Sandal

The cheapest rate would be Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel by Chao Phya River : quite old hotel but have a nice view by the river, located next to the centre of antique (quite expensive stuff) but not convenient to go places by yourself.
2 interesting starwood hotels are Sheraton Grande and Westin Grande. You might get better rate from Westin Grande ( just open less than a year). These are located on Sukhumvit rd. next to the shopping center for local and nearby area to buy souvenir (in case you forgot to buy something from Chiang Mai). Many good tailors located in this area. The most convenient is they are next to the Sky Train (BTS) and Underground Train which can bring you to the most famous weekend market "Jatuchak". Make sure you're in Bkk either Sat. or Sun.
Good luck !!!

JohnnyP

I guess what scares me most about this trip is getting off the plane and navigating the airport-to-city/hotel scene. Like arrival at any new place in a completely foreign culture, it's always disorienting and confusing -- you're never sure if a cabbie is trying to rip you off or if it's actually a fair deal.

I remember the first time I flew into Cairo -- people shoved around me, trying to carry my bags, shuffle me into their taxi cabs and get a few extra "bakshish". haha... Luckily my friends showed up before I drowned in the sea of welcoming Egyptian hands.

Anyway, once I'm at the hotel, it's usually much easier to pull out a map and get oriented to the city and the "pulse of life." I just hate landing at airports in foreign cultures for the first time. Any tips on that in BKK and SIN (particularly at night)?

Follow-up question: In most places, I've found it best to use my ATM card to get local currency. Is this what I should expect in Singapore, Chiang Mai and Bangkok as well? Or should I carry a wad of cash to change at a stall somewhere?

ajinlondon

at arrival in BKK there is a taxi stand where they take your details and send you off with the registered taxi firms, make sure the people at the desk explain exactly where u want to go - so the driver doesn't take you around "hoping" to find it..
but make sure you use the desk - its outside.. they will tell you the fixed price..

chang mai is much more sedate affair, but if you have no pickup try and get the hotel to come get you.. (should be free)

starwoods in bkk are pretty good on p-line think $50 for the S Grand search in biddingfortravel.com

also worth note in this part of the world for late deals is latestays.com and wotif.com

chatuchak market is over priced but worth a look - you will buy most things cheaper at the world trade center... also if you buy any "dodgy" knock offs here they actively search for them in NRT so if your bags are leaving the airport be aware..

i would hire a long tail boat and ask for a tour of the canals along the chao phraya.. good photo op's and maybe the floating market. be interested to hear how the underground system is.

dont know how old u are - but if you like a night out , try the bedsupperclub or ask the concierge what is the coolest nightclub for thais. not westerners and you will def have a great time. - i have the best nights out in some amazing nightclubs in bangkok with no westerners.

and remeber this word - PAANG or PAAN G MAK MAK (to expensive)

if you can learn a few phrases you will go far..
this is still my fav place to go ..


on the cash tip, make sure you arrive with some $$ in case the cash points arent on or whatever, whenever i travel in asia i usually have $100 in my suitcase in rsv and maybe $50 in my wallet. but cashpoints are avail everywhere and the rates i find are better

jpatokal

SIN is the most hassle-free airport you will ever visit in your life. Follow the signs for "Taxi Queue", get directed into a taxi, state your destination in English to the driver. Fasten seatbelt, kick back, relax.

BKK is mildly more challenging, but only mildly -- just find the taxi box referenced in a previous post (signposted with "Public Taxi"), the trip to anywhere in Bangkok shouldn't cost you more than 300 baht total. Just note that you need to pay tolls (30-70 baht) and an airport surcharge (50) which are not shown on the meter. For an even easier experience, if at twice the price, go to any of the limousine stands right after Customs and you can get everything arranged for 600 baht or so. But don't expect a Rolls-Royce

Savage25

More taxi tips in BKK

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showp...89&postcount=2

blueDC

SIN is heaven compared to most other airports. Also bear in mind that SIN is very well-developed and the people are very honest and law-abiding. The taxi line is well-marked and you can make a detour to the ATM machine at the airport before standing in line. Both are located just outside of baggage claim in the Arrivals hall.

BKK is a little dicier but no less civilized. Make sure you ignore all the touts and head straight to the taxi line OUTside. Exit the Arrivals Hall, turn left and walk till you see the exit on the right. Leave the terminal and you'll see a taxi booth to your right. That's the official taxi line and you won't get hassled here. You'll also pay half the rate compared to the touts. Also, you may want to convert some dollars into baht at the baggage claim area (before going to the Arrivals Hall!) if you don't have any for the taxi. There is an automated machine there that does that. But don't change too much at the machine (all you need is about $15 worth of baht, probably less), the rate is not that great.

Getting local currency from ATM machines is best (for convenience and for exchange rates). You'll find ATMs everywhere in Singapore and Thailand and almost all of them take Cirrus, Plus, etc. In addition, credit cards are also widely accepted.

Japhydog

No beach? Personally, I'd cut down Chiang Mai to 1 day and Bangkok to 2 at most. I'd hit the beach for 3 days. Here's a link to the islands and beaches in the Andaman -- http://andaman-island-hopping.com/islands/jum.htm

But, whatever you choose you'll have a great time. Enjoy!

opushomes

You are flying into and out of SIN. I would hazard a guess that you have already bought your tickets. It probably would have been cheaper to do a SIN BKK open jaw when you factor in the Air Asia costs. My first trip to Asia I did the opposite, flew into Bangkok and out of Singapore.

Anyway enjoy.

Greetings from an internet access point in Lao PDR (Luang Prabang)

JohnnyP

Yeah, I tried for that. Unfortunately, even with the AirAsia tickets factored in, it was still about $200 more expensive to do an open jaw. Flying roundtrip in and out of Bangkok was even more.

blueDC

I had the opposite experience. Price-wise: SIN r/t > open-jaw > BKK r/t. You must've gotten into a great sale fare to Singapore ^

Then again, you also get more miles going to SIN than BKK. That's reason enough for me to go to SIN instead


I am green with envy How're your accommodations? Any nice resorts?

Q Shoe Guy

La Residence at Phou Vao (Pansea) is quite nice(rooms and grounds) although the service is non-existant.

The Settha Palace hotel is a great hotel, the staff are excellent and eager to please. I had a feeling of being looked after (which I had not experienced in a long while).
With only 28 rooms , you can't go wrong if you want a quiet place to stay.

JohnnyP

I need to get some work done on the plane, and as a result will have my laptop with me. I'd rather not cart it around Singapore/Thailand -- partly so it doesn't get stolen, partly because I don't need the extra weight.

Is there anywhere extremely safe to leave it in the SIN airport?

christep

At Singapore airport it's probably extremely safe to leave it anywhere at all! But the official facility is described here:
http://www.changiairport.com.sg/chan...=1098751992713

tide

Don't forget that taxis in SIN charge 50% more over the meter after midnight. You do not tip the driver in SIN. You can expect that 10 cents in change back.

In BKK, there are ATMs in the arrival areas (Terminal 1 or 2) after you exit customs. You normally round up to the nearest 5 or 10 baht when paying the taxi driver.

tide

Be prepared, however, for a lot of vehicular and people traffic across the points of entry into Singapore in the morning rush hour (which starts as early as 5-6am) due to the number of poeple commuting to work to Singapore from Johor Bahru. Better to set out a little later, say 9am.

One of the great myths of travel is Singapore has nothing to offer. You have to look for it though because one of the biggest mistakes the Tourism Board did in the past was not to play on the cultural diversity of Singapore - focusing instead on facets that you can find in just about any place else (e.g. zoo, island, shopping etc) - that's changing today. Lots to see in Chinatown, Little India, the Malay village - see the nuances of life and how it is different and how it is the same - fascinating.