VHS - Trip Report.......
Feb 28th, 2008 | 02:15 PM
#1
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 206
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VHS - Trip Report.......
OK so it is over a week since we got back but we arrived back Sunday am and I was straight back to work on Monday - my feet haven't touched the ground since.
What a great trip though - we flew economy with Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi to BKK. Wouldn't choose Etihad again - not much leg room, seemed less than some of the other long haul flights we've done, we couldn't get a window seat (there and back), even though we checked in early and the service wasn't great on the return journey. Still, they did get us there and back in one piece and our luggage arrived on the same flight and in tact.
We arrived really tired in BKK, around 7pm'ish so we took a limousine taxi to the hotel (big yellow signed counter as you come out of arrivals). Very easy but about double the cost of a meter taxi which you can arrange just outside the main door (join the queue) and IMO is just as efficient and comfortable.
TIP: If you get meter taxi's anywhere in BKK you will be asked if you want to use the expressway and you have to pay the TOLL charges - the driver will ask you for the money, 35 - 40 THB. This is normal.
The Montien hotel, our home for the next 3 nights is located pretty much at the head of Pat Pong Road. The rooms are a little tired looking but clean and the staff are very pleasant. Two restaurants - one buffet style and sort of floral, 80's, booth style layout but great choice and quality of food. We ate there every night as we were too tired to go out and the breakfasts were good too. Hotel laundry service was VERY expensive.
Not sure if I am going into too much detail here - let me know....
Day 1: Hired a driver and went zipping round BKK for the day - great! Weekend market, Wat Po, Palace and others, plus a stroll round Pat Pong after dinner.
TIP: If you don't want a guide and prefer to find your own way around, it is easy to just get a taxi or the skytrain to wherever you want to go. You don't really need a driver on standby waiting for you.
Day 2: Up 5.30 am for 6:30 am pick-up and day trip to Kanchanaburi. We arranged this direct with a travel agent (office down the side of the central train station). Excellent value for money - just over a 12 hour day and included war cemetry, JEATH museum & time to wander over the bridge. Short train journey (5 stations) over death railway, lunch, long tail boat up the river Kwai, leisurely raft boat back down the Kwai, short elephant ride, visit to local but small waterfall - all for 1200 THB. We could have swapped train journey for visit to Tiger Temple but with previous comments on this site I wasn't so sure so we gave it a miss.
I had done a similar trip about 20 years agao and my main observation is that the JEATH museum/bridge area is now VERY touristy and really you could give the JEATH museum a miss.
Day 3: Leisurely breakfast and off to Don Muang airport for our 1,2, Go flight to Chiang Mai. This was arranged via the same travel agent in BKK, as was the hotel in CM and our return journey via overnight train to BKK (you may recall I couldn't get this booked beforehand vai the internet). Flight cost was around $55 each, 1 hour and you could buy snacks on board if required. We noticed that in the airport itself there is a last minute ticket desk so perhaps you can purchase cheaper if you are on a budget and buy direct.
More later.........
What a great trip though - we flew economy with Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi to BKK. Wouldn't choose Etihad again - not much leg room, seemed less than some of the other long haul flights we've done, we couldn't get a window seat (there and back), even though we checked in early and the service wasn't great on the return journey. Still, they did get us there and back in one piece and our luggage arrived on the same flight and in tact.
We arrived really tired in BKK, around 7pm'ish so we took a limousine taxi to the hotel (big yellow signed counter as you come out of arrivals). Very easy but about double the cost of a meter taxi which you can arrange just outside the main door (join the queue) and IMO is just as efficient and comfortable.
TIP: If you get meter taxi's anywhere in BKK you will be asked if you want to use the expressway and you have to pay the TOLL charges - the driver will ask you for the money, 35 - 40 THB. This is normal.
The Montien hotel, our home for the next 3 nights is located pretty much at the head of Pat Pong Road. The rooms are a little tired looking but clean and the staff are very pleasant. Two restaurants - one buffet style and sort of floral, 80's, booth style layout but great choice and quality of food. We ate there every night as we were too tired to go out and the breakfasts were good too. Hotel laundry service was VERY expensive.
Not sure if I am going into too much detail here - let me know....
Day 1: Hired a driver and went zipping round BKK for the day - great! Weekend market, Wat Po, Palace and others, plus a stroll round Pat Pong after dinner.
TIP: If you don't want a guide and prefer to find your own way around, it is easy to just get a taxi or the skytrain to wherever you want to go. You don't really need a driver on standby waiting for you.
Day 2: Up 5.30 am for 6:30 am pick-up and day trip to Kanchanaburi. We arranged this direct with a travel agent (office down the side of the central train station). Excellent value for money - just over a 12 hour day and included war cemetry, JEATH museum & time to wander over the bridge. Short train journey (5 stations) over death railway, lunch, long tail boat up the river Kwai, leisurely raft boat back down the Kwai, short elephant ride, visit to local but small waterfall - all for 1200 THB. We could have swapped train journey for visit to Tiger Temple but with previous comments on this site I wasn't so sure so we gave it a miss.
I had done a similar trip about 20 years agao and my main observation is that the JEATH museum/bridge area is now VERY touristy and really you could give the JEATH museum a miss.
Day 3: Leisurely breakfast and off to Don Muang airport for our 1,2, Go flight to Chiang Mai. This was arranged via the same travel agent in BKK, as was the hotel in CM and our return journey via overnight train to BKK (you may recall I couldn't get this booked beforehand vai the internet). Flight cost was around $55 each, 1 hour and you could buy snacks on board if required. We noticed that in the airport itself there is a last minute ticket desk so perhaps you can purchase cheaper if you are on a budget and buy direct.
More later.........
Mar 1st, 2008 | 01:50 PM
#5
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 206
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Yes the trip was a group one but only 6 of us in one of those Toyota minibus's you see everywhere. We booked it at the TAT office and I thought it was comfortable enough although my husband didn't have the same opinion, especially on the way back when we were all tired after the long day.
Day 4: We arrived in CM and were picked up by the hotel courtesy car. We wondered where we might end up as we weaved in and out of the back streets, over the moat into the old town and past a local market with lots of pungent fish for sale! We had no need to worry as the hotel was fine, perhaps 3 star with clean en-suite rooms, an outdoor pool and gym (not that we had time to use either).
That eveninng we were collected from our hotel by some neighbours from back home who are out there on business for 1 year. They took us to a lovely restaurant on the River Ping, one of the best in their opinion called The Gallery. We had a reserved table next to the river, the ambience was lovely and the food was great - I would highly recommend. I can taste it now - soup, rice, a beef dish, chilli pork, chicken pad thai, local white steamed river fish and of course sticky rice with mango mmmm!
Day 5: Getting out of CM the next morning in our hire car was a challenge. Despite our neighbours giving us a really good map, we somehow made a few wrong turnings, missed exits and passed the same landmarks several times. It didn't help that I was the navigator - my husband got close to taking the car back in frustration - men!! Just a little more patience and we were soon on the right road - easy when you turn the map upside down!
The drive to Pai and later to MHS was one of the highlights of our trip, even I did some of the driving. Although steep, hairpin bends and amber cambers, the roads are wide and surfaces are good and there is little traffic. The scenery is breathtaking in parts and it's great to stop off at the view points and little villages en-route. We had lunch, cooked fresh in front of us in a kind of canteen type cafe. A simple chicken fried rice served with some kind of liquid in a bowl - we weren't sure whether to drink this, pour it over our rice or wash our fingers in it so we gave it a miss altogether.
There were few tourists and I knew I was finally out in the sticks when I was introduced to the local style bathroom facilities - a memorable experience but I won't go into detail!
The drive took us about 3 hours and we easily found our accommodation in Pai - Belle Villa Resort. I loved Pai. It is an easy going place with more travellers than I expected - the back packer type and the locals are very friendly. You can cross the river via small wooden bridges and the banks are dotted with wooden huts on stilts - very traditional - a very soothing place to be. Having the car was great because we could drive around and see things we would have missed otherwise.
Pai by night is equally chilled with lots of little bars, street sellers and food vendors. Although we love Thai food, we found a little French restaurant which made a nice change and again the food was great.
more to follow......
Day 4: We arrived in CM and were picked up by the hotel courtesy car. We wondered where we might end up as we weaved in and out of the back streets, over the moat into the old town and past a local market with lots of pungent fish for sale! We had no need to worry as the hotel was fine, perhaps 3 star with clean en-suite rooms, an outdoor pool and gym (not that we had time to use either).
That eveninng we were collected from our hotel by some neighbours from back home who are out there on business for 1 year. They took us to a lovely restaurant on the River Ping, one of the best in their opinion called The Gallery. We had a reserved table next to the river, the ambience was lovely and the food was great - I would highly recommend. I can taste it now - soup, rice, a beef dish, chilli pork, chicken pad thai, local white steamed river fish and of course sticky rice with mango mmmm!
Day 5: Getting out of CM the next morning in our hire car was a challenge. Despite our neighbours giving us a really good map, we somehow made a few wrong turnings, missed exits and passed the same landmarks several times. It didn't help that I was the navigator - my husband got close to taking the car back in frustration - men!! Just a little more patience and we were soon on the right road - easy when you turn the map upside down!
The drive to Pai and later to MHS was one of the highlights of our trip, even I did some of the driving. Although steep, hairpin bends and amber cambers, the roads are wide and surfaces are good and there is little traffic. The scenery is breathtaking in parts and it's great to stop off at the view points and little villages en-route. We had lunch, cooked fresh in front of us in a kind of canteen type cafe. A simple chicken fried rice served with some kind of liquid in a bowl - we weren't sure whether to drink this, pour it over our rice or wash our fingers in it so we gave it a miss altogether.
There were few tourists and I knew I was finally out in the sticks when I was introduced to the local style bathroom facilities - a memorable experience but I won't go into detail!
The drive took us about 3 hours and we easily found our accommodation in Pai - Belle Villa Resort. I loved Pai. It is an easy going place with more travellers than I expected - the back packer type and the locals are very friendly. You can cross the river via small wooden bridges and the banks are dotted with wooden huts on stilts - very traditional - a very soothing place to be. Having the car was great because we could drive around and see things we would have missed otherwise.
Pai by night is equally chilled with lots of little bars, street sellers and food vendors. Although we love Thai food, we found a little French restaurant which made a nice change and again the food was great.
more to follow......
Mar 1st, 2008 | 02:11 PM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 206
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Kathie I forgot to mention - after all the deliberation before we left about anti malarial tablets, I stocked up in BKK with Doxicycline. I then completely forgot to start the course - must have been all the excitement of BKK and it never crossed my mind again until we got to Siem Reap. By this time and because we only had 2 nights there, we didn't bother in the end. (Perhaps not the wisest decision though).
Mar 2nd, 2008 | 10:54 AM
#7
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
Day 6: Up early to frogs croaking and mist rising - beautiful. Breakfast was outdoors overlooking the pool and farming land beyond, across to the hillside, very picturesque. Breakfast was OK, when in doubt I always go for the omelette....
The drive up to MHS was terrific with even more photo opportunities, especially at the summit where you are above the clouds looking down into the valley below.
MHS itself was a bit of a disappointment for me. Nothing wrong with it as such, just not much atmosphere. The surrounding area was lovely though and we visited a couple of hill tribes including the Karen tribe (controversial I know) and we went to the hot springs where I had a great massage. I somehow got talked into filling in a customer satisfaction survey which was written in Thai but I had great fun with the staff who did their best to translate and basically told me which boxes they wanted me to tick.
The Imperial Tara hotel was OK although surprise, surprise, the breakfast was not great - maybe my breakfast expectations are just too high! In the evening we ate at the Fern restaurant, the only place to eat we were reliably informed and the food was in fact good. After dinner we found a small night market with very few tourists which was nice as we felt we were seeing natural local life. The market was situated around a beautiful temple and small lake and families were picnic'ing around the lakeside.
We were booked in (and paid for) 2 nights at the Imperial Tara so the staff were shocked when we checked out after 1 night. I think I convinced them that the hotel was fine, we had just decided to move on sooner (back to Pai, lovely Pai)
More later......
The drive up to MHS was terrific with even more photo opportunities, especially at the summit where you are above the clouds looking down into the valley below.
MHS itself was a bit of a disappointment for me. Nothing wrong with it as such, just not much atmosphere. The surrounding area was lovely though and we visited a couple of hill tribes including the Karen tribe (controversial I know) and we went to the hot springs where I had a great massage. I somehow got talked into filling in a customer satisfaction survey which was written in Thai but I had great fun with the staff who did their best to translate and basically told me which boxes they wanted me to tick.
The Imperial Tara hotel was OK although surprise, surprise, the breakfast was not great - maybe my breakfast expectations are just too high! In the evening we ate at the Fern restaurant, the only place to eat we were reliably informed and the food was in fact good. After dinner we found a small night market with very few tourists which was nice as we felt we were seeing natural local life. The market was situated around a beautiful temple and small lake and families were picnic'ing around the lakeside.
We were booked in (and paid for) 2 nights at the Imperial Tara so the staff were shocked when we checked out after 1 night. I think I convinced them that the hotel was fine, we had just decided to move on sooner (back to Pai, lovely Pai)
More later......
