[shikh_oberoi]

I booked via Makemytrip.
In phuket I booked Deevana patong resort(17k for 2 nights with breakfast) which was 10 minutes walk from the beach but had all the good Restraunts in the vicinity. Pool was amazing, breakfast not so good. The Deevana plaza in krabi(13k for two nights with bf) had good food.
I had also booked novotel phuket resort which is 100 meters from the beach. The hotel itself was huge and since I booked the basic category room( cost me 12k without breakfast) the room had partial view of the beach.

What's idp?
Yes you have to fill air details on the air suvidha website but nobody checked.

[revvytorques]

Did a North Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai) and Bangkok tour for 10 days. North Thailand has mountains, forests, Buddhist temples, great food. There are no beaches, islands. The weather is also much better than Bangkok & South Thailand. Nov-Feb is a good time to visit.

Visa
Visa-on-Arrival at BKK Suvarnabhoomi took just 5-10 minutes. Costs 2200 Thai Baht per person (cash only). They give a receipt only for 2000 THB, the remaining 200 THB is for express processing.

You need to show - Return ticket, Proof of accommodation for all days, recommendation to carry 10,000 THB per person.

Better to carry insurance as well - you can get for around 500-1000 INR per person for 15 days.

Just pre-fill the form and take printout to avoid filling at the airport - https://extranet.immigration.go.th/v...nlineAction.do

Self Drive Car Rental

Booked a Hertz rental (Toyota Vios E) for driving in North Thailand. Picked up from Chiang Mai Airport (CNX) & dropped at Chiang Rai Airport (CEI). Took the Hertz SCDW which cost 250 THB per day extra. In SCDW, the liability is zero, so complete peace of mind. Total rental came to around 3500 INR per day including insurance. You do need an IDP & Indian Driving License. If no IDP, Hertz still issues the car however Traffic Police will ask you for it. There is a fine of 500 THB-2000 THB depending on the cop.

The car was driven 97,000 kms but in pristine condition. No scratches and the vehicles was well-maintained.

Driving Experience

Driving in Thailand is a wonderful experience. No honking at all. Adequate gap between cars, no potholes. There are 7Elevens throughout the highways. Most of the traffic signals have free-left turns so make sure you follow the correct lane & don't block the traffic. Pedestrians are very important and all cars stop if there's a pedestrian waiting to cross. Even in Bangkok which has really bad traffic you don't hear a single horn.

Currency Tips
Carry a combination of Thai Baht & USD from India itself. Bookmyforex is a good option, they deliver currency at your doorstep. USD can be exchanged at Superrich Thailand, they have good rates.

Niyo Global Card/HDFC Regalia Forex is also a good option for cashless transactions. Cards work in Bangkok but smaller cities & towns, cash is still king. Thai QR payment (like our UPI) scan works everywhere but it's a bit cumbersome for tourists to get it.

Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai Stay & Transport
In Chiang Mai, stay closer to Old City (walkable to Sunday walking street & night market) or Nimman area if you want to visit shopping malls. Public transport exists but limited options. Chiang Mai has Songthaews (pick-up trucks converted with seats) however limited routes so better to arrange for a 2/4 wheeler on rent. The nature trails, national parks are located about 1-2 hours away from the city centre so you would need to arrange a private transport or check for the songthaew routes.

In Chiang Rai, better to stay close to the clock tower. Get a 2/4 wheeler on rent or a cab with chauffeur, very limited public transport.

Bangkok Stay & Transport
Stay closer to the city centre (Sukhumvit/Phaya Thai/Victory Monument) as you can walk/tale BTS to most places. In Bangkok, avoid driving a car, it's well connected via public transport (BTS, MRT, Bus, Ferries) & cabs are available even at odd hours. For cabs, Grab is reliable, a bit expensive compared to India though.

Overall, a very tourist friendly country with smiling & warm people, amazing pothole free roads, excellent driving discipline and neat restrooms everywhere.

Ending with a picture of our Hertz Rental Car

[s4ch]

Looking for some up to date advice for Visa on Arrival for Thailand. I will be travelling to Koh Samui only.

1. Do I need to fill in a form online? If so, can someone please point me in the right direction.

2. Do I make the payment for the visa in THB or USD on arrival? Cash only or cards ok?

3. What docs do I need to show at the immigration counter besides accommodation booking and return ticket?

Thanks.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Looking for some up to date advice for Visa on Arrival for Thailand. I will be travelling to Koh Samui only.

1. Do I need to fill in a form online? If so, can someone please point me in the right direction.

2. Do I make the payment for the visa in THB or USD on arrival? Cash only or cards ok?

3. What docs do I need to show at the immigration counter besides accommodation booking and return ticket?

Thanks.

1. It is a paper form. However you should be able to download it online, print and fill-up before reaching Thailand (will save a bit of time at the airport).
2. From what I remember it was 2000 THB in cash.
3. Passport, accommodation, and return ticket.

[premsky]

Please remember to bring passport size photographs with you as they may be required, as I unfortunately found out when I was asked for them during my visa on arrival application and had to pay an additional 200 Baht

[s4ch]

Originally Posted by vb-san

2. From what I remember it was 2000 THB in cash.

Originally Posted by premsky

Please remember to bring passport size photographs with you as they may be required, as I unfortunately found out when I was asked for them during my visa on arrival application and had to pay an additional 200 Baht

Thanks for the tips. I will carry some cash with me but plan to use credit cards where possible. Do I need to carry the full amount of 20,000THB in cash (requirement for family for VOA) or some in cash (say 10,000THB) and just use the rest on cards is ok?

Thanks for the help.

[MyLife_MyCar]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Looking for some up to date advice for Visa on Arrival for Thailand. I will be travelling to Koh Samui only.

1. Do I need to fill in a form online? If so, can someone please point me in the right direction.

2. Do I make the payment for the visa in THB or USD on arrival? Cash only or cards ok?

For #1, you can find attachment in the the post below:

Originally Posted by MyLife_MyCar

Additional Tip:
If you are planning for Visa on Arrival, carry the visa form with you. Fill it up before your trip or during the flight. It will save few crucial minutes at the airport as you can head directly for the visa window and your wife would be happy

Attaching the visa form for your reference. Address in Thailand could be your hotel address.
Name and address of person for local reference could be some employee of the hotel where you'd be staying. Check with the hotel before you travel.

For #2, I'd say cash only. Visa processing is a very fast process and counters are usually busy. I don't think they will appreciate time involved in getting a machine and swiping a card. At least based on what I saw in Phuket - everyone hands over the cash, the guy at the counter will take it and give it to officials inside for processing. So, better to carry cash as much as possible.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Thanks for the tips. I will carry some cash with me but plan to use credit cards where possible. Do I need to carry the full amount of 20,000THB in cash (requirement for family for VOA) or some in cash (say 10,000THB) and just use the rest on cards is ok?

They did not ask on the cash requirement. I also had around THB 10,000 in hand (for the whole family). Even if asked, credit cards or bank statement on phone/app should be more than sufficient.

[ashwinsid]

Originally Posted by revvytorques

Bookmyforex is a good option, they deliver currency at your doorstep.

Just tried purchasing some USD from bookmyforex. After uploading PAN, Flight ticket, passport etc, in the address section, it only shows Delhi. I am unable to select Bangalore/Karnataka.

Did you get home deliver of currency in Bangalore or some other city?

[revvytorques]

Originally Posted by ashwinsid

Did you get home deliver of currency in Bangalore or some other city?

Delivered in Bangalore. I was able to select the city.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by ashwinsid

Just tried purchasing some USD from bookmyforex.

Try Orient Exchange and Financial Services, Basavanagudi. Have had good experience with them, and they do delivery to home with a one day delivery period.

https://https://maps.app.goo.gl/KRenDpvDHNREbUat8

[Happysmiles]

We went last month April 20th-29th to Bangkok, Thailand.
Flights, E-Visa, Travel Insurance (not a must now) done from a local travel agency. Travelled with the Wife and 8 year old Daughter.
Did not opt for Visa on Arrival as I heard of huge lines there.
E-Visa by VFS global @INR 6800 per visa processed by travel agent (done in a day and home delivered) 10 days prior to Travel was a good decision as we breezed through E-visa immigration counter in 3 minutes while we saw huge lines at the VOA Counters.
For E-Visa had to submit Hotel Confirmation and Air tickets.
We booked Montien Hotel Surawong direct and negotiated price by Email. Its a Newly refurbished 5 star Tripadvisor travellers choice 2022 in Silom and very centralised for all attractions.
We got a great price for the Junior Suite California King Bed for 9 days inclusive of Breakfast.
Used Grab app for food delivery on the day we arrived. Grab delivers only up to lobby in all hotels.
For taxi we downloaded Grab and Bolt. We found Bolt cheaper. Used GrabBike once when I went to a motorcycle accessory store. Its fast way to travel during traffic hours in Bangkok.
Used the Icici Forex card loaded with Thai Baht.
Exchanged some INR to Thai Baht Cash from Camp Forex Exchange in Pune.
The Indigo Pune Banglore Bangkok and return flight was very convenient.
Klook booking with private taxi hotel pickup and drop with Driver/Tour guide by SST when travelling with child to Safari World Marine park is highly recommended.
Remember to negotiate a price with Taxi driver. Chatachuk weekend Market is huge with great bargain shopping, Must Visit.
All Malls have huge Food courts and we had a great time enjoying various cuisines.
We visited MBK, Terminal 21, Union mall, Icon Siam mall and would spend the whole day shopping and eating.
Street food is clean and fresh. Do download Google Translate to communicate with locals and taxi drivers.

[AltoLXI]

Planning to visit Phuket and Krabi next week. With onset of monsoon, how is the rainy season in these two places? If it rains, we are planning for extra day so that we can catch up with the missed activities. How bad is the rain during mid July?

[goandude]

Hi Travellers, I have a question.

I'm planning to travel onward journey from Bangalore to Phuket followed by a 2 week stay in Thailand. The flight is Bangalore Bangkok Phuket. With change of plane at Bangkok.

Where would I do immigration? Bangkok or Phuket?

Thanks

[AltoLXI]

Originally Posted by goandude

Where would I do immigration? Bangkok or Phuket?
Thanks

In one of the travelogue on TBhp, it is mentioned the visa formalities are done at port of entry (Bangkok for you). I am planning next week, same as yours - via Bangkok to Phuket. The issue is there is only one and half hour transit time which may not be enough for VOA.

A question from my side is whether it will rain during next week and spoil the vacation.