First time Thailand help
 

Hello,

I am looking into going to Thailand May or June as part of a mini RTW trip, and this will be my first time there. I will be going with my +1, and we are in our early 20's...

We will be doing either Seoul/Tokyo and a city in Europe, and want the Thailand part of our trip to be the beach/hot/spa/relaxing part.

Could anyone recommend where to go in Thailand for this type of vacation? I would prefer to be in a location where there is a SPG/Hilton/Hyatt property but we are of course willing to stay in any other nice hotel that has exceptional value for the area.

We are not into backpacking, drinking buckets and getting drunk every night type of young people(all my friends have done this haha)...

Since Europe and Seoul/Tokyo is so expensive in terms of accommodations, I am looking to save money here and spend no more than $200 a night... We have a lot of time so recommendations on how long to stay there without getting bored would be excellent as well.

Could I also get some information on how much food/transportation costs, and how we should get around? We can fly into BKK or Phuket or any other international airport services by Star Alliance Carriers.

Thanks!

After having done a more activity and adventure type trip this year to bangkok/chiang Mai, we decided on a more relaxing (hopefully) trip to Krabi next May. Debating whether we should splurge at the Rayavadee or use points at the Sheraton... really want to stay on Railey beach. We're also going in May so hopefully can take advantage of some low season discounts.

West coast is rainy season in may/ June. Can still be nice but not all shops might be open, rain, more choppy sea.

If you want to go for the chain hotels on the west coast it is mainly Phuket, Phang Nge (quieter, more family type resorts) and Krabi.

You could check out KOh Samui though, it is on the east coast and might be better weather.

Personally, unless you are planning on cashing in reward points then I'd avoid the international chains in Thailand. Independent hotels will give you much better value and a more authentic experience. Stop in a Hilton and you could be anywhere in the world.

+1. Nothing beats a nice bungalow right at the Beach.

First time Thailand help
 

I did my first trip to Thailand this past may. I am in my mid-20's We hit a few of the islands including koh phangan, koh samui, phi phi, as well as Krabi and Phuket. My favorite was koh phangan-( mostly known for the full-moon party.)..however, we went during another time of month and loved the relaxed Island feel. We rented scooters for $8 a day to get around the island to explore more secluded beaches. Everything on the island including Lodging/meals were pretty cheap. Well under $200/night. You can fly into koh samui and take a fast ferry to the island. If using points the hikon koh samui is a great value. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Yup. I love a Park Hyatt too, but this summer when I was paying ~$20/night for a bungalow on a remote beach on Koh Pha Ngan I was definitely happy with my choice. Beautiful beach that's a bit hard to get to so it wasn't crowded, good food and at that price I couldn't see myself paying for a resort. If you head to the north side of KPN you won't see any of the Haad Rin party crowd.

Sure, there weren't many amenities and I didn't even have wifi in my bungalow but I wasn't there for that. Spent about a week alternating between lying on the beach with a book and lying in my hammock with a book.

The best month to come to thailand is April if you are into Songkarn s festival and its summer. November, December and Jan thai ppl call it winter but i guess its not that cold for european ppl :) About SPG hotel that i ve tried in bkk hmm Le meridien bkk - great service, nice view, stylish, breakfast is kinda ok, nice lounge, the pool is small, bad location too far from skytrain. Sheraton Grand Sukhumvit - great location, few steps to skytrain, breakfast pretty good, Best service but old rooms, fantastic pool, lounge and cocktails just great. Westin - great location just oppersit to Sheraton. service is ok, old rooms. St regis - Very nice room, Nice view if you r get the right room, great location just next to the skytrain, service is just OK, the pool nothing special,Wine Lounge not many selection by glass. About the food thailand very famous about Street food start from 30baht but becareful you probably get sick. also a lot of nice restaurant in bkk

For hotel offers and deals, can check out agoda. Some times the rates quoted on agoda are better than those offered on the hotel own websites!