Where Can I Go On Holiday (not Pattaya)

[BIG SPUDS]

Go back to thailand in feb with the Mrs (thai), son (7 months) and mom and dad.

Not my 1st time to thailand, always been to pattaya, but i dont think it would be suitable for my son and mom and dad.

So where do we go. Mom and dad stay for 2 weeks me and the mrs 24 days.

We was thinkning hua hin or cha am, which ones better, we still want lots to see and do and most important nice beach, not to far from the hotel, swimming pool or 2 lots of restuarants / bars.

We will be getting a taxi there from airport. any ideas on price?

Do i go north or south hua hin?

Any reccomendations on hotels around the £20 a night mark?

Where would you go or where else could we go?

We will be going to kampaeng phet for a couple of days to visit the inlaws. So dont want to go to far from Bangkok till thats out the way, then might do phuket/krabi or samui, which of these do you recommend? I here one of these is like ibiza now.

The Mrs dont know where to go. And mom wants nice beaches, i want bars and dad aint fussed?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[britmaveric]

Phuket sounds like the logical choice.

[davethailand]

So why not Pattaya?

[BIG SPUDS]

well pattaya isnt really mom and dad friendly is it?

[davethailand]

My mum and dad like it here.

[britmaveric]

well pattaya isnt really mom and dad friendly is it?

Sure Pattaya is fine for couples/families (see more and more of it to be quite honest), but if you want less of the bars ect then prob Phuket is more to your liking, beaches are premier in Phuket.

[bmanly]

The Mrs dont know where to go. And mom wants nice beaches, i want bars and dad aint fussed?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd go to Koh Samui myself, Chaweng Beach. Beautiful clean white sandy beach for your Mom and plenty of bars up the other end of town to take Dad out for a beer.

20 pounds a night is about 1,400 baht or 40 USD. Here is a couple of websites that may help you find acommodation in that price range.

This one

and

this one.

[davethailand]

Samui might be good but i'd stay a little bit out of Chaewang.

[brianw]

Cha Am The Regent Resort Hotel complex very very good or Hua in the Hilton Hotel for a treat

[Mighty Mouse]

If your mum and dad were protected from all the things that you are trying to protect them from by NOT taking them to Pattaya, Big Spuds wouldn't exist.

Parents do grow old, but not necessarily prudish.

[leisurely]

If you want plenty to do, I would avoid Hua Hin. Once you've exhausted the delights of horse rides on the beach and the monkeys in the temple to the left, that's pretty much all of it covered. The beach is nothing to write home about either .

If it were me, I would go for either Krabi or Phuket, bear in mind, we have children and they are the hardest part. Parents are seldom as shockable as you think......................

[bkkmadness]

Hey Big Spuds, I'm in the same position, parents visiting me in late Jan. I was gonna start a similar thread.

We're doing Kanchanaburi then down south, I'm thinking Krabi is best choice, nice boat trips, great beaches, quiet on the nightlife and my Dad wants to do a bit of snorkeling. I always find places like Samui not that friendly, and Phuket I'm not too bothered about, but along the coast of Krabi and Phang gna coast looks just about right.

Pattaya goes straight off the list, apologies to all the Pattaya residents, but I want my folks to see the best of the country and Pattaya isn't that.

[Totster]

I have a mate who is always raving on about Krabi, said they have some great beaches there, and a nice beach nightlife to go with it. So thats a possibility.

I've always like Hua Hin, so if you don't want to travel to far after getting here, then that may be a choice. Although it's got a "bar" scene, it's not so in your face as Pattaya, and it has a great big beach, which isn't crowded, as long as you walk away from the main entrance where all the deck chairs are.

totster

[chonabot]

Why not base yourselves in Pattaya and do excursions from there? Hua Hin is too one dimensional for 2 weeks. Patts has loads for the family, more friendly than Phuket and if you liked it your Dad will probably like it too...

I went to Patts with my 6 year old son, wife, stepson, Thai in-laws and my 60 something Brit parents a few years back , it were smashing, aye !

[glassdude007]

imho if you go to the islands krabi/phi phi after a few days you will be wanting too get back too the mainland for something too do..

go too kata beach in phuket, great beaches and good home port to see all the other areas around the south...and you can still go over the hill too patong if you want too have a wild night...enjoy.........

[Little Black Duck]

Big Spud.. Having lived in Samui, Pattaya and Phuket..I agree with most of the Posters each place has its good points..

Pattaya,, closeness to Bangers and inexpensive..

Samui is Beautiful, but expensive, roads are disgusting..

Phuket is very nice, not as beautiful as Samui but has much more in the way of Entertainment than Samui..

Phuket Fantasea is a Must, James Bond Island, Phi Phi is very close as well as Krabi..

You can as one poster sugested find something in Kata, still lively but away from most of the madness..

My Choice would be Phuket..

[BIG SPUDS]

thanks all,

I think we will head for pattaya for a few days, take a visit to rayong as my old mans company he works for has a factory out there and he was going to go last yr and wouldnt mind a look this year. Are the beaches ok in rayong?

Then do a few daytrips from pattaya, see the elephants and crocs,

The maybe go BKK a day there onto the inlaws for a few days, then to hua hin a day or 2 then krabi.

With all this in mind what would be the best way for all of us to travel, trains and buses out of the question. Could we hire a car, whats it like hiring a car and driving in thailand. Do they offer that thing where you can hire a car drive it to where you want, (say hire it in pattaya end up down south and catch a plane back to BKK then home and they get someone to get the car)?

[britmaveric]

Pattaya goes straight off the list, apologies to all the Pattaya residents, but I want my folks to see the best of the country and Pattaya isn't that.

Best of the country includes Patters I'm afraid, so indeed they would miss out.

[Fun2Fun]

Both Hua Hin and Cha Am is ok and familly friendly places...

A bit more quiet but also very nice is Ko Samet ( small island in Rayong )

[Heng]

Google Pink Rose Holidays (part of Bangkok Airways). Might be a bit out of your budget hotel wise, but their destinations are a nice summary of local and regional holidays.

[bkkmadness]

Pattaya goes straight off the list, apologies to all the Pattaya residents, but I want my folks to see the best of the country and Pattaya isn't that.

Best of the country includes Patters I'm afraid, so indeed they would miss out.

Not a chance Pattaya is the best of the country dude, take it from someone from who lives here.

[britmaveric]

Not a chance Pattaya is the best of the country dude, take it from someone from who lives here.

No ta - having lived there also I can earnestly say you are wrong, but thats my opinion and you are entitled to your own. More and more families/couples are coming to Patters year after year and this simply is a fact, no debating it.

[bmanly]

I'll second that. Nothing like basing yourself in Pattaya and doing all your trips from there and that's exactly what the OP is going to do too, well done.

[BIG SPUDS]

How would you get about, hire a car?

[bmanly]

With a big group of people like you will have I would hire a song tao for the day. Have someone drive you about, wouldn't cost you more than a 1,000 baht a day. Rayong, the croc park, Nong Nooch, Bang Saeng, Bang Saray, the big temple near there are all day trips. If a Song Tao is a bit rough you can hire a normal car with driver or as you suggested hire a car for the day. For longer trips I use buses mostly but your folks might be uncomfortable with that.

Edited December 6, 2006 by bmanly

[bkkmadness]

Not a chance Pattaya is the best of the country dude, take it from someone from who lives here.

No ta - having lived there also I can earnestly say you are wrong, but thats my opinion and you are entitled to your own. More and more families/couples are coming to Patters year after year and this simply is a fact, no debating it.

I didn't say it's not a family friendly place, I know it is, we are not debating that.

But I am saying out of the whole country Pattaya does not offer the best of Thailand bearing in mind my folks are not the nightlife type these days Lots of shitty people as well, both Thais and foreigners that live there and visit. I'm of course not saying all, but Pattaya has more than it's fair share.

Why bother going there when I can go elsewhere, what makes Pattaya stand out as the best of the Thailand Brit? Beaches, nearby islands, national parks?

Pattaya is a great holiday destination for many reasons, but compared to the rest of Thailand it only excels in the prostitution trade though and I'd rather avoid that.

[AlexLah]

Krabi should be in the trip.

Great for doing island tours and wonderfull snorkling.

Not too much tourist and really nice restaurants and good food.

Small markets to buy some souvenirs and enjoy the local feeling.

Friendly people and lot of things to see.

And still cheap.

Alex

Oh and also do not forget to take cano (canoe?) tour. Peddling for some time and then go into some of those caves that are hidden and discover an untouched paradise, absolutely awesome!

I cannot describe it, you must see it yourself.

Good luck!

Edited December 6, 2006 by AlexLah

[mittheimp]

but isn't Pattaya just a huge brothel full of western sex tourists! Why on earth would any one want to take their family to the seediest destination possibly on the planet?

[johnh101]

What a total ar5e of a statement !

I expect you'd also agree that all muslims are terrorists, all blacks are crack heads and all germans have square heads

Tw@t !

[mittheimp]

What a total ar5e of a statement !

I expect you'd also agree that all muslims are terrorists, all blacks are crack heads and all germans have square heads

Tw@t !

No i dont as they are not true!

I will moderate the statemment -

but isn't Pattaya's economy based largely on the sex industry? Attracting many western sex tourists! Why on earth would any one want to take their family to one of the seediest destinations on the planet?

Please tell what part of that is inaccurate?