Thailand

[Andy008]

I am looking at going out to Thailand for a month hopefull towards the back end of next year. I f I was to fly into Bangkok could anyone advise me on a nice trip to do and how much money I would need to allocate for that?

Thanks.

[matt_london1]

You have lots of options in Thailand. There are the jungles and the mountain villages in the north which are less commercialised but still accessable. Then in the south you have the beautifull beaches on the mainland and also out on the islands.
A great island to start on is Ko Samui. Here you will find lovely beaches and cheap thai food but with lot's of westerners too as it is a major holiday destination. A good place to dip your toe in! if you get more adventurous you can go out to Ko Phanhgan which is where the full moon parties are and then on to Ko Tao which is great for diving and snorkelling. These islands are on the East side of the country. On the west you have Phuket, Krabi including Phi Phi island which was hit by the Tsunami in Dec 04. It is still a stunningly beautifull island and has recovered well. It is more expensive than the other islands.
There is so much to chose from!
Travelling around the country couldn't be easier with loads of cheap buses, ferries and internal flights too.
Get a lonely planet guide for good advice on prices etc. Thailand caters for all budgets from backpackers to 5* resorts for the rich.
Have fun its a lovely place.

[Hitler]

my favorite part was trekking in northern thailand in the jungle. apart from one night when I smoked loads of opium from the local village doctor and I fell through a bamboo fence into the local sewage. Id say put aside 1.5k including flight.

Hope this helps

[smiler01]

I travelled to Thailand for a month, stayed in Bankok 2 nights
try and make it a saturday for the night market
try asia rooms for hotels
had a week in Ko Samet
nice and relaxing about �25.00 per night
The best was the north east of thailand (Isaan )
1 hour flight from BKK at �50.00 each way
was collected at airport and stayed at www.homestayisaan.com
what an amazing place if you want the real thailand
cost �100.00 for the week inc food YES �100.00
Laos is only an hour away 20min across the Mekong
I day trip to Cambodia from BKK to see the Ankor Wat temples is also ok
dont use a 3 day tour to much
an overnight is enough
get there and agree a local guide to show you around by taxi
can be done in a day

[luckyman]

depends wot u want..pattaya for sex and partying...u need to see it once.allthough i stayed too long and dont go bk there now..its 90 mins drive from bkk airport...taxi is 1,500 baht,do not pay more.....get good clean rooms there for 300 baht per nite-6 quid....thousands of them so dont worry...i never stay in bangkok..too fast,expensive!!! dirty and smelly...unless u want visit the grand palace etc...i recommend koh chang....lovely peacefull island just 4 hrs drive from pattaya...mini bus fare is 800 baht-12 quid...ko chang has it all ..partying/girls if u want/relax and chill out...also phuket and pangnan and samui are very beautifull but a bit more expensive...when i stay for 6 mths at a time i get by good on 20 quid a day-and thats for me and the wife!!!!

[Trickyjabs]

Andy,

Lived in Thailand for three years and loved every minute of it, if your mind is open enough, you will too!!

For a month, I would definately reccommend a combo of city / beach / mountain as others have suggested.

Personally I love Bangkok but others can't wait to get out of it. Great for shopping, eating etc.

Ko Samet is a great island for a get away although slightly limited for decent accommodation.

Chiang Mai is a cool easy going city in the north and a good starting place for treking in the hills, etc.

The Thai people are generally amazing. Yes someone will try to rip you off at some point but that happens everywhere!