Holiday Of Lifetime Or Nightmare Please Help!

[jersey200]

well hi to you all..

we are coming over to thailand in jan 2008 the 1st to the 18th

i am looking at 3 nights in bangkok

3 nights in chang mai

then on to krabi/phucket ?

i have looked at many hotels in both citys and now i feel i have read the bible on hotels and got no where..

please if you have done this trip or know someone who has and have some feedback please let me know?

hotels apartments ect..

near the beach ?

hotel in the city would be around 3/4 star

help with krabi ect would be great...thought about driving around the ilands anyone got any ideas ?

all help will be just the job at least you guys have done .

look forward to hearing from you soon kind regards for now wendy..

[Mighty Mouse]

You will need to provide more information as to what your needs are.

For example who is "we?" Family with children, two mates, you and a girlfriend?

Are you looking for a good night life, a relaxing day life, do you want to cram as much touring into your time as possible?

You state that you want a 3-4 star hotel. What hotels have you seen on-line that might meet your requirements?

What do you want to do in Bangkok and Chiang Mai? Many posters might think that 3 nights in these locations is too many...particularly if you want to spend more time in a beach location.

[H2oDunc]

Hi Wendy, glad to hear you are coming to this lovely country. As the previous poster says some more information would help. How many, kids? etc. How are you planning to get from BKK to Chiang Mai then to Krabi. Thats a lot of travelling if you only have a short time. If you have onlt 17 days, decide what you want to do with your time here. Are beaches and water sports the main thing, or moutains and jungle, elephants and waterfalls a must. As for BKK. Have a daywhen you arrive then finish off there before you fly home. Let me know if you need any more help, enjoy the planning, Dunc

[londonthai]

wendy, go to your local library, take all guide books about thailand, read them and make notes.

if it's too diffucult for you go to the nearest travel agent

Edited July 18, 2007 by londonthai

[SamuiWatch]

I have posted this same reply elsewhere - but you might have missed it. It doesn't cover all your concerns - but then again who can? Enjoy

The only real way to cut costs is to arrange your very own DIY holiday

Backpackers always get the best deals - because they can afford to take smallish risks for all the cheapest deals available and they can make up their mind very quickly - and just 'go for it'.

Bagpackers are normally familes - with kids - and therefore have to be more circumspect.

There are three mains expenses involved in arranging a DIY vacation:

1) Flights: - tickets are always non refundable and non transferable. This will probably be your biggest single item of expense. Advice? Shop around well in advance - or try last minute deals.

2) Accommodation: This will be your second biggest expense. But if you take the above advice, you will then almost certainly be able to make savings on accommodation too - as most places offer discounts for arriving within 2-weeks or booking well in advance - say after six-months.

3) Food: - This should work out your smallest expense as the price of food in Thailand will always, by definition, reflect the standard of living for the local inhabitants. Advice? Always eat where the locals eat because Thais are extremely fussy people when it comes to fresh wholesome food and if they like it - and they can afford it YOU will definitely be able to afford it - and maybe get to like it too! When in Rome . .

Anything else? Yes, if you are a small party, say four or over, then renting a private villa or bungalow is your best bet - because you only pay for the one villa - not for the people staying there. Then you can either cook your own grub (especially breakfasts and snacks) or you eat out at cheap restaurants and cafes or you can have steaming hot food delivered to your villa - this gives you three more ways to save money.

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetite

[Ijustwannateach]

If you're planning to stay more than a day or two in any given place, only pre-book for a few days (or for an indefinite period, if the hotel will allow it) and look around for better deals- a lot of the cheapest places don't have an internet presence.

[warwick7735]

Hi & welcome

When I used to stay in hotels in BKK I always used the Landmark (4 star), 1st class service, a choice of restaurants in the lobby and only 100metres to the skytrain.

If your going to Phuket look at the Cape Panwa hotel (4 star) its right on its own private beach away from the main tourist area of Patong but they do regular trips there free of charge. Alternatively hire a car for 700 baht/day and drive yourself

Hope thats the sort of info you wanted

Warwick

[technocracy]

I have posted this same reply elsewhere - but you might have missed it. It doesn't cover all your concerns - but then again who can? Enjoy

The only real way to cut costs is to arrange your very own DIY holiday

Backpackers always get the best deals - because they can afford to take smallish risks for all the cheapest deals available and they can make up their mind very quickly - and just 'go for it'.

Bagpackers are normally familes - with kids - and therefore have to be more circumspect.

There are three mains expenses involved in arranging a DIY vacation:

1) Flights: - tickets are always non refundable and non transferable. This will probably be your biggest single item of expense. Advice? Shop around well in advance - or try last minute deals.

2) Accommodation: This will be your second biggest expense. But if you take the above advice, you will then almost certainly be able to make savings on accommodation too - as most places offer discounts for arriving within 2-weeks or booking well in advance - say after six-months.

3) Food: - This should work out your smallest expense as the price of food in Thailand will always, by definition, reflect the standard of living for the local inhabitants. Advice? Always eat where the locals eat because Thais are extremely fussy people when it comes to fresh wholesome food and if they like it - and they can afford it YOU will definitely be able to afford it - and maybe get to like it too! When in Rome . .

Anything else? Yes, if you are a small party, say four or over, then renting a private villa or bungalow is your best bet - because you only pay for the one villa - not for the people staying there. Then you can either cook your own grub (especially breakfasts and snacks) or you eat out at cheap restaurants and cafes or you can have steaming hot food delivered to your villa - this gives you three more ways to save money.

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetite

Yep Backpackers always look for 3/4 star hotels. ...

No they don't always get the best deal either - you turn up on spec you pay whatever they tell you ... pre-booking via the Internet invaribly gets you the best deal on hotels.

[lazeeboy]

I have posted this same reply elsewhere - but you might have missed it. It doesn't cover all your concerns - but then again who can? Enjoy

The only real way to cut costs is to arrange your very own DIY holiday

Backpackers always get the best deals - because they can afford to take smallish risks for all the cheapest deals available and they can make up their mind very quickly - and just 'go for it'.

Bagpackers are normally familes - with kids - and therefore have to be more circumspect.

There are three mains expenses involved in arranging a DIY vacation:

1) Flights: - tickets are always non refundable and non transferable. This will probably be your biggest single item of expense. Advice? Shop around well in advance - or try last minute deals.

2) Accommodation: This will be your second biggest expense. But if you take the above advice, you will then almost certainly be able to make savings on accommodation too - as most places offer discounts for arriving within 2-weeks or booking well in advance - say after six-months.

3) Food: - This should work out your smallest expense as the price of food in Thailand will always, by definition, reflect the standard of living for the local inhabitants. Advice? Always eat where the locals eat because Thais are extremely fussy people when it comes to fresh wholesome food and if they like it - and they can afford it YOU will definitely be able to afford it - and maybe get to like it too! When in Rome . .

Anything else? Yes, if you are a small party, say four or over, then renting a private villa or bungalow is your best bet - because you only pay for the one villa - not for the people staying there. Then you can either cook your own grub (especially breakfasts and snacks) or you eat out at cheap restaurants and cafes or you can have steaming hot food delivered to your villa - this gives you three more ways to save money.

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetite

Yep Backpackers always look for 3/4 star hotels. ...

No they don't always get the best deal either - you turn up on spec you pay whatever they tell you ... pre-booking via the Internet invaribly gets you the best deal on hotels.

have a look at asia rooms .com ,find your location find a hotel you think looks nice ,then read the write up from other customers,in chaing mai by far the best value for a great hotel in chaing mai plaza hotel 1500b ,in bangkok the white palace at 1200b or the asia hotel 2000b both in pratunam (centre for clothing and pantip plaza the computer store ,in krabi sorry never been...