banker123

Looking to spend 12 days in Thailand in February (after our wedding). We are completely open to any suggested itinerary, but don't want to spend the whole time on a beach. We're active people and love to hike, snorkel, sight-see, etc. Any suggestions for luxury hotels/spas, travel plans would be greatly appreciated.

rhkkmk

several come to mind:

the four seasons outside chiang mai
the four seasons tented camp north of chiang rai
the peninsula in bkk
the jw marriott at phuket
the sheraton at pattaya in the beach side villa suite

Gpanda

If you are going to be on the ground for 12 days, a very good split would be 5 days in Bangkok, 3 days in Chiang mai and 4 days in Phuket. The BKK days should be split. You will have to fly in and out of BKK so a split is the best. This will give a pleasqant exposure to three very different areas in Thailand.

From the title of your post, it would seem you want high end hotels. In BKK, it's either the Oriental or the Peninsula (see multiple posts on the difference). In Chiang Mai, I would suggest the Four Seasons. In Phuket, there are numerous choices, Ananpuri, Trisara, Mom Tri's Villas, etc. You can also take a ferry to the Phi Phi (pronounced Pee Pee) Islands.

BTW, if you want to do a trek outside Chiang Mai, you should add a day or two there and subtract from BKK or Phuket.

Kathie

One other thing to think about is whether you would like one of your three places to be to Cambodia to visit the temples at Angkor. They are truly one of the wonders of the world. If you choose to do so, you'll need three full days just to see the major temples.

You can view some of our photos of Angkor to help you decide at www.marlandc.com

LeighTravelClub

For your Bangkok hotel, I would also consider Shangri-La!

banker123

Thanks for the quick responses...a few follow-up questions:
(1) What's the best airline to fly to/from Thailand and what's the best airline to fly while in Thailand?
(2) What's the best beach option of all those places?
(3) Are there any activities you would recommend (i.e. hiking, biking, etc.) that are "not-miss" activities while we're there (we're trying to make the most of our time there)?

Thanks again.

Kathie

Where are you flying from? If you are coming from NYC or LA you can get a non-stop to Thailand on Thai Air.

Within Thailand, Thai is best, and the upgrade to biz in country in very reasonable. There are some places where Thai does not fly, and are only flown by Bangkok Air (such as to Siem Reap).

Gpanda

There are way too many can't-miss activities in Thailand to do in 12 days. You're going to have to miss some of them. You could minimize this number by skipping the beach, but it's your honeymoon and the beaches can be very nice.

When you're in Bangkok, you might see if Tong, a guide is available. She can be reached at TourwithTong.com. Last November, four of us had an incredible day with her that was truly memorable.

Kathie covered the airline question. Thai, Thai, Thai.

In February, the best weather will be in Phuket, Krabi or Khao Lak. They are all on the Indian Ocean. Phuket is much more developed than the other two, but you can certainly get a hotel on a very secluded beach. Take a look at Trisara.com.

I noted that you mentioned hiking in both of your posts. There is a great deal of trekking in Northern Thailand. There are many hill tribe villages at which some people stay. My son and his wife had a wonderful trek arranged through Sergeant Kai at ChiangMaitours.com. It was very basic, but they really enjoyed it. They were the only two tourists being led by two guides. Make sure you don't arrange one of the large group treks that just go to over-touristed villages.

hoodlims

We flew from LA first thing in the morning, around 6am. I thought this was the perfect time to fly because 1) we stayed up all night and crashed as soon as we boarded and 2) we landed in Thailand just in time to sleep again (around midnight) and woke up the next morning fresh and ready to go without a hint of jet lag!

LeighTravelClub

For your beach section and some of the very best snorkeling in Thailand, consider Phi Phi. Transfer from Phuket airport to your hotel can be done in under 90 minutes . http://www.zeavola.com/ will provide accomodation suitable for honeymoon.

katesy

My husband and I recently visited Thailand staying at the Amanpuri and JW Marriot Phuket, Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap and Peninsula in Bangkok (we wished we'd had time to add in the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai or Golden Triangle as well). All of the hotels were wonderful, especially Amanpuri (the beach and pools there are unreal). We flew Thai from NYC, which was great - non-stop 16h flight, brand new planes, tons of movies. In Phuket, we spent a couple days chilling at the beach, did some scuba diving and did a day-trip to the Phi Phi islands (arrange a private outing to do this on your honeymoon - it's kind of touristy otherwise). We checked out Zeavola while on Phi Phi and would caution against it as it's on a not-so-hot beach (there's a marina right there and the water isn't that clean). Bangkok is such a fun city - culture, shopping, great places to eat. You will have a fabulous time in Thailand - it's an amazing country!

JamesA

Foer beach I think it's a good idea to choose destination first, you can do plenty of trips from wherever you are, JW is good but you did not mention 'evenings', as to whether you want to stay quiet in your resort and perhaps just go out a few times or whether evenings you prefer to venture out to restaurants, perhaps some nigh shopping or even entertainment, there is wide choice of places to stay and although relatively easy getting from place to place an idea of how you would like to spend evenings helps suggest places.
Trisara is good, also Andaman White Beach, Arahmas, Thavorn Village, Manathai and others, also do let us know if you want reasonable luxury or want to pay 'top dollar'.
Do note that although many places on Phuket are right on the beach many others are 'not'.
Also whether you want something like a beachfront room, large resort, or more boutique style, or you just want reasonable luxury and are happier getting something nice nut less expensive.

JamesA

If you want to browe some photos to get ideas
http://www.phuket-luxury-hotels.com/...on_hotels.html , that has the long list of around 200+ Phuket places, also krabi etc.

LeighTravelClub

katesy....a marina at Zeavola??? Laem Tong Bay, not-so-hot beach????....water not clean?????
There is NO marina at Zeavola, the beach is pristine and the water is possibly the clearest in Thailand. Laem Tong Bay is the most desireable stretch of beach on Phi Phi Don.
A day trip to Phi Phi, as I have allways said, is the worst possible way to visit this beautiful area.

katesy

The boats are 20 meters down the beach at Zeavola - they're hard to miss. I got covered in grime swimming there. Otherwise, yes, beautiful beach and beautiful resort.