best place for Songkran 2020 ?

[Clive]

Good morning.
I was planning a visit to Chiang Mai next year with my children (teens) to experience songkran but have heard that C.M is very smoggy and suffers from pollution.
Could anyone recommend an alternative to C.M for songkran Please?
Thank you so much......many thanks

[grollies]

The Maldives?

 

Seriously, why not go for an island destination? The kids will be bored out of their skulls in Chaing Mai. And the smog is supposed to be bad as you say.

[Clive]

My thoughts exactly!!
Any recommendations please, not too far from Bkk as we only have 5 days spare due to visiting the places within Thailand during the easter school holidays (UK)
But still want my children to experience songkran 

[topt]

17 hours ago, Clive said:

My thoughts exactly!!
Any recommendations please, not too far from Bkk as we only have 5 days spare due to visiting the places within Thailand during the easter school holidays (UK)
But still want my children to experience songkran 

If the day falls right you could always go to either the Naklua or Pattaya last day (18/19 April) - that will certainly be an experience whatever age they are and it is a lot closer than CM to Bangkok. 

[KittenKong]

17 hours ago, Clive said:

But still want my children to experience songkran 

You don't like them much, do you?

 

Most sensible foreigners leave the country for the 2 weeks surrounding Songkran. If you want to experience Songkran in a fairly civilised way perhaps best to stay in Bangkok or to go somewhere that doesnt have a mad tourist element.

[Mahseer]

Take a look at Prachuap Khiri Khan. It's on the coast and if you take the 0805 train you'll be there by midday. Prachuap Beach hotel is under 1,000baht and right on the beach front.

 

The morning market is decent and 5 minute walk away and the weekend market less than 10 along the seafront. The city beach is heavy with the squid fleet but Ao Manao beach is excellent and 15 minutes south. 

[utalkin2me]

In Bangkok! 

[pgrahmm]

We live in the CM area & and have done the insanity, group gang bang there....

 

We found Kaphaeng Phet to be a great place for that holiday.....Friendly people & vendors up and down the river with water slides an a water park carnival like experience....You're surrounded by the beauty that is the people of Thailand....

 

No buckets of ice water slammed into your face or mean spirited farang drunks lining the street & no bar girls dancing on tables like in CM....

 

There's still squirt guns and small buckets but it's done politely....Many with ask before they get you & many will ask before they gently put powder on you - and leave you with good vibes/wishes....

 

Farang's are not that common there & they are delighted to have you = & it shows.....

 

It's a whole different (happy) experience than the drenching moat water drunken orgy that is Chiang Mai..... 

 

[Jamesanderson]

On 6/8/2019 at 3:33 PM, grollies said:

The Maldives?

 

Seriously, why not go for an island destination? The kids will be bored out of their skulls in Chaing Mai. And the smog is supposed to be bad as you say.

Yeah! you are right. They can go Maldives, Bora Bora.

[Mavideol]

10 minutes ago, Jamesanderson said:

Yeah! you are right. They can go Maldives, Bora Bora.

he said ...""but still want my children to experience songkran "" does Maldives and/or Bora Bora have Songkran

[Tagged]

On 6/8/2019 at 5:16 PM, Clive said:

My thoughts exactly!!
Any recommendations please, not too far from Bkk as we only have 5 days spare due to visiting the places within Thailand during the easter school holidays (UK)
But still want my children to experience songkran 

Hua Hin my best destination to be during songkran. You get a decent party, and the best is, it last 24 hours only, so no big surprises except during the official times. 

[Vacuum]

25 minutes ago, Benroon said:

He is talking about children who will absolutely love it, not miserable old coffin dodgers.

I fail to understand your thinking. What's the obsession with water, would you send your children out of the house when it's raining? Or is it the thrill of getting idiots throw a bucketful of water in your face, yes face, they'll always aim at your face. What's to love about that?

[DefaultName]

I'd suggest 2 days in Pattaya.  It's as full on as Songkran gets and your kids will love it.  You, probably not - unless you're a singlet-wearing, low IQ, drunk, loonie.  ????

 

Me, I hate it, but I do believe it has to be experienced personally at least once.

 

Bangkok to Pattaya should be less than 2 hours - travel early during Songkran, if you leave at 8-9am, the drunks are still asleep and the roads are quiet.  With your limited time, I'd pass on the islands, the travelling kills big chunks of your trip.

[Moti24]

best place for Songkran 2020 ?

 

At my place, a short walk from the beer fridge.  Sleep where you fall.

[connda]

Tahiti French Polynesia.  Great beaches, nice surf, and you will not choke to death on the AQI 250+ PM2.5 'Worst Air In the World".  

Bypass Thailand.  There are better place in the world.  Thailand has become it's own worst enemy.  Scams, Immigration that does not like foreigners, you need to report your address anytime you leave your premise for 24 hours or you are a criminal which you are already assumed to be.  Pick elsewhere.  This ain't the place.

[mike787]

You asked.  Answer=Pattaya or Patong.  Garanteed to have mud, toilet water, and baby powder rubbed, sprayed, thrown on you 24/7 from the 10th -16th.  Good luck and I hope it's what you wanted/expected.

[VocalNeal]

The Mong who live on/around Suksawat and therefore near Phrapadaeng in Bangkok celebrate Songkran one week after the rest of Bangkok. So it is still full on but a bit less inconvenient as getting there is drier.

[kingstonkid]

OKAY ALL YOU OLD FARTS.  dID YOU NOT EVER PARTICIPATE INA GOOD OLD WATER FIGHT WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP.

 

Songkran is the same thing the trick is to find an area that is not as hyped up as the main tourist areas.

 

I would suggest that you look to the smaller areas  Kanchaburi might be nice and you could give them some education about the war while there.

 

 

[jimn]

Philippines, anywhere but Thailand during Songkran

[Crossy]

Forget the tourist madhouses.

 

My two Brit grand-daughters had a happy and very wet afternoon with the Thai grand-kids in the back of a pickup in Pathum Thani, great fun had by all.

 

GoPro on the roof of the truck captured every move for their friends freezing back home ????

 

[KittenKong]

1 hour ago, kingstonkid said:

OKAY ALL YOU OLD FARTS.  dID YOU NOT EVER PARTICIPATE INA GOOD OLD WATER FIGHT WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP.

No.

[AAArdvark]

If the kids are above 16, give them each a few thousand baht, plane tickets and you stay home.

[emptypockets]

On 9 June 2019 at 10:54 AM, pgrahmm said:

We live in the CM area & and have done the insanity, group gang bang there....

 

We found Kaphaeng Phet to be a great place for that holiday.....Friendly people & vendors up and down the river with water slides an a water park carnival like experience....You're surrounded by the beauty that is the people of Thailand....

 

No buckets of ice water slammed into your face or mean spirited farang drunks lining the street & no bar girls dancing on tables like in CM....

 

There's still squirt guns and small buckets but it's done politely....Many with ask before they get you & many will ask before they gently put powder on you - and leave you with good vibes/wishes....

 

Farang's are not that common there & they are delighted to have you = & it shows.....

 

It's a whole different (happy) experience than the drenching moat water drunken orgy that is Chiang Mai..... 

 

Group gang bang??

Been a while for me!

Respect bro!!

[fishtank]

best place for Songkran 2020 ?

Anywhere outside Thailand. 

A truly dreadful time to be in Thailand.

[scubascuba3]

I played songkran twice this year in Pattaya. One day is more than enough, the problem is you are really restricted where you can go for two weeks. So i think it's best avoided. Kids will like the daily water fights. I'm planning a holiday next year

[emptypockets]

1 hour ago, connda said:

Tahiti French Polynesia.  Great beaches, nice surf, and you will not choke to death on the AQI 250+ PM2.5 'Worst Air In the World".  

Bypass Thailand.  There are better place in the world.  Thailand has become it's own worst enemy.  Scams, Immigration that does not like foreigners, you need to report your address anytime you leave your premise for 24 hours or you are a criminal which you are already assumed to be.  Pick elsewhere.  This ain't the place.

So why are you here. I note you location is norther thailand

put up or shut up

[grollies]

2 hours ago, DefaultName said:

I'd suggest 2 days in Pattaya.  It's as full on as Songkran gets and your kids will love it.  You, probably not - unless you're a singlet-wearing, low IQ, drunk, loonie.  ????

 

Me, I hate it, but I do believe it has to be experienced personally at least once.

 

Bangkok to Pattaya should be less than 2 hours - travel early during Songkran, if you leave at 8-9am, the drunks are still asleep and the roads are quiet.  With your limited time, I'd pass on the islands, the travelling kills big chunks of your trip.

Yeah and there's the added bonus of ear infections, bacterial skin infections, ecoli from all the coliforms.....ad nauseam.....after the kids have all been swimming off Pattaya beach. Ah well, at least the NHS is free when they get home.

[emptypockets]

 Come to my place.

See great granny get her feet wet ( and everyone giving thanks to the old girl for raising them from babies when they couldn't do it themselves) and respond in kind pour scented water over four generations of kids (there's heaps!) and me included all done with kind words.

After that if the kids or adults want to water fight no problem. Welcome to Isaan Thailand.

 

Go into town and its full on if that's what you want. My friend will drive half a dozen kids around in the side car slowly and they can have a ball...,kids squirting kids......none of the nonsense most people associate with Songkran.

I guess if Pattaya or Phuket or a two day visit to teeraaks village under protest is your thing you will never know.

Each to his own. Works for me.

[chicowoodduck]

Best place for Songkran?  Your home country....easy peasy.....????

[elliss]

On 6/9/2019 at 10:23 AM, KittenKong said:

You don't like them much, do you?

 

Most sensible foreigners leave the country for the 2 weeks surrounding Songkran. 

 Correct , i go home to  visit my family in the UK , my homeland.