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So I'm guessing that people here have been to Thailand. I'm thinking of going there with the missus this summer.
It's somewhere we have always wanted to go but now we'll have the money.
Anyone got any advice on the cheapest place to find tickets and accommodation? We want to go away for 2/3 weeks and spend about a week on a beach doing nothing and spend the rest of the time exploring.
All advice and information welcomed :)
Dial A flight do reasonable prices on flights, and you could check to see if you can use my details, as I get a regular flyer discount from them...ask them about it if you give them a ring, then PM me.
Places like Expedia put decent packages together, special promotions, things like that.
Alternatively, if you don't mind pissing around after a long flight, you can just turn up at most hotels and bag a room for well under list price. Or even just find a hotel you like online and give them a ring...they all speak English in the touristy areas if your Thai isn't up to scratch.
Are you suitcasing, or backpacking?
How about using fly.oasishongkong.com/to get to Hong Kong for £150 for the two of you (£75 per person! :o), then spend a week and the saved cash exploring Hong Kong and doing some shopping, then head off to Thailand from there...
Just get a return from Thailand back to HK and then use Oasis to get home.
All in, I reckon those flights would be roughly £540 for two to HK and back, then £400-ish to fly you to Thailand for two weeks (all including airport taxes and the like).
My mate went backpacking round Thailand for 8 weeks last year.
He told me that the cheapest places to sleep at night were rooms that the locals rented out to people backpacking. They are not the best facilities available, but he said staying there opened his eyes a lot to how people lived there and some of them even invite you to have evening meals with them.
I'll see if he's available today and try to get him to post a bit on where to go as well :)
My wife and I stopped over in Bangkok for 1 night on our way over to Oz for our honeymoon. The hotel was £12 for the night! However, it was on the Khaosan Road and we didn't realise when we booked this but it just happens to be backpacker central. It was a very intense, I've never seen so many people in one place. The hotel itself was I have to say what you would expect for £12, they even gave you a huge padlock to put on your door - very worrying.
I would say it's definitely worth spending some time in Bangkok when you go as it's an incredible experience, but as I said too intense for much more than 2 or 3 days. I would advise you spend a bit more than £12 a night though (unless you are doing the backbacker thing).
Chang-Mai is up in the North, you can either get a train or fly very cheaply. It's a bit cooler and greener than the south. You can get your temple fix up there, and do a Thai cooking course very cheaply. It's also far cheaper to stay - I think me and the Mrs paid about £7 for a decent double room with aircon and a bathroom.
Bangkok is probably worth a couple of days as it's so manic. Don't fall for the conmen who tell you that the major sites are closed and they'll take you somewhere special, or for the tuktuk drivers who offer to take you somewhere very cheap if you just look in a shop on the way.
I believe Phuket has been pretty much rebuilt now, so that might be worth a look beach wise. I didn't really rate Ko Samui, it was a bit like blackpool with hot weather.
Ko Phi Phi is supposed to be nice.
http://www.bangkokair.com/
Is the local Easyjet type place we used to fly between various places in Thailand and Cambodia (worth a visit for Angkor Wat).
Avoid the Khaosan Road like the plague - it's full of foreign drunk teenagers and giggling prostitues.
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it's full of foreign drunk teenagers and giggling prostitues.
Dunno about the drunk teenagers but the last bit sounds alright :D
(maybe not if the Mrs is there though)
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Originally Posted by Nick
Nice one Nick, I had no idea you could fly there so cheaply.
Is there anyway we could get from Hong Kong to Thailand without flying? Would be nice to save some extra dosh.
Thanks to everyone else for their info. I've been reading up some information and will shortly post some possible plans.
Not really any easy way to Thailand from HK other than flying... iirc you've got Vietnam and Laos to fly over...
If you took a boat it'd be a two day trip at least, round the coast of Vietnam and Cambodia.
You could always just buy the outbound ticket to HK and make all your travel arrangements from there?
Don't forget HK is an ex-British colony so practically everyone speaks excellent English.
The only problem with HK is that it's eye wateringly expensive. If you're trying to save the pennies, it's probably best to fly to Thailand directly, and you'll save money on the accommodation.
Same thing with sorting out forward transit - it's great if you can live in a hostel for a few days and wait for a good deal, but by the sounds of it, you have less time?
I went with the GF and my family last year, we did 3 nights in Bangkok then 2 weeks in Koh Samui. It was the best holiday i've ever had, I totally fell in love with the country :)
My father booked everything himself, flights and hotels seperately. Accomodation is incredibly cheap over there, and eating out is even cheaper (and delicious!). If you head to Bangkok, there are plenty of decent hotels on the Circumvit (the main circular road), which are also close to their metro skytrain system, so getting around is very easy.
Thailand is know for it's good quality proseys. :mrgreen:
What's the best back packing sites / travel information sites on the net. Although we won't be skipping it will be good to pick up as many tips as possible.
tell me about the ladyboys.Quote:
Originally Posted by No.72
If you're into ping pong there's a great bar in Bangkok, next to the restaurant, Suzie Sucky Sucky, which serves a lovely Thai curry.
just don't catch a side serving of vd O_o
I went via Dubai when I went over there, turned out to be the cheapest option, although stopping over does add extra time to an already long journey.
Get a lonely planet guide - they're pretty good - also have a website at:
http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com
hostels/cheap hotels at:
http://www.hostelworld.com
general backpacking stuff:
http://www.bootsnall.com/
Cheers, very useful :)Quote:
Originally Posted by b0redom
:stop: I doubt the missus would tag along. I think I'll give it a miss :)Quote:
If you're into ping pong there's a great bar in Bangkok, next to the restaurant, Suzie Sucky Sucky, which serves a lovely Thai curry.
Definitely worth doing a Thai cooking course if you're that way inclined. I think mine cost about £7.
You decide what you want to cook and then they take you to the markets in the morning, and show you what to look for.
When you get back, everything is prepped for you ready to go, and they even do the washing up! Plus you get to eat everything you cook - about 5 courses!
I did that in Chang Mai in the North, cooking schools seem a bit more prevalent there. It's also a bit more cooler (in heat) than Bangkok.
Markets and food will be a massive part of the trip. We've been cooking for Thai food for a couple of years and love it :)Quote:
Originally Posted by b0redom