responds quickly.

I would not try to get to Chiang Rai as part of this trip. You're doing a lot of transition as it is. Adding an extra destination could make it seem like too much of a whirlwind.

I book the internal flights from the US. Bangkok Air has a Discovery Pass in which the internal legs are $50 each. You book by phone (866-226-4565) and then send payment to New York. They send paper tickets promptly. Thai Air also is very good. They have more flights than Bangkok Air.

one contact for inter-asia flights is eddie at seatours: [email protected] fodorites have recently saved as much as 70% on the fares quoted elsewhere...

i do not think you have allowed enough time for bkk and i think that 4 days in L/L is too much....

i too would skip CR for this trip...it at least a 3 hour drive from CM...


the penn in bkk is perfect....

the tailor that i use in bkk is jack at monet il sarto in the mini mall at the bangkok marriott resort and spa....he is on the 2nd floor overlooking the parking lot....it is an easy taxi ride from the penn....but with only 2 days you really don't have enough time....unless you went to him on day one and again later in the trip... the wool fabrics are not as nice as what you might get elsewhere, in some cases, but they are not bad...they say they are english but i doubt it...all the others are quite nice..

think about at least 2 more days in bkk....i would cut time from CM as well....how about eliminiting K/L all together this trip??

i just reread and see that you are going back to bkk a 2nd time, so that will be good...i would add a day or two...

the banyon tree is nice but i do not like the location as well as some other places like on the river....it is in the middle of the international business community....it is a nice hotel however...

I would agree with Bob about the Banyan Tree. The rooms are very nice though. All are suites. But for me, the location is a serious drawback for that hotel.

Instead, I'd stay at a place such as the Hyatt Erewan or the Intercontinental. Since you will be at the Pen (YES YES YES) later on, you might like a location right in the heart of the wonderful shopping in BKK. Four Seasons is also a good location for shopping.

Enjoy your trip.
Carol

so is the jw marriott on sukhumvit...i personally like the marriott resort and spa the best of the bkk hotels, also on the river....but do the penn as well...

we have only done one cooking class and that was at the anantara, north of chiang rai...it was a ton of fun and we did learn some new techniques...how much can you learn in a couple of hours...it was one highlight to our last trip however...

the jw marriott is nice in phuket, albeit issolated....we are staying there june 7-10...when will you be there??

guess your K/L flights are booked so suspect no change can be made there, but i would reconsider and concentrate on thailand....moving around is very slow, unlike europe, so you may not get as much done each day as you think...

a driver like ratt, who is often mentioned on this board might help you out in bangkok...her sister poon does driving in chiang mai and she might help you there...

fyi---don't plan to do much on day one as you will be very tired if you are coming from north america or europe...

Well, people seem to disagree with me on CR vs. CM. I personally wouldn't bypass CR, I'd knock the time off something else, but not BKK. I found CR to be charming and there are lots of day trips you can do from there. We visited the hilltribes from CR, went to the Golden Triangle, took a trip into Myanmar and took a speedboat on the Mekong. I thought it was one of the highlights of Thailand. Also, it's cooler and dryer up there so there's some respite from the heat and humidity, but we were there in February. Chiang Mai (and of course BKK) were sweltering, even in Feb. I liked CM too, but as I said, I became very very ill while there. I'll go back though.

Rhkkmk,
We will be at the JW 13th -17th. So we will just miss you. I heard it was isolated but we wanted relaxation on the tail end of the trip.

Thanks for the feedback. That is good information on the Banyan Tree. The description made it sound like it was close to the main areas. We will have to reconsider that choice.

We are using our airline miles for the flight and since it was going through KL we thought we would check it out. I may check to see if we can change them. We do want to spend some time there to see if we would like to do a trip there in the future.

Does anyone have an email address for Poon or Ratt?

I would only add that on your routing you might considor going from Phuket to KL ( just 1 hr 20 mins ) and then KL back to BKK for your stay at the Penninsular. Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia(budget airline) fly from Phuket to KL and it saves doubling back.
There used to be a direct flight from CM once per day to Phuket but that ceased earlier in the year so you have to route via BKK.

You can reach Poon through her sister Rat, e-mail address is: [email protected]. We used Poon for trips around Chiang Mai and she was lovely. Among other things, she drove us to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, about an hour from CM, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Also took us to the studio of a sculptor who does beautiful wood-carved elephants. Very special. You won't see anything like it in the markets. For a guide for some of our days in BKK we used Tan, who was recommended on this site. She was terrific and helped us to learn a little about the culture as well as just seeing the sites. Her e-mail address is: [email protected]. She speaks excellent English, is very knowledgeable, and is a licensed guide. She's also a lot of fun, and we really enjoyed our time with her. She just sent us an e-mail with some photos of her brother becoming a monk -- made us wish we were back in Thailand right now!

don't get me wrong about the location of banyon tree....bkk is not all that large...its just that banyon tree is in the middle of lots of high rise buildings (it is one itself) and at nite not much is going on there...sukhumvit on the other hand has lots going on with street vendors and tons of restaurants....

the river locations are just so much nicer in every way...each location has its good and bad points....

i don't think you will get the elegance and room of banyon tree anyplace else in bkk for a regular room...

the penn will blow you away however...some fodorites do not like it but we found it to be fantastic in every way and the rooms are very lux with lots of gadgets....and every room has a fantastic view of the river...every room....

if you wanted to experience another hotel,may i suggest either the shangri-la or the jw marriott or of course my favorite, which is the least expensive---the marriott resort and spa just down the road from the penn....

I've stayed at both the Shangri-La and the Pen, and while the S-La is a super hotel, it does not compare at all with the Pen, which is utterly fantastic in every way. I still haven't figured out why some on this forum don't like the Pen--what's not to like? One day I will spend a few nights at the Marriott though, just to see what Bob is always going on about. Do they pay you to talk it up on this forum ;-)

RHKNK.. wow for a person who has benn to bkk a million times I'm kind of shocked you say bkk is not large.. obviously you've barely left the marriott pool side..

------------

Yinandyang.. if you decide too go KL this time around it probably should be enough.. it's a cool smallish city too check out.. but nothing worth making a seperate trip too.

I would skip KL since you say you will go back there and divide the four days between Bangkoks and Chaing Mai/Chiang Ra. Norhtern Thailand is wonderful and deserves at least 5 or 6 days to do properly. So I'd do:

Bkk - 4 nights
Chiang Mai - 3 nights
Chiang Rai - 3 nights
Bangkok - 4 nights
Phuket - 3 or 4 nights

i like gloria's plan.....

i am not paid by marriott...i just think that the riverside location is a gem....its cheaper than the other lux hotels, has the best pool area hands down, has a lovely staff, the rooms are decent, although not high tech in any way, the hotel is well maintained, you have a real feeling of being in an oasis in the middle of a huge busling city and because we just simply like it there...it has everything that we need and the cost ranges, for us, between $65-110......

Hi yinandyang,
We are currently in the Peninsula.
Everything makes this such a perfect choice i.e. location, hotel amenities, etc. Free boat shuttle which runs frequently makes trips to the BTS station, Oriental hotel, and River City Shopping such a breeze.

We love the luxurious touch in the entire hotel. This is definitely a great choice! Tomorrow, we are moving out to Marriott Riverside and I sure hope we will not regret it :)

So far the past 3 days have been just fun fun fun!

happy---don't compare the marriott with the penn...they are not the same in any way...but both are my bkk favs for different reasons, with the marr. winning overall especially when price is considered....will be there on may 19..

bob

Gloria I like your itinerary. We were going to do day trips from KL. Since we were flying through Kl, it made since to stop. But I really want to do Thailand justice and have a good experience.

Happy,
Please let me know how easy it was to get around the city from the Marriott.

yin

Yin--
On my last trip I flew Malaysian Airline using ff miles. Coming home we had to stay over night in KL so we took the train into the city and spent about 4 hours there. Then returned in the morning for a couple of hours. It was enough to give you a feel of the city.
But I would definitely NOT shortchange Thailand for it.

Re: clothes. Once you decide on your hotel you can pick your tailor. If you stay at the Penn I would recommend that you go to tailors in Oriental Place. Cotton House does superb work. There is also a tailor called Tramps which specializes in men's stuff. Oriental Place is half a block from the Oriental Hotel which is across from the Penn. Personally, if I were going to splurge on a hotel, I would stay at the Oriental rather than the Penn but that's another issue. Pick out your fabrics (don't bring your own) and have initial fittings etc during your first stay in Bangkok. Next fittings etc when you return. Jim Thompson has gorgeous fabrics but I've found that most of the best tailors these days have what I want.

By the way, if you're flying Malaysian Air it is wonderful. I flew first class with them and had the best flight of my life.
By

Penn or Mandarin Oriental?

gloria thanks for the tailor info. We are flying first class too with ff miles on Malaysian Airlines. I think the are the worlds #2 airline. So we can not wait.

It is funny that you bring up the Mandarin. My husband was able to get the Mandarin for $150 a night in the Superior River view room. So my question to the board is now what do you think. The Penn or the Mandarin Oriental?

Also I am hearing conflicting answers about dress in Thailand. Some people are saying that Thais are very class conscious and you should dress up when visiting. Personally, the weather dictates my dress. I am planning to wear the broomstick type skirts and knee length shorts or capris. What do you think?

Yin

The one place where dress REALLY matters (you won't be let in if dressed incorrectly) is the Grand Palace/Temple of the Emerald Buddha complex in Bangkok. Shorts or Capris won't make it there, you'll need your skirt or long pants.

Dressing conservatively is respectful in Thailand, it's not so much a class issue.

Yin-- re: the Oriental vs. Penn. Everyone has their favorite and feel strongly about it. You can read lots of opinions on this forum. Bottom line is they are both superb hotels but the are very different. The Oriental is the better location and is old world elegance. Filled with history. Many of their staff has been there 15-40 years so it's their home. The Penn more high tech, larger rooms and, for me, a bit more sterile and commercial.

I much prefer the Oriental but others feels just as strongly about the Penn.

You might check out trip advisor for some very informative reviews that point out some of the differences.

yin:
For $150 a night it's a no brainer in my mind. Definitly the Oriental. Where did your husband get that price? I'm really interested as we might be staying there on our next trip.
Aloha!

The Oriental often has good rates off season (in the summer). They tend to have fewer deals from November - March. Generally the best price I've seen is around $200-225 for peak season.

I don't have time to read this entire post right now,but I would not give Kuala Lumpur 4 days. It's architectually fasinating and I had a wonderful stay at the Ritz Carlton(club level)...but I would never consider it a "gem of Asia" as you put it. I would definitely put more time into Bangkok...like five or six full days at two different hotels if one is on the river then choose the other one in town and I give thumbs way up to the Four Seasons...in the heart of the shopping,city,and action. Plus it's across the street from the skytrain station. As for where to stay on the river, I have stayed on the river, but am personally not a river fan and although I did stay at the Pen(Aug2004),it wasn't for me.To each his own. The Four Seasons wins out as far as I'm concerned. Happy Travels!

i agree that K/L is not all that great when compared with bkk...bkk is by far the world class city...k/l has some interesting new buildings a few old ones but that is about all we got out of it....one full day did all the in town sites for us...

Hi "Yin and Yang"
re: Please let me know how easy it was to get around the city from the Marriott.

Sorry for the delayed reply. I'm not easily accessible to the PC.

The shuttle from Marriott Riverside to Saphan Taksin (i.e. the BTS station at the pier) runs every 15 minutes from the hour. It is quite ok. This 15 minutes lets you cool off before you have to get into the heat , so it can be a good thing.

Bob is right that I shouldn't com pare the Pen and Marriott. It's like comparing apples and oranges. Having tried 3 BKK hotels on this trip, I know now that Pen is the ultimate one for us. We think it's worth paying USD175 per night. I will write more about my trip in more details when I am home i.e. after May 17. I have pictures to show and convince. :)

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Hawaiin Traveller,
We used a travel agent discount to get the rate at the Oriental and the Penn.

We are not staying in KL, we are flying into KL and exploring Malaysia from there. You are all correct Kl is not BKK, but from people that have been to Malaysia it sounds wonderful.

FYI to everyone: Also we found an airline that flies direct Chiang Mai-Phuket, it is NOK air. We were able to get Chiang Mai-Phuket- Bangkok for Gaht 3,800. Is this a good deal?

i'd say its good....not fabulous but above average....is nok reliable?? schedule wise??

the people that I've personly met, that said KL is great are those (backpackers) who were making thier way up from Indonisia.. anyways..

did you check the other discount airlines

air asia
one- two- go


SO what does you flight itinuary look like..

here a link for opinions on NOK
http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/nok-air.htm

Air Asia has flights from BKK to Phuket for 499 Baht through Oct 29.

http://www.airasia.com/general.php?p=pmain&l=en

I forgot to add, Chiang Mai to BKK is also 499 baht.

Here is our flight schedule that we found. We thought this was great since we would not have a layover in BKK, coming from Chiang Mai, which all the other airlines do.
Flight details:
12 Jun 2005 Chiang Mai - Phuket/ DD8307: 10:40 - 11:50
16-Jun 2005 Phuket - Bangkok / DD7514: 20.30 - 21.55

Also NOK is fairly new from what I understand. I would say NOK is like Southwest Airlines in the US. They are a discount carrier.

Don't want to worry you but Flight DD8307 dep 1040 arr 1150 is a Chiang Mai to Bangkok flight.

I noticed that as the flying time you mentioned Chaing Mai to Phuket as 1 hr 10 minutes and that's the CM-BKK fliying time. Chiang Mai to Phuket is 2 hrs, was when Thai did the route. I had a look at the website for June and doesn't show direct flights but shows that flight number as a CM-BKK flight. I think you will find yourself routing CM-BKK-Phuket by the looks of it. But with only 2 flights BKK-Phuket the departure from BKK shows 1840 hrs.

I am just going on what you say you booked, not trying to be a smartxxxx or anything but strange I can't find any directs on the website and that flight number shows as a BKK flight.

The fares on Thai Air Asia promoted are the lowest 'from' fares and they exclude tax and other charges, they are still very very cheap though.

Nok Air is owned by Thai Airways and aircraft are ex Thai and Thai do all the maintenance. The 737-400's they use still have the 12 Business Class seats at the front which are sold as 'Nok Plus' and are a bargain for the extra.

Nok Plus is just B 500 ( $ 12.50 ) per sector extra.

They haven't packed any more rows and use the planes as they were configured for Thai so legroom etc is good. They are one up of Thai Air Asia in that respect.

Never had any joy even trying to book One-2-Go.

Just to add on Nok Air that their flight crews are Thai Airways crews. I guess close to the 'Song' offshoot of Delta. It's also great that we can pay at the local 7-11!!!!

The taxes and fees that Air Asia adds aren't very much. I booked a bunch of flights with them within Malaysia and the taxes and fees only added up to a few dollars more. The cheapest flights are generally the two earliest which is fine with me since I'd rather get where I'm going early and not waste a day.