First-timer to Bangkok & Thailand HELP

[ladida76]

I really hope I'll get some advice as we're hoping to head out to Thailand mid July this year. We're flying into Bangkok, staying there for a few nights before hitting the beach in Koh Samui (we're aware that it's the monsoon season and that we might see downpours in Bangkok but understand Koh Samui should be fine).

We're fairly limited on time, unfortunately (11-12 nights), and we're not interested in a constantly on-the-go touring holiday but want to immerse ourselves and stay in one place for a good few days.

We're a family of 2 mid-teens boys and 2 adults.

Before we knew we were limited on time we were going to fit in Chiang Mai but think it will be too tight with only 11/12 nights. So, our current itinerary:

• Bangkok - 4 nights (one day with tour guide to see temples etc, half a day in a cookery class; aa full day trip to visit the temples in Ayuwatthya)
• Koh Samui - 6-7 nights at a beach resort

Bangkok - looking to do a 1/2-1-day with a tour guide, another half a day in a cookery course plus a full day travelling to see the temples in Auywatthaya).

Koh Samui - looking for advice on cookery classes or excursions potentially. But also happy to stay put and just chill!

QUESTIONS

• Would 4 nights be too long (given the above potential activities there) in Bangkok? Will we be overwhelmed?
• Any other comments on the itinerary and trips / activities worth doing?

Thanks in advance for any advice & tips!

Recommend staying in a hotel in Bangkok near a sky train stop as traffic can be horrendous.

Contrary to some I LOVE Bangkok!! The different levels - roads intersecting with high line trains, and high rise buildings - are absolutely amazing and very Blade Runner.
China town is amazing and well worth a wander through the stalls.
As well as the palaces, shines and temples in Bangkok, take your teens to the IconSiam shopping centre for a really cool experience. It has a busy floating market indoors (air conditioned) and then a fabulous roof terrace overlooking the river, plus an amazing food court with a huge range of cool places. Very "Tokyo".
Finally please please take your teens to the Moon Bar roof top bar which has the most incredible views. Dusk is the best time to go and watch the lights of the city coming on. Stunning.

I think your timings work well actually especially if you want to allow half a day to rest by the hotel pool.

I went to Thailand recently and wish I’d done bangkok at end of my holiday I was jet lagged and struggled doing as much as I wanted which would have ideally suited lying on a beach! By the time I was over the jet lag and ready to explore I was in my chill out phase of the holiday!

I went to Thailand 20 years ago and we did Bangkok and Koh Samui. I then went to Thailand again about 8 years ago and did Bangkok, Koh Samui and Chang Mai. I found Koh Samui had changed a lot since my first visit and was more touristy and almost like being in Spain. I didn't enjoy it at all. I loved Bangkok still (we did two days either side of the holiday) and Chang Mai was lovely and very different. I would only do a few days in Koh Samui and definitely do Chang Mai. Internal flights are cheap and very short! Enjoy

A couple of nights in Bangkok was enough for me but as others have said getting in and out of the city can take a long time time, especially at rush hour so just expect that when you arrive. Just getting through customs took me about 3 hours once 🥴 it was a while ago now so hopefully has improved!

Tuk tuks are fun in Bangkok but be warned are much more expensive than taxis (although I was a backpacker so was watching the pennies!) Make sure you insist on the metre being on in cabs, if they won't turn the meter on, get out and get in another one, they aren't short on taxis.

Day trip to the floating markets would be good. Don't rely on their timings much though - certainly don't book anything on the day you need to get back to the airport as even trains can run at their own timetable!! Use that last day to go sightseeing around the city yourself. Ferry taxis are good and reliable for getting around.

I absolutely loved Kanchanaburi, the Bridge over the River Kwai and the history of Hell Fire Pass. I've done it twice, both by train (very uncomfortable!) and by day trip. This is a long day but well worth it especially if you're interested in history. Might be too much to fit in this time but keep it in mind.

Enjoy Koh Samui, it is beautiful and definitely take advantage of all the cheap massages and fresh food all around!

Sitting here feeding my 8 month old, can't wait until my 2 are old enough to go on holidays like this!!

I would recommend adding a couple of days to BKK and staying in a hotel with a nice pool so you can relax... We stayed at the riverside twice now (Chatrium and Hilton) and despite what many people will say about it not being within walking distance from the tube, we found it ok. Especially Hilton, because if you miss their shuttle to Saphan Taksin there is always the mall shuttle, as well as the river busses that take you to the main sightseeing points. Ayyuthaya is a must-see as well as Kanchanaburi if you have time (a tourist train runs on the weekend that takes you there and back but it leaves at 6 am or so). We only took taxis if we were at a place that is far from public transport.

is interesting and quiet. History stuff is harrowing, research before u see if suitable for your kids.

id also recommend this, the waterfalls nearby and of course the Bridge

I find Bangkok just... a bit much. You might love it though! Personally I would do the cookery lessons if your kids would like that. Other options depending on what you and your kids like are maybe scuba diving and a couple of days of Thai kick boxing. I've done both on Koh Samui and I think they'd be really cool for your kids!

It's an amazing place to visit but you need to be extremely careful about being ripped off. There are so many traps for the unwary tourist, some of them actually dangerous. Research this well before you go.

If its an option I would suggest Chiang Mai and Pai and maybe cutting some of the Bangkok time so you still get some beach time. I'm so jealous 😅

We are going to Thailand in mid July. Bangkok - overnight - fly up to Chang Mai next am for 5 days, then to Koh Samui for a night - 8 nights in two places on Koh Phangan - then 1.5 days in Bangkok.

Have I messed up by doing Chang Mai at the beginning of the trip? When we might be jet lagged? Agh.

We did a long haul to Indonesia a few years ago and the jet lag was fine, so I went on that. But now I'm worried...

That's what we are doing. Was your jet lag ok?

We went to Bangkok in January we did one night in Bangkok then 12 nights in Phuket and then 2 nights in Bangkok at the end. Loved it. Would liked to spend more time in Bangkok but we’d planned to have a bit of a chilled holiday.

we used the jet lag to our favour as awake early and did things early which meant quite.

would love to go backs and explore more and my DD1 is off to Bangkok and Se Asia in June before spending a year at uni in Malaysia.

When I went to kohsamui years ago I went on a really nice excursion to the marine national park, Ang Thong I think. I’d recommend that.

I went a lot of years ago with exodus. Bangkok, Chang Mai, Kanchanburu, Ko Tao and Koh Samui.

We did overnight train Bangkok - Chang Mai. That was fine and means you don't lose day time travelling.

We stayed on an amazing raft hotel near bridge on the river Kwai. That's was probably highlight of my trip - it was just so quite.

I think you are sensible to miss out Chiangmai on your trip as summer is the wettest time there.

It's the rainy season in many places in Thailand in our summer - there really isn't much rain, unless very unlikely - and it's still v warm

Watching with interest as we're doing almost exactly the same! As soon as school term finishes in July: 3 nights Bangkok, 7 nights Koh Samui. We've been to Thailand several times and love the madness of Bangkok but are planning on a day out to Ayutthaya this time too. Only ever been to west coast islands before so Koh Samui is new to us + I'm currently gathering ideas for things to do... though I suspect rest of family will be happy to relax and swim.
Ang Thong recommendations noted!
There's a cookery school that looks good nr Lamai beach, which is close to where we're staying – Lamai Thai Cooking School.

One thing I was going to suggest for Bangkok is the massage school in the Wat Pho temple complex. You can book a 30-min/1-hr full body (clothed) or foot massage from students. There are a few grumbles online about the price having gone up in recent years, but it's still only about £11–12 for an hour, and the novelty factor of being able to step right in/out from exploring temples is quite high! Might be a nice thing to do while recovering from jetlag.

@Crushmonsters can't help with that one sorry as I went from Hong Kong.

Imo, Bangkok is worth doing for a few days but I would strongly recommend you stay at one of the hotels on the river.

Hi, sorry to resurrect a zombie thread, but I'm just starting to look at a rough itinerary for Thailand (would be around Christmas or Easter time). We'd love to go to Kanchanaburi, but how do you get there @ItsReallyOnlyMe? It looks like either a 15-hour train journey from Chiang Mai (which isn't direct) or a nightmarish car journey. From BKK it's still a 5-hour drive, so there really doesn't seem like an easy way to get to it.

My very rough itinerary is currently looking something like this:

Chiang Mai: 3 nights
Kanchanaburi: 3 nights
Bangkok (with a day trip to Ayutthaya): 3 nights
Beach resort: 5 nights

This will be our first time in Thailand and I'm not at all sure where to head in terms of a beach resort. My DSis went to Koh Samui years ago and liked it, but thinks it's really touristy and not that nice now. We want somewhere that isn't really crowded, touristy and tacky. OTOH, we need somewhere that's quite easy to get to with flights to/from BKK, so any suggestions welcome. I have no interest in going to Ko Tao - too remote and I've heard too many negative things about it + the various Britons who've been murdered there

I have just come back from Thailand (today), travelled as a family of four with two teenage girls 17 and 14. We did 4 nights Bangkok and 8 nights Ko Samui. Didn't do Chang Mai but we were fitting in with my brother who lives in BK. We did a day trip to Kanchanburi from BK - arranged it through the hotel it was a looooong day but very worth it.
We had fun in BK but I wouldn't want to do longer and i'm sad we didn't make it to Chang Mai.
Ko Samui was paradise - so beautiful. We chose there for our beach resort because other areas on the east of Thailand as Krabi and Phuket don't get the weather at this time of year but you would be ok at Christmas as that is peak season weatherwise. If you are interested in Ko Samui i would totally recommend our hotel (Baan Samui) in Chaweng - it didn't break the bank and was absolute perfection.

@cheezncrackers

We stayed at the Oriental Kwai Resort - a lovely hotel which certainly wasn't overly expensive when we stayed in 2015. (It's still No 1 hotel on Tripadvisor I've just checked)

The same couple still run it I think. They organised our transport to Kanchanaburi from the airport. I think it took about 3 hours. As we'd just flown in my children slept most of the way. I can't remember we how much it cost but they'd be able to give you a quote now.

For transportation the situation in 2015, seemed to be you hired the driver (so the mileage covered didn't make a difference to the price). It was a mini bus arrangement for the three of us.

I'm sure there would also be buses to it from Bangkok. The country are so used to backpackers that it's usually a well trodden path.

The hotel also advised and organised our trips out - although I had done some research before this.

It's a very interesting place and we took in the river and it's bridge, the famous railway, Erawan falls and Elephabt sanctuary whilst we were there.

Afterwards we stayed for one night at the Jungle Raft resort. It only needs one night as there's not much to do - but it is an experience ! (The Oriental Kwai organised the transport to it and I had pre-ordered a taxi from there back to Bangkok after our stay).

Sorry just to say, in terms of Ko Samui being touristy - it is popular with tourists but still very authentically thailand and if you get out and explore the island it does not feel touristy at all. We stayed in what was supposed to be the main resort but it was quiet and peaceful - yes there were tourists but its not like going to a Magaluf 😂

It was absolutely beautiful and i would go back in a heartbeat.