Questions For The Experienced!

[Hannzie]

Hey guys! I'm (hopefully, it isn't booked yet) going to bangkok in the new year and I have *ALOT* of questions, so I guessed this is the best place to go. So I shall fire away and please, if you have any helpful answers, reply, as I really know very little!

1. I am looking to go at the end of May time, is this a wise time to go? I don't really mind how hot it is, just want to make sure there is no chance of rain etc.

2. Bangkok is obviously a very big place, I'm going for 10 days, should I stay in the same hotel for all of this time, or move around the city, or even some of the surrounding areas? If so, any reccomendations?

3. Money. I've heard that Thailand is meant to be very cheap, however I've been on some sites that have told me they're spending a minimum of £70 (not-including accomadation) (GBP) a day, and that's more than I usually spend! Is this true, or..? For the time I'm going (10 days) how much should I be looking to take, in order to cover accomadation, food, trips etc?

4. At the risk of sounding stupid, are there beaches in the area? I know it is on the coast, but I wasn't sure if it was purely a port, or whether there were beach areas as well? Are they nice?

Ok I seem to have forgotten alot of my questions, but basically any information you can give me would be great! Thank youuuu!!!!

[londonthai]

1. in May starts raining, but the rainy season starts in July

2. stay 1 place - the best one. Myself I would choose Banglampu

3. £20/day, £10 on a budget/backpacking

4. no beaches, Bangkok is not on the seaside - howerver it has a port, like London does. At least 1 h to the nearest beach, yes, they are nice

[LaReina]

10 days in bangkok sounds like a long time to me. So the question is, what do you like to do? You can make bangkok your base and then travel out and then return.

ie. See the bangkok sights (river tours, ancient city, crocodile farm)

go shopping for a day

Take a couple of rt train rides to Kanchanaburi and or Ayuthaya (sp?)

Ride a bus or overnight train to Chiang Mai and spend a couple of days there.

Spend the rest of your time in Koh Samed (an island) (2 hours from Bangkok)

[pumpuiman]

You should buy a travel guide. "Lonely Planet" has a new edition for Thailand which is excellent. It will answer all of your questions on cost, and offers sample itineraries for different lengths of stay. It also has great chapters on history, culture, language, shopping etc.

Ten days in Bangkok is far too long. Travel to the south for beaches. Phuket for a more touristy feel, Krabi if you like it a little more laid back. There are also a multitude of beautiful islands as well.

Northern Thailand has lots to offer. Cooler and more mountainous.

There is just so much to see and do, it's hard to give advise not knowing your specific interests.

Definitely get the guide I spoke of,read up, then come back to this forum for more area specific information.

You will enjoy your trip I'm sure. Even more so if you study a little.

Bon Voyage,

Eric

[bizman]

Hey guys! I'm (hopefully, it isn't booked yet) going to bangkok in the new year and I have *ALOT* of questions, so I guessed this is the best place to go. So I shall fire away and please, if you have any helpful answers, reply, as I really know very little!

1. I am looking to go at the end of May time, is this a wise time to go? I don't really mind how hot it is, just want to make sure there is no chance of rain etc.

2. Bangkok is obviously a very big place, I'm going for 10 days, should I stay in the same hotel for all of this time, or move around the city, or even some of the surrounding areas? If so, any reccomendations?

3. Money. I've heard that Thailand is meant to be very cheap, however I've been on some sites that have told me they're spending a minimum of £70 (not-including accomadation) (GBP) a day, and that's more than I usually spend! Is this true, or..? For the time I'm going (10 days) how much should I be looking to take, in order to cover accomadation, food, trips etc?

4. At the risk of sounding stupid, are there beaches in the area? I know it is on the coast, but I wasn't sure if it was purely a port, or whether there were beach areas as well? Are they nice?

Ok I seem to have forgotten alot of my questions, but basically any information you can give me would be great! Thank youuuu!!!!

[bizman]

Hello. I live in bkk for 6 months of every year. Here is my advice to your ?'s.

1. May is about the hottest month of the year here. Unless you've had experience vacationing on the sun....be prepared. The heat can be quite oppressive.

2. I would stay in one place for a first visit. My advice would be lower Sukhumvit as it offers many options, i.e. cheap/expensive restaurants, hotels, etc. In addition, almost everyone in this can speak some English. Transportation to the rest of bkk via the bts/mta is near.

3. You will find all ranges of prices in bkk. It just depends on your wants and live styles. Some friends of mine live in apartments for less than 1,000 baht per month. Where I live is nearer to 70,000 baht per month. There are cheaper and much more expensive ones within meters of these.

4. The nearest beaches are an hour or more away. They are NOT the best of beaches in Thailand. Nothing spectacular, such as the sand or water. You will need to travel further south for better ones.

[think_too_mut]

10 days is a lot for BKK, but not for Thailand.

Since you have stated no reason other than tourism, I would suggest 3 days in BKK (even that is a plenty) and 7 days in Phuket for a first visit.

[Bredbury Blue]

1. Beginning of May is ###### hot, later May is ###### hot with occosional rain. My parents used to come in december from the UK but while the weather is great (same everyday for months) they setteled on June when there's rain at some time most days (thai rain pours but gets it over with quickly), its sunny but a little more overcast.

2. Like evrybody else says, the answer to that depends on what you like to do. If you stay 10 days stay lower number sukhumvit road AND NEAR A BTS skytrain station. Why not travel up to Kanchanburi for 3 or 4 nights - great place, chill out there on the river, some sights, history, cheap, in the countryside.

3. I would have thought Baht 1000 tops for a single person eating well, some sightseeing, couple of beers in the evening - that 15 quid. For 70 quid you'll live like a king.

4. No beaches but you mustn't miss travelling on the river in Bangkok, best thing you can do - and cheap. Just go to one of the main piers and jump on the big ferry (it travels basically from sathorn road to nonthaburi - 90 mins or so) and go as far as you want till you're bored get off and get a returning one - prabably cost you 20 baht for the two ferrys total.

Beaches close - Bang Saen in Si Racha (get a coach directly there from Ekamai bus station probaly be 2hrs and less than 100 baht). Hire a deck chair, order some thai food at your chair and cold beers and jsut chill watching the thais'. Nice enough beach but commercial. If you want a nice beach, leave BKK for 2 or 3 nights and get the coach from Ekamai down to Koh Samet, now that's a nice place - the sqeakyiest white sand i've ever come across.

[juleschester]

[u][b]3. Money. I've heard that Thailand is meant to be very cheap, however I've been on some sites that have told me they're spending a minimum of £70 (not-including accomadation) (GBP) a day, and that's more than I usually spend! Is this true, or..? For the time I'm going (10 days) how much should I be looking to take, in order to cover accomadation, food, trips etc?[/b][/u]

W

Whom ever you are talking with, is talking <deleted>.

When I go to Thailand, I spend what I want, when I want. I try to live cheap, but dont deprive myself of anything.

I am a straight single, female that goes to thailand on holiday, maybe, every 8,9,10 months, depending what my work will give me and what I can save up!!!

I dont give the thai men any money and I spend it all on MYSELF.

BEER, BEER AND MORE BEER!!!

I stay mainly in Samui, which is probably an expensive place but ive found that ive spent the same whether ive been in Pattaya, bkk, samui or koh pa ngan!!!!.

All tourist areas are the same. Whom ever told you that £70 a day was the norm for thailand, is up his own arse ,getting hookers every night.(nothing wrong with that, before you guys shout at me).

You can live here as a tourist, IE renting per night, etc, for minimum, say 500bht a day. 400 on a very crap room.(if you can find one) 100 food at the very most.I can quite easily live on 30bht a day food, and im not anerexic by all means.

BUT IT WOULDNT BE A HOLIDAY WITHOUT SPENDING 2000BHT ON BEER EVERY NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So about £10 a day, if you want to be a full on, hippy!!!

But, hey, who does that shit now days, even in had rin???

Ive been coming to Thailand for 5yrs and when MR BARCLAY CARD says that I can give up work and go travellling, then I WILL!!!!

xxx

[Aussietraveller]

Hannzie,

Have a look at the Bangkok skytrain information on the net.

link for bts

Try to base yourself somewhere around this.

If you have easy access to the skytrain, you can get around bangkok in airconditioned comfort, without traffic problems. For your first time in Bangkok, this will make life easier.

I live in Bangkok for a good part of the year, and still use the skytrain heaps.

Accomodation around the lower end of Sukhumvit road will give you easy access to everything.

Look on the maps around BTS stations Nana and Asok.

Good luck, hope you have a great holiday.

[RAZZELL]

£70 a day and you'll be able to live like a "Queen"