I just booked my round trip flight to BKK from SFO. I will be in Thailand for 2 weeks in late July/early August. Besides Bangkok, I want to go to Koh Samui and Chang Mai and possibly Sukhothai. I will book the first couple of nights in Bangkok. Question is, should I wing the rest of the trip? Can I make reservations (flights, hotels) as I go at that time of year? Is it going to be difficult or more expensive this way? Or is it better to make all reservations before I even set foot in Thailand? Thanks all for your advice!

Accommodation in Bangkok and Chiang Mai should be fine, but it is a very busy month on Koh Samui, for Koh Samui if you are not too bothered about where to stay then you should get something ok.
You will probably find yourslef booking hotels from Internet Cafes on your travels as rates quoted direct from hotels can be crazy prices and travel agents often don't get such good deals on hotels. If you search through posts you will get some good tips on accommodation or maybe if you tell us your budget we can throw in some suggestions.

JamesA... this is my first posting and I just wanted to thank you for all your information, which has been more helpful than all the Thailand books I have purchased.

I am in the same boat as ro638. I am traveling to Thailand for the first time in early June and am trying to figure out if I should just wing my trip once I am there. My friend and I would love to fly into Bangkok and spend three or so days before heading to Krabi and exploring the phi phi islands. Our concern is the weather, which will determine if we do the east side instead (Ko Samui...).

I am now thinking we should just spend our three or so days in Bangkok and figure it out from there (based on weather on either coast). You mentioned booking the trip from Internet Cafes. Do you know of any good sites or travel agencies that we should use once there to get good rates? I am a pretty laid back traveler... but it would probably ease my mind to have a couple sites identified before-hand.

I apologize if this has already been asked. I have looked through a lot of the postings and didn't see much mention of travel agencies or online sites to use. Once again... the information you provide is absolutely invaluable!!!

I don't think it is necessary to book the rest of the trip. If your budget is fairly high I recomment the Central hotel in Ko Samui- absolutely one of the most beautiful and well priced hotel/resorts! good luck!

Your idea of checking weather once you arrive in Bangkok is excellent. The Bangkok Post or Nation have local weather forecasts. Remember that krabi/Phi Phi is Monsoon season in June so you should expect it to be weat with rough seas, Koh Samui better choice, Koh Tao is great if you love diving, Koh Phangan ( north of Koh Samui ) is famous for the Full moon parties and unfortunately that 'fame' has detracted from the fact that it is a great little island, plus there are other small islands. Koh Chang off the Trat Coast ( south east from Bangkok ) offers diving, beaches etc and again being in the Gulf of Thailand the weather would be much better than down Phuket/Krabi/Phi Phi side, also many of these places retain more of their natural charm compared say to Phuket. You can also have a look at those Islands and check the 'Undiscovered Thailand' section on the Kooloo Travel Forums as they have specific ideas for 'Undiscovered Thailand' and show ideas for great resorts and beaches that although off the normal 'bulk' of tourist routes still are easily accesabel and have decent accommodation.

It is an idea to book ahead your first couple of nights in Bangkok, if you are looking in the $3040 region the Viengtai Hotel is popular, close to Grand Palace and Koh San Road, good value, not luxury, good clean value for money for those travellers who are looking beyond 'budget' but not up to the high end level, I think that applies to many of us.

Thanks for your responses, JamesA. I found the following online hotel booking sites with decent prices: sawadee.com, siam.net and hotelthailand.com. Has anyone used them? Any good/bad experiences?

I used www.precisionreservations.com to get rooms at The Tamarind Village in Chiang Mai in Derc. At short notice and in peak season they managed to get me 3 rooms for a great price. Suggest u take a look at their site.

jamesA often suggests this hotel site:
www.huahin.20m.com

it has hotels for all around thailand...great prices...i am using them for koh samui

I've used sawadee.com, everything was fine. We were charged a deposit when we booked and final payment was charged 30 days before our stay. We used them for the Sand and Sea Resort on Railay Beach near Krabi. I'd recommend sawadee.com and the Sand and Sea.

Thank you all so much for your help. This information is exactly what I was looking for!!! =)