Thailand - trip advice please
 

We need some advice on a Thailand trip for end of March/beginning of April please. I had previously posted a topic under "8 days too short for Bangkok" and received enormously helpful information. With all that info., we went back and checked the school calendar, did some more research, and realized that spring break could give us a couple more days of vacation, rather than february break, so the plan is to travel then instead. We are 2 adults, 2 kids, ages 12 and 11.

Our idea is BKK and Phuket. We love beaches and pools and want to relax some, but also want to see BKK. We live in midtown Manhattan. Travel will be non stop JFK-BKK. Question: do you have suggestions on whether we should first stop off in BKK for a few days, then travel to Phuket and return directly Phuket -JFK or, just head to furthest destination Phuket, first? I think we could probably get to Phuket by late evening of our travel day. Though that seems like one long day.

Pros and cons: does it make sense to recover from jetlag on the beach and then get to BKK well rested or, alternatively, we generally prefer to start a trip at a city and end on the beach. Also, hotel rates drop in BKK on Apil 1, but in Phuket they stay high till mid April, after we leave. So, if we visit Phuket first, during last few days of March, and get to BKK after April 1, we can get lower rates there.

Hotels would probably be Marriott Phuket and Shangri-La BKK, Krungthep wing. We want a large room for all of us and those properties will accomodate that.

Any other ideas for a beach destination? We want easy to get to, good weather and beautiful hotel. Friends with kids of similar age just returned from Chiang Mai at end of August and loved it but, I think we will prefer the beach rather than the country.

Also, maybe 5-6 nights Phuket and about 4 nights BKK?
Thanks again.

i am of mixed minds about your arrival...you know your kids...how much woujld they tolerate after 17 hours on a flight? myself i think i would take two days in bkk to unwind, where the kids would feel more at home with the city life and then go to phuket and then to bkk for 2 days on the way home....would you then be able to take advantage of the lower rates??

i also would prefer the marriott in bkk over the sh-la....much better for the kids....the better pool, the mini mall for them to wander in and just a better set up....

it will be much hotter in april but it will be nice to have the extra days...

I think I'd recommend heading to Phuket first to get over the jet lag. Four days in Bangkok will give you enough time to see some of the major sights.

We've always done the beach at the end of our Thailand trips, but this year we're going straight to Phuket on the 7:35 p.m. flight after arriving at 5:00 p.m. on the JFK-BKK flight. We're going in November/December. I'll report the results.

BTW, my wife says BKK is like she imagines NYC would have been in the early 1900's.

We are very excited about BKK. We love cities, good food and different cultures. Maybe we need more time there rather than Phuket.....

Anyway, Gpanda: do you know if you are able to check your bags through from NYC to Phuket? And, are you comfortable that 2.5 hrs is sufficient layover for the connection? In March the Thai non stop arrives BKK at 4 pm (time change, or daylight savings maybe??), so we would want to do similarly re: a connection to Phuket.

And, if you have flown PE on Thai how was it? I read a number of reviews that say the upgrade may not be worth the extra $. My principal desire would be extra recline on the seat and it seems the PE seats don't go back that much more than economy.

Finally, can we keep ourselves busy in Phuket for 6 days or so with some excursions and the like?
Thanks.

You would be able to check your bags all the way thru to Phuket from JFK so you clear Immigration and collect your baggage in Phuket.
It is well worth checking the fare difference with Thai for JFK-BKK return and JFK-Phuket ( code: HKT ) as 'sometimes' it can be not that much extra, Gpanda could probably tell you, also ask about the difference to upgrade to Business Class, although the flight is just over an hour that does give you Business Class lounge access at Bangkok, more comfortable seating / better service, might be worth it if just a little extra.

The question of whether to recover first in Bangkok or thru to Phuket, everyone would have different views, my personal opinion is that you might as well 'keep on goin', and at least that evening you'd be on the beach and you can wake up to the beach, pools etc, relax, take in some great spa whilst the kids enjoy the pool.
You can take in Fantasea one evening ( forget the buffet, not worth it, just get the show tickets ), I would allow a day to do some 'soft adventure' at least, whether sea canoe or Jungle/Elephants.
Do note in planning dates that Thai New year is middle of April and travel gets hectic around that period.

Is Marriott Phuket choice because of award points ?

In March Thai still shows the arrival as 5 pm, most flights change at the end of March as that is when countries that change times do so.
If you connect on that 7.40 pm connection it's scheduled to be a 747-400 !

Ah, wait a moment, just put in April and that is 4 pm arrival, I 'think' NY changes to daylight savings in the last couple of days in March ( you would know that anyhow ), so if you are flying on those last days in March the 6.20 pm would be an ok connection ( 747-400 )

The flight would be last week of March, and does show a 4 p.m. arrival. The tkt price to add Phuket onto a NYC-BKK roundrtip is about $100 extra per peson, I believe. Is that a good deal? Or, I can buy them closer to departure as separate tkts? I'm thinking, however, that internal tkts can't be much cheaper than $100 roundtrip, no? And, Thai has a great refund policy.

But, do you know any good consolidator I can try?

Re: Marriott Phuket.
No, it isn't based on points (I wish), though I have to check if Amex points can be used. (It seems there is no way I can use them for Thai Air, unfortunately.) It also seems the Marriott had the best combination for us, all things considered. The sole downside seems to be location and maybe lack of local feel. We really do like getting out and about, for late afternoon and especially for dinner. We aren't big on hotel dining. Yet, it also seems no similar quality hotels have that many nearby dining options. So, maybe we will consign ourselves to 30 minute rides in the evening to get to Patong, or closer dining. We don't want to stay in Patong. It seems a taxi roundtrip would be maybe $30 US? Same price as a rental car? Not cheap but not outrageous by US or European standards. I imagine the food cost makes up for the taxi fare, perhaps? Maybe also there are a few restaurants closer than Patong worth traveling to? The Meridien seems a bit closer to town but for us the Marriott seems a bit prettier. Twin Palms also looks beautiful but I think Marriott may have more to do at the hotel.
Does this all sound about right?
Thanks

Do your Amex points cover Starwood hotels? If so, the Rotal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club can be had for 7,000 point sper night. A very good deal. We liked this hotel. Closer to things than the Marriott.

As far as the connection goes, I think 2 1/2 hours is plenty of time. Last year we transferred in BKK from Bangkok Air from SR to Thai Air to Krabi in less than an hour even though we had to pick up luggage and re-check in. I do note that Thai Air has a leter flight and I hope we can catch that if we don't make the connection. Mai Pen Rai.

hi, we are first time travellers with children. we are flying in to phuket in early april, then up to chang-mai 10 days later, then to bangkok for 2-3 days and back to phuket for 4 days. does anyone have any suggestions for accomodation, kid friendly nite-time things to do and general travel advice? Much appreciated.

jrk, you'll want to make a separate thread for your question, as you'll get better answers. Make sure you give it a tile that will identify what kind of quetsion it is like "Thailand first time for a family"

Also, just a comment on your itinerary. With a few with-in Asia exceptions, you must fly through Bangkok to gewt to Phukey. So dividing your Phuket time intp the beginning and end of your trip only means you'll spend more time at airpoprts and in transit. You may want to re-think this.

From an economic basis I would go straight thru to Phuket and spend 5 full days/6nts. there and then do Bangkok. The cost savings on the hotel could cover part of the PE cost on Thai that I think is worth it. When we went in April it was $400/per. extra but I read it is now $600. But having traveled a lot in Bus.Class prior to retirement I can tell you PE on Thai, except for the food, is as comfortable as most Bus. Class routes in US even NY-LA, for example.Glad to hear you extended your trip. I cannot comment on hotels in Bangkok for we stayed at the Oriental and the Penn on the last 2 trips and liked the Penn the most. In Phuket we really liked the Baynon Tree but it is pricey but I would not recommend blowing the bank on the Amanpuri there. We did on one trip and were disappointed besides we paid $600+/night)with tax & service),in season, in a deluxe room but not a suite.We live and learn.Glad to hear you extended the trip. It will be great!

There is a lot to see in BKK but if you like the beach then I suppose 5-6 nights in Phuket are not too many. My favourite resort in Phuket is the Laguna Resort which has 5 hotels including the Sheraton, therefore it caters to a range of budgets. http://www.lagunaphuket.com Check it out as you can spend many days on the resort without venturing out much.
My preference is for the beach first to get over the jetlag and shop in BKK afterwards so you won't have to deal with heavy luggage earlier on.

I think your choices are excellent - the Krungthep Wing at the Shangri La is one of my favourites - very luxurious. The real advantage of this wing over other hotels is that it is a 2 min walk to the nearest skyrail station.

Hi, If possible, while in BKK, try to hire a guide to take you up to Kanchanaburi (sp?). The kids will love it. It is a sanctuary run by monks who raised these incredible tigers from cubs. We got to pet them, which was really something and walk around the lovely surroundings. On your way up there you could stop at the Bridge On the River Kwai. It was a wonderful day trip for us. Former new yorker!

Thank you for the feedback.

We are going to look at the Laguna Hotel complex also. How far are those hotels from Patong?

And, we've read a lot about Tong and Ratt in BKK and will contact one for tours.

On hotels: has anyone used the booking site
morethailand.com ?

It seems very extensive and appears to offer great rates for Phuket hotels, and some in BKK. And, the rates include tax, which the hotels' own web sites do not. However, when I look at their cancellation policy it seems confusing and it might be very expensive to cancel - making the savings questionable.
Thank you.

i prefer the hotel site: www.huahin.20m.com

Just to pitch in with my opinion (having travelled with 2 kids for a month around Thailand) - reconsider the Le Meridien at Relax Bay - it is just so perfect in every respect. The private beach is gorgeous, it is a short trip into Patong & you have easy access to Kata Beach & Karon Beach as well.

The Marriott is about an hour from Patong I think - and that's ok if you don't want to get out and about, but if you want to see what Phuket has to offer then you could find yourselves sitting in taxi's a lot of the time.

We visited the Laguna complex and agree it is lovely - but we will return to the Le Meridien next time given it's proximity to everything.

Do make sure that you do the sea kayaking trip to the Hongs & a trip to the elephant rehab centre - both highlights for our kids (& us too).

Have fun

nzers