Here's my tip - Do NOT wear a diamond wedding ring when snorkeling off Phi Phi islands like my wife did. Who knows it may fall off your finger and disappear into the darkness.

Otherwise - have a blast! Not sure about the weather this time of year though as we went in Feb and it was beautiful. Def. hit Bangla Road at night in Phuket - its very ghetto (and some parts of it really stink - sewage stench) but its a must-see. See if you can catch a ping-pong show as well, just make sure you aren't charged for the show - its actually a slightly disturbing show. lol. The FantaSea Show/theme park in Phuket is also a must. See how many activities you can fit into your schedule from Elephant rides to diving to shopping and getting your bargain fake brands, hitting the islands from Phi Phi to James Bond island, etc...

We stayed at the Twin Palms Hotel in Phuket and was amazing. Nice restaurant/lounge we partied at one night is called the White Box. Great food and nice ocean view and all outdoors. They had a DJ come in from Ibiza that night and it was amazing - there are usually events like that there.

Enjoy!

EDIT: P.S. If you're very white like me and have sensitive skin - make sure you take SPF 50 sunscreen with you because the sun there is a killer.

 

Thanks. No diamond ting or watches going with us. I'd kill my fiancé if she lost her ring!

Heard about the shows, hears these Thai women love shoving objects and animals down their privates. Crazy but entertaining I guess.

I leave in two days. Can't wait.

 

1. Bangkok: the river market is cool, it was an hour trip by car and then 5-6 hours on small boat in the market, I enjoyed it. also check out the club in Sheraton Sukhumvit Road, Khlong Toei. and unless you want to go to shopping malls don't spend much time in Bangok, I find it to be boring in comparison to other places in Thailand.

2. Phi Phi Islands, how long are you staying there? unless you're there for diving related activity there's isn't much to do. I wouldn't spend much more than 2 nights there, its a really small Island with almost nothing do after dark. take the trek to the top of the rocks, its worth it.

3. Phuket. now, this is where the fun begins and I suspect that you will head to phiphi Isalnds from there. where are you staying? I usually stay in coconut island but its not anywhere near the action, we choose it for that reason. there are other good hotels on Patong Beach if you want to be in the "happening' zone, I should be able to recommend a few if you like.

Beach: Batong beach and Karon beach are the biggest and most popular, karon is much quieter and the 15-20min moped ride to get there is worth while. access to any beach is free and open to public, I haven't come across private beaches anywhere unless you're on private Isalnd.

Nightlife: Club Sound in Jungceylon is IT as far as the posh scene is concerned, amazing modern design all inspired by the human ear of all thing, it doesn't get packed all the time so ask when you're there. Patong Beach and Bangla road are where the real Thailand nightlife is, there are more Bars than you can visit in a life time, more strip clubs than anywhere else in the world and 10's if not 100's of life shows, but set your quality expectations low. the 2 shows that you have to see in Phucket are Siam and Fantasy, and you'll have to book in advance, 24 hours is more than enough.

Island Hopping. you've got 3 options, i. speed boats ii. local boats and iii. Group. I would skip the third option, it's really slow, packed, and most importantly too big to get close to the beach, caves and the best diving/snorkeling spots. in most cases they have canoes available to move about but you're very limited to the group and are rigidly timed. the local boats are cheap, but no comforts and boat owners don't speak the best english in the world. they know the best spots and would move whenever you want them to. I prefer speed boats, great service, good English and they would pick us from the hotel's dock. you have a big choice of small Islands, if you're not in a group boat just tell the boat captin to show you the best spots and what you've seen already.

and while you're in Phucket, you might as well take the 1 hour boat trip to Krabi. its very beautiful and in a way different than Phuket. Beaches are cleaner, much bigger caves but not much in the way of dining or nightlife.

and try to practice your haggling skills over there, if the price is not written then it usually is inflated by 2 or 2.5 the usual price, getting 30-45% of the price of anything is possible in Thailand.

Enjoy every minute, its a great place.

 

I guess you haven't been to Pattaya

 

Thanks for the comments today. Been very helpful. Getting close to departure. Will try and post pics when I am there.

 

Pattaya is for middle aged men, and its chuck full of arabs, I don't go on vacation to see the same ppl I'm trying to avoid haha.

 

It is the rainy season, so it rains pretty much everyday at some point. In Bangkok it's been pretty much every afternoon for an hour or two and then it stops. Think about doing a dinner cruise at night, all the temples are lit up and the scenery is good. In terms of the south, if you get to Phi Phi and decide it's too backpackerish for you, head over to Lanta or Krabi. I really like Lanta, it's much quieter, good beaches, and amazing sunsets. Also, it's the low season, so feel free to negotiate prices, especially since this past tourist season was still kind of slow. Have fun!

 

Thanks. At LAX now. Board in 10 min.

 

Having lived in Thailand for half a decade, I think I should share a couple of things with you. Always tell taxi drivers to turn the fare meter on, don't agree on a price beforehand. They are just going to rip you off. Secondly, in Thailand, there is no need to visit the super restaurants, you can get the most spectacular food on the streets with a lot more life. I would definetely take a long-tail boat down the Chao-Phraya river and visit the Wats (Temples). In Phi Phi, the beaches are amazing, spend some time walking down them and you might discover some calm coves. Also a must is China-town, you will be thoroughly amused by the variety of things going on.

Not much else to say. I hope you have fun.

 

Just got Back- Amazing had a good time, two weeks was not enough when i went, so much to see.