Thank you for your response and helpful comments. A few thoughts:
Originally Posted by
MikeFromTokyo
Anantara Golden Triangle is a very nice property. I have stayed there in a nice suite (More of a large junior suite, typical of the Anantara brand), which had good views and was comfortable. The food was very good, and the same mahout training activities (Elephant riding) as at the Four Seasons are available on an a la carte or package basis. So, I would highly recommend this property if you feel FS is too expensive. I will caution you, however, that the price difference may not be as large as one would think, as F&B and activities are expensive. FS tented camp is an all inclusive property, so if you choose to stay you will have few incidental charges.
Another thing to keep in mind is that FS GT sometimes has an offer that includes two complimentary nights at its sister FS properties. If you got this offer and used the two free nights at FS Koh Samui (or FS Chiang Mai) this could offset some of the cost. Wherever you choose to stay in Chiang Rai or Chiang Mai, I think you need at least four nights there (I plan to stay for five on my next stay).
Glad to hear that the Anantara was nice. I can book three nights there for ~$1100/night for an all-inclusive package versus about $2500/night at FS. Even with the extra two nights elsewhere (and I'd love to stay at Ko Samui if we weren't going in November) it's still substantially more.
As for timing up north, considering we only have ~12 days in total, I don't know that I want to spend >4 days in the north. I am not very well versed on what there is to do in Chiang Mai - would we really be missing out if we didn't stop there in favor of more time on the coast?
Originally Posted by
MikeFromTokyo
I am a fan of Rayavadee, and would choose it for its location alone. Phulay Bay has better service, however, and the accommodation in the Reserve villas and Royal beach Villas is very nice. Splitting the stay would be ideal, but only if you have time for 4/5 nights minimum at Rayavadee and at least two or three nights at Phulay Bay.
In Phuket, I would choose Amanpuri, but Trisara would be an excellent choice as well.
I think you only have time for one or two resorts in Phuket and/or Krabi. If you did both Krabi and Phuket (for example) you could transfer by speedboat.
I think we'll definitely stay in Krabi - whether or not we pick one resort or split time between the two I'm not sure. I'm also still not sold on Phuket versus some of the other spots (Ko Phi Phi, Kho Lak, Yao Noi). I'd love to hear some thoughts/opinions on these other locations. We'd love a mix of beach lounging and outdoors activities.
Additionally, while I understand the Phuket resorts are top notch, I must say I'm a little surprised by the price. We were considering Australia but all the posts regarding Australia said you can get the same sort of 5 star hotel in SE Asia for a much lower cost. However, these hotels are priced just the same as those in Australia.