jam25mack

Went for 4 weeks in between last job and this job (7yrs ago). Been a few times since. Done Bangkok, Au Nang, Krabi, Railey Beach, Phi Phi, Koh Pangyan, Koh Samui.....

Paid hardly anything as I booked flights from the UK with a stop over in DXB (as was in the UK at the time). this also meant as I was coming back here I could put the connection way in the future and use as a trip home. Then stayed in fairly budget places as I knew I would be spending pretty much no time in them.

No travel agents / operators involved, would never travel that way as it reduces the potential for adventure (for adventure read ***** ups). To be fair its so much easier now. When I was in Bali last week everywhere has wifi access and its uber cheap. Booking stuff is so easy.

I think Thailand has changed quite a lot even since my trip. Probably not helped by films like The Beach and The Hangover. I do enjoy Thailand tho, although I am heading to Cambodia next and maybe Vietnam. All the charm of Thailand without the flashpackers!

Boomhauer

Thanks all .

When you arrive in Thailand or Sg or Bali etc.., how do you go about finding things to do; do you just ask the hotel customer service to arrange or suggest places to see & things to do?

Quackers

There is usually a tour operator in the hotel reception or you could wander outside and ask a Tuk Tuk driver to take you on a joy ride (Gems/Suits/massage and any other new rip off place)

Decide what you want to do before you arrive and don't buy anything from a 'used car salesman'

jam25mack

I sometimes research beforehand but I am a polar opposite to the Lonely Planet grasping traveller. I would rather go into the nearest pub, have a few beers and talk to some folk. Doesn't take long to find out whats worth seeing, the best way to get there / see it and for the best price.

I generally hate having a itinerary. I would rather float around and play it by ear. If it's to regimented I find you end up missing a lot of the fun.

scrubbedexpat141

Vietnam last year was flights booked and hotels booked. Arrived in country with ideas but nothing booked for getting between the hotels. Folk on here gave me a long list of things to see / do in each place

Thanks everyone (and to those I haven't quoted etc).

I am using all the links / hotel names etc.. Thanks.

flares

Bangkok - Holiday Inn Sukhumvit
Singapore - Holiday Inn Orchard
Phuket - Holiday Inn Patong

do you detect a trend? good value esp for families

OriginalSunshine

scamp - use singapore airlines to go to/from Bangkok-Singapore as then you are entitled to use the singapore stopover holiday special

you get awesome mega-discounts on singapore hotels (like literally half the hotel direct booking or website prices) free hotel shuttle to/from airport, use of singapore big bus tour hop on off, free entry to loads of sites like Sentosa, special tours such as the night Safari, Orchid gardens etc

Ethos83

Hi Scamp.

You may not be aware of this but the summer months is part of the rainy season in Phuket and the whole Andaman side of Thailand, including Ko Phi Phi and Railay beach area. It won't be like the monsoons in India with ceaseless rain but odds are you will get more rain interspersed with sunny spells.

Ko Samui is in the Gulf of Thailand, which has the opposite weather pattern so summer months is a good time to go to Ko Samui.

If I were you I'd skip Phuket and focus on Ko Samui. Spend a few days for the parties, then take a boat to Ko Tao for another few days. Lovely island with good snorkelling if that's your thing.

I do not like Bangkok. Some people will. If you liked Hanoi/Saigon you'd probably like Bangkok. I'd only use Bangkok for the airport and get out immediately but it's up to what you're looking for.

Have you considered going to Chaing Mai in northern Thailand? Great cultural experience up there. It'd be a nice balance to the decadent resort experiences.

Singapore is a great city. There's a bunch of fun bars down near Chinatown in older colonial buildings (not talking about the quays which is very touristy). Raffles Bar for the Singapore Sling (overpriced but fun). I enjoyed the botanical gardens and even the zoo, although if you'd just trekked through Borneo and saw animals in the wild even the world famous Singapore zoo is a bit lacking.

Do go to the hawker centres. They're scattered all over Singapore. Great food. Great prices.

scrubbedexpat141

Thanks.

Noticed the weather. Rain doesn't bother me because it's novel now...

Few people have said not to bother with Phuket. I'm concerned that at the moment I'm trying to cram a lot in...maybe 7/8 days in Koh Samui and surrounding is a better idea. The mrs, being a teacher, is frustrated that I can't get longer than two weeks off work and forgets that I want to just kick back at some point on this holiday and relax.

I'll give that some more thought, would save a bit of cash on flights too. I think at the moment we are doing six flights. Seems a lot, one almost every other day.

Thanks for tips on Singapore. So far I've found a bar called the clinic which looks utterly epic. Assume you refer to Clarke Quay etc, that's appearing everywhere as a good place to go but like to find more 'local' spots as well. Appreciate it.


Original Sunshine- THanks for the tip. Will look at deals!

Ethos83

Oh, the quays are still fun. Nothing wrong with being a tourist. I'm not one of those people who go to great pains to avoid being a 'tourist' and who somehow thinks that wearing Thai fisherman's trousers, a faded t-shirt, dreads and a kaffir makes them a 'traveler' and not a 'tourist'.

You will get more of a local Singaporean expat/resident vibe by heading to the bars in the Chinatown area. The last time I was there I spent six hours at one rooftop bar on top of an old colonial building and it was brilliant. The bar staff would stack the shot glasses into pyramids and set it on fire, and one of the waiters did a dance on the bar. I was so drunk by the end of the evening and it took forever to get back down to the ground floor because the entire stairwell was painted in this broad black and white stripes that kept us disoriented.

Central Singapore is quite walkable, by the way and there's also all the hotel bars.

Phuket is very built up. Lovely seas and your experience varies depending on what resort you stay at, but it's still a solidly developed area. Ko Phi Phi and Railay are more geared towards backpackers and flashpackers with some nicer resorts on Ko Phi Phi. Phuket gets tons of families whereas Ko Samui is a bit more hedonistic.

I stayed at this place on Ko Tao:
Jamahkiri Resort & Spa

Liked it a lot. Snorkeled right off the rocks.

You can fly from Singapore to Ko Samui, spend a few days there, then take the boat to Ko Tao for a few more days to relax and chill, then boat back to Ko Samui for the return flight to Singapore. It'd be easier than flying to Phuket then Phuket to Ko Samui then back to Singapore (or BKK). If you really wanted to go to Phuket I'd have spent the entire time in Phuket - Ko Phi Phi -Railay, not hop to the other side of Thailand, and vice versa.

Tockalosh

Raffles is awesome

Clark and boat quay were great fun

Make sure you try the chilli crab whilst there,just wear an old t shirt as I defy anyone to eat it without getting covered in it

mentalist

You will certainly know when the monsoon rains appear, usually mid-afternoons 7 days a week. It's like being under a waterfall. Quite an experience.

jam25mack

Indeed, its only for an hour or so tho.

Once you feel that first drop head to the bar ASAP as 2 mins later the downpour will start and the bar will be rammed.

scrubbedexpat141

Noted. Thanks chaps.

Got caught in a downpour in Vietnam and loved it. Got back to the hotel and took about 10 minutes to explain to them that I don't want a brolley tomorrow, because despite being English, I don't get to see rain much....was piss funny.

co durham boy

You must try Bangkok if you haven't been , it's a cracking city . It's edgy and bordering on chaos at times , i like the way the place verges from being tranquil to hedonistic within 100 meters . I stay at the http://www.dusit.com/dusit-thani/dus...i-bangkok.html it's got a BTS and the MTR outside the hotel and right on top of Patpong if that's your night time seeking pleasure . You'll get a room for 80 quid a night .

I wouldn't bother with Phuket as someone said before Samui is a far better option , there's a lot of grafters in Phuket as well , scam central nowadays , like everywhere in Thailand you need to be a bit switched on but Phuket has a bit of a reputation for it .

Singapore is a quality city , has an amazing feel about the place , a bit like Dubai in looks but everything works and works well .

Great club there called The Drop , like a Victoria's Secrets party but with better looking birds !