Chennai, Singapore, Bangkok & Koh Samui

[Trixieboo87]

Hi. We are travelling in two weeks time to the above in two weeks time and never been before
Can anyone advise on things to do with a teen please ? Im also a bit nervous about if it’s raining

We live in Thailand and I’d offer the following advice. Bangkok - Lumpini park around 5pm: lots going on and giant lizards, Wat pho (big lying down Buddha is great for all ages) and perhaps a canal tour (Viator) or the floating markets. Chatchuchek market is huge, cheap and high quality every weekends. It rains only occasionally as it is El Niño this year - def not all day. Cinemas are all in English and generally cheap. Good malls include central world and terminal 21, both with good food markets upstairs. In Koh Samui - great nail bars and massage (not sure gender but I’d say either would enjoy). In either location taking a cooking class is really good fun (can recommended tingly Thai cooking bangkok where you go to the market if you book a morning class and make and eat around 5 dishes. Fine for all ages).

Thankyou so much your recommendations which are very helpful .

Would you recommend that we bring umbrellas looking at the forecast there could be rain

What are you doing in Chennai, is it just a stop over or spending some time there ?

Hi , yes just a stop over for 2 nights then onto Singapore . Any ideas on what it’s like there please

I know the place very well OP.
Where are you staying? It is a big city and can recommend places to visit depending on where you are staying.

Check this out
Mamallapuram shore temple
Pondicherry - French colonial city
Pichavaram mangrove forest
Really superb places to eat South Indian food. Can suggest places to eat if you want.

Or you could just chill out in one of the seaside resorts after a long flight.

Thankyou so much , any recommendations of places to see and eat would be great
we’re staying at the Hyatt

Singapore: Wild,Wild Wet- water park. Doesn’t really matter if it’s raining! It’ll be warm anyway.
Bugis Street: indoor shopping bargains and street food.
Sentosa for relaxing and beach time (take sliders ‘cos stonefish), other beaches are available-and cheaper- but Sentosa is lovely.
Little India: some fabulous temples, good food options.

You are in the centre of the city, buffet at Hyatt is good
If you want to try authentic South Indian vegetarian food

annalakshmichennai.com

You could arrange a taxi with driver via the hotel to go to Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry one day.

auroville.org

Good shopping

shopkalpadruma.com

www.fabindia.com - few branches in Chennai.

There a lot of temples with absolutely breath taking architecture if you want to visit.

Be prepared for hot, humid climate and the traffic is chaotic

Hope you enjoy the city.

Do try Idli/ dosai in any of the restaurant, typical South Indian dish.

Chennai is a massive, sprawling hot, hot city. Once you’ve seen the area around Fort St George and a visit to one of the beaches, I’d recommend heading down to Kanchipuram or to Mahabalipuram for the beach temples. If you have time.

Hi , thankyou all so much for your recommendations , I'm not looking forward to the heat but this holiday is on my OH bucket list .
Would any of you know if We will need Malaria tablets in any of these destinations? Thankyou

Hi , would anyone know if what’s app is free in Chennai , Singapore , Bangkok and Koh Samui please

Yes, it's free in Chennai. Your hotel should have wifi and depending on what provider you use you can get data as well.

Hello! Since you live in Thailand - can I please ask? What is the weather like right now in Bangkok and Koh Samui/Koh Phangan? We are coming in a couple of days! Thanks

Thankyou all so much for your help and recommendations.

Thankyou

You are welcome, do try the local dishes and I promise you that you won't regret.

Always drink bottled water even in restaurants and avoid any salads.

Anna Lakshmi is one of my favourite restaurant and wish I could go and eat there now. Not going to happen this year !

Hi
OP. Right now in Bangkok it is hot (35) with some periods of heavy rain but that is due to typhoon storm Talim which is due to pass towards Vietnam by Friday. Weather changes rapidly so todays weather given the storm isn’t accurate.

I'm in Koh Samui at the moment. I've been here for 11 days so far. There's been rain on two nights, while we slept, and two 10 minute downpours during the day. That's all!

WhatsApp is free, and used by taxi drivers and massage places to pre-book, if you want to.

I've just got back from a trip around asia. I got a local SIM card for data at each destination so I could use WhatsApp etc while out and about, rather than just being able to use while using hotels Wi-Fi.

Because my phone has an e-sim slot I pre bought mine at maya.net in advance so I could activate the sim on arrival at each destination. I think it was about £5 for 3gb in Indonesia and less than £3 for 1gb in Singapore.

I also got local data sims for the teenagers and ensured that they had Grab (similar to Uber), in the hope if we got separated in a crowd, at least they'd be able to find their way back to the hotel.

Since I posted earlier today, it's been raining (gently) non-stop! 🙄

Noooo , we’re going to be in Koh Samui last week of July , I hope that it clears up for you
I’ve just spoken to Vodaphone and it’s £6.85 a day roaming , I’m just wondering if what’s app is free

We arrive in Samui on Sunday. I hope the rain clears off! I've read something about a tropical storm this week

I've been to Thailand and Singapore many times, but not since covid, so my info might be out of date/changed.

Bangkok- Pantip plaza was a multistorey electronics/computer/gaming shops. At the bottom were whole computers, cameras, games etc and the further up the levels you went- it was more the actual components to make a computer from scratch. If you teen is into gaming or you are looking for a camera etc its worth a look.
Right next door is a multistorey clothes/shoes/accessories centre called Platinum. It used to be 'wholesale only' but often if you bought 3 things from the same shop, it was fine. Some just allowed you to buy 1 dress or 1 top etc. I'm a UK size 6 shoe, but rarely found any shoes that would fit my massive, western hoof!

Koh Samui- Had the most amazing, laid back and outdoor airport! It was very small and the waiting areas etc had a cover- but you could see grass and palm trees etc, like you were waiting in a garden for your flight. very relaxing
How old is your teen? A boat ride away is Koh Pha Ngan, famous for their full moon parties, mushroom omelettes, red bull vodka drunk out of buckets and more!

Singapore
The MRT is a clean, cheap and on time transport system. It has air con too! English is the franca linga, so everything has signs in English and everyone speaks it. Older people, in more remote locations not so much though.

Mustafa Centre- In Little India, its another multistorey store with all manner of things. Jewellery, toys, home wares, touristy items, clothes/shoes, a cafe, foreign exchange etc. Prices were incredibly good. I bought some lovely serving trays that were just so unique and also earrings there before.

The Zoo- Its world renown, large enclosures and have a night safari too. I'm generally not a massive zoo fan, but it really was interesting, especially seeing the range of animals that you may not see elsewhere

Jurong Bird Park- Near the zoo. It says it shut until end of 2023 due to renovations. I enjoyed it was a young teen, but depends if you are into exotic birds

Bakwa- Is like a sweet, salty, sticky, soft jerky. Its sold all over either in square sheets or round 'coin' shapes. You will see shops with it stacked up behind the glass counter- and often a long queue. Its worth it though if you eat meat.