21 Days In Thailand.

[counrikke]

Hi all.

Last time I visited thailand, I went to CM, BKK, Phuket and Koh Lanta.

I liked them all.

I liked being able to go to the markets every couple of nights. Enjoyed the night life and the people there.

I liked the whole thailand feel.

but my problem was that I was squashing so many places into such a small amount of time

The next plan is to stay in one place for 21 days, that has it all.

What would you personally recommend?

Thanks

[Amerifarang]

I'd choose Chiang Mai,hands down! Laos and Burma borders are a day away for short trips and the cost of living is about 1/3 of BKK or Phuket.All the amenites are available without the hassle!

[thepanom]

If you like the beach, what about Hua Hin?

[gotlost]

Personally I would chose Surin and does it have amenities.

[phuketrichard]

21 days as a tourist in one place?? No place in Thailand is worth that much ( as a tourist)

BUT if u wnat to see thailand;

two options;

1. if u like the beaches do a trip south from Phuket to Ko Lanta and then down to Trat and visit some of the islands off of there.

2. If u want an advernture and great trip , Head back to Chaing Mai and rent a bike and head towards Mae hong son via Pai then contineue all the way along the border to Mae sot, Take a day off and have lunch in Burma before heading back to the main road then back up to Chaing Mai via sukothia would be good for 10 days. Plenty of great places to stop and relax but u do need ur own transport to make it worth whille

then head to Ko chang and over to Cambodia via Ko Kong for a few days.

a great 21 days better than 21 days in any of the other places.

[djayz]

If you like the beach, what about Hua Hin?

Lived in HH for about 6 months. It's a nice town and I loved it during the day but the town lacks things to do in the evenings. There are only so many restaurants you can visit, a few bars, 1 "shopping mall" and a cinema that doesn't show any movies in English(!!!!!!). That's it... 21 days in HH is WAY too long (unless you like really quiet evenings...).

[counrikke]

All good suggestions, and phuket richard I have been thinking about doing something similar but didn't know where to start. I like beaches but they don't fuss me so much, we have great ones here in aus

[Baht Man]

If your up north as some suggest (Chiang Mai area) why not take the short trip to Chiang Rai and spend a short time there. Nothing do in Myanmar but shopping for bootleged cd's, smokes and the like, but a good experience also. Head to Chiang Khong by bus, spend the night there or, catch a boat into Lao (visa on arrival) and stay the night in Houay Xay. Then take boat trip to Louang Phrabang. The 2 day trip on the Mekong is intereting albiet a bit boring sometimes so maybe a book is in order. After a few days in Luang Prabang (lots of "to do's" there) head south to Vang Vieng (water sports) and kick back a few days before heading to the capitol city of Vientiane. Eventually, take the bridge back into Thailand via Nong Khai and enjoy the markets there.

Lao has a lot to offer, the scenery is stunning and the night markets are great.

This will give you a small sample or,

Head south to the beaches.

[tommytouch]

Considering you'll probably be flying in to Bangkok you should definitely spend a decent amount of time there. Endless things to see and do, more so than anywhere else, for obvious reasons. Personally though I'd go to more than just one place. I always suggest Bangkok, a beach and Chiang Mai, but as you've already done that you could maybe take a cheap flight to another country in the region. Phnom Penh, Luang Prabang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh..... Somewhere no more than a couple of hours away.

[Patronus]

Personally I would chose Surin and does it have amenities.

Maybe, but I still couldn't find a beach .

(I didn't find any other 'amenities' either - but that is a different story).

Edited September 23, 2010 by Patronus

[surangw]

pace yourself, don't get burnt out

[Bedrockguesthouse]

come into Ban Phe which is the mainland city that u jump to Koh Samet Island. U can stay at our guesthouse or the other guesthouses. Ban Phe has 2 special market days Mondays and Thursdays but also has a market that is open 7 days a week. Get a little bored then grab a ferry to samet island. If u need a special rate just ask me. Other things to do explore the beach area east and west of ban phe. excellent seafood in the area. u can check out our website by clicking on our banner ad in this forum

]

[mallorca284673]

I agree with mark from bedrockguesthouse - head down to Ban Phe / Koh Samed great gem of an island - check out a great web resource for the island http://kohsamed.net

have a great trip

[britmaveric]

Pattaya hands down!!!

[game4shame]

phuket. has the beachy/nightlife feel + easy access to a variety of different places by road, air and boat.

I know OP said he wants to stay in one place but basing yourself in phuket means you can do day trips to places like phi phi, similan etc or couple of night trips to the likes of chiang mai or udon through competitive/reasonable air fares from/to HKT or krabi via road or boat.

you can also fly to hong kong or singapore.

if you want to base yourself somewhere you haven't mentioned, you could try samui. I loved samui initially but I've been there so many times the novelty has worn a little. but if you've never been it could be a good choice.

[game4shame]

as mentioned by a previous poster, spend a bit of time in bkk, especially if you're looking for good nightlife.

there's always somewhere new to try + various styles, from seedy to stylish.

[bangkokburning]

I wouldn't step foot in Ban Phe or on Samet. Hua Hin might be OK to live, but I'd never holiday there.

What does it for you?

Beaches?

Mountains?

Temples?

For me....the only option anymore is camping in the national parks. No guesthouse hassles, touts, sour workforce, scammers and you get the best beauty spots of Thailand. I love camping in the Thai Andaman and other than a few well packed out spots - no one does it. Not only that, its more or less free in most places and many NPs have restaurants with value priced food.

[SlyAnimal]

Last time I was in Thailand, I was travelling around with a girl I'd met there for a month or so, then went and stayed with her family in the countryside in Ubon Ratchathani for the last week I was there.

It was a real change of pace, and I felt like I had seen the "real" Thailand, and understood the country a lot better.

As it's just completely different experience Ideally somewhere in the Isaan countryside if you can.

[counrikke]

Would it be too weird enjoying the night life by myself? I want to do it though. Im thinking BKK Then Phuket so far.

[asiawatcher]

Bangkok has more markets than Australia and you could get lost there just on that for 21 days! BKK also has a plethora of things to do and see. You can run river boats around the back of the Navy depot and for 300 Baht an hour from the wharf at S & P on the Palace side, see river living as BKK was a century ago. River boats also travel in and out of Khlongs and you could spend a day just on them, on and off at markets.

There is also Ancient Siam (Muang Boran) which is fabulous and you cannot see it all there in a day - this is a recreation of Thailand throughout the ages in the shape of Thailand (land mass). As you enter the gates you are in Southern Thailand at Yala and then history kicks in and is explained at each step up into Bangkok, recreation of the palaces - absolutely magnificent, then finally to Phi Mai and the Angkor Wat temples as well as the suspect temple on the Cambodian border presently under dispute which is built on an artificial mountain. You finally get to the Mountain Villages and the Long Neck people and traditional Thai houses and you have not left BKK! There are many restaurants, a floating market, Chinese gardens and as said, you need more than a day to see all this. There are push bikes (some 1500) and you can peddle freely with camera all day.

There are the tiger temples at Kanchanaburi 3 hours west - worth the trip - magnificent animals or the tiger zoo at Sri Racha on the Eastern side which are not so easily accessible. If you go west to Kanchanburi you can also keep heading up towards the dam and waterfalls of Erawan - 7 steps and fabulous for a swim in pure limestone aqua water. After a swim and some mountain chicken you can head further west to Hellfire Pass and the old train and the memorials for the Anzacs (and many others) who lost their lives to the Japanese building the railway from Burma to Bangkok.

North of Kanchanburi about an hour + are huge caves worth the look. In Kanchanburi there are also elephant camps showing working elephants in their own environment. River Kwai (pronounced K_way) is also split and on the southern side is fast rafting in flowing water that can be a bit scary. Again there are markets the whole way around this district and you can stay cheaply on the west side of Kanchanburi in mouse houses on the river itself for under 1,000 Baht (35 AUD).

The rainforests at Krabi are also great and you can hop a longtail for AUD100 a day and hit many of the island. Most popular are Hong and Poda but there are 40+ to chose from and many that are uninhabited. You can abseil at Raleigh Beach off Ao Nang as well as snorkel or scuba away from the tourists haunts and ripoffs of Phuket.

Thailand kinda has a huge amount of things to do but even 21 days will not make it less memorable. You could hire a taxi driver for Baht 1,200 a day for 10 days and pay fuel and food and cheap accommodation and he will take you everywhere around the country. Needless to say - stick with BKK in the first instance and work the rest out when you get here. I would aviod the sleeze of Pattaya and stick to mainstream places where tourism is not their main form of income. You will meet real people and the Thai people who are what make Thailand a pleasure.

Best of luck

Anyway, that gives you some suggestions and the rest is up to you!

Edited September 27, 2010 by asiawatcher

[mollyp]

forget all those quiet places go straight to pattaya and have proper fun and the markets etc.

pm me if you want i can put you in touch with a friend who has good condos to rent

[Bedrockguesthouse]

I wouldn't step foot in Ban Phe or on Samet. Hua Hin might be OK to live, but I'd never holiday there.

What does it for you?

Beaches?

Mountains?

Temples?

For me....the only option anymore is camping in the national parks. No guesthouse hassles, touts, sour workforce, scammers and you get the best beauty spots of Thailand. I love camping in the Thai Andaman and other than a few well packed out spots - no one does it. Not only that, its more or less free in most places and many NPs have restaurants with value priced food.

Just for my own interest why wudnt u step foot into Ban Phe or Samet???? Bad experience maybe

cheers Mark