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joe royal 5:13 Wed Apr 17
Thailand in December & January

Looking at 5 days in Pattaya, 12 in Phuket & 3 in bangcock . Worth hiring a car (£160 ish for 19 days) or sticking to internal flights/taxis.

Will be going with a female friend (platonic) so not looking for ladyboys hookers or drugs.

We are aware Pattaya is sin city so will just be window shopping .

The dates will be Christmas in Pattaya and new years in Phuket .

Cheers

factory seconds 5:25 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

flights were cheap as piss when i was last out there.

bangkok's my favourite city in the world bar none. never a dull moment.

Mike Oxsaw 5:35 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

I'd suggest Jontiem rather than Pattaya unless you're looking for boxes to tick; far better beaches and much less raw sewerage in the sea. I believe that we have a poster that lives there who can better advise.

Plus, Pattaya is like Jaywick but without the culture; have a few friends who migrated north (east) from there and they all say that you (now) only go to Pattaya for one thing...

Plenty of western expats in both holiday areas though and if you're doing Christmas there, it might be worth picking a hotel that puts on a Xmas lunch and nailing down a couple of places early (Cousin of mine used to supply all the decent Xmas crackers to the better hotels in Thailand until he retired a few years back - that's his advice to me, not mine to you.)

Better put a few pictures of temples, mountains & elephants on your social media profile afterwards otherwise people will never believe the reason you say you went :-)

Coffee 6:16 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

Never been to Pattaya and don't want to.

Phuket is lovely, but you might get bored if you're there for 12 days just lounging around on the beach. Be careful of the sea currents that can pull you under.

Chiang Mai in the northeast is a great city. Plenty of good drives within an hour or two of the city, and further afield towards Burma. Stunning countryside.

violator 6:27 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

Had 2 days in Bangkok before flying to Samui/Phangan...done the temple and klongs, soi cowboy etc...but the traffic done my fucking nut in, I couldn't wait to get to the islands.

Malayammer 6:37 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

Joe

Have to agree with Coffee , no need to do Pattaya if you’re doing Bangkok , if you really need to tick it off the list just do one night ( it’s and hour and a half cheap taxi from BKK ) . Also 12 days in Phuket is a long stretch .

I’m not sure how well travelled you are out here but if you’ve got 22 days in hand it’s an ideal opportunity to do a few other countries , Saigon , Siam Reap etc . You don’t have to plan beforehand just decide during your stay . AirAsia etc are so cheap and less than 2 hours away from most of SEA attractions . The days of complicated visas are over , Vietnam no visa needed , Cambodia easy visa on arrival .

It very much depends what your agenda is before giving meaningful advice .

Pub Bigot 6:44 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

Been three times, with the wife and another couple friends of ours. Love the place but not likely to go back anytime soon, plus we’d like to explore other SE Asian countries.

We’ve been to:

1. Bangkok, improves every time we go
2. Chiang Mai, which is significantly more laid back and a nice city to explore
3. Chiang Rai - Beautiful part of Thailand and I’d recommend visiting the White temples, blue temple and Black House, or the the boat that takes you close to Laos and Myanmar. Be careful with that one, the time we were there the pollution was mental and it was a constant fog
4. Khao Lak - Nice place to relax for a 5 days
5. Krabi - lively, fun, some beautiful beaches places to eat
6. Phi Phi Island - No cars, no bikes, no TucTucs, just little windy roads, beautiful water, boat trips, snorkelling, views. My favourite part of Thailand

Lee Trundle 6:59 Wed Apr 17
Re: Thailand in December & January

Why on earth would anyone go to Pattaya and window shop?

Cheezey Bell-End 4:32 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

Pattaya is good for the adult night life, but I'm not sure there's a lot of point to going other than proximity to Bangkok. It's full of Russians these days. Plenty of info on YouTube to help make your mind up if you haven't already.. The beaches are good down that way, including Pattaya, but I prefer pools.
I like Ao Nang in Krabi. It's small and manageable and close to the islands.
Phuket is great, but also full of Russians. It also has limited public transport options. The taxis and tuktuks are mob controlled and very expensive. They don't have Uber, but there are alternatives in Grab and Bolt. I don't think anyone should drive in Thailand until they have had time to observe the place. It's not like the west
I spent the whole of COVID time basically stranded in Thailand. There were no tourists and much of the time, night life, bars and restaurants were shut. But apart from lack of income, I'm glad I spent the time there. I haven't been back for nearly 2 years and miss Thailand a lot.

Cheezey Bell-End 4:40 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

A friend of mine visits Hua Hin every year. I don't see what he sees in it myself, but it's becoming a very popular expat destination.

nychammer 5:34 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

Five nights in Pattaya?! You taking the family ?

joe royal 10:26 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

Cheesy, driving doesn’t phase me. I’ve driven in Ilford as well as India, Sri Lanka, Bali and all over Europe including Russia & Romania.

Love a challenge me.

Bungo 12:50 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

joe royal 10:26 Thu Apr 18

If you do rent a car to drive in Bangkok, I'd be interested to hear how you think it compares to other world cities with mad traffic.

Personally I think going through the traffic in Bangkok in a tuk tuk (on two wheels a lot of the time), was one of the most frightening things ever!

fraser 3:39 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

I did Bangkok - Pattaya - Samui - Phangan came back last month.

Doing the same in December/January

There are a lot of Russians in Pattaya... But I really enjoyed it, lounged around the pool till about 2pm...then walked to Jomtien for the sunset.. Window shopping only :-)

Will be there with the Mrs in January.

I wouldn't get a car personally, cheap to get around locally with Bolt in Pattaya and Bangkok. Public transport in Bangkok is brilliant now, two train systems and the canal boats.

Mike Oxsaw 4:05 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

joe,

I don't doubt your driving abilities, but suspect you may not have encountered so much disregard for safety on the roads as you will in Thailand.

YOU are not likely to be the problem (but will 100% be the cause if you are involved in any incident); the biggest issue I've found is in the use of vehicle lights - or lack thereof.

Bikes (motor or push) often don't have or use lights at night (as the rider can see well enough where he's going), same goes for cars/trucks unless they're less than a year old, where lights seem to be used for decorative purposes (green/blue brake lights, for instance).

As for lane or even carriageway disciplin, well forget it - if the road ahead was clear the last time a driver bothered to look, it's their divine right to drive on it at a time of their choosing.

If you have to drive, I suggest doing so during daylight hours. If you want a relaxing break, avoid driving is my reccomendation.

Lee Trundle 4:09 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

Have you not driven in the Philippines, joe?

I'd imagine it will be the same kind of lawlessness.

Dick Shaftsbury 4:37 Thu Apr 18
Re: Thailand in December & January

You are going to the two worst places in Thailand.

mashed in maryland 10:19 Fri Apr 19
Re: Thailand in December & January

There are actually a few "family" and all-inclusive resorts in and around Pattaya, mostly full of wealthy Russians (who are CUNTS) Never been to Koh Chang but its not too far, would have thought this would be a better option?

Phuket isn't as bad as people make out, unless you don't move from Patong. Its like people who go to Tenerife and spend all week in the same English pub then moan about it being shit. The old town is quieter and pretty and loads of other stuff on the island, its better than Samui imo, and cheaper, and fewer aggy Israelis/Russians.

Bangkok is a great city, but haven't been for 5 years, apparently its changed loads especially since Covid but fuck knows.

Cheezey Bell-End 1:30 Sat Apr 20
Re: Thailand in December & January

Bangkok is a great city, but can be a culture shock if you haven't spent any time in a developing country. Much of it is very shabby and there's loads of rats etc.
Once you get past the shock, there's loads to see and do. A YouTube vlogger called Barefoot Vlogger recently visited Thailand and posted some very entertaining videos showing how interesting and mental the place is
Last time I went to Pattaya was in 2019, before the recent influx of Russians and Indians. The new beach was completed around that time and is much better. The authorities always have ideas for making it other than a prostitution city, including it becoming a centre of Islamic tourism. But the nightlife is thriving as ever after the tough times of the COVID years. If I had the money, I would buy a condominium in Jomtien and retire there. I've seen some incredible and relatively cheap places on YouTube.
I last went to Phuket in 2011 and Samui in 2010. Both great places, and by Thai standards not bad for driving.
For actual authentic Thai culture, the north and northeast are probably best. But I find it a bit boring and always want to get back to the hookers after a couple of days.
The OP mentioned going in December and January. These are definitely the best times as far as weather goes. But another time to consider is mid April if songkran might be your thing. Weather will be hot and punishing, but there's less tourists and the celebrations are mental. Personally it's not for me.

fraser 2:05 Sat Apr 20
Re: Thailand in December & January

I love Bangkok just spent 9 days there. Love just going walking and getting lost.

joyo 6:12 Sat Apr 20
Re: Thailand in December & January

Sleazy Bell-End 1.30

For actual authentic Thai culture, the north and northeast are probably best. But I find it a bit boring and always want to get back to the hookers after a couple of days.

Thought you was married to a Thai....oh l forgot she/he/they was a brass
You have to be pissed to have posted that!

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