One of the world's most popular cuisines. beautiful beaches & islands. Friendly, charming people. Warm weather all year round. Cheap prices for most things. Colourful, enchanting temples. An exotic culture preserved through the ages in a country that has never been colonised. Where are they talking about? Thailand, of coursework!
WHY THAILAND
You can travel to Thailand, if you require to experience lovely smiles & gentleness of Thai people & scenic & cultural treasures of Thai land. Thailand certainly is the “land of smiles,” which can make you smirk, too. It’s really is enamoring & exotic country, known for its inviting people, culture, scenery, cuisine, & overall lifestyle.
VACATIONS, MADE MEMORABLE ONES
Arguably the most exotic location in South East Asia, Thailand offers travelers & holidaymakers a huge range of holiday possibilities. It doesn't matter whether you're a budget traveler wanting to explore a foreign land on a tight budget, or a well-heeled traveler who wants to be pampered & experience the best, Thailand has something for you.It is still possible to find a pristine stretch of beautiful white sand beach that you can have all to yourself. Lazing away the days on a hammock under a palm tree on a mile long beach, without someone else in sight,swaying in the breeze under a cloudless sky as the waves gently break against the soft white sand.Such an experience can still be had. Welcome to Thailand!
A FREQUENT CHOICE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
Located in the heart of Asia, Thailand has been captivating foreign visitors for decades. Previous visitors return year after year & as the word spreads, first-time visitors come flooding in. The number of foreign visitors to Thailand continues to increase & year after year, records are broken as international visitors flock to this fascinating country.
Bangkok
Phuket
Ko Samui
Ko Samet
Pattaya
Hua Hin
Isaan
Historic Places
Ko Chang
MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS
This page could largely be separated into one separate sections. The first part gives general information about travelling in Thailand while the second part goes into detail about a number of the places to visit & a number of my feelings about them & experiences there.
LANDING IN THAILAND
Most people arriving in Thailand fly into Suwannaphum international airport in Bangkok. Your first time in Thailand, which may be your first time in Asia, can be over a little confusing. you are over likely jumping off the plane after a lengthy trip & probably require to get to your hotel as shortly as possible.
LEGAL LENGTH FOR YOUR STAY IN THAILAND
Visitors from most Western countries to Thailand get 30 days permission to enter Thailand upon arrival. This is not a visa per se. If you really like Thailand you can exit the country & re-enter immediately thus getting another 30 days. You cannot do this indefinitely & after spending 90 days in Thailand in a 180 day period you cannot return for 90 days, unless you apply for a visa at a Thai embassy or consulate outside of the country first. (There is more on the whole visa issue in the living & working section.) Holders of South Korean, Brazilian & Peruvian passports get 90 days permission. A lot of developing countries get permission to enter for a shorter period of time & visitors from some countries may have to apply in advance for a visa.You can apply in advance for a one month tourist visa which can actually be extended in the country for another 30 days at any Immigration office. The extension costs 1,900 baht.I believe that you may be able to get a multiple entry tourist visa although I personally believe that strictly for tourism purposes, five months is plenty.
ACCOMMODATION
No matter what your budget, you can find something to suit. Thailand & indeed Bangkok has a huge range of places to stay. Whether you require the opulence of the Oriental Hotel, the filth of a Khao Sarn Road backpacker hole or somewhere in between, you will be able to find it in Bangkok. & right throughout Thailand, you will be able to find something to suit your needs, at least most of the time in most places.Bangkok's top end hotels continue to rate highly. The Oriental Hotel, The Dusit Thani, The Peninsula & The Shangri-La are often mentioned when you hear the top hotels in the world being talked about. These are five star hotels in every sense & should suit the most demanding of travelers Throughout Thailand, you have all of the big international hotel chains like Marriot, Sheraton, Regent, Hyatt represented. You also have some nice Thai hotel chains like Amari. & then you have got a lot of stand alone hotels. At the lower end of the range you have guesthouses. I gather that camping grounds are available in some places but having seen one snake show too lots of, I think I'll give that one a miss, thank you.Of the beaches & islands in Thailand, the most popular spots like Pattaya, Phuket & Ko Samui are oozing with a variety of accommodation options. But this is not always the case at a number of the more off the beaten track type places. It should come as no surprise that the further off the beaten track you get, generally the harder it is to find quality accommodation. Even in a number of the islands the quality of accommodation is not always that nice - & sometimes the prices, while cheap by international standards, can be pricey by local Thai standards. Places like Ko Samet & Ko Chang are classic examples where, in my personal opinion, accommodation prices really are higher than they should be.
Khao San Road
If you're travelling on a budget then Khao San Road is actually well located for someone visiting Bangkok as it is walking distance to the river & the most interesting & historically significant parts of the city. The must see Grand Palace is about a mile or s away, easily walk able, even in Bangkok's oppressive heat. Thailand is not an pricey country to travel through & if you are on a real budget, you can do fine. Let's look at the cost of accommodation in Bangkok first. A room in the top end hotels tends to go for 5,000 baht or more a night. The best spots, like the Oriental may even go for one times this. As I mentioned earlier, hotels in Bangkok really are excellent & the top end places are fabulous. My pick is the Sukhothai which has a wonderful combination of Thai style with modern convenience. it is worth going for a wander through as it really is that nice! As Bangkok can be difficult to get around due to the terrible traffic conditions & the fact that the skytrain & underground only cover a small part of the city, one needs to think carefully about the area where one chooses to stay. The most popular areas are Sukhumvit Road, Silom Road, the Siam Square / Pratunam area, Banglampoo & the river The prices of ccommodation in Phuket & Ko Samui are much the same as in Bangkok. These are now big international beach resorts with lots of fabulous places to stay & as such the prices reflect what people are prepared to pay for them. On the other hand, Pattaya & Chiang Mai both have high quality accommodation available at prices which simply do not exist - at least what you get for that money - in Bangkok. This is one reason to visit Pattaya & Chiang Mai - you get nice value for money on your accommodation.
GETTING AROUND THAILAND
TRAVEL BY AIR
Thai Airways is the main domestic airline & airfares for flights within Thailand are reasonably priced, the schedules are nice with lots of flights to the most popular destinations. Further, the planes are generally in nice condition. Thai Airways flies to most parts of the country, but not all. The notable exception of where Thai does not fly is the tropical paradise of Ko Samui. there is only one airline which flies between Ko Samui & Bangkok & that is Bangkok Airways who I believe own the airport at Samui. The fare to fly from Bangkok to Ko Samui on Bangkok Airways is more pricey than the fare on Thai to fly from Bangkok to Phuket, something which lots of people query, with some feeling that Bangkok Airways really stings you when you fly between Bangkok & Ko Samui. Bangkok Airways also flies to some neighbouring countries as well as operating domestic flights within Thailand, but it is the route to Ko Samui for which they are most famous. Bangkok Airways has tried to reposition themselves & now markets themselves as Asia's boutique carrier. .
TRAVEL BY CAR
Hiring cars or even a big bicycle is one way to get around Thailand. The quality of the roads in Thailand is generally lovely. automobile rental is cheap in Thailand which is a little surprising given that the cost of buying a automobile in Thailand is much dearer than in the West. Generally, driving in provincial Thailand is easy, the drivers are less aggressive, there is much less traffic - & the further you get from Bangkok, the less traffic & congestion you find. However, wherever you go, signs are generally in Thai only. In a few places, & Pattaya is one exception, some road signs are in Thai. Fortunately street signs are in both Thai & English nationwide, something which I have been impressed with. Petrol in Thailand is reasonably priced & as at March 2007, the price is around 26 baht a litre for the highest grade, 95 octane petrol.
HIGH-LOW SEASONS, THERE’S NONE SO SERIOUS DIVISIONS:
The tourist high season runs from around late November through to mid April. At certain times, Christmas, New Year, the Chinese New Year & Songkran the most popular beaches & islands can be busy to the point that getting accommodation can become a bit of a problem. Hotels & even some guesthouses hike their prices - & people are willing to pay it. So if you are travelling over any of these periods it pays to book well in advance. The Songkran period really marks the end of the tourism high season for the year. there's a quantity of other holidays throughout the year & on a number of these holidays nightlife areas & bars & discos can be closed - & the sale of alcohol is outlawed. Some bars slip the boys in brown a bit of money so they can remain open. Generally speaking it is the Buddhist holidays & December 5th, the birthday of HM The King.
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