Originally Posted by
mmamminna
Thanks guy, my planning is not really good distance wise. I just booked Phuket flight as it was cheaper from BKK and have to plan from there. Not sure on the area, found a nice hotel 1km from patong beach but not sure if it would be crazy. Suggestions for quieter areas and plan from Phuket?
Chiang Mai is def on the list and looking at the map its close to Myanmar, I don't know much where should I go and what should I do?
If I do 7-10 days in Phuket before Chiang Mai anything on the way or return to BKK?
I also don't like to move every day/2/3 days as it gets too much from me and I am not a backpacker.
Every time I exit Thailand I get new 30 days, correct? Would that be an issue or not? Thank you!
Well, Phuket IMO has really gotten ruined, having seen it in 1995, 2004 and 2015. Crowds are lower in the summer but you can get more of a monsoon and the boat tours might not operate. Patong is built up enough that you can get something quite some distance from the beach if you're not careful...other beaches are quieter but it's hard to see the value added vs. other possibilities. Do be aware that transport on Phuket is highly dysfunctional, with cheap bus routes radiating out from Phuket town by day but the baht bus mafia wanting ridiculous amounts for special rides after 6 p.m. Some people rent cars (there's traffic and you have to have parking), but location can matter.
With Chiang Mai it's a must to go see Wat Doi Suthep. The night bazaar is a bit overhyped but not unpleasant, especially compared to the weekend market in Bangkok. There are touristy daytours with the hilltribes...the better treks would be multi-day and take you off the beaten path but can be physically taxing. The whole area is quite a bit tamer and more developed than 30-40 years ago (for something more like what Thailand used to be, try Laos).
There's been a crackdown on "back to back" 30-day entries...*maybe* you'll get a reasonable person in immigration who flips through pages and doesn't see other Thailand stamps and decides you don't fit the profile, but OTOH consistency is not their strong suit.