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Planning 12-14 Days trip to Thailand & Bali - Is it Possible?

I am planning a 12-14 days trip in August to few places in Thailand and also to Bali(Indonesia). In Thailand I plan to cover Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Ko Tao, Krabi & Phuket if possible and then move to Bali(Indonesia) where I plan to cover Kuta, Suminyak & Ubud. Is it possible to cover so many places in 12-14 days?

13 years ago, April 29th 2011 No: 1 Msg: #134955 Delete Edit

himkar
Himkar Dubey

B Posts: 8

Hi,

Me and my wife both 33 years old are planning a trip to Thailand & Indonesia in the month of August. Our trip will be of maximum 14 days. We are planning to cover the following places in both Thailand & Indonesia:-

1. Thailand:-
a) Bangkok - We arrive here so have to use it as transit for our to and fro travel inside Thailand and also to Bali and back.

b) Koh Samui - Heard a lot about it for its beautiful beaches and a Marine Park. Would want to spend 2 days atleast here.

c) Koh Phangan - Without a doubt would want to attend the Full Moon party here and also do some diving classes at nearby Ko Tao. Ideally would spend 3 days here.

d) Phuket - For the tranquil & serene beaches I would surely want to visit it. Spend maybe 2 days here.

e) Krabi - Can I tuck this in also during this trip even if for 1 day?

f) Bali(Indonesia) - We would fly from Bangkok to Bali and back within 5 days here. In Bali would want to visit the Nightlife and see the many temples nearby. Would want to cover Kuta, Suminyak & Ubud during this 4-5 days stay.

Few Questions:-
1. Can anyone please help us out by sharing their experiences on whether it is advisable to cover all of these places in one trip itself?

2. Will it be advisable to travel by train or A/c coaches from Bangkok and back while travelling inside Thailand?

3. Can anyone suggest some decent hotels/resorts for all of these places? We are not exactly backpackers but at the same time not luxury travellers anyways😊.

4. I am a great water sports or water adventure lover. Please suggest good diving or snorkelling instructors in any of the places I mentioned above.

5. Is it advisable to visit Thailand & Indonesia during August. I know the weather says it is not exactly pouring there during that time but any first hand experiences would be most welcome.

Your every bits of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

Himkar & Anjali Reply to this

13 years ago, May 4th 2011 No: 2 Msg: #135421 Delete Edit

rubytan
Ruby

N Posts: 8

Hi Himkar and Anjali,

I think you can afford to skip phuket and just hit krabi if you're after beaches. coz there arent many of phuket's beaches that are still tranquil or serene with the hoards of resorts built behind them. Maybe switch it around and make phuket a day trip and spend 2 days on krabi instead. if you rent a scooter (150-200baht/day), you can cover most of phuket in a day. dont bother with phuket town or chalong bay and stay along the coast.

With regards to the 3 places in Bali, you'll be able to cover them in 4 - 5 days no problem. Reply to this

13 years ago, May 4th 2011 No: 3 Msg: #135435 Delete Edit

Rat on the Road
Kris and Kate

B Posts: 1,411

Hey

I would suggest flying between Bangkok and the South, rather than taking the train/bus. You haven't got a lot of time. Around the resorts you can get air conditioned buses between them. You will be able to arrange them when you are there easily.

August is the rainy season, which means that it will almost certainly rain every day, usually in the early evening and usually for about 1-2 hours. This will be a heavy downpour. It sometimes rains all day but that is rare. It will be sunny early in the morning and then get cloudy for the rest of the day before the rain. It will be warm enough. Reply to this

12 years ago, July 18th 2011 No: 4 Msg: #140525 Delete Edit

himkar
Himkar Dubey

B Posts: 8

Hi Ruby/Kris/Kate,

Please accept my apologies that I wasn't able to thank you earlier for your valued comments and pieces of advice. Things turned out such and would just say wasn't in the right frame of mind to start thinking about my trip.

Now that I am up on my feet again, I have given a lot of thought to this trip and have now devised my itinerary as follows:-

9th August - Arrival into Bangkok at 5 A.M, connecting flight to Phuket at 8.45 A.M, arrival into Phuket at 10.25 A.M.

Question - Could you suggest a suitable hotel/resort with clear sea view in budget range 1500 to 2200 Thai Bahts which includes breakfast in the Patong Beach Area?

10th August - Day to be spent in Phuket. Take a day tour from among the many choices available.

Question - I am a water sports lover so could you suggest few options of day tours and a reliable agency you may have heard or taken services from.

11th August - Take a day tour to Ko Phi Phi Islands and do snor kelling or scooba diving there.

12th August - Day to be spent in Phuket or if you have any suggestion on a place nearby where I could go and enjoy certain water sports or adventure sports like Bungee jumping.

13th August - Head towards Koh Phangan from the first available A/c+Ferry option available. Reach Koh Phangan by evening.

Question - Could you suggest a suitable hotel or resort in Koh Phangan preferably in Thong Saala, Baan Tai, Haad Rin or Haad Leela beach Area. Again the budget is in the range of 1500 to 2200 Thai Bahts.

14th August - Day to be spent in exploring few beaches and preparing ourselves for the evening full moon party😊..yayayyyyy. Any words of caution you may like to share?

15th August - Day to be spent in resting as we would be tired after the energy sapping full mopn party. Relaxing & leisure on the beach.

16th August - Head towards Bangkok. I have two options:-
1. I proceed towards Surat Thani Airport and take a afternoon flight to Bangkok. Its ok price wise and I can exercise this option. How should I reach Surat Thani airport and how long does it take?
2. I take a Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran Ferry + A/c Coach to Bangkok. As per Lomprayah website they start at 8.30 A.M in the morning and get us to Bangkok by 8.30 P.M so its a 12 hour journey. My only concern is there is a 137 kms. distance to be covered in Sea. If the weather is bad there would be strong waves so wanted to know if we would be able to take the onslaught😊.
Once in Bangkok we check into the hotel and if possible proceed towards the night market famous for shopping.

Question - Could you please suggest a suitable hotel(1500-2200 Thai Bahts Range) in a safe area which is also near to the market areas?

17th August - Start the day early and see the Palace & Reclining Buddha. By afternoon reach the hotel and check out to proceed towards the Suvarnabhumi Airport to catch our flight back to India.

I would appreciate your valued feedback and suggestion here.

Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regards

Himkar & Anjali Reply to this

12 years ago, August 2nd 2011 No: 5 Msg: #141418 Delete Edit

tamandfamily
Tam & Family

B Posts: 320

Heya, we do heaps of travel in this area and you can definitly travel the distances youve mentioned and see everything you want. A really great way to get from Phuket to Krabi would be to stay on Koh Samui by ferry for a night or two then catch the next ferry to Ao Nang Krabi. Probably to fly from Bangkok to Phuket would be the easiest and then you'd want to fly to Bali. In bali Seminyak is 20 min from the airport and Ubud is just over an hour away so you could go between then in a day easily.

For tours etc i thingk youre better to do a deal with a street vendor when you get there...anything you buy before will be more expensive especially in regards to jetskis or parasailing etc etc. The more you buy the more deals you'll make at a street vendor 😊)
hth, tam Reply to this

12 years ago, August 4th 2011 No: 6 Msg: #141487 Delete Edit

Home and Away
Bob Carlsen

B Posts: 2,269

I agree with Ruby...don't go to Phuket, especially the patong area.
Given your limited time, I also agree with Kris that you should fly discount airlines between places...time is money.

You have two choices regarding beach destinations

1) the Ko Samui/Ko Phangan/Ko Tao string of islands which have the Full Moon party and great diving and relaxation, or

2) Krabi/Ao Nang/Railey Beach/Phi Phi area with relaxation, rock climbing, snorkeling, and diving.

Air fare into Ko Samui is higher than Krabi. Air Asia does fly in to Suratthani so that would be a cheaper option for these islands, but I don't know much about the connections from there to the islands. However, Thailand specializes in connections, although many if not most are rather dodgy; hence my reluctance to recommend the Surathani option.

If you only did one set of islands, you would have time to see both Bangkok and Bali. Air Asia has cheap flights from Bangkok to Bali. I would rather do Bali (not Kuta...go inland) than both sets of islands in Thailand.

As for hotels, your price range indicates that you are more flashpacker than backpacker. Use Travelblog (helps them pay their bills) to search for hotels if you do not receive specific recommendations from your inquiry here. Many bloggers to mention hotels that they liked in their blogs. Reply to this