[smrtdvl]

Hi any recommendations for travel insurance for my Thailand trip? And should I watch out for any important clauses? TIA

[ninjatalli]

So we did a week long trip to Bangkok and Chiang Mai last week - that's start of June to give a calendar view. This was a very laidback, no to-do list, nothing defined or planned kind of a trip. We were two weary travelers who needed a break; and that's what we got from the trip!

Itinerary:

• Day 0: Mumbai - Bangkok (Jet airways) + Bangalore - Bangkok (Thai airways)
• Day1 - Day 3: Bangkok
• Day 4: Bangkok - Chang Mai (Thai airways)
• Day 4 - Day 6: Chang Mai
• Day 7: Chang Mai - Bangkok - Mumbai

Few pointers that worked and few that didn't; will list as pros & cons

Pros:

• Booked via airbnb; picked up a location close to MRT and the waterway transport; worked wonders for traveling around without being worried about the traffic jams
• Carried 20k baht cash - worked wonders throughout the trip. As rightly mentioned by a few, cash is the true mode of currency. The city prefers cash at places even when card is allowed
• Booked a bike/scooter for local transport - BEST way to travel around the cities in Bangkok
• Night markets - one of the best things the city has to offer. Key one worthy of mentioning - Ratchada Night Market!
• Literally survived on street food across the 4 days at Bangkok - if you don't mind the fish sauce smell and are ok with eating any meat, then street food is the way to go!
• Khaosan road / Rambuttri alley after 10 pm - if you need an explanation on these streets, then you are not the target segment
• Chiang Mai - hidden oasis up in the hills. Think a tier 2 city with all the bells and whistles of Bangkok; right next to beautiful mountain ranges; that's Chiang Mai for you. Spent 3 days of backpacking routine (read:hostel life) here at 1/5th of what we spent in Bangkok, and did a lot more - night markets, bars, spas, waterfall & mountain hiking, and what not

Cons:

• Peer pressure got to us (Bangkok and no visit to beaches?) Wasted a day in driving to the nearest beach from Bangkok; Bangsen beach. Utter waste of a day; a trip to Juhu beach would have been more satisfying
• Didn't get the bike till the last day in Bangkok; missed an awesome opportunity otherwise to roam around the first 3 days on the scooter.
• Massages (the good ones) - didn't go for them till the end; and that too a okiesh experience. There are excellent massage parlors without the 'extra' stuff; worth every penny you spend there
• Missed the rains completely. Was hoping we'd see some rains; the heat during the day was not helpful. Fun fact - the rains came pouring down on the day of departure to Bombay!

Overall - we got the break that we wanted; and had a blast over there

My advice to others:

1. Carry cash as much as you can/need
2. Use bikes to drive around if you can; Indian DL works & the driving sense is pretty decent across the country
3. Hone up your bargaining skills - it works everywhere!
4. And always be polite & smiling (Thai folks are extremely polite to one & all) - this is a MUST!

[SoumenD]

Ok, so I am all set with tickets and stay booked for the trip next month. Will be opting for VOA @ Phuket. Is it too crowded(the queue for VOA) there as well on a Sunday? While going through Thai Official immigration website, noticed one needs to carry 20,000 baht per person. Is that really strictly observed?

I will be there for only 6 days and 40k baht seems way too much to me as my stay is already booked(and paid for). Folks who recently did Thai trip, could you please lemme know how much cash does one need to carry for immigration officers to let you in?

I am planning to carry some 10-15k baht in cash and rest in USD.

And what documents other than passport are we required to show during VOA process?

[vijit.gangwar]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Ok, so I am all set with tickets and stay booked for the trip next month. Will be opting for VOA @ Phuket. Is it too crowded(the queue for VOA) there as well on a Sunday? While going through Thai Official immigration website, noticed one needs to carry 20,000 baht per person. Is that really strictly observed?

I will be there for only 6 days and 40k baht seems way too much to me as my stay is already booked(and paid for). Folks who recently did Thai trip, could you please lemme know how much cash does one need to carry for immigration officers to let you in?

I am planning to carry some 10-15k baht in cash and rest in USD.

And what documents other than passport are we required to show during VOA process?

Dear Soumen, visit the Thai VOA site, every thing is explained in detail. There you can fill Online VOA form and take print out for the visa process. If alone carry THB 10,000 or if family carry THB 20,000. VOA will cost you THB 2,000 per person, do account for that too.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by vijit.gangwar

Dear Soumen, visit the Thai VOA site, every thing is explained in detail. There you can fill Online VOA form and take print out for the visa process. If alone carry THB 10,000 or if family carry THB 20,000. VOA will cost you THB 2,000 per person, do account for that too.

Yeah i rechecked now. Actually i got misled by this link in Tripadvisor that talked about certain folks being stopped and asked to show 20k baht(or equivalent in other currency) cash per person.

10k per person makes sense.

[airbus]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Will be opting for VOA @ Phuket. Is it too crowded(the queue for VOA) there as well on a Sunday? While going through Thai Official immigration website, noticed one needs to carry 20,000 baht per person. Is that really strictly observed?

I am planning to carry some 10-15k baht in cash and rest in USD.

And what documents other than passport are we required to show during VOA process?

If you have half day time, I would recommend applying the visa here in India. Two benefits, no need to wait in queue for visa on arrival (VOA), secondly cost will be less than VOA, that is 2500 INR vs 2000 THB.

My last visit was in May 2018. We had visa issued in India and it was just five minutes affair to complete immigration for us (family of four). They did not ask for proof of fund.


Exchange rate for INR is also not bad, if you know where to exchange. In the past I have exchanged currency at Super Rich. You may check their conversion rate for different currencies.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by airbus

Exchange rate for INR is also not bad, if you know where to exchange. In the past I have exchanged currency at Super Rich. You may check their conversion rate for different currencies.

Originally Posted by vijit.gangwar

Dear Soumen, visit the Thai VOA site, every thing is explained in detail. There you can fill Online VOA form and take print out for the visa process. If alone carry THB 10,000 or if family carry THB 20,000. VOA will cost you THB 2,000 per person, do account for that too.

Thanks everyone. I did the trip earlier this August. It was awesome

Was a week long trip covering Krabi & Phuket . My entry and exit was Phuket international airport as Singapore airlines didn't have flights to Krabi(they had scoot but I usually avoid scoot/airAsia etc).

Some tips for folks planning the same :

1. Get your visa done from India, will save you a cool 1000 baht per visa. VOA cost is 2000 baht per person.
2. Do carry 10,000 baht per person in cash as they do check it at times. Most of the places they prefer being paid in cash.
3. For daily tours book it only once there from the tour/travels shops near the beaches. I did those bookings from shops near Patong(Phuket) and Aonang(krabi). They are aplenty and you can bargain and save a lot(500-1000 baht easily).
4. Other than the 10k baht, carry extra cash in USD, saves the trouble of carrying too much cash and conversion is pretty good. For every 100 USD I got ~3300 baht. Utilize the lockers in room to store all valuables/extra cash.
5. During monsoon try to book bigger boats and not speed boats. Specially for Phi Phi island tour as the rough sea leads to lot of jumping around leading to one feeling sick(some people vomited). Bigger boats are comparatively smoother.
6. For transfer between Krabi & Phuket its better to utilize the shared van service as individual taxi is super expensive. 2500-3000 baht for individual taxi compared to 350 baht for shared van and they are pretty comfortable.

[turbospooler]

I have planned a trip to Thailand in February 2019 and need some guidance on hotels and how many days to spend in each city. I will be there for 8.5 days.

I plan to see Phuket, Krabi, Bangkok and Pattaya. Also, if someone can comment on what is worthwhile seeing in Bangkok, I would be obliged.

So my itinerary is as below:
02/02/2019 Bombay to Phuket on the newly launched GoAir direct flight
07/02/2019 Krabi to Bangkok early morning flight
10/02/2019 Bangkok to Pune via Bengaluru

For Phuket and Krabi attractions, I am using an app called Klook which I had used during my Bali+Singapore trip and has been saving lot of money for me on attractions.

Kindly advise on decent 3* to 4* hotels / AirBnBs with clean facilities and safe neighbourhood.

I plan to avail the Citibank offer with MakeMyTrip which will give 25% discount on hotels.

I think this will be my go-to-thread for the next few months!

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

Kindly advise on decent 3* to 4* hotels / AirBnBs with clean facilities and safe neighbourhood.

I can help you with stay in Phuket. I was in Phuket for 7 days. I stayed at Hyatt Place Phuket for 4 days and then moved to Patong Tower Condo Apartments for 3 days.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/th...t-patong/phuzp

http://www.patong-tower.com/

Both the accommodations were equally good. Hyatt being a hotel had good facilities whereas apartment was more like a studio with kitchen. Both are located just 5 minute walk from Patong beach. The apartment was on 14th floor beach facing so the view was just amazing. As tuk tuk's are expensive I suggest you to find a hotel with walking distance to the beach if you plan to spend more time on the beach.

[murillo]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

I have planned a trip to Thailand

I have not used Klook myself, but heard that it is good for discounts and offers.

I am not sure about the Citibank offer on MakeMyTrip - originally they quote a price, but when you apply Citibank offer, they will raise the original price and offer the discount. Watch out for that. You can also do hotel price comparison on sites such as Trivago. Also check prices across web sites such as booking.com, agoda, hotels.com, etc. Or directly contact the hotel and ask for better rates.

Places of interest in Bangkok:

Temples: Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Traimit, Erawan shrine (brahma's temple)

Architecture: Grand palace, ferris wheel at Asiatique riverfront night market

Wax musueum: Madame Tussauds

Shows: Siam Niramit, Calypso cabaret at Asiatique riverfront night market

Nightlife/bars: Soi Cowboy

Parks: Ocean world, Safari World

Shopping:
Upscale: CentralWorld, Terminal 21, Siam Paragon, Central Embassy, Siam Discovery
Value: MKB Center, Pantip Plaza (IT mall), Platinum mall, Indra Square, Asiatique riverfront night market

Further:
The King is highly respected, don't say anything offensive about the King, which may result in prosecution and jail, also any paper including currency with King's picture printed should be treated with respect, don't accidently step on currency note having King's picture, better not to discuss anything about the Royal family

Taxis and tuk tuks not allowed to stop at bus stops and take passengers, walk to the nearest tuk tuk stop and get your tuk tuk there.

Thailand people talk in low and calm voice and might have difficulty in understanding English. There is an impression that Indians are boorish and talk too loudly. Talk slowly, clearly, and with low voice when asking, e.g., directions. This will be appreciated.

You can put the palms together like saying namaste and say "thank you" to thank someone for something. It shows respect. It will be appreciated.

Restaurants offering Indian food is aplenty around Indra square.

Indra Square is a famous shopping center offering clothes, luggage, bags, electronics, mobiles, imitation electronics, etc. Many shops inside the Indra square have prices displayed, but you can bargain. You can also bargain in shops outside and around the Indra square. But once the shop keeper comes down to your price, please buy. There is a bad reputation for Indians that we bargain but didn't actually buy even when the shop keeper offers for your price. They will get upset, angry and abusive. Don't touch goods in shop before getting the attention of the shop keeper.

Pickpocketing is common in and around Indra square, hence in general keep your belongings safe, esp. passports, mobiles, and currency.

Bangkok is a shoppers' paradise, especially value shopping for clothes, shoes, ladies' bags etc. If you run out of luggage space, you can buy a large luggage bag made out of polythene and also comes with zippers, which you can check in at airport.

If possible, get visa beforehand in India itself before embarkation. Then it will be a breeze for you to clear immigration. As it is, the entire plane passengers come for visa on arrival and there is a huge crowd outside the visa on arrival office causing too much delay.

Don't expect courtesy or politeness from airport security.

Cash is king.

[turbospooler]

Originally Posted by murillo

Places of interest in Bangkok:
.
.
.
Cash is king.

Thanks murillo for the insights about Bangkok. Very clear and succinct. May I also get some clarity about Pattaya (going with wife..so advise accordingly) and if I don't go to Pattaya, will I miss anything unique?

Originally Posted by RM Motorsports

I can help you with stay in Phuket. I was in Phuket for 7 days. I stayed at Hyatt Place Phuket for 4 days and then moved to Patong Tower Condo Apartments for 3 days.

https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/th...t-patong/phuzp

http://www.patong-tower.com/

Thanks RM Motorsports! Will take a look for sure.

[murillo]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

May I also get some clarity about Pattaya (going with wife..so advise accordingly) and if I don't go to Pattaya, will I miss anything unique?

If you are planning for all 4 places, i.e., Phuket, Krabi, Bangkok, and Pattaya, then it is better to include Pattaya also. If you feel this to be hectic, you may split this into two trips over a period of time - Krabi/Phuket as one trip and Bangkok/Pattaya as another trip in another year. Travel between Phuket and Krabi can be done by motor boat. Beaches/islands, esp. famous ones like James Bond and Phi Phi, in Krabi/Phuket may be heavily crowded with people and motor boats. For island visit, go for an early morning boat ride before the toursits start pouring in. You have to take a flight from Phuket/Krabi to Bangkok as road transport will take couple of days.

If you are flying straight to your first city, then fine. However, if you are flying to Bangkok and then connecting to Phuket/Krabi, then check out where you will be clearing immigration. In Bangkok, Swarnabhoomi airport is preferable than Don Mueang airport. If you are flying Air Asia, you will get dropped off at Don Mueang airport is what I think. Note that Air Asia is a point to point carrier; hence, you will have to collect baggage and recheck in for onward journey.

Most likely you will reach Bangkok early morning from India. From Bangkok airport, busses are available to Pattaya bus stand and some hotels have pick up facility from Pattaya bus stand. Alternatively, you can hire private transport from Bangkok airport to Pattaya hotel. Enroute, you can arrange with your cabbie to visit Sri Racha tiger park which will be a half day affair and then proceed to Pattaya and check-in to your hotel in the evening. There are many events in Sri Racha like tiger show, scorpion queen, elephant show, pig race, crocodile show, feed the fish, feed the tiger cub, etc. You have rest rooms in Sri Racha where you can do basic refresh. There is a resturant here where you can have breakfast while watching the tigers through a partition glass.

Pattaya has two major locations - Pattaya and Coral island

In Pattaya, you can do shopping at local shops and malls. You have a walk around the streets and also go for a walk in the beach. Better to choose a hotel close to the beach. Visit to gems gallery is not worth it and it is highly commercialized IMHO. Suggest you to do the must-do activity in Thailand, i.e., massage, in Pattaya itself, because in Bangkok you will be too busy running around tying up things for departure (check with your hotel for good and reputed massage places, chances are your hotel itself might offer massage services but may be pricey). Many Indian restaurants are in Pattaya; food will not be a problem. Alcazar show in Pattaya is a world-famous cabarat and must not be missed, choose the balcony ticket, you can go with family, after show the artists will come out of the theater with their costumes and you can take pics with them after paying them directly. Share autos are there. You can hail them, inform the driver where you want to go and ask for price and hop into the back. After 10 pm, visit the Walking Street which is a must-visit I think. Even if you are not a customer, you can just walk down the street and soak in the atmosphere. It is a few kilometers long and you may choose to walk only a short distance. Beware of international pickpockets - better to keep all your pockets empty. While coming back, on the beach side of the road, you can see many beautiful girls. You can ignore them and you won't be disturbed for the most part. If this is uncomfortable to you, you can cross-over and walk on the other side of the road.

Take a early morning boat ride to coral island. Ask your hotel front desk. You may be clubbed with some other group or you can arrange private boat which will be more expensive. Be ready after breakfast at the said time, they are very particular about punctuality. They will take you to a woodboarded place in the middle of the sea where you can do para sailing or undersea walking. For para sailing, after they put the harness on you, they will tell you to run. You just run to the edge and jump in the air with sea below hoping blindly the boatman manages to pull you up into the air. I have seen someone fall into the sea because of no lift. For undersea walk, if you have already done this, you can skip it; otherwise you can do it for the experience. The water is dirty and you can hardly see anything. If the current is too strong, you may have difficulty in holding yourself upright or even walk. You can feed the fish with bread crumbs. If you have difficulty breathing, do a thumbs up sign to your instructor. He will haul you up. Even people who don't know swimming can do this. In coral island, you can hire and relax in a beach easy chair. You can do motor boating. Roadside food stalls are there. You can swim in the sea. Later, the boat will take you back to Pattaya.

In Pattaya, you can visit Sanctuary of Truth temple, Nong Nooch botanical garden, Ripley's believe it or not museum, and Underwater world.

You don't have to do everything - you can pick and choose what you want. My top things in Pattaya are Alcazar show, para sailing, undersea walk, walking street, Sanctuary of Truth temple, and massage.

Regarding shopping whatever I said in my previous post applies to Pattaya too.

My thinking is you can fly to Phuket/Krabi first, spend few days there and then fly to Bangkok airport from where you can go straight to Pattaya and spend few days there. Then come back to Bangkok, spend a few days there and fly out of Bangkok airport. But you can arrange as per your convenience - no hard and fast rule.

[turbospooler]

Originally Posted by murillo

If you are planning for all 4 places, i.e.
.
.
.
But you can arrange as per your convenience - no hard and fast rule.

Wow. This is such an exhaustive list of all things Pattaya! Thanks a lot murillo, will try to return the favor if you decide to visit Hanoi, Vietnam!

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

For Phuket and Krabi attractions, I am using an app called Klook which I had used during my Bali+Singapore trip and has been saving lot of money for me on attractions.

Kindly advise on decent 3* to 4* hotels / AirBnBs with clean facilities and safe neighbourhood.

In Phuket, I had stayed in a hotel called Patong Terrace Boutique Hotel which was near the Soi Bangla street (famous for its night life) although I am not sure if its a 3/4 star hotel. I was there with two friends of mine (both guys) and we did not want to spend a lot of money on accommodation.

We did a couple of day tours in Phuket but did not book any of them in advance. There are tons of shops in Phuket which sell tickets to group tours and always try to bargain with them!

[kalpeshc]

Need some recommendations for a group travel (office outing for 15 people - around 4-5 days including travel from Mumbai)

1. Which place among Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi, Phuket, Krabi should we opt for?
2. We want to travel less and want to chill out in a nice resort. Any resort/villa recommendation?