[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

Wasn't the Fit launched as the Jazz here? This looks more of a Jazz to me isn't it? The Brio definitely looks different at the rear with that huge glass area.

Yup, Jazz it is. Dunno why I wrote it as Brio. Which incidentally wasn't seen at all!

[_raVan_]

Ninjatalli, waiting for the updates Also, didnt you plan for Phuket? And what about scooba diving/snorkeling?

[subbarp]

This is an excellent thread. Waiting for some more updates.

We should now possibly have a country/ international city-wise section of travelogue with a decidedly automobile flavor around it. Anybody covering Venice? (I have no clue about boats !)

[Chillout]

Wow, this was the kind of topic I was exactly looking for..We are planning on a 6N/7 day trip to Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. 3N in Phuket, 1N in Pattaya and 2N in Bangkok.

We have booked our tickets on Thai Airways and got a pretty good deal ( Chennai - Bangkok - Phuket - Bangkok - Chennai) 21,500. We are travelling the first week of May

I am sure this travelogue is going to help me a lot...

[ninjatalli]

Thanks for the appreciation guys. Have been caught up in work & personal matters, so this has got left out abruptly. Will try to get back to atleast daily posts in this week.

Originally Posted by _raVan_

Ninjatalli, waiting for the updates Also, didnt you plan for Phuket? And what about scooba diving/snorkeling?

Got your PM, thought I'll reply here. As I mentioned earlier in one of the earlier posts, I didn't take any agent's help in this trip. I wanted to try everything out by myself. Plus I kinda had a few suggestions from friends who had been here and went ahead with it.

Honestly, IMO Phuket is a separate trip entirely. We could have shelved off 2-3 days at Pattaya and head towards Phuket, but then we didn't think it would be a complete relaxed trip. I have done such do-all trips in the past where I always ended up tired after the vacation! Even after spending 4+ days at Pattaya, we still didn't do a lot of basic stuff that people generally do out here - like snorkeling! I can't stress it any further - this was one lazy trip!

Originally Posted by subbarp

This is an excellent thread. Waiting for some more updates.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by subbarp

We should now possibly have a country/ international city-wise section of travelogue with a decidedly automobile flavor around it. Anybody covering Venice? (I have no clue about boats !)

I agree. We definitely should. Already I have seen a few Malaysia, Vietnam, Thai, Europe, Cambodia (& so many more) TLs - they should be atleast marked with a seperate tag or something.

Originally Posted by Chillout

Wow, this was the kind of topic I was exactly looking for..We are planning on a 6N/7 day trip to Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. 3N in Phuket, 1N in Pattaya and 2N in Bangkok.

We have booked our tickets on Thai Airways and got a pretty good deal ( Chennai - Bangkok - Phuket - Bangkok - Chennai) 21,500. We are travelling the first week of May

I am sure this travelogue is going to help me a lot...

Wow - nice time to hit Thai. It'll be a bit hot, but definitely a good time to get rock-bottom deals at the locations. Just get it confirmed if rains don't start in Thai by then - if that happens, you might have to deal with quite a few modifications to several basic activities.

Also another suggestion - check if you can really do Pattaya in a single day. IMO, you'd be better off with an extra day at Bangkok or at Phuket. What's the itinerary: Bangkok - Pattaya - Bangkok - Phuket - Bangkok? Also where is the extra day being spent at?

[Chillout]

Ninja

Is Pattaya a must see place, my itinerary is given below, let me know what you think...

Thanks to Thai airways timings, we do not loose much time on travel

Day 1 we reach Thailand 5:30 and take our connecting flight to Phuket at 7:30. Expected arrival time is 9:30 am

Day is for leisure, we would like to relax, go for some massage and hit a couple of beaches

Day 2 is Phang Nga Bay or Jamesbond Island tour and evening is for shopping

Day 3 is standby, it it rains the earlier day we will take our Jamesbond Island tour else we may opt for Phi Phi Island tour

Day 4: Take an 8:00 am flight to Bangkok and drive down to Pattaya. Visit Tiger Zoo en route and in the noon go to Nong Nooch village. Evening go to Alcazar show

Day 5: Coral Island tour in the morning and fly back to Bangkok in the evening. Evening is reserved for shopping

Day 6: Bangkok City and temple tour in the morning and shopping in the evening

Day 7: Safari World and catch a flight late evening 8:00 pm to Chennai

[DevilsDoggie]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Gyaan Section

As I mentioned earlier, Thailand has a good bus setup plying A.C. buses between the airport, Bangkok and Pattaya (and probably Phuket too). The buses are frequent by the hour and for an additional surcharge they'll drop you at your hotel (or a nearby landmark if it is not well-known). Even if your hotel can't be identified by the bus staff, then no issue. Catch the bus, and land up at the Pattaya bus station. There are bike-taxis, tuk-tuks, and (actual) taxis available to take you to your hotel.

Our Experience

A lot of the hotels in Thailand offer you airport pickup options, but then you need to inform them in advance. Since we hadn't taken up that option, we head towards the public taxi stands. Now I had gathered sufficient info about taxi fares and their antics - the rule being always opting for the meter-ed option and absolutely no detours (unless you are in the mood!) suggestions offered by the taxi guys. Also I was told by several folks that the meter fare to Pattaya should not exceed 800 Baht by any standards.

We come out and look for directions to the taxi counter. Similar to most international airport setups, the taxi counters are a floor below and we take the elevators to reach another spanking clean lobby, one without the hustle & bustle. While there are hardly any folks around, I do note there is a small Thailand tourism counter at the corner with two ladies at the counter.

Attachment 882956
List of directions once you come outside

Nice Travelogue.

Anyone visiting Pattaya or looking for hotels, must choose the locations wisely. The best place to stay is on the "Beach Road" so keep that in mind while booking. Avoid a few lanes (Soi 3 to Soi 9) if you are travelling with family. There are a lot of value-for-money hotels around the beach road ( start looking for them after crossing Hard Rock Hotel, towards Walking street)

A good way to save some money on travelling within the city is to hire motorbikes. Regular motorbike (100 - 150 cc) will cost you about THB250 - THB 300 per day. You can really explore the city with the freedom to go anywhere you wish. (they may ask for passport as deposit for the bike, but its alright unless you damage the vehicle).

There are a lot of bars which cater to different kinds of entertainment needs. Ofcourse, for those looking for some thrills/adventure, there is the famous "walking street". But if you are looking to chill out, try some bars like Gullivers Travel, Hard Rock cafe, etc. Some of the best places to chill are the bars that line on the road (they are cheap and you can relax and soak in the atmosphere with ease). For the party animals, there is a place called "Differ" (just ask the big blue taxi vans to take you there, they will charge about THB 20 per person) The place is good for eye-candy (super cars/girls/etc..) and surprisingly its cheap compared to any club in India.

In the morning you can relax on the beach, order some thai food with the local guy who provides you with the loungers and umberellas. You can get veg food too! Try the Italian and Arabian food on the "Pattaya 2nd Road" they are all lined up towards the end of the road. Great Food!

If you are planning to visit the Koh Larn (Coral Island) you can get the local ferries from the pier at the end of Walking Street (these are a better option against hiring a private boat to reach the island). Once, on the island you can board any of the taxis lined up depending on the beach that you want to visit.

Another good place to visit is the Jomtien beach in pattaya. It is about 5-6 kms from the main beach. You can flag down any blue vans which are heading towards Jomtien to reach there. The beach is quite relaxed and not as crowded like the main beach. You can also get some very good hotels for throw away prices.

Attachment 889416
Sunny or Teana - you tell me!

This one is the Nissan Tiida, available in sedan and hatchback versions. Quite popular as a small family car.

The rule for taxis in Thailand is that they should be =/more than 1600 cc. The most common ofcourse is the Toyota Corollas, but there are a lot of other brands such as Mitsubishi Lancer EX, Honda Civic, etc.

Attachment 889417
The Honda Brio too makes an appearance - again with a different name

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Yup, Jazz it is. Dunno why I wrote it as Brio. Which incidentally wasn't seen at all!

It is the Honda Jazz, this one is the imported one from Japan hence the label reads FIT. They are quite popular here. The Brio was launched recently, but is not a huge success here, as people tend towards big cars !

Attachment 889418
Gorgeous monster pickup truck by Mitsubishi

This is the Mitsubishi Triton. You might have seen some really good mods on a few of these trucks.


Cheers!

[r_nairtvm]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Ninja

Is Pattaya a must see place, my itinerary is given below, let me know what you think...

Thanks to Thai airways timings, we do not loose much time on travel

Day 1 we reach Thailand 5:30 and take our connecting flight to Phuket at 7:30. Expected arrival time is 9:30 am

Day is for leisure, we would like to relax, go for some massage and hit a couple of beaches

Day 2 is Phang Nga Bay or Jamesbond Island tour and evening is for shopping

Day 3 is standby, it it rains the earlier day we will take our Jamesbond Island tour else we may opt for Phi Phi Island tour

Day 4: Take an 8:00 am flight to Bangkok and drive down to Pattaya. Visit Tiger Zoo en route and in the noon go to Nong Nooch village. Evening go to Alcazar show

Day 5: Coral Island tour in the morning and fly back to Bangkok in the evening. Evening is reserved for shopping

Day 6: Bangkok City and temple tour in the morning and shopping in the evening

Day 7: Safari World and catch a flight late evening 8:00 pm to Chennai

Let me take the liberty of answering that question (as having been in Thailand countless times in the past)

After Phuket, Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi, Pattaya will be a big disappointment to you as far as beach and associated ambiance is concerned. You can safely not do this, excepting if want to check all boxes about Thailand.

Its an utterly commercialised town and beach and you can spend time somewhere else more productively relaxing (if that too can be counted as the purpose of a holiday)

My two bits

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Ninja

Is Pattaya a must see place, my itinerary is given below, let me know what you think...

Thanks to Thai airways timings, we do not loose much time on travel

Day 1 we reach Thailand 5:30 and take our connecting flight to Phuket at 7:30. Expected arrival time is 9:30 am

Day is for leisure, we would like to relax, go for some massage and hit a couple of beaches

Day 2 is Phang Nga Bay or Jamesbond Island tour and evening is for shopping

Day 3 is standby, it it rains the earlier day we will take our Jamesbond Island tour else we may opt for Phi Phi Island tour

Day 4: Take an 8:00 am flight to Bangkok and drive down to Pattaya. Visit Tiger Zoo en route and in the noon go to Nong Nooch village. Evening go to Alcazar show

Day 5: Coral Island tour in the morning and fly back to Bangkok in the evening. Evening is reserved for shopping

Day 6: Bangkok City and temple tour in the morning and shopping in the evening

Day 7: Safari World and catch a flight late evening 8:00 pm to Chennai

Agree with what @r_nairtvm has mentioned. Pattaya is like an extended version of Goa, but more clean, more commercialised, and the main attraction being the awesome night life. However, after Phuket, just to enjoy this, you need not really come to Pattaya. Bangkok too has a decent amount of night life, which is not that popular or great as Pattaya, but still should suffice. Plus you'll save the 3+ hours per single trip (Bangkok-Pattaya) that can be better used.

Use the extra day to roam around Bangkok - I think you are under-estimating the shopping time In addition to malls (MBK, etc), Bangkok has amazing road side markets that exist during the day as well as others that open up in the night. Trust me, we under-estimated it - a result of which I have to make another trip to Bangkok just to ensure the lady is able to shop to her heart's satisfaction

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Ninja

Is Pattaya a must see place, my itinerary is given below, let me know what you think...

Thanks to Thai airways timings, we do not loose much time on travel

Day 1 we reach Thailand 5:30 and take our connecting flight to Phuket at 7:30. Expected arrival time is 9:30 am

Day is for leisure, we would like to relax, go for some massage and hit a couple of beaches

Day 2 is Phang Nga Bay or Jamesbond Island tour and evening is for shopping

Day 3 is standby, it it rains the earlier day we will take our Jamesbond Island tour else we may opt for Phi Phi Island tour

Day 4: Take an 8:00 am flight to Bangkok and drive down to Pattaya. Visit Tiger Zoo en route and in the noon go to Nong Nooch village. Evening go to Alcazar show

Day 5: Coral Island tour in the morning and fly back to Bangkok in the evening. Evening is reserved for shopping

Day 6: Bangkok City and temple tour in the morning and shopping in the evening

Day 7: Safari World and catch a flight late evening 8:00 pm to Chennai

Here's my advice.

Please try to accommodate the Simon Cabaret show or the Phuket Fantasea (or both, if possible) in your trip. It just cannot be missed, both are night shows in Phuket. In Bangkok, you could visit the tiger temple where you can touch the tigers, feed them and then watch some tiger shows too where they play with each other out in the open and the humans are locked inside a cage. Since you are going to Phuket, Pattaya beaches can be skipped. Try and include the tiger temple visit in that time period.

[DevilsDoggie]

Originally Posted by r_nairtvm

Let me take the liberty of answering that question (as having been in Thailand countless times in the past)

After Phuket, Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi, Pattaya will be a big disappointment to you as far as beach and associated ambiance is concerned. You can safely not do this, excepting if want to check all boxes about Thailand.

Its an utterly commercialised town and beach and you can spend time somewhere else more productively relaxing (if that too can be counted as the purpose of a holiday)

My two bits

Best Regards & Drive/Ride Safe

Ram

Rightly said..Pattaya is just too commercialized, for that matter even Phuket is. If you really want to have holiday time, you must visit the hidden gems of Thailand - Chiang mai (a beautiful Hill station), Koh Tao (AMAZING KOH TAO HOTELS & RESORTS), Koh Phangan (Koh Phangan Full Moon Party, Thailand. Hotels, Resorts and Bungalows Reservation on Ko Phangan), Koh Surin, etc. These places a way more beautiful and with less tourists. Dont go there if you want to shop though!

There is a direct bus + Ferry service provided by Lomprayah travels (:: Lomprayah High Speed Ferries :: º.àÃ×ÍàÃçÇÅÁ¾ÃÐÂÒ ::).

[Chillout]

Thanks Ninja/Ram/Prateek/Devilsdoggie for your valuable inputs, I did not know Pattaya was that bad.

If that is the case, I think we will drop Pattaya and spend and additional day in Bangkok

With regard to Bangkok, which is the best place for shopping, I am not talking about exclusive brand stores, just good bargain shopping. This should have the women folk happy and make it easy on my purse

[DevilsDoggie]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Thanks Ninja/Ram/Prateek/Devilsdoggie for your valuable inputs, I did not know Pattaya was that bad.

If that is the case, I think we will drop Pattaya and spend and additional day in Bangkok

With regard to Bangkok, which is the best place for shopping, I am not talking about exclusive brand stores, just good bargain shopping. This should have the women folk happy and make it easy on my purse

Just for the information- Pattaya ain't that bad, you can visit it just to get an experience of a different place. you may select some good hotels on the beach road (this is where the whole action is). But if you are looking for a more private and relaxed accommodation head towards Jomtien beach in Pattaya. My recommendation "The Rabbit Resort" (Welcome to Rabbit Resort Hotel, Pattaya Hotel, Thailand), which has been rated as no.1 resort in pattaya for the past 20 years!! it is a bit on the expensive side, but still cheaper than most 5 star hotels.

You may also opt to visit the Koh-Larn (coral island) just off the coast of pattaya for a night. This island is very clean and beautiful, you can also get fair accommodations on the island.

For Shopping -
You may want to visit the Pratunam market (trust me this is pure shopping heaven for the ladies!) and it is lighter on the purse too! If you are visiting Bangkok during weekends, you can head to Chatuchak weekend market (BTS - skytrain station "Chatuchak") the place has fairly good bargain on almost all the things imaginable. You may also try to visit MBK (specially if you are planning to buy mobile phone or related accessories).
For electronics or laptops - head to Panthip Plaza (which is located at a 5 mins walking distance from Pratunam) you can get good bargains on electronics.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by DevilsDoggie

Nice Travelogue.

Some excellent points of advice @DevilsDoggie! I am glad to note that I have thankfully followed quite a few of them on my own, and its a pity I have missed out on the other insights given by you - especially on the party spots that you have mentioned.

Please do keep giving such useful info whenever you feel its important - really helps the cause of this thread for people who are planning trips to Thai in the near future!

Originally Posted by Chillout

Thanks Ninja/Ram/Prateek/Devilsdoggie for your valuable inputs, I did not know Pattaya was that bad.

If that is the case, I think we will drop Pattaya and spend and additional day in Bangkok

With regard to Bangkok, which is the best place for shopping, I am not talking about exclusive brand stores, just good bargain shopping. This should have the women folk happy and make it easy on my purse

Lol - I think you got the gist of the message wrong. Pattaya isn't bad. I just spent 4+ days at Pattaya, and still I wouldn't mind going there again.

But in your case it'll be redundant especially when you have just spent time at Phuket, plus if you'll stay there only for a day or so, it won't really make that much of an addition to your tour.

As for shopping, I wish I had put up the posts for that - could have touched this area in detail. Let me state what we wanted to do. We didn't want the big brands. We were looking for non-branded but good quality clothes, the kind that gets exported to Europe/US etc. I majorly got inputs to head to MBK, probably the biggest mall in Bangkok. Adjacent to MBK, are several more malls - Siam Center, Central World and many more. I haven't even looked at online reviews of these malls, forget entering them. We just didn't have the time at all. These malls are filled with shops selling all kinds of stuff, from the branded to duplicate stuff.

But what I accidently discovered and what I would recommend are the whole-sale markets that exist adjacent to these malls. There are markets for women clothing, for men clothing, for formals, for bags, and any other stuff that they could sell. You can buy single units, but what they push and give better rates are for bulk buying.

Give me some time, hopefully I should put the rest of the TL by then. If not, I'll pm you the details later.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by Chillout

Thanks Ninja/Ram/Prateek/Devilsdoggie for your valuable inputs, I did not know Pattaya was that bad.

If that is the case, I think we will drop Pattaya and spend and additional day in Bangkok

With regard to Bangkok, which is the best place for shopping, I am not talking about exclusive brand stores, just good bargain shopping. This should have the women folk happy and make it easy on my purse

We were staying at Amari Watergate which is bang opposite the Platinum Fashion Mall, one of the biggest fashion malls in Thailand. There are no big brands in this mall, all are small retailers. It has 6 storied mall and each floor has ~300-400 shops. Here, you can't bargain much. If you buy a single dress, you need to pay the retail price, but if you buy in bulk (3 or more), you get a discounted price. Next to it is the Pantip Plaza, which is a 5 storied mall and has only gadgets and IT related shops. Beware of counterfeits though. Another mall, the CentralWorld is also close by. It is the third largest shopping complex in the world. Go there if you want to shop for branded goods.