Been in Thailand for about 3 weeks now... My overall thoughts...

[jack1964]

"Another thing I should point out at this stage is Thailand is not cheap. I don't care what anyone says it simply is not. You cannot have a meal at any half decent restaurant on Samui for 2 without spending 1,000+ Baht at least" Hey Charlie......A half decent restaurant for 1000 baht and your complaining......That's about $30 aussie dollars. That's one trip to McDonald's golden arches for 3 people. Travelling on a champagne lifestyle with a beer budget probably would do your head in........Get a life Charlie......If you were expecting Paris, I understand your complaints.....BUT!!!!! lol.

[ccarbaugh]

This is the "quality tourist" that Thailand is trying to attract. They have high standards and are sorely disappointed when those standards are not met.

I think you totally and utterly misunderstand what type of traveler I am.

I wanted to see as much as Thailand as possible and experience as much as I could. I've stated numerous times I'm not interested in snobby resorts where you don't even leave the gates. The fact that I will have probably seen more of Phangan and Lanta than most people who visit should attest to this

In your pre-trip planning, you should have asked me. I would have immediately told you that

bringing a GF to Thailand is like taking a bucket of sand to the beach. Next time, instead of

wasting $20,000 and having a miserable time travelling, come for a month, alone, and have the time of your life on $2,000!

[Cloggie]

Take a songtaew / local bus or jump on the back of a motorbike, eat on the street, go to the local market, buy food from food vendors on the beach and sleep in a cheap Guesthouse and take life as it is in Thailand - mix with the locals...

Don't complain about the heat / food / traffic / bad hotel rooms / no water/ no electricity / blackouts / speeding / corrupt policemen / stupid design etc etc don't forget you are NOT at home you are in Thailand.

For me it looks like you travel from one 4/5 star hotel to the next 4/5 star hotel with an aircon taxi, bus or minivan - better stay home and watch Thailand using YouTube, much cheaper as well!

[theblether]

@Neo.......thanks for your honest OP. I was one of those that replied to your original planning request. To my recollection I recommended 12 days North, 4 days middle, and 10 days South, allowing for 4 days in BKK.

You have noticed already that this constant moving around is BS. All your doing is collecting names of places you have been to, and hardly holidaying in them. You've learned from your mistake and in future I'm pretty sure you won't try to cram so much in.

To be honest with you, even at this point I would cancel going to Pai your just going to compound the mistake, there's plenty to fill your time with in Chiang Mai. I'm in CM just now, I'm injured after a motorcycle crash so I can hardly walk. PM me and I will be happy to meet you and put together an itinerary here which you would find difficult not to enjoy. If you do decide to go to Pai I'll do the same thing for you there too.

[gerry123]

I planned poorly and yet I spent 2 weeks researching everything I could, looking on booking.com, TripAdvisor, these forums, 2 other Thai forums. Took advice from loads of people and put together the best locations and hotels I could find at the time.

I'd say I did more planning than most actually

far too much planning Thais dont like planning they just go with the flow WHEN IN ROME good read though

[phuketrichard]

u have yourself to blame , u picked the wrong time of year to hit Beaches and a little research would have told u that.

shooting range in Bangkok>?? 28 years in Thailand i have never been?

PHI PHI island, not the best place to go in August either.

as to the north; was up there last month;

skip Pai, its over built and nothing but backpackers wandering around

head to Mae hong Son and spend ur time there, more to see, more to do. the route from CM to MHS is a bit curvy ( 1,864 to be exact) so if u get car sick better fly.

Chaing Mai is a BIG city so be prepared for that. Great food thou

Edited August 23, 2013 by phuketrichard

[lovetotravel]

I tend to agree with a lot of your original post. And don't think you've over planned or are trying to do to much. Spending that amount of time in each place gives you time to relax, enjoy and explore! With plenty of time for traveling between locations.

We went to Koh Phangan 4 years ago and were totally turned off. If you are a cheap backpacker and like to party on the beach all night and hang out with other young travelers, then it's great! If you going there for a "luxury" vacation, it's not great. Samui would be a better choice for that, but it is just too crowded and touristy now. Loved it 10 years or more ago, but now? Too built up. Phi Phi is like Phangan. We weren't happy with Pai either, too many young backpackers racing up and down the streets. I met with a hotel owner there and he told me some stories that were just plain crazy. We actually got to witness some of his problems with these cheap travelers first hand.

Seems a lot has changed for the worse in the past 10 years or so. Vang Vieng is in this category also. 10 years ago it was pretty good. Sure, there were some backpackers that would sit all night smoking pot and watching reruns of Friends, but that was only one small area. Now, they've taken over. Luckily, the locals seem to be trying to turn that around. We'll see. Riding down that river in a tube was great fun back then.

Bangkok? I love the city, but it's not a "clean" city like many others around the world. Sure, cleaner than some, but more dirty that a lot. Unfortunately, if you've just read the report that says Bangkok is the #1 favorite city in the world, and you've already been to a lot of other popular cities around the world, you're going to be disappointed. Traffic is a mess, air is polluted, the rivers/canals are bad, public transport is spotty, etc.

I do agree with many others that your expectations can have a significant impact on your trip.

Some of the best times I've had here in Thailand have been way off the tourist trail. And 100% clear of the backpacker trail. You meet locals who are really nice. Places that aren't over run with tourists. Unfortunately, to really do this, you need to have somebody who speaks Thai. Very difficult to do otherwise. But not impossible. I've had some fantastic times south of Hua Hin, all along the coast. Great times in the Golden Triangle area. And many other areas off the beaten track.

Thailand is cheaper than many other destinations, but not as cheap as it use to be 10 years ago. For me, eating street food gets old quickly. Having a nice meal is one of the pleasures of travel. Experiencing something you can't back home.

Best of luck with the rest of your trip!

[Wordworx]

Geezus, $20,000? That's a remarkable expenditure for 30 days, even with the international RT airfare for two. I don't think I could do that if I tried, regardless of GF expectations. Not in Thailand.

Otherwise, I concur on Lanta. Like most of their islands, trashed or near trashed. I visited mainly to try the diving. Spent two hours on the boat getting out beyond the perimeter of pollution, then two hours back. Not exactly optimal use of time on or in the water. Like their other *paradise lost* coastal and island locations, including the much nicer but on the decline Koh Lipe, pretty much all the larger and more interesting fish are gone. But, more to your point, the island itself is indeed dull (my opinion), beaches are crappy, covered with trash, and the water is heavily polluted due to proximity to mainland.

BKK is BKK.

Krabi is okay for a few days (and that's about it). I booked 4-5-stars during the season for $40-50 (Agoda). Nice.

Chiang Mai is good. Driving is relatively easy so you may want to rent your own wheels, tour the surrounding countryside. You might try the Chiang Rai / Mae Sai loop, head over to the Triangle, have lunch along the Mekong. Up and back on different routes. Stopping in Chiang Rai for the night on the way back makes for a leisurely cruise.

Pai is pretty. And pretty dull. Gotta be the visa overstay capital of Thailand, judging by *bohemian* scene, resident / transient farang.

Bottom line on all this is that Thailand is not a country for advance plans. Best to take it a day or two at a time. Get some travel tips in one place, decide where to go next, check Agoda, don't book any place rated less than "fantastic" or "very good", and don't book for more than two days. If you don't like a particular place, an airport and an inexpensive flight is never far away. Book flights for the next day. Prices rarely go up much (relatively speaking), even booking at last minute. Nok, Air Asia and Bangkok Airways pretty much get it done. Thai Airways is generally a needlessly more expensive option. ..

But I guess most of these tips, regardless of accuracy, come a little late. Maybe next trip.

[transam]

Are you a troll ?

Anyone who looks for top end accommodation etc and moans about 1000bht, that's 20 English quid, for dinner for 2 is having a laugh.

Do you know how much it costs to get in the USA Disney land or world. Did you not remember in the USA at a restaurant they add on 15% service charge whether you like it or not.

My point was Thailand is not cheap. Everyone always gives this impression it is and it's simply not.

I'm not complaining at a $30 meal for 2, I understand that might be the going rate these days... I was simply pointing out that Thailand is not cheap, that's all

I went down south for a few days to a nice ''farang type holiday'' hotel four years ago, a large bottle of Singha beer was 240 bht , where l live in a restaraunt it's around 65 bht. Cheap is out there.

[rsokolowski]

When you get back to Bangkok try to get to Lumpini park for a couple of ours in the early morning, or late afternoon (not as hot). It is a nice place to stroll and there are some very large Malaysian water monitors (some are more than 2 meters long) that are very interesting (to me anyway).

[hanno]

Funny that: almost every thread on TV descends into Thai bashing. But God forbid that a visitor points out a few things he did not like and he gets ripped to shreds .

[transam]

Funny that: almost every thread on TV descends into Thai bashing. But God forbid that a visitor points out a few things he did not like and he gets ripped to shreds .

Think he did want to discuss it or why post it.

[yimlitnoy]

I found your travel report very interesting and well written. I am not much concerned about an image of Thailand but I find your impression valuable because it is your real personal assessement of the country. I am waiting about your view of Chiand Mai with avidity as I am planning to also travel to Chiang Mai to maybe reside there this year because as you say Thailand is not cheap anymore.

[hanno]

Funny that: almost every thread on TV descends into Thai bashing. But God forbid that a visitor points out a few things he did not like and he gets ripped to shreds .

Think he did want to discuss it or why post it.

Ha ha oh my god what a retard!

That passes as discussion?

[markdoj]

I half read what you have written.When I got to the place about Bangkok being overcrowded and polluted (with its 12 milliion people) and dirty (in Asia) I started to worry about what you were thinking leaving your country..... Is it the US?

Then you went to the most popular and expensive restaurant/bar in Bangkok for tourists and complained it was busy.

Next you pick something to do that only tourists do and fall for the overcharge that we all did in the early days.

Next you eat food you can get down your street at home and complain that its hot..... What in Thailand? Who would have thought? Then you get on a flight to tourist areas and complain people want money off you and there are tourists there.

Not cheap? 1,000 baht for a meal? You were too lazy to take a trip to Bophut lights in Samui where you get a good Thai meal for 200 baht in a local restaurant. Travel 15Km's more and you see no foreigners.

I dont think that those bags that travel by themselves have been invented yet or the machines where you are teleported between locations. Do you not have check in times, taxis and planes where you come from?

I've lived in Samui 3 years and Bangkok for 14 months. I now live in Australia but am from The UK.

I'd give my right arm to be living there now.But, I eat in the right places and live in normal hotels that are comfortable and reasonable.

Maybe yyou should not visit Asia again...... Its different to The West, you know. Maybe try Australia next year. Bring 3 times as much money, though...... At least.

[Alwyn]

You didn't plan this through very well really. Maybe you had restrictions on your travel dates but you came in the monsoon season which is why it's low season. If you had of looked deeper you would have understood about Ko Lanta Ko Phangyan. You would also have left BKK to the end for shopping purposes mainly. Railay beach in Krabi was voted 2nd best neach in the World a few years ago but you passed on that one. There are so many diverse and fanastic things to do in Thailand - a lot listed elsewhere on this page! But you chose The backpacker/drug fest choice with Ko Phangan instead, strange. Your vacation will improve once in Chiang Mai but a 4 hour flight? Are you flying in from Bali? It takes less from KL!! If you want to spend a few enjoyable hours with elephants the maesa is good, the tiger temple is great too. Fantastic restaurants (all costing about 20% of what you paid in Samui) with northern cuisine, cheap beer, great shopping malls, you could spend a day in Ban Thawai looking at the furniture and crafts. Plus you don't get striped up by taxis. I hope the north changes your outlook but I feel you're too deeply entrenched in your negative views now.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Simple really dont take too much advice bfore you travel, go and experience your own experience's make your own adventures.

Bangkok, I personally love the place including the smell and smog. I'm there for a week max and will leave it behind, you should have rented a taxi for the day and seen some of the sights just outside of the city, plenty of great things to see (what did you expect to see in Thailand)

Travelling around Thailand is fine yes it takes time, and the last time I checked this is the same everywhere in the world when covering distance, even flights are the same everywhere I've been drive to the airport one one hour before your flight (domestic) then transit to your hotel, no problem.

Chiang Mai is a great place again depends on what youwant to see, in your write up you never said what you expected / wanted to see, you said you are travelling with your girlfriend/wife so its not the naughty scene and the drinking. Tell people what you like and then maybe you might received useful information (maybe you did in your earlier posts?).

Go and enjoy, good luck with the rest of your vacation.

[Cory1848]

If you’re looking for the “real Thailand,” it’s not too complicated: the “real Thailand” is wherever Thai people are living and working. Maybe you’re looking too hard.

I would suggest perhaps adjusting your comfort zone to some degree; you say you are “adventurous” so try traveling that way. Thousand-baht meals and three-hundred-dollar resorts are absurd, and allowing yourself to get bent out of shape about bad roads and lengthy boat trips is simply misplaced energy. If you ramp down what you spend on -- and therefore what you expect from -- secondary concerns like accommodation and food (although the local food is fabulous, especially the cheap stuff!) and try going with the flow a bit more, then maybe you’ll get more out of your trip. It sounds trite, but beauty is everywhere that you look for it.

[Neo6]

@Neo.......thanks for your honest OP. I was one of those that replied to your original planning request. To my recollection I recommended 12 days North, 4 days middle, and 10 days South, allowing for 4 days in BKK.

You have noticed already that this constant moving around is BS. All your doing is collecting names of places you have been to, and hardly holidaying in them. You've learned from your mistake and in future I'm pretty sure you won't try to cram so much in.

To be honest with you, even at this point I would cancel going to Pai your just going to compound the mistake, there's plenty to fill your time with in Chiang Mai. I'm in CM just now, I'm injured after a motorcycle crash so I can hardly walk. PM me and I will be happy to meet you and put together an itinerary here which you would find difficult not to enjoy. If you do decide to go to Pai I'll do the same thing for you there too.

Thank you, I appreciate that

We actually cancelled our trip to Phi Phi just now. I get the impression that this time of year is not good and that traveling to Phi Phi on a ferry for a day isn't going to accomplish much. There's apparently a cool excursion to an Emerald Cave nearby so we'll be doing that instead. You can go direct from the hotel instead of traveling 2 hours to and from the ferry port.

Also gonna skip on Pai and stay in Chiang Mai for the full 5 days. It's sucks because we had our flight and hotel booked and paid for, but I feel at this stage it might be better taking one on the chin to avoid more travel stress.

Thanks again for your help

[thaisabai]

Probably the highlight of Bangkok for me was Siam Paragon and the VIP cinema (how silly is that). This cinema is one of the best I've ever been too. I also enjoyed eating dinner at the Mandarin Oriental by the river... I'd highly recommend that. As for other activities in Bangkok... I went to the shooting range and blew $300 in about 15 minutes on pretty much nothing, such a waste of money. Also went to Lumpini Park which was full of protestors screaming down microphones and not much else. Add to the fact the sweltering heat makes going to a park a bit of a drag. Maybe Bangkok is more fun if you're single and can hang out with a load of lady boys... Who knows...

you did about everything wrong from A to Z!

wrong hotel in Bangkok, eating at the Mandarin when there are 100's of famous seafood places for a fraction of the price!

shooting range for 300$! Lumpini Park!

How about the most famous sights you missed in Bangkok? ( Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn), Grand Palace & Wat Prakeaw, Chao Phraya River & Waterways by longtail boat, Khlong Tour just to name a few)

further you seem to think that good service is available only in 5-star places. you are sooooo wrong!

paying 500 /1000 baht for taxis, paying 1000+ Baht for meals?

Hey, you better start all over again with a different attitude, or just forget about Thailand. It doesn't seem to be for you.

Thaisabai

[Kayahammer]

Tescos on Samui has bowling and is good?, Siam paragon and cinema best thing in BKK? 5 star hotels? Thailand is not cheap. THERE'S NOTHING TO DO ON KO LANTA? Travelling is a chore?

You've missed the point of spending a month in Thailand mate.

Go somewhere which fits what you're all about. though after reading your post I'd imagine that everywhere you go you find fault. Just a hunch.

[jrtmedic]

Best stay at home ! "Abroad" as you would say is crap!

I was massively impressed by your reported "activities" in BKK! I guess the research you undertook excluded anything about Thai culture which for many is interesting and a lot cheaper than buying bullets or going to the cinema !

I fully expect you to leave Thailand without ever discovering the true richness the country has to offer.

If you ever venture away from home in future and especially if you go to that horrid "Abroad" place do some real research and invest in a "Lonely Planet" or "Rough Guide" guide book ------you may discover something from real travellers who are not to be found on "trip advisor. "

PS

India is a good place to visit!

Edited August 23, 2013 by jrtmedic

[Neo6]

I half read what you have written.When I got to the place about Bangkok being overcrowded and polluted (with its 12 milliion people) and dirty (in Asia) I started to worry about what you were thinking leaving your country..... Is it the US?

Then you went to the most popular and expensive restaurant/bar in Bangkok for tourists and complained it was busy.

Next you pick something to do that only tourists do and fall for the overcharge that we all did in the early days.

Next you eat food you can get down your street at home and complain that its hot..... What in Thailand? Who would have thought? Then you get on a flight to tourist areas and complain people want money off you and there are tourists there.

Not cheap? 1,000 baht for a meal? You were too lazy to take a trip to Bophut lights in Samui where you get a good Thai meal for 200 baht in a local restaurant. Travel 15Km's more and you see no foreigners.

I dont think that those bags that travel by themselves have been invented yet or the machines where you are teleported between locations. Do you not have check in times, taxis and planes where you come from?

I've lived in Samui 3 years and Bangkok for 14 months. I now live in Australia but am from The UK.

I'd give my right arm to be living there now.But, I eat in the right places and live in normal hotels that are comfortable and reasonable.

Maybe yyou should not visit Asia again...... Its different to The West, you know. Maybe try Australia next year. Bring 3 times as much money, though...... At least.

Huh? I made a quick summary of Bangkok, that was it. I don't see where I complained about food being too hot... I love the food. Also I didn't complain about tourists in Samui, I even said it was pretty quiet and that I don't understand why Samui gets such a bad rap.

Anyway I'm off to the beach for a bit

[davo67]

I think you over-researched and over planned. without trying to sound all zen, if you plan your perfect getaway you probably won't find it, you should have arrived with no Hotels booked and an open mind as to what you would be doing, and where you would be staying. maybe the perfect holiday would have formed itself.

[thaisabai]

too bad you skipped Koh Phi Phi. I could have hooked you up with friends who run a travel agency there, they would have taken care of you with a longtail boat trip for sightseeing, a little fishing and some really good meals (and cheap).

Anyway, hope you will enjoy Chiang Mai (are you booked in a 5-star hotel again?)

Thaisabai

[transam]

Funny that: almost every thread on TV descends into Thai bashing. But God forbid that a visitor points out a few things he did not like and he gets ripped to shreds .

Think he did want to discuss it or why post it.

Ha ha oh my god what a retard!

That passes as discussion?

Weeeeeeell, would not be my wording.

Bit more for the OP.

1. My Thai mrs and I went to Bangkok to do something, got in a cab, said we had a few hours to kill. He said fancy a boat ride,

''How much", he got on the phone, "800 bht", ......"OK". Got to the river, there was the boat with husband and wife operators, biggish boat with a few tables and chairs. We got on to find the boat was for us alone. The driver got on too , we had a few hours on it, stopped at a riverside restaurant to eat, then back on the boat. It was great for 800 bht, we paid for our food. The cab driver dropped us off and didn't take any money for the taxi , he enjoyed the boat ride.

2. Mrs and I went to CM for a few days, asked a taxi how much for a tour around. He said 800 bht (again) for half day. "OK".

He did take us to the tourist traps selling the expensive side of LOS for the tourists plus other stuff. But we saw a bit of CM. When a few days later our Thai relatives turned up with transport we did regular Thai stuff and prices.

My point is, it is out there at cheap prices if you look, investigate and are lucky.

Try getting a private boat trip or a half day in a taxi in farangland for 800 bht a piece.

[LivinLOS]

5 star hotels are not Thailand? How do you figure that? A large majority of the resorts are now 4 and 5 star...

Another quality tourist lost..

Thailand has pockets of 5 star.. In its resorts.. But the basic infrastructure to cater to high net worth people.. Is totally lacking. The TAT doesnt seem to get that when it keeps mumbling 'quality tourists' every year as its arrivals from 1st world countries dwindle and its arrivals from Russia / India / China keep racking up.

Thailand is far more fun at the 3 star range.. Its pretty economical, tho no longer cheap certainly (another fact Thais are blissfully unaware of) and you can have some fun in a rough around the edges kinda way.

But once you want to start going up a teeny grade.. The prices rise exponentially and not that much about the experience changes.

[katareya2006]

I think you are a tad naive in your plan. However, as you are clearly a novice I would not criticise. However, I would agree 5 Star Hotels are not Thailand. BKK for tourists is overrated. Pattaya has a lot to offer Tourists (Beaches & good Thai & European Food). Chang Mai & Rai are good to visit. Hua Hin is fantastic too. What I suggest is if you want to see Thailand properly is rent yourself a Pick Up and just Drive. Most Thai's drive everywhere no matter how far and do not fly and so do I. I have been coming here for over 12 Years for large periods each time and have sampled all kinds of life. The only thing I ever moan about is Cockroaches and when it is too hot. Chok Dee.

[bitcoinbob]

neo do not blame yourself, there is a lot of misinformation and propganda about traveling to thailand so they can get the tourist dollars .period for island travel the carib wins hands down. i have no idea how much bangkok govt has had to pay to win best travel city awards but it most have been a lot. sorry to hear about your trip but now you know the facts warn others.

[oneday]

Truly sorry you missed out on some great aspects of Thailand. I live here and would have planned a different trip for you. I have never been to Koh Lanta or Phangan, but by your description I probably wouldn't go. I got stuck at a Marriott resort on Phuket once with a friend who had a time-share. It truly was a fantastic resort, but way out in the middle of nowhere. We rented a car and I drove for the first time in Thailand on that trip just to get 1 hour to the places everyone wanted to see.

BANGKOK, I would have said spend at least two days. See the "Grand Palace" and Wat Po which are close to each other. Get there by way of boat on the Chao Praya river. Along the way see Wat Arun. You might have also caught one of Bangkok's floating markets Taling Chan I think is the name of the one I went to. Nothing much, but it was something to do.

Did you ever come across mention of Ayutthaya in your research. Highly, highly recommended. How about Kanchantaburi. I'm no history buff, but even I found this interesting and one of the best national parks in Thailand called "Erawan" is to be found there.

If you plan Chiang Mai correctly you should have a good time. See the zoo, then continue up the mountain and see Doi Suthep. Rent a bike and explore the mountain above Doi Suthep. Drive around the old city seeing the old wats and temples. Go to the night Bazzar. Take a tour to see the Long Neck tribe people or the highest mountain in Thailand, Doi Intanon (a little ho-hum, but a great waterfall or two) and it is definitely something to do.

I've been to Pai and it's a small lazy town for young backpackers. I didn't find much to do there.

As far as hotels go, you are making a big mistake picking fancy 5 star resorts. Stick to the 1000-1500 baht a night range and you will be fine and you won't expect much. It's just a place to sleep and shower.

Edited August 23, 2013 by oneday