[Saanil]

Massage in Thailand

Coming back to India and telling someone that you had a nice massage back in Thailand – you are bound to get some nasty looks. Thailand indeed has a ‘naughty’ reputation with respect to this and I realized this after going there. Yes I did have a proper clean massage (stating this to avoid nasty looks!) – In fact I would definitely recommend people to have a proper Thai massage. Please do not go to any shady places or listen to a stranger on the street who offers you a ‘massage menu’. You should ask your hotel manager for a good place to go. I have had a Thai massage in Mumbai too and I did not feel the massage I had in Thailand is materially different from the ones we have in Mumbai.

I had one full body massage and a foot massage for THB 300 and THB 600 respectively. I would recommend going for a massage whenever you feel tired. Normally when we travel, we walk a lot and as a result we get tired quickly. This in fact is the best time to get a massage – once you get it, you will be re-energized and can walk miles again to explore the place. One evening in Bangkok, we were on foot for quite some time and were really tired. Instead of going back to hotel to get some rest, we went for a foot massage and it was really awesome.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by rjalihal

Hi Saanil,


Cheers!
Rohan

I am planning a 3/4 day trip to Phuket with a friend of mine and wanted some tips/suggestions from people here.

1. Which are the must visit places in Phuket? I searched on-line and found a few places like Big Buddha, Chalong Temple, Phang Nga Bay – these are the kind of places I am interested in. Also happy to do some adventure activities at the beach. I do not want to invest any time in shopping!

2. Any tips for booking air tickets to Phuket? I saw on makemytrip that the cheapest fare is from Malaysian airlines (from 28k for a return trip) with the other option being Bangkok airways (c39k). I am flexible to make this trip any time from 20th Dec-4th Jan. Any permutations with the dates which might help in reducing the airfare?

3. Any suggestions for budget hotels in Phuket? I do not need a lavish 5 star room but need a decent room with clean toilets! How much cost should I factor in? Rs 4k per day?

4. I have read that going around the city in taxis is very expensive. I am planning to hire a moped (Google suggested pricing of THB250/day) or plan to use their local rickshaws/tuk-tuk.

5. How much would be the overall cost of the trip (3-4 days)? I do not drink alcohol and do not intend to visit night clubs. I do not need to dine at very expensive places. I am very happy to eat subway sandwiches or noodles everyday (not a foodie at all).

Any tips related to Phuket would be greatly appreciated!

[kisharchit]

I have lived in Bangkok for 19 years almost ( from childhood, I am 21 now :P) and moved to India back only in 2013. So I can be of help too if anyone needs any planning to their trip to Bangkok.

Some Pointers from me:

1. First things first, DO NOT go to Indra market. It is a market no local person goes to because they know it is not the market to go. Indian tourists generally flock there partly because their tour packages bring them there and secondly, they are attracted to the name since its the only one they can pronounce in the beginning of trip. :P

2. For nonveg, street food is a delicacy. For veg, if they need help, they should just ask ahaan che anywhere they feel hungry. Ahaan che means veg food. If the shop wont have, they will be honest. But mostly can make a simple mix veg dish (phad phak rua mit).

3. Pattaya is not the place if one wants to enjoy beaches. It is over crowded with too much mafia and foreign crowd. Too bustling and at times unsafe too. Locals always prefer Chonburi or drive down to Samui/ Koh Chang for the beaches.

4. One has to vary of the fake/real products they buy. I have had friends who ended up buying fake product even though it seemed original and everything. Or it can be refurbished but one can't tell.

5. If you do buy anything over 3-4k baht (dont remember the exact lower limit), always avail the 7% VAT refund as it makes any deal sweeter.

6. Always insist using taxi with meter as I have heard they see indian faces and just not to choose to follow the meter. I had private car so never had to actually sit in taxi much.

7. Do visit the malls once. It might get boring after a while. That's where the street markets come in. Chatu Chak, Bobay market, etc. are good fun to spend time in. Chatu Chak only is open on weekends.

8. When you do decide to buy that fake Rolex watch, do bargain. But once you bargain, please do buy once the shopkeeper comes down to your price. Many Indian tourists bring the price down then just leave it. Thus leaving a sour taste in the seller's mind regarding Indian people.

9. Do visit Siam Niramit show in Bangkok as it is a must watch. A beautiful show indeed.

10. Enjoy the place. Don't worry too much about anything. Have a great journey!

[Baagi]

Originally Posted by kisharchit

I can be of help too if anyone needs any planning to their trip to Bangkok.

Thanks for the useful information kisharchit.
I'm planning my first trip to Thailand with my wife in Late January/ Early February for 2 weeks.
Things I would like to cover:
Nature (Greneery, Oceans, Rivers, Valleys)
EDM concerts
City life (Probably a one-time thing)
Shopping

Please suggest:
Some must-see places, and duration to stay at each place.
Is Jan-Feb, better time to visit?
Any tips for better airfares?
How much should be my budget (2 & 3 star hotel stay)

With your inputs, I will do some research and get back to you.
Appreciate your help!

Thank you!

[kisharchit]

Originally Posted by Baagi

Thanks for the useful information kisharchit.
I'm planning my first trip to Thailand with my wife in Late January/ Early February for 2 weeks.
Things I would like to cover:
Nature (Greneery, Oceans, Rivers, Valleys)
EDM concerts
City life (Probably a one-time thing)
Shopping

Please suggest:
Some must-see places, and duration to stay at each place.
Is Jan-Feb, better time to visit?
Any tips for better airfares?
How much should be my budget (2 & 3 star hotel stay)

With your inputs, I will do some research and get back to you.
Appreciate your help!

Thank you!

Firstly, I am really sorry for such a delayed response.

Early Feb can be a good time to visit. Just keep a check on ticket prices because its chinese new year then and there will be celebrations. Weather will still be the usual hot. :P

Oceans... Go to the beaches. Not Pattaya again (unless you like commercial places but the beaches there are not the best you can find.) Do some research on the best beaches. Probably near Koh Chang and the likes.

EDM concerts, I can't say. You have to see www.thaiticketmaster.com to see any events. It is the bookmyshow of thailand. :P

City Life... Roam around Bangkok. Go to the floating market. You can visit old buddhist temples and several other things in Bangkok. Use the 3 wheeler tuk tuk and sky train and I guess you'll taste the city life.

Thailand is shopping paradise. More so Bangkok. Malls or street markets, you're covered on that front.

2 weeks is a lot of time for a trip to Thailand. So you can actually see a lot. My tip is if you have 2 weeks, club Bali in your itinerary. It will just complete the whole trip well.

Airfares cant say much.

Budget only of Thailand can be set as 30-40k exclusive of tickets for 2 people for a week. It is a cheap place to chill out.

Tried my best to help out.

[PerfHuman]

I am planning for a family trip to Thailand in the last week of April and have been going through the travelogues on team-bhp which have been of immense help. I am not going through any travel agency and doing this myself. We are two adults and three kids and our priorities for the visit in that order are

1) Kids activities - safari, marine park, water activities etc
2) Beaches
3) Food
4) Shopping

I am looking for some suggestions/tips on the following:

1) Total stay is 6 days (excluding days of travel). My plan is to split it between Bangkok (3 days) and Phuket (3 days). Is this good enough ? Any suggestions on activities in Phuket would really help.

2) Based on suggestions given in some of the threads, i am planning to skip Pattaya or is it worth while to make a day trip?

3) Any suggestions on Hotels in Phuket ? Looking for 3-4 star. Also, are the hotels in Thailand very strict in terms of allowing additional beds in one room. Any idea ? All the three Kids are more than 10 yrs old

4) I am booking my flight tickets from Pune to Bangkok return and booking the Bangkok to Phuket return separately. Is there a better way than this to cover Phuket ? I tried doing a multi-city airfare and it comes out to be expensive that doing it seperately.

Thanks

[toodlingalong]

Originally Posted by PerfHuman

I am planning for a family trip to Thailand in the last week of April and have been going through the travelogues on team-bhp which have been of immense help. I am not going through any travel agency and doing this myself. We are two adults and three kids and our priorities for the visit in that order are

1) Kids activities - safari, marine park, water activities etc
2) Beaches
3) Food
4) Shopping

I am looking for some suggestions/tips on the following:

1) Total stay is 6 days (excluding days of travel). My plan is to split it between Bangkok (3 days) and Phuket (3 days). Is this good enough ? Any suggestions on activities in Phuket would really help.

2) Based on suggestions given in some of the threads, i am planning to skip Pattaya or is it worth while to make a day trip?

3) Any suggestions on Hotels in Phuket ? Looking for 3-4 star. Also, are the hotels in Thailand very strict in terms of allowing additional beds in one room. Any idea ? All the three Kids are more than 10 yrs old

4) I am booking my flight tickets from Pune to Bangkok return and booking the Bangkok to Phuket return separately. Is there a better way than this to cover Phuket ? I tried doing a multi-city airfare and it comes out to be expensive that doing it seperately.

Thanks

I am a new member here and I travel to Thailand every two months on business, mainly to Bangkok and Rayong.
Regarding your trip, you could very well do 3-4 days in Bangkok and 3 days in Phuket.
For the kids, in Bangkok you could go to:
1. Dinosaur Planet - located on Sukhumvit near the Emporium mall on Soi 24. Entrance is about 500 baht for adults and 350 for kids. They do have promotions off and on and you can check while you're there for reduced rates. Nearest BTS station is Phrom Phong.
2. Sea Life - It's got an aquarium and shows. Located in the Siam Paragon Mall in Siam Square. Don't remember the cost - Nearest BTS station is Siam.
3. Madam Tussaud's Museuem, Bangkok - Well it's supposed to be as good as the one in London! Entrance is steep but worth the money. Located at Siam Discover Mall, right next to Siam Paragon...

The regular stuff to visit in Bangkok is the Royal Palace, Wat Po, Wat Arun all done best using the tourist boat system on the river. The boat quay is right under the Sapang Taksin MRT station. Also visit Asiatique an arts and entertainment venue with lots of food etc - great place to spend an evening.

Phuket - you must do a boat tour to the various islands around Phuket. They cost around 1200 baht per head and you can do some kayaking and snorkeling. Available at most hotels and travel desks.

Places to stay in Phuket:
I have stayed in the Centara Blue Marine resort - it's a 4 star resort and should cost you not more than 3000 baht per night. Do tell them about your requirements in advance and they are pretty good at arranging requests. Many properties in Phuket at various price points.

I did Phuket by going to Krabi and hiring a car there (1200 baht per day) and driving to Phuket which is about 212 kms.

PM me if you need more info ase there are tons of things to do both in Phuket and Bangkok which would cover pages and pages of writing...

[PerfHuman]

Originally Posted by toodlingalong

I am a new member here and I travel to Thailand every two months on business, mainly to Bangkok and Rayong.

Thanks toodlingalong. I have finalized on the below itinerary. My membership doesn't yet allow me to PM, so am posting my queries here.

Day 1: Pune to Kolkata to Bangkok - Reaching by 2:40 pm local time. Evening TBD
Day 2: Spend time in Siam - Sea Life Ocean World, Madame Tussads, Shopping
Day 3: Full day safari
Day 4: TBD. Will be flying to Phuket on this day. Planning for one of the shows in the evening in Phuket
Day 5: Phi Phi Island Tour or Jamesbond Island. Any suggestions on this
Day 6: Go to some beach
Day 7: TBD.
Day 8: Return to Bangkok in morning. Depart from Bangkok at 3:45 pm

My queries:
a) Need some suggestions on the TBD mentioned in the above itinerary
b) I only have a 2 hour layover in Kolkata. The Indigo flight from Pune reaches Kolkata by 8:40 am and the departure flight is at 10:45 am. I am worried that this might be too tight. Has anyone does this before.
c) Dos and Don't from a safety point of view. Am travelling with wife and three kids

[toodlingalong]

Originally Posted by PerfHuman

Thanks toodlingalong. I have finalized on the below itinerary. My membership doesn't yet allow me to PM, so am posting my queries here.

Day 1: Pune to Kolkata to Bangkok - Reaching by 2:40 pm local time. Evening TBD
Day 2: Spend time in Siam - Sea Life Ocean World, Madame Tussads, Shopping
Day 3: Full day safari
Day 4: TBD. Will be flying to Phuket on this day. Planning for one of the shows in the evening in Phuket
Day 5: Phi Phi Island Tour or Jamesbond Island. Any suggestions on this
Day 6: Go to some beach
Day 7: TBD.
Day 8: Return to Bangkok in morning. Depart from Bangkok at 3:45 pm

My queries:
a) Need some suggestions on the TBD mentioned in the above itinerary
b) I only have a 2 hour layover in Kolkata. The Indigo flight from Pune reaches Kolkata by 8:40 am and the departure flight is at 10:45 am. I am worried that this might be too tight. Has anyone does this before.
c) Dos and Don't from a safety point of view. Am travelling with wife and three kids

Since I don't know in which part of Bangkok you will be staying, I'll just give you options for the two main areas, Siam-Silom and Sukhumvit.

Day - 1 Evening - If you reach BKK by 2:40 and you have to get Visa on Arrival, then you would be in your hotel by about 6, this is assuming that it takes 90 minutes to get the VoA. Since they've stopped the fast track VoA, it takes anything between one and two hours to get the VoA. It would be better if you get a Visa before you travel, and if you take it before 20th Feb. it's free! After that it's Rs.2000/-. Current price for VoA is 1000 Baht and after 20th Feb it will be 2000 baht! It would also save you at least an hour at the airport.
Freshen up change and then visit Asiatique on the river front. It's a great place to spend an evening with the family and has got something for everyone. Free boat shuttles leave the Sapang Taksin pier every 30 minutes and getting there is easy on the MRT. A taxi to Sapang Taksin shouldn't cost more than 80 baht from Silom and about 120 from Sukhumvit. If you reach your hotel early, why not go for a massage? Costs 2-300 baht per hour and is an experience everyone should have.

Day - 4 Phuket - if you want to take in a show, it's a choice between Fantasea and Siam Niramit. Both cost about the same. Make a choice looking at the distance from where you are staying, one's in Kamala the other near Phuket Town.

For the island tour, they have the 4 or 5 island tour that takes in, if I remember right, Chicken Island, James Bond, Monkey and some others, can't remember the names. Take that one instead of going to Phi Phi, there isn't much to see there except for Maya beach. Or maybe, you can use your free day in Phuket to do Phi Phi?

Free day in Phuket - Maybe another boat tour? Or a trip to Phi Phi? Maybe another beach? The main ones are Patong, Karon, Kata, Kamala etc. Actually there are some 30 beaches in Phuket!

About Kolkata, 2 hours should be enough. If you're travelling Indigo from Pune, they should be able to check you in and your baggage straight through to BKK so all you have to do is go through immigration and security. Kolkata ia a single terminal so no real problems there.

About the do's and don'ts, the Thais though friendly are extremely apprehensive about Indians due to their prior experiences! Here are some pointers:

1. Thailand is generally safe. However, like in most of SEA, try not to wear lots of jewellery or other displays of wealth.
2. The most important thing to remember in Thailand is DO NOT under any circumstances loose your temper and shout at people. What I have found after working with a lot of Thai people is that when you have a disagreement , be polite but firm and tell them what the problem is according to you is. Keep smiling and be pleasant and they will go out of their way to help you. To the Thais, keeping "face" is most important and shouting and yelling is an absolute no no.
3. Never, ever, say anything disparaging about the Royal family!!! Besides getting on the wrong side of any Thai around, you could be jailed for lese majeste!
4. Greet everyone - yeah thats right, everyone. Like the maid who cleans your room, the reception folks, the bellboy, the doorman - like everyone you come in contact with. A simple smile and a hello will do. If you want to go the Thai way then it's "sawadee khap" ( when women say it, its "sawadee kha").
5. DO bargain at the stalls and small shops that you want to buy from. However, if the shopkeeper comes down to the price you asked for, do buy what you offered to - it's considered rude and impolite to bargain and not buy. Seen lots of fights and bad scenes on this one!
6. Since you're travelling with family, maybe you won't be going to bars and other nightlife areas. If you do, it is imperative that each one of you buys a separate drink - a soft drink or a bottle of water will do. Only thing is that don't buy one bottle of water and share it among all of you! I've seen bouncers being called for this kind of behaviour!
&. Do have a great time - after all that's what you're there to do! Just make allowances for cultural differences and language and you'll be fine...

Here are some boat trip pictures from the time I went there...

[Jebs]

Team, Need your help as it's my first international trip. I'm going to Bangkok next week and my flight will land DMK Airport (Air Asia). As I'm going alone, what are the best ways to reach Pattaya. I'm thinking of taking public transport instead of a rental car for me alone. Please suggest.

[kraft.wagen]

Originally Posted by Jebs

Team, Need your help as it's my first international trip. I'm going to Bangkok next week and my flight will land DMK Airport (Air Asia). As I'm going alone, what are the best ways to reach Pattaya. I'm thinking of taking public transport instead of a rental car for me alone. Please suggest.

There are plenty of bus services to Pattaya and would be pocket friendly as well

[jayantvs]

Originally Posted by Jebs

Team, Need your help as it's my first international trip. I'm going to Bangkok next week and my flight will land DMK Airport (Air Asia). As I'm going alone, what are the best ways to reach Pattaya. I'm thinking of taking public transport instead of a rental car for me alone. Please suggest.

I went from Bangkok to Pattaya using a public transport in 2013. However there is no direct bus from DMK to Pattaya. I took a shuttle from DMK to Suvarnabhoomi airport and took a bus to Pattaya from there, It is around 3-4 hours journey and I think the cost was around 250-300 Baht per person.

You may also get a bus from around DMK to Pattaya but I did not explore much at that time.

[Jebs]

Originally Posted by kraft.wagen

There are plenty of bus services to Pattaya and would be pocket friendly as well

Thanks a lot! That's what I heard.. But I don't see any relevant thread to catch buses from DMK Airport.

[Jebs]

One more advise needed on enabling the AirTel roaming pack instead of getting local SIM over there. AirTel offers 3GB data and unlimited incoming, 250 mins outgoing valid for 10 days on their roaming packs for 1199 INR. Is this advisable considering that i have post paid connection? Or Should I go with Local Thai SIM. Please suggest. All posts seems older and hence the query.

[jayantvs]

Originally Posted by Jebs

....AirTel offers 3GB data and unlimited incoming, 250 mins outgoing valid for 10 days on their roaming packs for 1199 INR. Is this advisable considering that i have post paid connection? Or Should I go with Local Thai SIM.....

Depends upon how many days you are planning to stay there. I would suggest to get local sim it would be much cheaper and I believe they offer some free data too. You can get the sim at the airport itself.