Help me figure out what to do in Thailand.

May 8, 2009 5:26 PM

I'm going to be in Thailand for a week with my brother. Need advice on where I should go and what I should do. In the very early stages of researching.

I am planning a somewhat last minute, spur of the moment trip to Thailand. I have a week - 6 days exactly, not including my flights. I'm flying into BKK.

I do not want to pack my vacation too full of traveling. I am looking to maybe spend 1-2 days in Bangkok and then travel to 1 (maybe 2) other places and chill out there.

I'm interested in taking a cooking class, relaxing on a beach, going to a temple, and maybe some hiking or something like that, although I realize it will be quite hot there.

I do not want crowds or to do anything that is really touristy. Suggestions? Also, is there anything I should be cautious of given the current political situation?

posted by hazyspring to travel & transportation (18 comments total)

Good cooking school.
posted by sharkfu at 5:45 PM on May 8

I would avoid Phuket, (the only place I've really been in Thailand) as it's very touristy and surprisingly expensive. That said, Pum's Cooking School was a lot of fun there. The islands in the ocean side bay are quite beautiful as well (Phi-phi and the surrounding areas) and are worth checking out.
posted by Ghidorah at 6:30 PM on May 8

Yes, definitely have no plans to go to Phuket.
posted by hazyspring at 6:32 PM on May 8

I used a 6 day guide in the lonely planet guide book when I went. It was a lot of fun, but I'd like to go back and see more. If I recall correctly we spent 2 days in Bangkok, 2 days in kanchanaburi, then a day and a half in Hua Hin before heading back to BKK and flying to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. Bangkok is Bangkok - the cabbies will rip you off. The fruit stands on the street are amazing. Buy yourself a suit.

Kanchanaburi has elephant rides, a cool tiger sanctuary, is near a nice national park with a pretty sweet waterfall and the bridge over the River Kwai.

Hua Hin has nice beaches and a cool night market. Over all I thought it was a nice mix of things.

Each place was pretty close to Bangkok so it kept our traveling down to a minimum.
posted by Arbac at 7:04 PM on May 8

Also I forgot to mention, Kanchanaburi had a few cooking schools that came highly recommended. Of the three places we went to, Kanchanaburi was my favorite and I wish I'd have spent more time there. We stayed at Ploy Guest House while there, which was very nice and very cheap and takes online reservations.
posted by Arbac at 7:18 PM on May 8

Just general advice, but BKK is totally worth experiencing, but also overwhelming; there are a few big temples there that are amazing . I suggest a few days there, and then on to more relaxing options, I did do Phuket after BKK (although with connections) and it was much needed relaxation, it was the off season, but it wasn't crowded. Ko PhiPhi (PiPi? sp?) is near there and is supposed to be amazing.

Chang Mai to the north of BKK is also supposed to be great, and more chill.

Whatever you do, enjoy!
posted by cestmoi15 at 8:04 PM on May 8

great beaches, hiking, maybe some rock climbing and cooking class all in one spot.

KRABI province. Town of AO NANG would suit your needs.
posted by dawdle at 8:46 PM on May 8

Krabi, Railay, Ao Nang are all generally in the same area - and worth checking out for rock climbing (Railay) and excellent night food markets (in Krabi). The weekend market in BKK was enjoyable.
posted by backwards guitar at 9:14 PM on May 8

Chang Mai is a great city from which you can check out the mountains of the northwest corner. Get lots of massage, have some amazing food at the totally out of the way spots, rent a motorscooter and drive around.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 9:21 PM on May 8 [1 favorite]

I will second Blue Elephant Cooking School. It was fun, although it felt a little pricey to me for the amount of hands on experience we got. On the other hand, it was one thousand percent worth it to fly down to Krabi and spend a few days on Railei beach. There are lots of places to stay in the area, but I had a wonderful experience at this place. If you don't feel like flying, a friend of mine used to regularly take the bus down to Koh Samet for the weekend when she lived in Bangkok.

If you're looking for activities near the city, making a day trip to Ayuthaya is quick and easy. Usually I don't really like going to landmarks for mass picture taking excursions, but Ayuthaya was really cool. I didn't go there with a tour, but if you like cycling I had a good experience with Spice Road Tours, although I did their Koh Kret tour, not the Ayuthaya one.

Anyway, I hope you have fun! Thailand is wonderful and I think you're right to avoid most of the touristy stuff. If you already know what drunk white people look like, you probably don't need to check out Khao San Road. I always feel sad when people pooh pooh Bangkok (not that anyone here is doing that), because I think it's a really nice place to hang out and explore, especially if you're into food. You can find all kinds great food from all around the world or, if you're not up for that, you just step out onto the sidewalk and find some kind of delicious snack to eat. Other things that I have enjoyed in Bangkok include getting my nails done, massages, going to the Suan Lum night market (even though it is the definition of a crowded tourist thing), the Snake Farm, and going to the dentist (not sketchy!).

FWIW, my Dad lives in Bangkok and he says it's perfectly fine for we foreigners, although it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to read up on the news just before you. I feel like I could ramble on and on, so if you have questions about anything, please feel free to memail me.
posted by mustard seeds at 1:03 AM on May 9

I've been to Thailand four times for a total of about eight weeks.

Two to three locations sounds reasonable for a six day trip as you don't want to spend too much time traveling. If you do decide to add an additional stop-off, look into sleeper trains (assuming you don't insist on five star luxury) which reduce travel time to essentially nothing and are fun in themselves.

Anywhere with a beach and a cooking course in English will, of course, be pretty touristy but it's amazing how easy it is to get away from crowds even in popular areas if you go somewhere that isn't in the guidebook. I remember visiting a temple half an hour from Chiang Mai which was beautiful, though packed with Thais and tourists. On a whim, I wandered up the road and went for a walk along a marked trail in a forest park for three hours and saw two other people.

Bangkok is Bangkok - the cabbies will rip you off. The fruit stands on the street are amazing. Buy yourself a suit.

My experience is that the taxi drivers in Bangkok are less likely to try to rip you off than those in other parts of the country because (1) you can easily get another taxi if they try anything and (2) they can make a reasonable living in the city without having to fleece foreigners. Tailors likewise are slightly better in the capital than elsewhere although, with a few honourable exceptions they, in my opinion, rip tourists off worse than taxi drivers with outfits that fall apart in a few months. But definitely agree that the fruit stands are fantastic!

Be careful about some of the elephant shows / rides that are offered; the animals are often badly treated. The stand-out best place to see them is at the Elephant Nature Park near Chiang Mai. It might be my favourite place in Thailand, which is saying something, and the area has everything you want bar the beach plus is accessible by sleeper train.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 1:42 AM on May 9

Ok, I am sold on Blue Elephant cooking school. I guess the question is, do I go to Chiang Mai? Or is it too overrun?
posted by hazyspring at 8:04 AM on May 9

There are more tourists in Chiang Mai than in a lot of places in Thailand, but that's because it's bigger than most places in Thailand. It's less overrun than any beach resort, in terms of the ratio of (tourists + people working in tourism) / total population.

It's about ten times more laid back than Bangkok, but it's still a city (albeit one that feels like a town) so if you value solitude you might want to aim to spend some time in a smaller place an hour or two away. That applies pretty much anywhere you go; there aren't many (any?) quiet villages without tourists which are one train / plane / bus journey from Bangkok. You'll always need to make two or more changes if you want to go somewhere really quiet and unspoiled.

Chiang Mai also has a cooking school which I went to based on recommendations in another thread and found to be excellent - it's in the outskirts of the city, away from the noise and smells that any town centre has.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 9:17 AM on May 9

keep in mind you're far from the beach in Chiang Mai.
posted by dawdle at 11:12 AM on May 9

Yeah, I am basically feeling like I need to pick, either Chiang Mai or a quieter beach area and am not sure which yet ....
posted by hazyspring at 12:07 PM on May 9

Chiang Mai is great plus you will be close to Doi Inthanon which is worth a side trip. I spent almost two weeks there back in '98 and I would go again in a heartbeat.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 6:41 PM on May 9

It's six days. You know you won't be able to do everything, so it's a question of which of beach, city, solitude, culture, courses etc. you are going to drop.

By the way, if you decide to take a train trip, I heartily recommend Traveller 2000 for booking tickets in advance.
posted by Busy Old Fool at 8:56 PM on May 9

I would avoid Khao San Rd as well as pretty much every south-island tourist trap with a Burger King by the beach.
posted by ageispolis at 10:09 PM on May 9