Itinerary help - all info much appreciated!

My boyfriend and I (Both mid 20s) are flying to Bangkok on 14th November (land at 3pm) and leaving on 30th November (at 1pm). Neither of us have been before and after looking up all the info and different places to go, stay and see, my head is about to explode!

Please could anyone offer advice on an itinerary for us, including what to see, where to stay, how long for etc? I will give as much info as possible...

Neither of us are big drinkers or into hectic nightlife, would much prefer sightseeing, quieter beaches, local food etc. I think we would like to spend a few nights in Bangkok, and see a couple of the islands, but there are so many to choose from and i%26#39;m so indecisive I need some help! Should we go to Chaing Mai? What order should we do stuff?

Any advice on hotels would be fab, and how to get around the islands etc. We are complete novices and booked the flights randomly a few weeks ago!

Thanks so much in advance :-) Any info will be greatly received!!!

Itinerary help - all info much appreciated!

My advice is try not to everything in a short space of time. I would go for something along the lines of;

2/3 days Bangkok - Adjust after long flight, take in some sights.

10/11 days Beach destination - either Phuket, Krabi, Koh Samui etc.

2/3 days Bangkok - More sightseeing/shopping.

I haven%26#39;t been to Chiang Mai before though it%26#39;s on the agenda next trip. It%26#39;s more rural and if you had more time I would suggest you go for it.

Beach destination - well it%26#39;s horses for courses. I like Koh Samui/Krabi.

Koh Samui because IMO you get best of both worlds. If you want nightlife it%26#39;s there or If you want to have more laid back atmosphere not so crowded you can find it on KS. Great beaches to be found away from the hustle of the touristy centres (Chaweng/Lamai).

Krabi - Not as commercialised as KS but on it%26#39;s way there. It%26#39;s a stunning area on the Andaman coast. Ao nang is the tourist area and there plenty of things to do and plenty of Restaurants and bars. There%26#39;s more activities/sightseeing to do here than KS as well.

And again fantastic beaches to be found.

For Hotel accomadation then try this website:

www.sawadee.com

Never had a problem with Sawadee but you do have to pay a deposit for your booking tand some hotels have to be paid for in full before you arrive.

Hope this helps.

Sonny.

Itinerary help - all info much appreciated!

I am also trying to plan my trip in July. After much research I have decided on the following:

(We have 21 days so you obviously cannot do everything)

4 days Bangkok including weekend market, 1 day river exploration and 1 day our with Tong.

8 Days Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai including 1 night trek (buddy tours)elephants, hill tribes and bamboo rafting.

3 Days koh Samui (chaweng beach)

5 Days koh Panghan (Haad Salad)

Back to Bangkok and leave for NYC

I don%26#39;t know what your budget is for hotels. If you let me know I%26#39;ll be more specific. I think that November is rainy season on the islands so you should see where you might be better off koh Phi Phi or Koh Samui. I think that they have somewhat different rainy seasons. I also think that you should absolutely not miss the Chiang Mai area. I would do less Bangkok and islands and make sure to go to Chiang Mai.

Good Luck!

Hi there,

We%26#39;ve just returned from 5 weeks in Thailand (budget) but the one thing we did which was a little more expensive (not overly so by our standards, though - 2500 baht - about 38 English pounds I think for the day trip) was to stay one night at the Elephant Nature Park which is reached from Chiang Mai. This was an absolutely incredible experience. You get into the river with the elephants and scrub their backs, you feed them, and if yo stay the night, then the next morning you go for a wander through the valley with the elephants. There aren%26#39;t many people either as it only caters for a certain number of people. I think there were 6 of us on the walk and it was quite special. These elephants do not have tourists riding on their backs..they have been brought there because they have been injured or abused. So you feel you are doing something to help Lek run her park and save a few elephants. You can also go there for the day and you still get to wash them and feed them, just miss out on the morning walk, so that could be more affordable if that is an issue. But, I really, really do recommend you go to this particular park. www.elephantnaturefoundation.org is the website if you%26#39;d like to have a look. it will tell you the entire itinerary for the day from when they pick you up at your hotel to the drop off back at your hotel.

the other thing we did whilst in chiang Mai was a long day going to the Golden Triangle. It was a fantastic day though and I highly recommend it. Either that or go to Chiang Rai and go from there as it saves a few hours of travel from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai and then on to the Triangle. to stand there at the river and see Myanmar, thailand, and across the river (you can go acros in a long tail boat if you want very cheaply - we did and it was great) to Laos, was brilliant.

I will warn you that Bangkok is heavily polluted, so be prepared for that...I live in country Australia and was floored by it. Worst I have come in contact with in the 20 countries we%26#39;ve travelled in. Whilst in chiang Mai we stayed at a hotel called The Top North which is at most a 5 minute walk to the night markets and right in the hub, but set back off the street so it was quieter. They also arrange the tours to the Triangle and anywhere else you%26#39;d like to go. There is a bit Internet place right next door. It had a lovely big swimming pool which was clean and deck chairs around it and the rooms were lovely and clean. We%26#39;d stayed elsewhere in Chiang Mai and found it to be too dirty so after the first night looked around and we ended up at the Top North. It was extremely reasonable at 650 baht ($22 Aussie) which included breakfast by the pool! for a budget hotel there were absolutely no negatives with this hotel. Location was absolutely brilliant!

You can fly to Chiang Mai with Air Asia very cheaply from Bangkok ($50 Aussie) and great service and on time (at least our experience was this) It arrives into the main international airport too, which sometimes helps if you have to get a connection. I%26#39;d definitely recommend some time in Chiang Mai.

You can also arrange to do treks from there if that%26#39;s your thing.