Question about Thailand for those who know it well

[cheezncrackers]

We're thinking of going to Thailand at New Year. Our kids insist on being at home at Christmas, so the entire trip will only be 12 days in total, of which two will be travel days. This is the maximum we can do leaving on Boxing Day and returning in time for them to go back to school.

I've drawn up an itinerary which includes 3 nights in Chiang Mai, 4 nights in Koh Samui and 3 nights in Bangkok. We've never been to Thailand before and don't know if we'll ever go back, so I want us to get a nice taste of the place. However, given the short time we'll have there, would you recommend sticking to just two of our three destinations? Most of the reading I've done online recommends 5 nights in Koh Samui and around the same in Bangkok. Our kids don't like cultural stuff and won't care about visiting temples. They like nice hotels, shopping, animals and eating out. We will, of course, hit a few temples, but our focus will not be on high culture. TIA.

I would do those 3, it gives a good mix.

We did this over 18 nights last August with 2 teens.
I think 2 places is more realistic because although the flights are really short, the entire process takes at least half a day.
I suppose it would be Bangkok and then the south. But I loved Chiang Mai.

You could swap Samui for Hua Hin: it doesn't have the pristine beaches and is lower key, but does have gorgeous hotels (see the Centara), great night markets, train station, plus you'd be avoiding the extra flights as you could get a car transfer directly from/to Bangkok airport. Also a big wildlife foundation nearby.

For shopping, 100% make sure you are in Bangkok on a Saturday or Sunday to go to Chatuchak market, the largest in the world: it's breathtaking.

It’s monsoon season in Gulf of Thailand over Christmas/New Year.

You are better off planning to go to the west coast, such as Phuket

Oh really? That's good to know! Thank you.

Thanks @Mikimoto - we will be there Sat/Sun precisely to visit the markets.

DH was wanting to change my itinerary and go to the beach last, but that wouldn't have worked with the way the weekend falls. I'll look at Hua Hin. What's the weather like there in Dec/Jan?

Yeah, I know @Kapalika - that's why I'm thinking maybe stick to two places. But we really want to experience all three. The only real alternative is to go at another time of year when we have more time, but my DB and SIL went at Easter and said it was hellishly hot, which my family wouldn't tolerate at all.

December is bone-dry!
A car+driver to or from Bangkok airport is only
about 50 quid (3.5 hours).

I reckon you could get away with two nights in Bangkok if you're not that into the cultural stuff. That said, you'll probably want to see the Royal Palace and the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho (will be very crowded at that time BTW but marginally quieter in the afternoons). You'll only need one of your days for the market. A lot of stuff there you will see at night markets elsewhere, especially in Chiang Mai. If I had an extra day I'd spend it in Chiang Mai, but I'm biased as I used to live there. The hotels are excellent, food is incredible and you can do some excellent elephant tourism (Elephant Nature Park is nailed on ethical, be careful how you choose any other). Your kids would love the Sticky Waterfall and there are options for things like river rafting. But Phuket is good if you like the beach - again, research your location carefully. The south of the island is a bit trendier. You should have great weather at that time of year. Even a little cool in the evenings in the north.

Missing the point but why are the kids making the decision on Christmas??!

I don't like Hua Hin. It's not a patch on the islands - unless you want to stay in a swanky hotel and don't mind about the beach.

That's a lot for 12 days but I wouldn't miss chiang mai as it's brilliant and the elephant experiences are great. I'd probably curtail Bangkok if I had to.

I'd reduce Bangkok by a night, I'm not a massive fan and often just use it as a 24hr stopover.

Because we went away last Christmas and they HATED it and begged us not to go away at Christmas again. This year we went away on Boxing Day, which was stressful, but doable. The major downside, however, is that we only have 11 or 12 days between Boxing Day and us needing to be back for school.

This is all very interesting and food for thought. If we start in Bangkok, rather than flying straight up to Chiang Mai, we could do 2 nights in Bangkok, then 4 nights in Chiang Mai, 3 nights in Phuket and then fly back to BKK for the final night before we fly home. Does that sound better? From what's been said on this thread I think we'll enjoy Chiang Mai the most, so I want to spend most time there.

I'd do 2 in BKK, 3 in CM and 5 on a beach. Possibly I'd reverse it so you have time to recover on the beach after you arrive? I also like the islands near Krabi and you can fly direct from BKK. You can also fly direct from Krabi to CM and then you could consider the overnight train back to BKK which is fun.

Northern Thailand (I.e. Chiang Mai) has some of the worst air quality in the world at that time of year (it’s seasonal, due to crop burning) so I’d be wary about spending too much time up there. Hua Hin is fine but it’s definitely not the most beautiful beaches in the country - if you’re only going to thailand once, it would be a shame to go there rather than one of the nicer islands. Can’t remember exactly when the rains fall where, but check that and plan and island. Samui is nice but pretty developed, others (eg Koh Kut near Cambodia) feel more adventurous still. I used to live in Bangkok so know the country pretty well.

You could look at one of the cruises they take you to the best bits.

Independently. I would say the 3 centre option is great.

I spent NY in Thailand this year - my first trip to Thailand. No kids - just DP and me. Bangkok is very busy and all about the temples and (apparently- we didn’t visit any) shopping malls. Nice enough but in retrospect it wouldn’t be a priority for me.

Edit to say we spent 2 nights in Bangkok

I would do the 3. We did 5 destinations in 16 days in the summer and I was worrying we were trying to fit in too much but it was fab

Okay, so I won't get us an extra day in CM. I think we'll be able to do all the things we want in 2.5 days anyway and I definitely don't want to spend another night if the air is going to be smoggy. Bleugh! I thought it would be a nice place to relax after the long flight, but if we can't breathe it definitely won't be.

I think Phuket would work better than Krabi, because it has direct flights to/from both Chiang Mai and Bangkok and it looks quite compact, but I'll need to read up on which are the nice areas and find us a good hotel.

As for Bangkok, I think my kids will enjoy the shopping and they'd definitely be up for some counterfeit designer gear. I'll try and find us a nice hotel which is a bit of an oasis from the heat and craziness. Any recommendations?

I would look into the overnight train to Chiangmai rather than fly, it’s fun & a good use of time, you could do one full day in Bangkok then the next day, but that evening take the overnight train. It’s a fun experience in itself and also less faff than going out to the airport.

If kids not bothered by temples stay in the Nimman area, we really liked the Akyra Manor hotel.
There’s a great food market nearby and you’re the right side of the city for airport, sticky waterfalls tour, elephant refuge visits.
In Bangkok, we did a night time foody tour by TukTuk which was great fun, and DS absolutely loved the IconSiam shopping centre.

KatieEllison on instagram has just done something very similar and has posted details about her itinerary and what she would have done differently on her instagram page.

If you are just doing one beach don’t go to Phuket it is very sleazy. Ko samui is way nicer and ko phi phi is amazing.

We were in Koh Samui for Christmas and the weather was terrible. Much better weather in Phuket.