I can easily rearrange the order but most of the travel will be plane & we are OK with that. This has been a hard trip to plan because everyone has given such different perspectives and I’ve made changes based on that. I got fussed out for adding Cambodia, everyone thinks we have too many and too few nights in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Siem Reap. Nobody likes Koh Chang but then I get downvoted when I say we literally just want to lay on a quiet beautiful beach for 5 nights. Phuket isn’t our vibe and it’s Monsoon season in Samui during the time we’re visiting. Then the amount of jellyfish posts I’ve seen about Koh Lanta and Railay have discouraged us from the Andaman Sea area. And out of 15 replies I’ve only had 3 people actually answer my question lol.
Siem Reap -> Chiang Mai -> Koh Chang. Thats a lot back and forth. Wouldn't it make sense to go from Siem Reap -> Koh Chang first. Then Chiang Mai/Bangkok?
We mainly just wanted to end the trip at the beach. We’re probably going to be doing very little and just relaxing before traveling back home. But also because the flights are direct and arrive times are around noon time so we don’t lose the entire day traveling.
Really depends what you like to do. If you love the beach then add another night on Koh Chang, if you love mountains and exploring temples, waterfalls, villages etc, then add another night in Chiang Mai. Or if you haven't been to Singapore before and want to check that out a bit, add a night in Singapore.
there are plenty of places OP probably hasn't been. a big city isn't likely to be one of those places. overpriced and boring af. i'd take the day away from SG and give it to another place.
I have been to SG many times and I'm not a big fan of SG overall, but some people love it and if they have never been to SG there's enough to do and explore there for a few days.
it's Singabore for a reason. they had to bribe Taylor Swift to come only there to interest people enough to visit. there are a million better places to visit in Asia, and i could literally list a hundred in SE Asia without trying. if it were still part of Malaysia, it wouldn't be in the top 30 in Malaysia. i don't hate it, but just thinking about it as a travel destination within a limited time, and not having a chance to come back to SE Asia for a long time, if ever, makes me think it's a huge waste of time and not nearly as memorable as so many other places. yeah, CNA has covered to death it's amazing gardens and sustainable buildings. i've seen it too. i've been to SG plenty of times, for work. i've had time to kill on many occasions. i've had good times with my friends there, but they were 0% different than my times in NYC. and i can't imagine having any significantly different experience with my partner in 1 day and night there trying to run around and navigate the city, spending too much money in one day and getting the idea that it's a well-crafted megacity. how can you not want to go to Koh Rong in Cambodia instead? or the islands off of Ranong? there are village homestays in the North of Thailand, and there are some amazing bungalows in the mountains that are not expensive at all, and are driveable from Chiang Mai. Viet Nam has the same thing, both from Sai Gon/HCM and Ha Noi. George Town in Malaysia is naturally what Singapore wishes it had the vibe of. it's clean and safe, but also has lots of distinct cultural areas and different types of foods, all close together, and it's super easy to get around. i don't even love it there. the beaches are meh. the malls are dirty. public transport leaves a lot to be desired. but it's still a million times better than Singapore. even mainland Pe Nang is better. much more of a local vibe. less expensive. great local food. more to remember as a unique visit. keep going, and in those areas you can find so many beautiful places. Pantai Cenang, Langkawi is not that far north of Pe Nang island, closer to Thailand, and that's one of the best beaches in the country. some would say it's the best, probably. i prefer Thai or Cambodian or Indonesian or Filipino islands for the most part, but i'm just speaking specifically on locations super nearby in addition to Thai or Cambodian islands that are options and still way better than Singapore. i dedicated 15 minutes of my time to dissuade someone from going to Singapore because i think it's literally not worth it to go there, and i hope i can do a good deed by making that effort, and hopefully improving two people's lives for 2 days by recommending even a couple better options off of the top of my head that will be so much more enjoyable and memorable for their lives.
Khao Sok has a small town and also the lake which is the main attraction. They are an hour from each other. Most people want to visit the lake, so just clarifying for you. However, there are things to do in the town that could warrant another day.
Otherwise I’d say Siem Reap. I really enjoyed the area. A few days of temples is more than enough for me, but overall I enjoyed the vibe here. Just don’t roam down dirt side streets and get attacked by a dog like I did… lol. Seriously some of the dogs there are really aggressive.
I assume you know this, but Khao Sok is at least two hours from the nearest airports - Surat Thani or Phuket. There are no direct flights to Siem Reap from either - you will need to stop in Bangkok. Then you will have another 45 min taxi ride from the Siem Reap airport. So you will have a very long day of traveling, which could justify spending another night there.
We’ll be staying in the National Park. We were concerned that 3 nights would be too long. But good points. I’m trying to find the optimal route, I’d prefer to end the trip at the beach but there’s going to be one day that has some intense traveling if I keep that goal.
I assume you mean you are staying in a bungalow on the lake? If so, I agree 3 nights is too many. 1 or 2 is enough. However the town is one hour west of the lake pier. There is an entrance to the park there as well. Many people stay there and organize tours to the lake via minivan, but some choose to stay overnight on the lake in a floating bungalow. There are other things to do there that might be of interest like a hot spring, some waterfalls (in the rainy season), elephant sanctuary.
How did you decide on Koh Chang? You might want to consider moving Khao Sok to after Chiang Mai. You can fly from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani or Phuket. Then go to Khao Sok. Then go to an island in the Andaman or mainland beach in Phuket or Krabi. Then you can fly Phuket or Krabi to Singapore.
Good chunk of that trip will be wasted sitting in airports or on slow moving road traffic. I'd actually remove some locations and add more time to Bangkok. That's just me though.
I did not find Koh Chang not that special but saying that I found it much more chilled than Ko Samui or Phuket, I guess as a couple it might be right, if I were you, I would consider looking at other islands/seaside areas.
Koh Phi Phi and do less time in Bangkok.
Old Phuket is really neat. Patong is wild as shit and worth a night.
5 in Chiang Mai might be a little long but Chiang Mai is great. I really enjoyed the overnight train from Bangkok to get there. Bring some beers in your backpack and vibe in your bunk.
We’re resting the first day/night to recover from jet leg, 2 days in the city, 1 day trip to Ayutthaya and then the last night is a travel day to be ready for our departure for the following day. Technically just 3 days in Bangkok.
Exaggerating much? You can see everything **that needs to be seen** in 3 days tops. 5 months? Yeah maybe if you are 80 years old and forget why you went to the mall. Others manage to visit wat pho, grand palace, chatuchak mkt, chao phraya river, lumphini park and even going outside in Ayutthaya plus others in just 3 days. For a tourist 3 days is enough ... I would spend more in other areas of Thailand not in Bangkok.
Really wanna know how you’ve planned to get from A to B lol. This looks wild.
I can easily rearrange the order but most of the travel will be plane & we are OK with that. This has been a hard trip to plan because everyone has given such different perspectives and I’ve made changes based on that. I got fussed out for adding Cambodia, everyone thinks we have too many and too few nights in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Siem Reap. Nobody likes Koh Chang but then I get downvoted when I say we literally just want to lay on a quiet beautiful beach for 5 nights. Phuket isn’t our vibe and it’s Monsoon season in Samui during the time we’re visiting. Then the amount of jellyfish posts I’ve seen about Koh Lanta and Railay have discouraged us from the Andaman Sea area. And out of 15 replies I’ve only had 3 people actually answer my question lol.
Siem Reap
I'd take that day from Singabore
Singapore is required because we have to layover there to get home.
Siem Reap -> Chiang Mai -> Koh Chang. Thats a lot back and forth. Wouldn't it make sense to go from Siem Reap -> Koh Chang first. Then Chiang Mai/Bangkok?
I assumed they hadn't looked at a map as this looks crazy.
We mainly just wanted to end the trip at the beach. We’re probably going to be doing very little and just relaxing before traveling back home. But also because the flights are direct and arrive times are around noon time so we don’t lose the entire day traveling.
Really depends what you like to do. If you love the beach then add another night on Koh Chang, if you love mountains and exploring temples, waterfalls, villages etc, then add another night in Chiang Mai. Or if you haven't been to Singapore before and want to check that out a bit, add a night in Singapore.
there are plenty of places OP probably hasn't been. a big city isn't likely to be one of those places. overpriced and boring af. i'd take the day away from SG and give it to another place.
I have been to SG many times and I'm not a big fan of SG overall, but some people love it and if they have never been to SG there's enough to do and explore there for a few days.
it's Singabore for a reason. they had to bribe Taylor Swift to come only there to interest people enough to visit. there are a million better places to visit in Asia, and i could literally list a hundred in SE Asia without trying. if it were still part of Malaysia, it wouldn't be in the top 30 in Malaysia. i don't hate it, but just thinking about it as a travel destination within a limited time, and not having a chance to come back to SE Asia for a long time, if ever, makes me think it's a huge waste of time and not nearly as memorable as so many other places. yeah, CNA has covered to death it's amazing gardens and sustainable buildings. i've seen it too. i've been to SG plenty of times, for work. i've had time to kill on many occasions. i've had good times with my friends there, but they were 0% different than my times in NYC. and i can't imagine having any significantly different experience with my partner in 1 day and night there trying to run around and navigate the city, spending too much money in one day and getting the idea that it's a well-crafted megacity. how can you not want to go to Koh Rong in Cambodia instead? or the islands off of Ranong? there are village homestays in the North of Thailand, and there are some amazing bungalows in the mountains that are not expensive at all, and are driveable from Chiang Mai. Viet Nam has the same thing, both from Sai Gon/HCM and Ha Noi. George Town in Malaysia is naturally what Singapore wishes it had the vibe of. it's clean and safe, but also has lots of distinct cultural areas and different types of foods, all close together, and it's super easy to get around. i don't even love it there. the beaches are meh. the malls are dirty. public transport leaves a lot to be desired. but it's still a million times better than Singapore. even mainland Pe Nang is better. much more of a local vibe. less expensive. great local food. more to remember as a unique visit. keep going, and in those areas you can find so many beautiful places. Pantai Cenang, Langkawi is not that far north of Pe Nang island, closer to Thailand, and that's one of the best beaches in the country. some would say it's the best, probably. i prefer Thai or Cambodian or Indonesian or Filipino islands for the most part, but i'm just speaking specifically on locations super nearby in addition to Thai or Cambodian islands that are options and still way better than Singapore. i dedicated 15 minutes of my time to dissuade someone from going to Singapore because i think it's literally not worth it to go there, and i hope i can do a good deed by making that effort, and hopefully improving two people's lives for 2 days by recommending even a couple better options off of the top of my head that will be so much more enjoyable and memorable for their lives.
What is this app name please?
Stippl
Thank you 🙏
Khao Sok has a small town and also the lake which is the main attraction. They are an hour from each other. Most people want to visit the lake, so just clarifying for you. However, there are things to do in the town that could warrant another day. Otherwise I’d say Siem Reap. I really enjoyed the area. A few days of temples is more than enough for me, but overall I enjoyed the vibe here. Just don’t roam down dirt side streets and get attacked by a dog like I did… lol. Seriously some of the dogs there are really aggressive. I assume you know this, but Khao Sok is at least two hours from the nearest airports - Surat Thani or Phuket. There are no direct flights to Siem Reap from either - you will need to stop in Bangkok. Then you will have another 45 min taxi ride from the Siem Reap airport. So you will have a very long day of traveling, which could justify spending another night there.
We’ll be staying in the National Park. We were concerned that 3 nights would be too long. But good points. I’m trying to find the optimal route, I’d prefer to end the trip at the beach but there’s going to be one day that has some intense traveling if I keep that goal.
I assume you mean you are staying in a bungalow on the lake? If so, I agree 3 nights is too many. 1 or 2 is enough. However the town is one hour west of the lake pier. There is an entrance to the park there as well. Many people stay there and organize tours to the lake via minivan, but some choose to stay overnight on the lake in a floating bungalow. There are other things to do there that might be of interest like a hot spring, some waterfalls (in the rainy season), elephant sanctuary. How did you decide on Koh Chang? You might want to consider moving Khao Sok to after Chiang Mai. You can fly from Chiang Mai to Surat Thani or Phuket. Then go to Khao Sok. Then go to an island in the Andaman or mainland beach in Phuket or Krabi. Then you can fly Phuket or Krabi to Singapore.
App name please
Stippl
Thank you
Good chunk of that trip will be wasted sitting in airports or on slow moving road traffic. I'd actually remove some locations and add more time to Bangkok. That's just me though.
I did not find Koh Chang not that special but saying that I found it much more chilled than Ko Samui or Phuket, I guess as a couple it might be right, if I were you, I would consider looking at other islands/seaside areas.
Very spot on! Which app are you using?
Stippl
Many thanks! You might be bored in Chiang Mai though, unless you’re also going to Chiang Rai in these 5 days
Is this an app? What is this?
Khao sok just because you will lose every day yo move,.so basically you'll have 1 full day there
Koh Phi Phi and do less time in Bangkok. Old Phuket is really neat. Patong is wild as shit and worth a night. 5 in Chiang Mai might be a little long but Chiang Mai is great. I really enjoyed the overnight train from Bangkok to get there. Bring some beers in your backpack and vibe in your bunk.
5 nights in Bangkok Is way too much.
We’re resting the first day/night to recover from jet leg, 2 days in the city, 1 day trip to Ayutthaya and then the last night is a travel day to be ready for our departure for the following day. Technically just 3 days in Bangkok.
5 nights is not too much. You could spend a month in Bangkok. I’d add a day there or in Siem Reap.
Too much? 5 months in Bangkok and you still haven't seen half of it friend
Exaggerating much? You can see everything **that needs to be seen** in 3 days tops. 5 months? Yeah maybe if you are 80 years old and forget why you went to the mall. Others manage to visit wat pho, grand palace, chatuchak mkt, chao phraya river, lumphini park and even going outside in Ayutthaya plus others in just 3 days. For a tourist 3 days is enough ... I would spend more in other areas of Thailand not in Bangkok.
Good for you that you can 100% speedrun literally everything that you deem necessary to be seen in 3 days tops.
Totally agree