Thailand travel tales and tips

Thailand travel tales

W Lee	20 January 2005
Stayed at Imperial Mae Ping Hotel, The - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
There are no metre-taxis in Chiang Mai and the rate varies widely by different tuk tuk drivers. Better come up with a rate clearly agreeable by the driver before getting in. The first night I took a tuk tuk from the Gallery Restaurant to Night Bazaar (a two-minute drive) and was charged 20B. The next evening I took another tuk tuk from the same place (Riverside Restaurant, next door to the Gallery) and offered 20B to go to the Night Bazaar. The tuk tuk driver didn't say a word. When arrived, I gave him 20B and he demanded 40. I refused and he yelled at me in the middle of the street and pretented to beat me. Of course he didn't but I think he wanted to give a message to the by-stander tourists at the Night Bazaar. I found the lorry-taxi (4-wheels) drivers more polite and willing to serve. I hired them several times and they charged less than tuk tuk even though on routes assigned by you.
K Tan	20 January 2005
Stayed at Regency Hotel, Hatyai - Hat Yai, Thailand.
There is no pretence about Hat Yai. It is a small to medium sized Thai town, with nothing special...that's it. I went there with an open mind and came away feeling good about the trip. It is a clean town and the people are friendly. As for the shopping that I read so much about, I did not find anything that was very "special" or unique. Perhaps I am not a shopper and hence did not "look out" for things to buy. The Southern Bird's Nest restaurant in front of the Regency hotel serves pretty good food for a reasonable price -- 2 dishes with rice comes to B120. You can get a whole roast piglet for B800 but being alone, I could not possibly eat one whole piglet and missed the opportunity! No need for transport -- walk, as the streets are clean, and you get to see more. All in all, a very nice trip although it is not a place that I will return as there is nothing unique enough to lure me there again.
P Soto-tapia	18 January 2005
Stayed at Silom Serene Boutique Hotel - Bangkok, Thailand.
This was my third trip to Bangkok. It was a business trip so I did not have a lot of time for leisure. But there is a great restaurant two blocks away called Bua. The staff at Serene Silom will direct you. Avoid the TERRIBLE, and outrageously expensive mexican restaurant across the street on Silom Rd. Also check out the public boat on the Chao Praya river. For a few cents you can have a nice ride on the river.
D Connolly	16 January 2005
Stayed at Sofitel Raja Orchid Hotel - Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Khon Kaen is not a resort town like those on the beaches in southern Thailand. Nor has it the character of Bangkok. But if you want to visit the province of Isaan, I would highly recommend using Khon Kaen as a base for your travels. It has numerous hotels to suit all taste and pockets, is located on the main highway north to Nongkai and Laos and has all the western comforts usually sought after travelling in rural areas of this amazing province. There are many restaurants and bars in the city, most are of very high quality. Shopping is unbelievably cheap, especially for electronic goods. There are many day trips out of Khon Kaen that are well worth a visit. If you play golf there is a good 18 hole course about 35 minutes drive from the city on the shores of Ubolratana lake, which in itself is worth a day tip to see the many beautifull things in the national park that surrounds it. Khon Kaen would not suit everybody but those who are travelling in the province would not find a better base.
A Douglas	14 January 2005
Stayed at Coral Cove Chalet - Samui, Thailand.
We hired a motorbike from hotel - normally 200B/day but for a week they let us have it for 170B/day. Could have got it cheaper in town but all private hirers require you to leave your passport with them and we were not keen on that so for the limited extra cost (once you convert back to own currency) we used hotel bikes. Cheap and fun transport!!
H Kai wai david	10 January 2005
Stayed at Asia Bangkok Hotel - Bangkok, Thailand.
Take a trip to Ko Kret at the Sathorn Pier, which is easily assesible via BTS Saphan Taksin station. Available only on Sundays and cost only 300Baht.
M Feldmann	08 January 2005
Stayed at Rembrandt Hotel, Bangkok - Bangkok, Thailand.
Lemongrass on 5/1 Sukhumvit Soi 24 and Baan Khanita on 36 Sukhumvit Soi 23 are both fine upmarket Thai restaurants in walking distance to the hotel.
A Douglas	07 January 2005
Stayed at Rydges Amora Tapae Chiangmai Hotel - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Rattana's Kitchen just around the corner has great food which is really cheap.
A Jacoby	06 January 2005
Stayed at Lotus Hotel Pang Suan Kaew - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Chiang Mai is fairly well touristed, so it's a bit difficult to get off the beaten track in the vicinity. The city is very pleasant and has lots of excellent restaurants, nice temples and so on, but I would recommend taking a day trip or two out to the smaller and less commercialised towns nearby. I spent a day in Lampang, less than two hours' journey by train, and this is a less visited and prettier city, with lots of quiet lanes of old teak houses on the north side of the river, and some beautiful temples. It's also easy to get out into the forest from Chiang Mai, and I recommend this too. Within the city, it's worth taking a boat trip upriver, and Wat Jet Yot is an unusual, beautiful and quiet temple.
T Speller	06 January 2005
Stayed at Chiang Mai Plaza Hotel - Chiang Mai, Thailand.
We went to Chiang Mai to trek for a couple of days and to see the town. The trek we went on was with Lizu Lodge which was more expensive than the rest but the extra quality in service, treks and location was excellent. I would recommend the 2-3 day trek. Chiang Mai is an excellent place to shop, get massages, eat and to meet various people from all over the world. Western tourist will have no problem navigating around Chang Mai and communication with most locals.

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