samuel160

hi all,
thinking of going to thailand with the wife next january,bangkok and phuket.before you all say"he,s taking the wife!",any info from your experiences out there would be appreciated.usual stuff,best hotels,best tour operators,places to see,things to watch out for,etc.many thanks.

grovesy

Thats like taking rock to blackpool mate

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

Just make sure you eat the food off the street, absolutely gorgeous. Chicken was my favourite (it's not the best at the mo though, lol).

Wicked place in both senses of the word, some nice scenery.

Patpong market in Bangkok is a must see, crazy though. Don't make eye contact with anyone hassling you, you'll never get rid of them.

prana

yar, go to the far north or far south. Mid Thailand is a mess, unlike you are into that sort of stuff.

Far north is far more religious part of Thailand, whereas South Western Thailand coastline is famous for its reefs and corals, and limestone towers out of the waters.

Luan Pra bang

Phuket in my opinion is not that nice but does have quiet hassle free beaches if you can find them. I would only stay in bangkok for a short amount of time as its very exciting to start with but gets dull very fast. The Grand Palace Wat Po and the big park containing the kings palace are all worth a look. And the chatuchuck weekend market is the greatest shopping experience on earth. The boat tours of the canals are on the tourist trail and are interesting but not amazing. Be aware that almost all tuk tuk drivers are scum and that the cheapest way to travel is in metered taxis. The number one club in Bangkok is Club Bed and the prices are to London levels which in Thailand is a **** load. Chang Mai is Thailands second city is surrounded by moats has one of the most spectacular temples in the country and a night market that is guaranteed to have you buying loads of things you don't need.
Lots of people go to Bangkok for a few days then to Chang Mai and Chang Rai then stop off in bangkok for a few days before going south to the beaches Phuket Ko Samui for those after luxury and Ko Phagnan Ko tao and Ko pipi for a more rustic experience. You can do day trips to The Beach beach from samui and Ko pipi. Tee lor su water fall is a must see for me in thailand but it is hard to get to so depends on wether yoiu can ruff it.
The death railway is easy to get to from bangkok and is a very sobering experience and you can cross the bridge over the river kwai. Not in itself very special but when you learn the history it all becomes clear. Also in Kanchanaburi is the Tiger temple where you can get up close and personal with a few animals as well as full grown Tigers and tiger cubs. Be ware that the only thing to stop you getting mauled is a monk with a small stick.
Lopburi is also worth a visit but only if you like monkeys and ruins.The most historic ruins are in Old sukothai but a visit there depends on how much you like history and old big lumps of stone.
Be ware that people will try and con you and lie to you in lots of ways and basically remember that every one in BKK airport is a liar. Ther are loads of scams but remember that tuk tuk drivers are evil and so are the taylor shops. If you go try to make it to Siem Reap in Cambodia to see The city of Ankor (second only to the pyramids IMO) this will take only a few hours to fly to then hire a guide for a day or 2 (pay only twenty dollars for the guide and then give him a big tip later as he will have earn't it) This might sound like a pain in the **** but its worth it. There are a choice of hotels in siem reap from $2.50 to $500 dollars a night.
The choice of hotels inThailand is huge and it is all about how well you can blag. The Bangkok sky hotel is very nice and has a cool swimming pool on the roof with nice rooms from 30 dollars a night if you have the negotiating skills.
Anything else you want o know probably best ask as I could write a whole travel book on the area.
If you havn't guessed I am a bit of a fan of the area

FASTER MIKE!!

may be a bit obvious, thai boxing?

Kevin Groat

Yup, Chaing Mai get's my vote. Did a night in Bangkok with my other half, even visited Phat Pong road....(open minded folks us). If you're doing Chaing Mai I can put you in touch with a local chap that showed us around for the entire 10 days we were there at no cost...Someone in SNET put me in touch with him. Did the Golden Triangle tour with him and went into Burma for a day. Did Chain Rai for 1 night - should've been longer but no-one speaks any english at all - bit scary, instead went back to Chaing Mai. Very friendly atmosphere. Don't know if it's still running but the chap that showed us around was a 'business partner' in Cult Car Tours (look for website) where you could hire an Evo or STi and blast around the Jungle. We were there just before the business started but I've seen loads of piccies on their website - including Tony, our guide. Very cheap place for a holiday - not like the south at all. Keen to get back again.

Diesel

Great detail by our Laotian resident there!

I'd just say avoid Koh Samui - its almost all an overdevelped T shirt selling strip now. Phuket is very very commercialised too - but then maybe you like the shops and buzz and nightlife?

richie,7,RA,spec C

i thought u bring the wife home with u
not the other way round

Daz34

Bangkok is an amazing city to visit. It is an attack on the senses. Don't trust ANYBODY though. They are all interested in ripping you off. They will tell you that the temple you wanna go & visit is closed but they just happen to know where a better one is. The Tuk Tuk drivers will say they will take you anywhere for a few baht but there definition of anywhere is their cousin's shop. Take no ****.
As has been said, eat at some of the stalls on the street & go to Patpong Market. Take a look inside some of the bars around the market as well. Watch the girls play Ping Pong
If you are not squeamish then the Museum Of Forensic Science is facinating as well.

Darren

jason4656

love thailand, i can speak pretty good thai i lived and worked there for over 5 years, i just got back to uk last year lived in many areas and it depends what you want really.

Bangkok is a great city, lots of things to do and buy, food is so cheap compared to here. Pattaya is pretty much sex scene only place, not much else there, good fun for a weekend but on top and head fuking if you stay there a while.

Phuket is touristy and i hate it the most, kho samui is ok but again avoid chaweng and lamai. Some very nice beaches there.

Kho chang is nice island, most of the others are again touristy, phi phi is not bad when not to many peopel there, however the crossing can be SCAREY!! if you pick teh wrong day to go, Jan should be ok, but beware!!

All in all its a top place, be carefull what you pay for things, what might seem like a good deal to you can be 10x what something is worth over there. I wouldnt eat of the streets to much, when you see hte food you will see why, although some of it is ok, and restaurants are very cheap everywhere.

another warning, seen so many westerners turn up, meet a bar girl, come out with the "oh shes not working anymore" stories, sell everything and move out there, lose everything come home devastated!!! dont be taken in by it all, its very convincing when you first go there!

regards

apples24

iTrader: (1)

me old man is over there, has been there 2 months now, and lovin it, got a big trials big on hire and hes everywere lol

aparantly keeps gettin stopped though and gettin 17 quid fines for somin, the police etc over there are sooo corrupt

jason4656

I forgot to mention teh corruption is rife, you can buy anything , into or out of anything you want basically for the right price.

the 1000 baht fine you mention is typical to new tourists, most people dont pay more than 200baht(3 quid) for westerner or half of that for thais!! police take liberties if you are new or stupid for sure

Luan Pra bang

That is good advice but be polite a smile when you haggle and walk away lots to get the best deal. A little bit of local language goes along way and once you learn about the tones its not to hard as well as much more fun to haggle using thai numbers rather than the usual taking turns typing into a calculator method if they don't speak English.

i love scooby snacks

If you are staying in Phuket you are only about an hours boat ride from the Phi Phi islands (where the beach was filmed). This is well worth a visit. Best bet is to hire your own boat for a day (should include lunch and drinks) to take you anywhere you want.

samuel160

thanks to you all,some top stuff!may your scoobs run forever!

Diesel

Numbers and counting is SO easy in Thai - learn it on the plane on the way over and then, when you hear the price, say 'peaaaaaangh' slowly, with a smile! ('expenisve' and guaranteed to get you a laugh and a better price!). Just SMILE, have fun and dont get 'western uptight' or you've already 'lost face' and are being considered a bit of an ignorant tosser to be scammed!!!... It's not Tesco's after all!