Thailand in December

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Bjorn

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So my Fiancé and I are planning our honeymoon to Thailand in December.
Does anyone have any experience with Thailand and have any suggestions on area's to stay in, Hotels, etc.

Any help would be much appreciated :)
 
Bangkok nightlife is awesome, don't fall prey to the ladyboys tho...they're near impossible to distinguish from women :(
 
Lol, thanks we are going to be spending two nights in bangkok.
One night in bangkok is just to clichéd...
 
I'd love to go to Thailand, but I reckon that I wouldn't want to take my girl with me .... muwhaha.

I wonder if the Thai food is cheaper there.
 
Bjorn said:
Lol, thanks we are going to be spending two nights in bangkok.
One night in bangkok is just to clichéd...
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went to thailand in 2008, on the way there we stopped in bangkok for 2 nights and on the way back we stopped in hong kong for two nights. I'm guessing you going to phuket?
 
hyperian said:
I'm going to Phuket in August - will let you know how it goes ;)
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Yes, I saw they have a lot of specials until mid-September, I guess you grabbed one of those!

For those of you interested, Gateway Tours offer something like 10 nights for aprox R 4000 (taxes excl).
 
Mr Feesh said:
went to thailand in 2008, on the way there we stopped in bangkok for 2 nights and on the way back we stopped in hong kong for two nights. I'm guessing you going to phuket?
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we might go to Phuket, koh phi phi or koh samui we aren't sure yet, we will definitely stop in bangkok though.
Would like to get some advice from people who have been to the area's over December.
 
Bjorn said:
we might go to Phuket, koh phi phi or koh samui we aren't sure yet, we will definitely stop in bangkok though.
Would like to get some advice from people who have been to the area's over December.
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Hi, please make sure you (or at least your fiancee) knows how to bargain when you are there. They will quote you more than 100% of the actual price :)
Koh Samui's beach is the best.
Phuket and Phi Phi island is near to each other.
I would suggest you go to tripadvisor and read some reviews from there! :)

Regarding hotels, it depends on what you are looking for. Budget or Heavenly relaxing hotels?
 
we did it in December Christmas and new years, i cant remember what hotel we stayed at but was very nice they had a free shuttle that went to alot of hotels near us. The hotel was on the beach. Next to the hotel was the lagoon where you could take sailing & windsurfing lessons. You could also use the kayaks and use the lagoons to paddle to the near by hotels. All were connected via the waterway. Will try get the name. Hotel was very nice had gym,tennis courts, pools, etc
 
I spent 2 months in SE Asia, a lot of time in Thailand. The islands on the Ko Samui side where awesome. I also went up into Northern Thailand and Chang Mai, but at the time, very few people up there spoke English and it was rather rustic, but you do get to see how Thai people really live. I went on a trip through the mountains to see the Hill tribes.
Be aware anywhere in Thailand of being swamped by people trying to coax you to hotels, on tours, sell you things, it can get a bit much.
 
First of all, i hate you.

Second of all, the wife and i went to Thailand for Honeymoon last year March. Epic beyong epic is the word.

We stayed at Club Med in Phuket (all-inclusive, eat & drink all you want all the time - remember, its honeymoon) for 2 weeks. This was great cos from Phuket you can hit Phi Phi, Patong (night clubs & bars & ping pong shows yeah baby), dive sites, all the temples, palaces, buddha's etc you can stomach, epic shopping, spectacular food etc etc.

We then spent a week on Koh Samui (45min flight) at a resort on Chaweng Road - cant remember the name. Koh Samui is epic, a lot prettier, a little quieter unless you are on Chawen Road, which has EPIC shopping, LOTS of restaurants and a pretty awesome Night club called the Green Mango (holds about 2500 people + if i remember). This has less touristy stuff, we went deep sea fishing here, was fun but not like Mauritius or Durban.

The food is cheaper, everything is cheaper, just negotiate the shizzle out of everyone - if they ask for 100, offer them 30, its basically 100% - 150% markup. The oldest trick is to pick out everything you want, then negotiate, dont ask item per item, get a bulk price, knock 50 - 70% off and pay. IF they dont take the offer, walk out, and they will call you back, works every time.

Make sure you do as many outings as you can, and i recommend Club Med if you are under 35, or an outgoing under 45..they are amazing, and i would go back in a heartbeat.

Ps - I hate you.
Pps - Phone Club Med in Design Quarter for a price, get a brochure, look at the website - you wont regret it.
Enjoy the honeymoon!
 
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I was an exchange student for a year in Thailand back in 2007. I personally hate Phuket. That place is not Thailand it's something they put on for the tourists. If you're willing to rough it a little I highly recommend Koh Similan. that chain of little islands is honestly the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my entire life. As far as hotels and things go I can't help too much as I either stayed with Thai friends or at backpackers when I went around the country. But in terms of areas to visit the north is a must see in terms of a cultural experience. My host family also own a Hotel in Chiang mai. Here the link to it's website if you're interested http://www.amatalanna.com/ The south is very good in terms of beaches and I can reccomend places like cha am, Koh Lanta, Koh Chang to name a few. Samui, phi phi, and samedt are all very good as well I guess I just find them too touristy. If you're the outdoorsy type I cannot recommend climbing pukradung enough. If you want to know anything more I'd be more than happy to help you Thailand is such an amazing place and I think everybody needs to go there at least once. Oh and when your're there add krup to the end of everything you say and your wife should add kah. It's the Thai way of making things you say polite. and the two most important phrases I think a tourist can know are lodt dai mai? and Khop Khun krap/kah. They mean can I get discount and thank you respectively.

ps. I also highly recommend eating the street food it's cheap and delicious. when I was there most meals were around 20 baht at the street stalls and if you go to the ones on khao san road in bangkok which if you're a tourist you're probably bound to do they all speak english to some extent, actually most people in bangkok speak english. All the Thai kids learn it in school these days.
 
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Alfroogy said:
I was an exchange student for a year in Thailand back in 2007. I personally hate Phuket. That place is not Thailand it's something they put on for the tourists. If you're willing to rough it a little I highly recommend Koh Similan.
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That is the diffference between being a tourist versus being a traveller.

Tourists go to far-flung places .... and come lunchtime, they run to the first McDonalds they see, or they never venture far from the hotel buffet :D
 
So true yet so sad. If people would get out of their comfort zones even just a little they could see what countries really have to offer other than the cheap facade they put on for the tourists
 
luxe said:
First of all, i hate you.

Second of all, the wife and i went to Thailand for Honeymoon last year March. Epic beyong epic is the word.

We stayed at Club Med in Phuket (all-inclusive, eat & drink all you want all the time - remember, its honeymoon) for 2 weeks. This was great cos from Phuket you can hit Phi Phi, Patong (night clubs & bars & ping pong shows yeah baby), dive sites, all the temples, palaces, buddha's etc you can stomach, epic shopping, spectacular food etc etc.

We then spent a week on Koh Samui (45min flight) at a resort on Chaweng Road - cant remember the name. Koh Samui is epic, a lot prettier, a little quieter unless you are on Chawen Road, which has EPIC shopping, LOTS of restaurants and a pretty awesome Night club called the Green Mango (holds about 2500 people + if i remember). This has less touristy stuff, we went deep sea fishing here, was fun but not like Mauritius or Durban.

The food is cheaper, everything is cheaper, just negotiate the shizzle out of everyone - if they ask for 100, offer them 30, its basically 100% - 150% markup. The oldest trick is to pick out everything you want, then negotiate, dont ask item per item, get a bulk price, knock 50 - 70% off and pay. IF they dont take the offer, walk out, and they will call you back, works every time.

Make sure you do as many outings as you can, and i recommend Club Med if you are under 35, or an outgoing under 45..they are amazing, and i would go back in a heartbeat.

Ps - I hate you.
Pps - Phone Club Med in Design Quarter for a price, get a brochure, look at the website - you wont regret it.
Enjoy the honeymoon!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips, will definitely check it out.

Alfroogy said:
I was an exchange student for a year in Thailand back in 2007. I personally hate Phuket. That place is not Thailand it's something they put on for the tourists. If you're willing to rough it a little I highly recommend Koh Similan. that chain of little islands is honestly the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my entire life. As far as hotels and things go I can't help too much as I either stayed with Thai friends or at backpackers when I went around the country. But in terms of areas to visit the north is a must see in terms of a cultural experience. My host family also own a Hotel in Chiang mai. Here the link to it's website if you're interested http://www.amatalanna.com/ The south is very good in terms of beaches and I can reccomend places like cha am, Koh Lanta, Koh Chang to name a few. Samui, phi phi, and samedt are all very good as well I guess I just find them too touristy. If you're the outdoorsy type I cannot recommend climbing pukradung enough. If you want to know anything more I'd be more than happy to help you Thailand is such an amazing place and I think everybody needs to go there at least once. Oh and when your're there add krup to the end of everything you say and your wife should add kah. It's the Thai way of making things you say polite. and the two most important phrases I think a tourist can know are lodt dai mai? and Khop Khun krap/kah. They mean can I get discount and thank you respectively.

ps. I also highly recommend eating the street food it's cheap and delicious. when I was there most meals were around 20 baht at the street stalls and if you go to the ones on khao san road in bangkok which if you're a tourist you're probably bound to do they all speak english to some extent, actually most people in bangkok speak english. All the Thai kids learn it in school these days.
Click to expand...

awesome! thanks for the tips, might contact you soon for some advice!
 
I just finished booking my trip to Thailand and Singapore in December.
As per the advice I received on this forum, I did it myself and didn't use a travel agent. :D
For a 3 week trip, travel agents were quoting me between R44,000 and R54,000 for 2 people.
In total my costs have come to R28,000 excluding airport transfers.

Look at reviews on sites like trip advisor, they have reviews on everything from hotels to tourist attractions to the best places to stay.
 
blunomore said:
That is the diffference between being a tourist versus being a traveller.

Tourists go to far-flung places .... and come lunchtime, they run to the first McDonalds they see, or they never venture far from the hotel buffet :D
Click to expand...

We will not be doing that, my Fiancé and I love food, we will be trying all the food we can! no Mc Donalds for sure, and i doubt we would be eating hotel buffets if we have the choice..
Am really looking forward to sampling some of the local cuisine
 
@ RustyPrincess

Wow! i will definitely look into this, thanks.
Where in Thailand are you staying if you don't mind me asking?
 
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