Short Holiday Destinations - Near Thailand

[corkman]

Hi all,

So a lady friend has never been out of Thailand (I live and work in Bangkok). I offered to take her on a short holiday somewhere; what she'd realyl love is to go "outside Thailand".

I'm not tight, but neither am I minted with cash, but I figure I'm gonna pay 3,000-5,000 to fly to Krabi or Phuket anyway so a little extra is not unfeasible. What options are there for a short break (1 or 2 nights), flying out of Bangkok. City break or beach or island break..... I am open to any suggestion really, as long as it is not too far and economical. A trip that concentrates on "shopping" however is to be avoided :-p

Thanks in advance.

[phuketrichard]

Vientaine, Phnom Penh, KL, Singapore ( Sentosa, she will love it), Yangoon

all can be done for uner 6,000 r/t put some will cost u more on the ground.

Not all Thai ladies travel well if they cant get their one spicy food :-)

With enough money the world can be ur oyster.

[yermanee]

Vientaine, Phnom Penh, KL, Singapore ( Sentosa, she will love it), Yangoon

all can be done for uner 6,000 r/t put some will cost u more on the ground.

Not all Thai ladies travel well if they cant get their one spicy food :-)

With enough money the world can be ur oyster.

Good list.

I would add Ho Chi Min city (saigon) for a bit of French colonial flair.

Yermanee

[smokie36]

I second Saigon....great food there too....go have a picnic in the park with the locals or hire bikes and cycle around the city.

[dddave]

Singapore: She will get to see how differently a large city can function; good in someways, maybe too sterile in others but SO many interesting things to see and a great transportation infrastructure.

My GF loved Sentosa Island and the Cable Car ride to it as well as the train ride around it. If she likes flowers there is one of the worlds most extensive orchid gardens. There is also a small rain forest within the city.

The Night Safari was a lot of fun.

Good street food but restricted to designated food areas, not helter skelter on sidewalks.

Check the Thursday Bangkok Post travel section, always a lot of 2night/3day deals but you can probably do better on your own.

Edited September 17, 2013 by dddave

[cabanlit]

Singapore

Proof that Asians can behave properly.

[Wordworx]

Luang Prabang. Great place for a couple. Quick and easy flight, but you will drop maybe more than you want to on airfare. Can train and bus it (I think), but that's gotta be an arduous hassle. In any case, this or another trip, you should check it out before they trash the town.

Edited September 17, 2013 by Wordworx

[mogandave]

Singapore is good as is Hong Kong.

[mdmayes]

Cambodia's Ankor Wat is a short plane ride (1hour & 15 min) from bangkok.

[mogandave]

Your gal probably has no interest in Laos, Cambodia, Burma, or Viet Nam. Might as well stay in Thailand...

[skyaslimit]

Singapore

 

Proof that Asians can behave properly.

sent by skyaslimit using thaivisa forum mobile app.

[Misterwhisper]

Cambodia, Laos & Myanmar - not the ideal choice for someone who wants to see something new; a lot of things will be rather similar to Thailand. On the other hand, if you're concerned that she might not be able to handle well completely different surroundings, then you might consider one of these three countries. I do not recommend Siam Reap (Cambodia) for touring Angkor Wat. From my experience, many Thais are absolutely disinterested in culture (museums, historical architecture, etc.).

Singapore - Sure, you can get a cheap flight to there, but hotels, sightseeing, bars & restaurants will be considerably more expensive than what you might be willing to spend. Same goes for Hong Kong.

Malaysia - KL is just another chaotic town. You might be better off visiting Penang (Georgetown). Prices are very reasonable, there are a few decent beaches, and the predominantly Chinese culture might be something new to her.

Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh might be a good option for - as another poster mentioned - the French-Colonial charm and the rather cheap prices. But there is not much to do during the day apart from visiting a few museums and parks.

I think your best option would be Penang. it's got a little of everything.

[fasteddie]

Langkawi might suit her, there's some Thai influence there, they always like that.

[xen]

Penang is a reasonable in cost . You can take her to the Thai Temple with the Burmese Temple right across the road. It is interesting to compare the architecture. The beaches are not great but then not a lot of Thais are interested in beaches either . Food is good too .

[Phil Water]

I have been wondering the same thing. Do Thais need passport for any or all of these surrounding countries?

Edited September 17, 2013 by Phil Water

[kurnell]

Thais love Hanoi and Halong Bay

[phuketrichard]

thais need passport to travel (EXCEPT they can go to Laos without one for one day and border markets - nothing to see but gamble- in Cambodia) everywhere, same as everbody else.

Note for Malaysia, Singapore, Camboida and laos they do NOT need a visa.

As to travel to nearby countries, i took my ex to all of them and she loved them all ( plus Nepal)

and took my half thai daughter to them as well.

TO say thai's have no interest is an extreme over generalization.

ASK HER what her interest are>>>>

Singgpore will NOT let her down but will cost ya

Edited September 18, 2013 by phuketrichard

[chris2004]

Check out the Air Asia website. They have a sale on now, many flights for 1-2,000 baht.

[roamer]

Langkawi might suit her, there's some Thai influence there, they always like that.

Seconded. Great beach break, incredibly scenic island with great sights like the cable car mountain ride. Shopping fits the bill nicely, no designer handbags but duty free island with very cheap booze . Car hire probably cheapest in Asia, beach accommodation very reasonable, as mentioned above some Thai restaurants around too.

Fly to Hat Yai, taxi to bus station and minibus to Saturn, boat to Langkawi. Early morning flight puts you in there at lunchtime. Also possible fly to Penang and transfer to Langkawi flight, more costly and no real time saver.

Edit. Just noticed you said 1 or 2 nights, I certainly wouldn't do it for one night, likewise most other places either.

Edited September 18, 2013 by roamer

[MeowBundit]

Hong Kong in case NO NEED visa for both thais and most westerners. Real difference from anything she knows already. Yes, hotel will cost you about 3000 THB/night, but anything else can be affordable. I strongly recommend day-evening tour package around Island and with crossing Harbor and Dinner while watch Light Show.

Of course she will need to have a passport and can obtain in in 2-3 days.

To be sure, HK or Sing can be really different from nearest countries... But cost you for accomodation and food...

Edited September 18, 2013 by MeowBundit

[BangkokHank]

I second Luang Prabang. It's a very lovely, romantic place. Cheap once you get there, but a little expensive / troublesome to get there. It's different enough from Thailand to make it interesting for Thais, but similar enough to make it comfortable for them. The food and the language will be familiar to them, and we all know how important food is to Thais.

[corkman]

Wow!

Thank you for all the great replies.

I need to give each and every suggest the attention they deserve - although the ones that jump out immediately are Penang and Langkawi; of course I'd love Ankor Wat, but not sure she'd be happy with Cambodia, given the recent spat between Thailand and them.

No visa requirement is a definite advantage - too much hassle sorting that out for a short break.

I like the "2 nights" thing as it doesn't clash with work for me.

[Patronus]

Wow!

Thank you for all the great replies.

I need to give each and every suggest the attention they deserve - although the ones that jump out immediately are Penang and Langkawi; of course I'd love Ankor Wat, but not sure she'd be happy with Cambodia, given the recent spat between Thailand and them.

No visa requirement is a definite advantage - too much hassle sorting that out for a short break.

I like the "2 nights" thing as it doesn't clash with work for me.

Thais can be nervous about going to Cambodia but love it when they are there. They are welcomed, usually they are taken for Khmer then as tourists.

In Siem Reap you will not only have the splendour of Angkor Wat but also a tourist town that offers a wide range of western cuisine. Plenty to do.

Note, if she is an Isaan Thai take some chillies - the Cambodians don't do very spicy.

[corkman]

Wow!

Thank you for all the great replies.

I need to give each and every suggest the attention they deserve - although the ones that jump out immediately are Penang and Langkawi; of course I'd love Ankor Wat, but not sure she'd be happy with Cambodia, given the recent spat between Thailand and them.

No visa requirement is a definite advantage - too much hassle sorting that out for a short break.

I like the "2 nights" thing as it doesn't clash with work for me.

Thais can be nervous about going to Cambodia but love it when they are there. They are welcomed, usually they are taken for Khmer then as tourists.

In Siem Reap you will not only have the splendour of Angkor Wat but also a tourist town that offers a wide range of western cuisine. Plenty to do.

Note, if she is an Isaan Thai take some chillies - the Cambodians don't do very spicy.

Nope. Bangkok Thai. Born and bred. Just comes from a working class family, rather than Chinese-hi-so (or aspiring hi-so) stock. May need the chillies for myself though. 555

Approximate budget for a trip to Ankor, from peoples experience? I can search the hotels and flights easily enough - but what about the ancillary expenses such as food, taxi's, and tour package? I'm a 3-4 star traveller, not back packer 30 baht noodle type, but neither am I a 5 star international restaurant with Australian steak and French wine - happy to try the local cuisine in a nice(ish) restaurant.

Edited September 22, 2013 by corkman

[Metapod]

Just check out the Air Asia website. They constantly do sales to countries all around Asia.

I've bought cheap flights all over the place with them. I snagged return tickets from BKK > < Hanoi for 1200 baht.

Even without the sales, the prices are fairly reasonable. Just take a look at what they have to offer.

[phuketrichard]

u can find a very decent hotel on bookings.com or agoda for under $30, ( i pay only $13/night up there for a very good gh with all i need)

visa for you $20

she gets a 15 day visa exempt

visit to temple $20/day/person, You can enter free for sunset after 4:30pm

tuk tuk /day MAX $15

food, same cost as thailand, ($3-8/meal /person) but drinking is half what u pay in thailand in bars/restuarnts for alcohol.

Purchase "ancient Angkor" Book $5-10

Tuk tuks in town $2/trip

shopping thats what master card is for :-)

Edited September 22, 2013 by phuketrichard