We are going to Thailand!

Texasgal05

After lots of talks and changing around our "must have list" lots of times - we decided to go to Thailand. When we realized it would cost the same in miles to go to the carribean as it is to go to Thailand (if booked far enough in advance) we decided it was a better option.
We are going for 2 weeks.

Now my question is - we are going to be in Bangkok and Phuket - does anyone have any hotel reccomendations for either location?

Thanks!

hz80408

Agreed with PP.  Although it's in a foreign country, I'd imagine that Bangkok is like many other big cities.

One of my friends went to Krabi earlier this month and her pictures are gorgeous! They stayed at Sala Talay.  In Bangkok they stayed at Rennaisance Bangkok Ractchaprasong.

girlinchicago

Congrats!  Thailand is so amazing!  We were just there for 12 nights over Christmas, so I definitely have lots of opinions.

Our itinerary was as follows -

3 nights Bangkok @ the Millennium Hilton

4 nights Chiang Mai @ Aruntara Riverside

4 nights Krabi @ Tubkaak 

1 night Bangkok @ Tower Club at Lebua

1 night Hong Kong @ Salisbury

I absolutely loved our itinerary and I have to agree with pp - if you are ok with splitting your time between three cities, Chiang Mai is so wonderful.

Here are some tips:

- check out the Samantha Brown Thailand episode - it will definitely give you an idea of what to expect and get you really excited

- consider flying between cities - Air Asia is insanely cheap and great to work with

Bangkok

- we did two full day tours with Tours with Tong that were excellent.  We did a Bangkok highlights day using public transportation, so we took cabs, tuk tuks, and the ferry.  The next day, we saw the railway market, the floating market, and fishing village.  LOVED both days

- consider staying on the river and get a room with a view - it's so nice to watch the boats go floating down the river in the evening

*Note - I do NOT recommend the Tower Club at Lebua.  Wasn't a fan of their service or rooms.  I think they were riding the high of Hangover II publicity (which I was unaware of when we booked...) and they were just snobby and rude.  

Chiang Mai

- the markets here are huge.  If you add this to your itinerary (which I strongly suggest!), consider staying at the Shangri-La or Le Meridien to be close to the action

- we did a day of cooking classes with A Lot of Thai - fabulous

- spend a day at Patara Elephant Farm - you will have "your own" elephant for a day.  Pricey but an unforgettable experience

- Tiger Kingdom was really cool - got to interact with baby tigers

- it's relatively inexpensive (we spent around $60 for 8 hours) to hire a private driver to take you wherever you want

Krabi

- beaches here were stunning, especially Tubkaek beach with the Hong Islands off in the distance and accessible by private longtail boat - this hotel was our absolute favorite.  Definitely honeymoon worthy!

- massages on the beach were so cheap!  $12 for an hour...highly recommended

We loved everything about Thailand - the food, culture, people.  I want to go back so badly!  With two weeks, you can really see a lot.  If I had 14 nights in Thailand, I would do 4 nights Bangkok, 4 nights Chiang Mai, 5 nights Krabi, 1 night Bangkok before departure.

Let me know if you have any questions!  

allychase

We are thinking of Thailand, especially since I've noticed to go there in April is relatively the same price as the carribbean! I'm looking at Phuket for a beach vacation but don't know if that's the best place. I'm new in researching Thailand and had never considered it until I saw some beautiful pictures. OP, when are you going?

KatWAG

We went to Thailand and LOVED it. We stayed at the Penisula in Bangkok, but have also heard that the Shangri- La (just across the river) is amazing also. In BKK go to the flower markets. I loved them.
 
Take everyones advice and go to Chiang Mai. We stayed at the Le Mederian in the Spa Suite. It was Heaven. While there we went to an elephant conservatory. I am not sure which one, We road elephants, fed then, rode an ox and went rafting. We also went to Tiger Village. Its another must. we got to play with baby tigers. I am not joking when I say that a baby cub literally crawled into my lap.

This might be an unpopular opinion. But to me the island are all the same. Not in a bad way, they are beautiful. But to me, I just didnt need to pack up my suitcase one more time. Dont be scared off of Phuket. We stayed at the JW Marriott. It was beautiful. It is at the northern tip of the island so far away from all the craziness. Much more 'honeymoon' IMO.

Soon2BeMrsTing

Ditto the others re: Bangkok.  It is definitely just another city.   I would recommend reallocating your time to places such as:

Chiang Mai
Koh Samui
Koh Phi Phi (accessible via Phuket)
Cha Am and Hua Hin  (three-four hours drive from Bangkok)

For Bangkok hotel,s I stayed at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel most recently and enjoyed my experience there. 

Texasgal05

THank you for your advice - I will update when we have made our choices!

mica178

Tripadvisor.  That's all you need to know for finding the best hotels or best elephant safaris and other activities.

Ditto the Chiang Mai recommendation.  It's a little cooler than Bangkok and the southern beaches, and so it's more tolerable to ride elephants and be outdoors for long periods of time.

One thing that I haven't done but plan on doing on my next Bangkok trip is see the tiger sanctuary outside of the city.