I'll be going to Thailand with 5 of my friends for about 10 days. We actually decided to sign up for some Chinese tour package because it was only like 200 bucks more than the flight itself. It's going to take us to Bangkok and Pattaya and goes for about 5 days. After that we're on our own to do whatever. So we plan on hitting up Chiang Mai. At that point everyone is heading back other than one friend of mine so we're trying to figure out what we'll do for a couple of days...perhaps just hang out in Bangkok.

Has anyone gone? Any suggestions on where we just HAVE to go?

Again, so far we've got:

Bangkok
Pattaya
Chiang Mai

 

I didn't read any of your post but you should go to a whore house.

 

my suggestion is to stay far, far away from pattaya. i was just there last month. it is only hookers and trannies, and the 50+ yr old men that go for them. it is a very strange place. brace yourselves for seeing a city that pretty much only has 50 yr old white guys walking around holding hands with their 20 yr old hooker gf/wives.

what are you looking for exactly? most backpackers will tell you to spend one day in bangkok, then head down south to the islands. i think probably koh samui, koh phangan, koh phi phi, etc, etc.

i went to bangkok last summer, and was totally turned off from the constant barrage of scams, and also seeing too many temples (siteseeing in general). i was there last month however, and had a much better time as i was able to go clubbing and eat some great food. also, work paid for everything!

 

phi phi island in phuket...

 

Koh Samui is nice I spent some time there a couple of years ago. Good place if you want to swim, hike, ride an elephant, etc. If it's nightlife then Bangkok is fun for a couple of days. After that your lungs will collapse because of all the carbon monoxide Also, seems that prostitution is prevalant everywhere in Thailand. They don't seem to have the same hang-ups and taboos that we have here. Personally I wouldn't try it because of STD's, especially AIDS.
BUT. THe people are really friendly, the food is great, and you'll have a great time.
Oh, take metered taxis because the other guys will try and scam you by driving you to a place that gives them kickbacks or all over town. Next thing you now they are charging you mucho bucks for what should have been a cheap ride

 

If you like the country side go to Chiang Mai, or Chiang Rai (Northern Thailand). Beautiful place with fresh air and lots of good food if you ask the locals and avoid all those hotel chains that serve you nasty fake Thai food.

If you like the city life Bangkok, is the place to be with the nasty smog air where you might need a mask if you walk down the street (very polluted). There's a China Town there too just take the Bus #1 all the way down if you see it. (The bus comes by every 3 minutes because there are so many of them and they race for customers; so many crazy driving, if you think Asians over here are bad...)

If you like beaches, as Olapua said; Koh Samui is very beautiful, some area's of Pattaya are nice, but mainly it's a sex tourist attraction area. Hua Hin is really pretty, nice clear waters but watch out for jelly fish in the morning. Phuket is beautiful but like all beaches there are flaws.

If you like the dusty, hot, sandy area of the tropics, you'd want to try to travel to Issan or Renu, it shows you the desert area of Thailand and many cultures. There are a lot of Islamic, Muslim influenced Thai's down there. (at this moment the political things are going on, so you might want to watch out in Issan because of bombings and etc.)

I wouldn't really advise you the sex housing areas because like a lot of people over there; condoms are not a mandatory thing and it's very very easy to contract something over there.

The food and stuff, don't go to those chain area's you'd want to try new things, but make sure you bring some antacid or heart burn reliever. Thai people eat spicy foods very very spicy.

Due to Political Revolution as of right now until it ends; I suggest being very careful when traveling to Thailand. Especially Bangkok and the Southern Thailand. There are many faulty politicians there that are probably going to do quite harm if you come into contact and near them. THOSE IN YELLOW, are the ones fighting for what's right. So don't worry about those in Yellow shirts. Basically people are trying to fight the Greedy Politicians there because they are trying to overthrow the King of Thailand which is kind of rough right now; and many people aren't letting that happen, because the King even though not much in power like the Queen of England, he still does a lot of things and donates his time and money into helping this country. So before you go you should read a little bit of the news of what is happening over there, because it's your safety (not trying to scare you, but at least inform you before leaving.)

IF you need more lol, just ask. I went to school there for a while so it opened my eyes up a lot.

I hope his helps.

 

wow this is great, great information.

Koh Samui really sounds like an ideal place to go for some isolation and r&r.

I think we want to hit up Bangkok for the city/night life, Chiang-mai for outdoor activities, and Koh Samui for just relaxing on a gorgeous beach.

If we have to go to Pattaya, are there nearby areas we can check out that's not infested with hookers and lady boys? It's part of a package deal we're considering getting.

Also, how much should I expect to spend if I want to stay at a luxury hotel?

 

I went over to Cambodia from Thailand for what turned out to be a few weeks. Sooo much cheaper, I spend the same amount of money in 4 days in Bangkok as I did 22 days in Cambodia. The beaches (Sihanoukville) are totally unspoiled, the ruins (Anchor Wat) were totally awesome. I found the Cambodian people much more open, friendly and less interested in taking my money Bangkok and Pattaya were in my opinion a bit too crowded and yes the sex trade thing was kind of a turn off.

But in Bangkok I did enjoy the Muy Thai fights.

 

while i was only in cambodia for a few days, i agree with 177ark. angkor wat was very cool, and it wasn't all about ripping you off there. also, i agree about the muay thai fights...early ticket fights were not that good, but as it got closer to the main event the better the fights got. then we missed the main event! haha, damn.

since you're going with a package deal, i guess you don't have much of a choice where you stay...but there are most likely other areas close by that aren't as nasty as walking street.

depending on where you end up when you have free time, i'd look into the other islands down south. what you have so far sounds pretty good. just google the places a little bit.

 

I've been to pattaya with my fiance and I have to say I didn't mind it. It is very sleazy but its an eye opener and if you want to you can have a nice dinner and go for a few drinks and just take in some of the crazy nightlife.

Spend one maybe two nights there its only a 2hour bus ride from bangkok and Siam bayshore is a nice hotel on the beach at the end of the walking strip.

Cambodia is the highlight of that area IMO as others have said. I spent 3 weeks going through vietnam cambodia and thailand and cambodia was by far the most enjoyable though I like all of that area.