Two weeks in Thailand... What to do?
 

Hey everyone... Let me start by saying that I have read some absolutely fantastic posts over here, concerning travelling to Thailand and I think I've got a good start on restaurants, tailors, temples, etc. But I think I am looking for some real in-depth ideas of what we can accomplish during our trip.

Here's the details:

We're going on our honeymoon from May 21 - June 6, 2007. We will be staying at the Marriott Bangkok Resort and Spa for the first 7 days and then we're heading out to the Renaissance Koh Samui for the final 7 days (I used my rewards points for the honeymoon).

I do have one quick question. I am trying to decipher Thailand/Bangkok addresses. The address to the hotel is:

257 Charoennakorn Road,
Samrae Thonburi
Bangkok, 10600 Thailand

What does Samrae Thonburi refer to? Is that a specific area of Bangkok?

So, here's what I would really appreciate:

1. What places should we ABSOLUTELY visit (romantic spots are always a plus, but we prefer the historical, religious/temples as well). I hear the floating market is a MUST DO!

2. Restaurants? There is a topic with awesome restaurants so we will certainly choose many of those. But we DEFINITELY want authentic thai food (do we have any concerns as we are "western" eaters and may not be used to the local cuisine?). My finace and I love thai food ^

3. Transportation. I have read about the tuk-tuks and cabs (I noticed that requesting the meter is very important), but what if we want a "personal" driver/chauffer for the day? The public transportation seems pretty easy as well.

4. Tour guides. Any way of getting a personalized tour guide while we are there? Recommendations?

Lastly, I noticed there is a lot of information on what to do in Bangkok, but if you have any suggestions for Koh Samui, please share :)

Sorry for the long post, but we are so excited, nervous and absolutely looking forward to our trip/honeymoon.

Thank you all for the wealth of information so far, I'm looking forward to the additional information.

i am sure other readers will give you lot more details. to me in thailand seafood and spa are must for my leisure visits. enjoy.

Remember not to say anything negative about the King.

Don't go to any Ping Pong shows unless you're very open minded. :)

Remember that central and southern Thailand is quite hot and steamy, bring appropriate clothing. Traffic is pretty horrid most of the time. The subway and Skytrain are pretty good, but the latter is a bit crowded, but not uncomfortable.

I personally don't find Bangkok that attractive as a honeymoon destination. Remember it's a huge city, with tons of pollution and traffic. Walk next to a Klong (canal) and you'll see what I mean. I recall some famous actor or singer whose car crashed into a Klong and I think he almost died from bacterial infection from the water.

If you stay in your luxury hotel, I'm sure it will be nice. I personally like the real, gritty city, so going to the Weekend Market (Chatuchak), Chinatown or more local Thai places don't bother me.

We are returning to Bangkok this December for our TENTH time.The thing(s) that keep us returning year after year are:
The people, stay calm and always smile even if you're angry inside and you'll have no problems.
The excellent food(and drink) it's so cheap if you know where to look.
The shopping.
The floating market at Damnoen Saduak is very touristy but more fun than the "real ones" around Bangkok. The first time in Bangkok we stayed at the Marriott (2 nights on route to Hua Hin) it's a bit far out but taxis are really cheap.A Tuk Tuk ride is a must once. We love to barter on the night markets(Patpong) stop for a beer and some food then barter some more. We only found Suan Lum night bazaar 2 or 3 visits ago but love it, there are strong rumours that it will be closing down end of April to make way for another shopping mall
There are lots of very good web sites to help you get a feel for what Bangkok has to offer.
As for your Q's we have never had any problems with the food some can be very very hot but the staff or menu will guide you.
Samui is a beautiful island,one of my favourite destinations in the world!
Lots of good beaches,Temples small market in Chaweng. We hired a driver+car for about 6 hours and he took us round the island to Temples,Big Bhuda sights etc finishing at his house where we drank beer in his "orchard" cost us 1500bht with good tip. Good luck

Chewie, if this is your very first time here, you might need ALOT of guidance...

although Ive never used their services, you might look at BangkokHoneyMoon.com and HoneyMoonSamui.com

lots of good ideas (even if you dont use them), and packages....which seems like a good match for your needs ^

everything seems customizable based on your tastes and interests...

Hi SuanLum :) (your name means Lumpini (birthplace of the Lord Buddha) Park in Thai just in case you dont know ;) )

yes, it appears to be true... the Night Bazaar lease expires in April 2007....the landlord (the Crown Bureau) has entertained bids for a long term lease of the land and it appears that Central (of the Central Dept store group) has won and will develop a multi-functional project there.....

Trajan,
thanks for the confirmation, it's really sad . Can you suggest an alternative? we're staying Sukhumvit for the first time this year(Soi 5) done Patpong many times,What's Kao San road like at night?(I know it's not near Sukhumvit but looking for something new. One thing I forgot when replying to chewie was that one attraction of Bangkok is that every time we go we find something new.

You're going to be in Thonburi, across the river from "downtown" Bangkok.

well I guess it depends on what you like....Khao San might be interesting for you if youve never seen it....LOT of younger (and young at heart) backpack/funky/laid back/Koh Phangnan "Full Moon" party types from ALL over the world congregate there..lots of different cafes, beer gardens, bars, little shops, street food, etc. Khaosan Road

for ideas on nightlife, clubs, etc. Bangkok2night

2000 seat SIAM NIRAMIT THEATRE website is wonderful!! free shuttles available from Thailand Cultural Center subway station exit 1.

SIAM OCEAN WORLD website at the new SIAM PARAGON website is very nice :)

see Nancy Chandler's Maps for other great ideas!! ^

yeah, it just means the area on the far side (left bank?) of the river....the Hilton Millenium, and the Peninsula Hotel is also on that side of the river (on the river bank)....the Marriott Bangkok Resort is also on the banks of the river...that resort has a lovely converted rice barge that makes for a nice dinner cruise... :)

Trajan, thanks again, people watching with good food and drink plus some shopping for "her who shall be obeyed" We are mid to late 50's but ageism in the workplace was made illegal in the UK effective today(for real) so sounds like it's worth a visit. We can always call into Suan Lum on the way back.

Khao San Road is somewhat less than it's made out to be in my opinion. It's a magnet for young people, some of whom are pretty freaky looking, and it's kind of fun to sit and have a beer there for a couple hours and watch the parade, but that's the limit.

But not far away, down Khao San toward the Wat, then turn right on the main street and just across the bridge over the khlong (canal), is a narrow little bar called "Ad Here the 13th." (13 Samsen Road, Banglamphu, tel: 09 769-4613 to reserve a table). Every night there, a fat little Thai woman who goes under the name of Georgia sings blues-rock with her Georgia Blues Band. (Get her to do her versions of "Satisfaction" and "Me & Bobby McGee.") Georgia will blow you away, and it's quite a scene, with a mingling of Thai music aficianados, students and backpackers.

To hear Thai music, the genre of Thai pop music called Luk Thung, which fits in where country music does in our culture (but doesn't sound at all like country music) and Mor Lam, sort of northeastern Thai folk-rap, take a taxi to Tawan Daeng , a kind of big music hall/restaurant at 484 Pattanakarn Road. (This is not the Tawandaeng German Brewery, which is also worth a visit.) The music is a matter of taste (I like it a lot) but the people-watching is superb.

Ask at your hotel desk if they know of any Ngan Wat going on while you're there. A Ngan Wat is an annual temple fair and it's a great party/fun-fair/carnival for the temple's neighbourhood, in Bangkok often including professional-level musical performances. If you're lucky you can see Christy Gibson and Jonas Anderson (Europeans who perform Luk Thung) or the beautiful young singer Tai Orrathai. There are also midway-type games and rides and lots of food treats (including edible insects if you're really really brave).

billp,
thanks for the info, sounds like KSR is worth a visit one night when we're there this time.Will think about your other suggestions.
Apart from Suan Lum and Patpong can anyone suggest any night markets where we can amuse ourselves after dark?

Check out this article for some authentic recommendations: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/10/1...g/12bang.html?

Have a look at the fodors forum, you'll get plenty of ideas on there for restaurants and things to do, as well as a couple of well recommended guides - Tong and Julies Taxi spring to mind