Hey guys,

I've never been to Thailand before and I'm planing a trip there for 2 to 4 weeks sometime between April and July and have a couple of questions...

1 - Would there be any foreseeable problem with the time of year
in regards to weather or lack of events and so on?

2 - I Want to go to Pattaya, Bangkok, Phuket and the islands and would like to know in which order you would do them in?

3 - And lastly should i book all my accommodation before i leave (Sydney) or just book for my starting point?

Thanks in advance...

If you are there around the 13th April it will be songkran (Thai New Year) I would advise you to book accommodation for the days surrounding this. Also don't plan to travel or move around this time. It is dangerous on the roads and you just don't get any where.
May is low season and there are some bargains to be had sometimes book days get the equal amount of days free.
July is main holiday season even though it is very hot and humid in Thailand the Europeans especially have their hols then.
Order in which to visit
Bangkok and Pattaya go together in terms of travelling so I don't suppose it matters in which order you do it.
That time of year you should not have much problem with getting accommodation just beware that the walk in rate is sometimes more than pre booking.

__________________
Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

It will probably be the monsoon period in Phuket region in May/June. a few friends of mine have gone during that period before told me that although it may not be raining they experienced quite rough seas esp when heading out towards to sea like Phi Phi island etc.

I would also suggest to pre-book your places to stay unless you want to do a true backpacker style...

Enjoy !

Thanks for your help guys. I might try for July so I can miss the monsoon season and be able to travel around without the hassles of
traffic from the celebrations...

Could anyone tell me the best island i could possibly stay at?
I know it would be your personal opinion but i would like to get an
idea....

Koh Samui would be my first option at that time of year. The weather patterns are far more stable during June and July in the Gulf then on the Andaman sea side where Phuket/Krabi/Phi-Phi are.

Samui is very diverse with busy parts with lots of nightlife and some much more laid back areas. The main beaches are very nice with plenty of beachfront accomodation to suit most budgets. If you find it not to your liking, then Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are both within easy reach.

If you are after any specific recommendations of where to stay, tell me a little bit of what type of "feel" you are after and what your budget is and I will give you a few options. I have been to Samui 4 times and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

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I love Thailand this much

Samui would have to be mine we have been to a lot of the popular and not so popular destinations and have spent a total of approx 10 months there over the last 10 years but Samui always does it for me. It has an island feel and there are get away places if you want and also you have access to koh phangna and koh Tao.
You can get cheap longer term rentals and we have had some of the best food in Thialand here not just in the posher places but also the cheap plastic table cloth places. There is a Tesco lotus and a macro for supermarket shopping if you are in a bungalow.
just my opinion but it floats my boat.

__________________
Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

I'd really like to experience some of those real postcard looking beaches. I'm thinking of spending up to, maybe, four weeks in Thailand
so i would like to see the islands for around five days. In that time I'd
be just relaxing with maybe light activities like snorkeling or whatever.

I haven't done much homework on places or prices but in saying that
i wouldn't mind spending upward of say 8000 baht per night.

Oh and I'll be going with a female companion if that makes a difference...?

Well with that budget you will be well away and if you are going with a partner there are many places on Samui that are not set up for the middle aged European male if you know what I mean.
You could with Samui do the 3 islands and then you can from there fly to Phuket and if you wanted to go to places like krabi and Phi Phi. You have loads of time but if you want a real relax I would spend 2 weeks in Samui 2 different destinations say chewang for nightlife and more going on and one at somewhere like cheongmon. I would then go to Koh Tao very quiet and laid back and finish with Koh Phangan you can then go back to Samui and off to Bangkok where you could finish off with a couple of nights to see the sights before flying home.
8,000 baht is a large budget if you were moving around you could go mediocre on some places and then really splash the cash for a luxury experience in others. If you want any tips on hotels particularly in Samui let me know.

__________________
Kiss
God laughs at people who make plans.

I know what you mean about the middle aged european male. lol!

Yeah, i was thinking of moving around a bit cause i wanted to see as much as i could. You have me down to a tee about splashing out in the nicer places and going budget in the others.

If you had any suggestions on where to stay in Phuket, Koh Samui or any other island it would be much appreciated.

Hi Damien,

For your time on Samui, check out The Whitehouse in Choengmon . It is a lovely area, no girly bars and an absolute picture postcard beach. It is a smaller resort, locally run with some of the most friendly staff I have encountered.

It is certainly not THE RITZ, but it is excellent value for what you pay.
You should be able to get a bonus night deal (stay 10 pay 6) in June as it is "fringe" season and for well under half of your budget you will get one of their better rooms.

The pool and restaraunt and public areas are not huge but when we were there, in June 09, it was never busy and we always found plenty of space and a beach or pool chair was never an issue unlike some of the bigger resorts.

This place is on the best part of the beautiful beach with a good choice of eateries within walking distance. If you hire a moped or jeep, you can access the busiest part of the Island, Chaweng, within 10 minutes.

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I love Thailand this much