# holiday in Thailand question please



## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

Hi everyone, i have spent most of the day trying to sort out our summer jollies and its driving me crazy! so i thought i would ask you nice 'real' people advice
ok the plan is we will fly from dubai,arrive in bangkok 1st august,until august 3rd.
where to stay?family of 4,2 kids aged 13 and 11.what not to miss in bangkok?places to visit?good places to eat real Thai food?
then we either fly from bangkok to ko samui or take the night train,which is best?
looking for a nice beach,Choeng Mon ,Ba Phut,Mae Nam,Thongtakien?? which one?
Where to stay?any ideas on beach villas with private pools? Chaweng beach to be avoided (party land)is this right? we dont want to be in the middle of nowhere either.leave thailand 9 august.
i know,too short,but the best we can do this time around.
please,please help
thanks:fingerscrossed:


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## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

please anyone


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## Wayward Wind (Aug 28, 2011)

In Bangkok, we use the Bandara Suites on Sala Daeng Soi 1 when we have family coming over. 2 bedroom suite with a kitchen for about $120 per night through Agoda. Right around the corner on Sala Daeng is the Le Siam restaurant, a Thai restaurant with great food and very reasonable prices. 5 minute walk from the Sala Daeng BTS station, or take the free hotel tuk-tuk.

Bandara has great staff, is clean, and always done well by us.


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## Mweiga (Sep 24, 2010)

Looks like you've only got one full day in Bangkok so my choice for a first timer would be Grand Palace / Wat Phra Keow in the morning followed by Jim Thompson's house in the afternoon. If you're feeling adventurous and want a rapid orientation of the city , rather than just taking a taxi , take the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin station then pick up a river taxi getting off at the Grand Palace jetty.

For Samui I'd fly to save much time. Avoid Chaweng which is , as you say , major party town - it was great in the '90s when Samui was much quieter but has now become totally overdeveloped. Bo Phut or Lamai would be my choice.


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## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

thank you so much for your replies,yes its a shame we dont have more time but our kids are old enough to do 'fast visit' this time,but we will be back.
i'm off to book now! yippee
)


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## whiteheat (Jan 4, 2013)

It sounds very similar to my holiday here with the family many years ago, getting a nice quality cheap hotel was no problem in Bangkok, we just asked a taxi driver and he showed us a few before we made our mind up. Tell them your price range and most of them will know.

Things to do, we saw the teak palace (bit boring for kids), the massive market, floating market, the reclining Buddha and relaxed in the park with monitor lizards around us. I know you won't get to do all that but have a look at trip advisor and then you can see what other people done with a rating.

My advice to most people now is get out of Bangkok as quick as you can, this time of year can be too hot for comfort and even by the sea you will find it hot. 

Back to our family hols....we then got a flight to Koh Samui (not sure how you are going to get the night train to an island), alternatively, you can get a VIP bus down to Chumpon from Bangkok and then a high speed ferry over to the islands, it will take about 6-7 hours on the bus and 2-3 hours on the boat but its very cheap and comfortable.

We went from Koh Samui to Koh Tao which is quite a small island and still quite raw in places, but our girls loved it. The island has just been rated 8th by trip advisor in the category of best islands to visit.

We found Koh Samui to be too commercialised and we totally missed out Koh Panang as we were having such a nice time on Koh Tao.

It's your choice in the end but please take this last bit to mind....DON'T BRING ANY CASES, I had a strict rule with my family and they were all allowed a 30 LNR back pack and they could put in it whatever they wanted. Basically, you need a change of clothes and lots of swimwear, don't forget some decent sandals. Anything else you might need can be sought on the way and disposed of if you don't need it any more.

All the family came away from the island as advanced divers and the next time we were on the island one of my girls said it was like coming home.

Hope you enjoy.


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## whiteheat (Jan 4, 2013)

suzieirl said:


> Hi everyone, i have spent most of the day trying to sort out our summer jollies and its driving me crazy! so i thought i would ask you nice 'real' people advice
> ok the plan is we will fly from dubai,arrive in bangkok 1st august,until august 3rd.
> where to stay?family of 4,2 kids aged 13 and 11.what not to miss in bangkok?places to visit?good places to eat real Thai food?
> then we either fly from bangkok to ko samui or take the night train,which is best?
> ...


Sorry, forgot to mention, be aware that you will all go down with a bug that will keep you in bed for 24hrs. We all went through it at different times of our vacation. It's just your body adjusting to the new diet. We were lucky in that our girls were old enough to keep in bed and still go out and enjoy the hols. Bring some medication across, some to make you go, some to make you stop, sickness & temperature. Drink lots of bottled water and keep an eye on the colour of your pee....other than that....


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## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me so much info.I forgot to say night train and then ferry across but change of plan we are going to flylane:
Hot and humid is ok and we are just passing through bangkok(quick visit!)
ok,luggage plan is 1 bag for me and daughter and 1 bag for hubby and son.I will def look into the islands you mentioned,i'm so excited
I'm planning on bringing lots of mosquito repellent,you are right about stuff we can buy when we get there.
is there a long wait 'visa control'getting into Thailand?just here in Dubai can be 2 to 3 hours
again thank you so much


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## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

whiteheat said:


> Sorry, forgot to mention, be aware that you will all go down with a bug that will keep you in bed for 24hrs. We all went through it at different times of our vacation. It's just your body adjusting to the new diet. We were lucky in that our girls were old enough to keep in bed and still go out and enjoy the hols. Bring some medication across, some to make you go, some to make you stop, sickness & temperature. Drink lots of bottled water and keep an eye on the colour of your pee....other than that....


Ok,got it ,doing my list.Thank you:clap2:


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## whiteheat (Jan 4, 2013)

Me again, food for thought, if you are not travelling on a budget, check out the restaurant rooftop dining at the sirocco, just do a search on the net...Bangkok sirocco ...and have a look. Mixed reviews depending on your expectations.

Koh Tao, if you get on this island and you fancy a dive, go with Asia Divers, they have an office on the right as you get off the ferry and anything you pay for diving usually comes off your bill for staying at their place. They have one of the biggest pools on the island (even though it may look small to your standards) and the staff are brill. Their complex is based at Sairee village and if you are there, hunt out the Tapas bar near the beach. You might have to reserve as they are sought after. Likewise, get yourself onto the beach in the evenings as the bars normally extend onto the beach and there is normally some sort of activity going on. Early evening on the beach, you should be able to find the beach BBQ, again, well worth a taste. Within the Main Street of Sairee you'll be able to find anything else that your taste buds require. Enjoy and have fun.


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## somtamboo (Jun 12, 2010)

In Bangkok the Red Sky Bar at Central World is a good child-friendly sky bar (and costs half some of the others!)

I agree that Koh Tao is fantastic if you want to dive; there's not much else there though if your children won't be joining you underwater.

A day around Bkk is enough if you're on a tight schedule. As others said, do the Grand Palace and Wat Pho as they're next to each other.


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## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

somtamboo said:


> In Bangkok the Red Sky Bar at Central World is a good child-friendly sky bar (and costs half some of the others!)
> 
> I agree that Koh Tao is fantastic if you want to dive; there's not much else there though if your children won't be joining you underwater.
> 
> A day around Bkk is enough if you're on a tight schedule. As others said, do the Grand Palace and Wat Pho as they're next to each other.


ok, Thank you,
Yes i agree for Koh Tao,i've had a look really beautiful but kiddies wont dive,they are happy snorkling etc but not deep water(daughter is already convinced she wont like jollies planned due to spiders,jellyfish etc) we have all of the same here!!!!!???? Teenagers
anyway,i have booked us to Koh Samui,we will stay around Choeng Mon area,Just hotel to book in Bangkok,Grand Palace and Wat Pho,do you think we will also manage Jim Thompson house??


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## somtamboo (Jun 12, 2010)

Samui is a good choice - still has plenty of diving but also lots of land-based things for your children to do.

While in Bkk, you could certainly do the Grand Palace/Wat Pho in the morning, then get a taxi to Jim Thompson House, then maybe have lunch at the nearby MBK mall.


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## suzieirl (Aug 13, 2012)

somtamboo said:


> Samui is a good choice - still has plenty of diving but also lots of land-based things for your children to do.
> 
> While in Bkk, you could certainly do the Grand Palace/Wat Pho in the morning, then get a taxi to Jim Thompson House, then maybe have lunch at the nearby MBK mall.


:bounce:
so excited !!!:bounce:


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## bangkokburke (May 11, 2013)

I always use the night train and book first class. It is rather a unique experience and I think you and your family will enjoy it.


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