yinandyang

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.

laurieco

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!

yinandyang

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

laurieco

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.

kuranosuke

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.

Gpanda

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.

rhkkmk

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...

simpsonc510

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

rhkkmk

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...

laurieco

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.

yinandyang

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?

JamesA

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.

CFW

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!

rhkkmk

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....

laurieco

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 ;-)

orgy7

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..

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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.

glorialf

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

rhkkmk

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......

HappyTraveling

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!

rhkkmk

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