TravelPenguin

I've been browsing through the threads and I've read through the stickies. I'm in the planning stages of our trip which will be in December (high season) to Thailand. Family of four, we are two adults and two toddlers (ages 2yrs and 4yrs by time of travel).
For the moment, I am thinking 4 nights Bangkok, 5 nights Chiang Mai, 7 nights Phuket....and this is where it gets fuzzy. After 7 nights in Phuket I was thinking of hopping over to Cambodia for 5 nights then heading back to BKK for 3 nights before we head back to the U.S.
However I don't know much about Cambodia, seems like immigration can be a bit of a sticky situation (or rather sometimes a hassle at immigration). Is this itinerary a bit too ambitious? I've always wanted to visit Angkor Wat so that's why I'm keen on Cambodia. Hubs doesn't really care one way or the other.
Or should I just use those 5 days elsewhere in Thailand? Krabi? Koh Lanta? I know Koh Samui is out because the weather in December is likely not great. I'd appreciate any feedback of those who know Thailand well or even traveling in and out of Thailand to say Cambodia. TIA!

Merlinrnr

We went to Angkor Wat last September from Bangkok. I don't know what immigration issues you speak of. You can easily get a visa ahead of time online or on arrival. Also, 5 days is way too long in my opinion. Especially with kids. Other than the temples, there is very little to do in Siem Reap. And you can only see so many temples before they all blend together. And I imagine with kids it will be even more difficult to keep their attention. It's an amazing place and definitely worth seeing. But with kids I'd go for two days max. I personally went for one day and was templed out by the end of the day. But that's just me.

TravelPenguin

@Merlinrnr thanks for this advice. I was reading on another thread where others were complaining of immigration scams when crossing the border at first I understood it to mean by car but another poster mentioned there being hassles at the airport too. I will definitely look into how we can obtain the visas in advance.

Merlinrnr

Cambodia offers an E-Visa on their website. You apply and within a few days they email you your visa. It was very easy. We color printed our visas and glued them into our passports ourselves. I thought that was there only option but when we landed in Siem Reap we saw they had a visa on Arrival area. I would still go with the E-Visa because we didn't have to wait In line for a visa on arrival.

TravelPenguin

Thanks Merlinrnr! I'll be sure to do the e-visa since it definitely beats waiting in line as we will be there in December which I imagine will be their peak season.

CrazyInteg

I flew into Siem Reap fairly recently and there was no issue at immigration. I arrived with photos and exact change for the VOA fee. I'm not sure what hassle there could possibly be because it was well organized, but a bit hectic.

I agree with the 2 days (actually 48 hours). Fly in one day, have the evening to walk around the town (possible sunset at a temple), full day of temples, possible sunrise at a temple, walk around, lunch, fly back to Thailand. Possibly could add another day to lounge around at the hotel pool.

CrazyInteg

Since you're traveling with kids, I would probably hire out a car to take you around Angkor. That way you have air conditioning and it is safer for the kids.

I should add that I haven't been to Angkor in years, and I have no idea if cars are allowed inside.

CJKatl

This is what I did, except on the morning of Day 3 I hired a tuk-tuk to drive me to a few temples in and around town that I wanted to see. I lucked out and got a driver who was familiar with the temples and spoke very good english. IIRC, I left at 8:00 am, got back to the hotel around noon and headed to the airport for my Air Asia flight back to DMK at one. I hired a tour guide and driver for Day 2 and walked around town on my own for afternoon/evening 1.

TravelPenguin

Thank you for all suggestions. I have us planning to be there 4 days (since we have kids in tow). That way we can spend a day relaxing at the pool on day in and day out, two days sightseeing temples and whatever else there is to see and not feel too rushed with two toddlers.

dsquared37

Cars, vans, buses, motos, tuk tuks, bicycles, electric carts, elephants... if it moves it's allowed inside. I'm surprised they don't have horse drawn carriages.

Liams

There is no problems getting a visa in cambodia at any port of entry ...yes sometimes border crossings will price in baht or ask a couple of dollars more but this doesnt happen in airport and is very rare persobally used thai border at koh kong numeroua times and never had problem. If you are endinf up phuket there is now as of this year direct flight on air asia hkt to rep so you can fly into siem reap and have no problems tourist visa is 30usd on arrival . Angkor wat is now managed bu goverment not a third party and entrance prices have now increased 38usd for 1 day 60 for 3 and there is many interesting temples around angkor wot. If your travelling around camboida with kids would recommend just hiring a private taxi a lexus 4x4 for 4/5hr journey should be around 50usd .

gspurr

As per ambition, it might be a bit so with the two little ones in tow. That is a fair bit of flying and packing and unpacking in a fairly short period of time and if you are flying within Thaliand and over to Cambodia on budget airlines you can expect delays.

My wife and I took a 9 month old and a 5 year old to Thailand and Vietnam for a month this past December and early January. Although your kids are old enough to walk, the toughest part of the trip was dealing with the airports--i.e. luggage, car seats, security lines, check-in, immigration, waiting for flights, etc. etc. I highly recommend that you take as few flights as possible and try not to move around too much (packing up a hotel room with a family of 4 takes time). For example, if you are going to Bangkok why not stay a week to begin with as opposed to stopping back in for 3 more days at the end of your trip? Another place to perhaps visit if you are interested in the beach is Hua Hin, which is an easy three hour drive from Bangkok. You might consider going here instead of one of your other beach destinations. We went to Hua Hin after Bangkok and before Vietnam and had a great week relaxing on the beach after a week in hectic Bangkok.

I agree with others that Angkor Wot is an amazing experience (I went there on a different trip) and can be done in a few days, but to really appreciate the ruins you do have to do a lot of walking and climbing stairs and in many places a stroller wouldn't be practical. If you do go you might consider seeing if for one of the days your hotel has a nanny service so you could do a bit more exploring than you can with a 2 and 4 year old.

I hope you have a great trip. The Thai people (and the Vietnamese) love children (especially babies). My nine month old was held and picked up by dozens of friendly people during our trip. It seemed like every time we ate at a restaurant he was carried back to the kitchen for a photo shoot with the staff. It is a bit weird at first, but after a few days you get used to it.

CJKatl

This picture, one of my all time favorite personal travel pics, is from the old market in Siam Reap. In the lower right corner you'll see a counter at a meat stall that I think doubles as a baby washing business.

TravelPenguin

Thanks for the advice gspurr our flights arrive and end in BKK hence the reason I'm heading back there. I'll definitely take these things into consideration as I try to firm up our plans.





CJKatl I simply have no words for that pic. I'm utterly speechless.

azepine00

your plan seems ok - 3-4 days on the ground in siem reap will allow you to explore at leisurely pace. Just pick a good hotel with a pool as base - PH was great when we went with 4 yo kids.