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Hello everyone, I'm thinking of travelling to Thailand next year... I've been there 4x in the past but didn't have much impression cos I didn't plan for those trips... first one was a visit to some missionaries in Chiangrai, second one was a work trip to Nongkhai, third one was family trip to Phuket, and fourth and last trip was SAF exercise... wah haha... Thinking of taking my family there next year... got a few questions which I hope those who travel often to Thailand can help answer... 1. When is the best time to travel to Thailand? Jun or Dec? Reading online tells me that Jun is hot and humid and wet, while Dec is dry and cool. But Dec is peak travel season while Jun is down period. 2. Looking through the web, I was thinking of doing the trip this way: Singapore -> Phuket (beach) -> Bangkok (city) -> Chiangmai (highlands) -> Singapore. I'm basically plotting to go from South to North. A few related questions to such an itinerary: a. I know I can fly from Singapore to Phuket direct, and from Chiangrai back to Singapore direct. What about within Thailand - Would flying domestic flights from place to place be the only possibility? Is it drivable? I could rent a car in Phuket and drive? Does it make sense to drive to Bangkok? Or can take train? Or is bus the only public transport option besides flying? Which airlines should I consider if I fly? Which car rental company should I use if I self-drive? Which bus transport company should I use if I bus? And rail? b. How many days should I spend at each place? I was thinking of 3-5 days each... so that would make my trip 17-18 days if I spend 5 days at each place. Enough to do for 5 days at each place? Not interested in temples, prefer nature, markets, gardens, and places of interest that are highlights of each place. 3. I am totally lost when it comes to where I should base myself in each of the 3 places. Any suggestions are welcomed! For background: a. For Bangok, I have stayed there 2x, first time was Siam Square Novotel (but that hotel must be quite ancient now) and so I know it's like close to the mega malls, MBK, and second time at Pratunum (but I can't remember what was the hotel name and I didn't really see the place). Back then there was no MRT or underground or any such thing. I'm sure Bangkok has transformed since I last was there. And in any case, I was there only for 1 night or so as a transit. b. For Phuket, I remember staying at Club Andaman. It's no longer around. But I believe it was along Patong Beach. I was just reading on Tripadvisor from a German tourist that the traffic jams in Phuket (particularly along Patong Beach and to/from airport) are horrendous, plus Phuket is filled with lots of PRCs, Russians, and Indians which makes it very unplesant. What's your experience. The last time i was there I remember taking a car around visiting Kata & Karon beach on my last day and finding all of them very quiet and deserted. c. Never been to Chiangmai. 4. What do you consider as the must-sees in each of these 3 places? 5. Some caveats: a. No water activities. My wife refuses to get onto a ferry. So visiting Phi Phi or Koh Samui is out of question. We stick to Phuket strictly. b. I got 2 little kids. I need to bring travel strollers along like my last trip to Japan. c. Child-friendly activities would be very helpful. d. No massages & questionable activities. e. I'm on a tight budget... heh heh... Thank you very much!

Hi Bros, Any recommendation on which Villa to stay? The location would be better if it is near or at patong. If it's not around patong area, which beach is nearer to patong? I understand that there are several Villa's that is near (but a walking distance) to patong and there are some that are really far from patong but still part of phuket. And, aside from the "happenings" in patong, anywhere in phuket has the same "happenings"? is patong the only happenings area? oh btw, it's just merely a 3D2N stay.. hehe.

After 10yrs, its abt time for me to make the road trip back to Phuket!!! Cant wait for it to happened. http://www.mycarforum.com/topic/1941799-road-trip-to-phuket/?hl=phuket

Fellow MCFers, Am fairly new to Singapore and have been lurking around this forum for a while after I got my car. Having done road trips in europe,India one of my goals of being in Singapore is to explore SE Asia by road. Started on the earnest by making a few trips to Penang, KL and was planning to make a trip to Thailand,Laos and Cambodia. But then broke it down to two legs. First leg to cover Southern thailand and then next trip to cover Northern Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. This though resulted in me working out this route for a week long trip.. It was just me driving as well in the entire care. So, it is "Me time" all through. This is the route that I worked out.. https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Singapor...amp;t=m&z=7 Some of the earlier posts by bro Fongmy, Shore gave pointers on requirements to drive a Singapore registered car in Thailand. Thank you guys for the wealth of information available. Being aware of all these made crossing the borders the least painful. That is what my trip meter looked like for the entire trip. I started the trip meter after crossing Tuas checkpoint and having entered malaysia after @ 30 minutes from the checkpint. So, easily that will add up another 60-70 kilometers. First day: 18th August 2021 Started from my house in Hougang at @7:00 AM. My plan was to hit Hat Yai by sun down and start over night there. Had our Friday beer bust at the office and went to sleep only at 12:00 making it difficult for me to get up at 4:00 as I wanted. Departure delayed by 3:00 hours. That is the fun of driving it aint it? You are on your own. Left home at 7:00 and hit Tuas. Singapore side was ok, and was thinking how is it that possible. The Malaysian side is when it really got delayed. Pile up of cars and it took more than 35 minutes to clear the Malaysian side. Anyway I was out of the Tuas Checkpoint by 8:15 which is not that bad given that it is Hari Raya Pooja. Unevenftul drive all the way to KL and took the right exit heading towards Ipoh. The traffic was free flowing and I was left wondering what is going on, whether people are taking it easy on the roads. Was expecting heavy traffic. The trouble started only after crossing KL, joining E1. A few kilometeres before Slim river exit the jams started and it went on till I crossed Bidar That is the E2 Expressway. The jam ran for many many kilometers. On the final count, the stretch of @38kms between Slim River and Bidar took more than 3 hours to cross. But the traffic eased after Bidar. I found many many cars parked in Slim River exit, and the entire stretch till Bidar. Am curious if any Malay bros could throw some light on the reason. It was interesting to see so many people out on the road having fun, though it was a problem driving. But hey, we are all on vacation to have a good time. I would have done Penang usually in 6.5 to 7 hours but that day took around 10 hours. I reached Penang by 5:00 PM and was contemplating whether I should drive all the way to Hat Yai or break at Penang as it is already sun down. But I was still feeling ok and decided to push forward. Crossed Alor Setar by 6:00 and was in Bukit Kayu Hitam by 7:00 after purchasing Thai insurance for 15 MYR and a Thai SIM card. The guy also filled up Thai Immigration form for 1 MYR. Quiet convenient and took around 15 minutes at this guy's shop. There are a series of shops and you can stop at any one of them as they all provide pretty much the same service. Saw many many Malaysian cars and the guy gave a second look when I said I am in a Singapore Car. The border crossing was bit of a pain in the neck, with the procedures. I had to park my car in an open car park. As I hold an Indian passport, have to get Visa on Arrival. I had already confirmed with the Thai embassy that this border post issues that. Went through that, costed me 1500 Bahts Visa fee. They took a web cam picture, recorded my entry. The next process is to get the Customs declaration form. This gets filled by the official in a computer and it was not that bad. She entered all the vehicle details in a form, tore it away and gave me to give it to the customs officer. I gave it to him and then he instructed me to go to the parking lot and drive my car through that entry point. There is only one exit and when you drive through you will pass through this guy, who will check your vehicle number against the filled up form and give you a copy. Hold on to it as if it is yourlife. I had been asked this document in multiple places but it was easy once I was beyond Hat Yai. You need to return this while exiting Thailand and I dont know what they can do, if you dont have this document. So, keep this safely and if possibly keep a copy. Anyway I was out of the customs and legally in Thailand along with my car by 8:15 PM. The bureaucracy took some time but it is not that bad. I saw many hotels as I cross the border but decided to hit Hat Yai, my planned destination. Reached Hat Yai by 9:15 PM. I had not booked any hotel and felt that I should have. After such a long solo drive you dont have energy to look for a hotel. Hat Yai has many one ways. Called a couple of hotels that I had the numbers and they were both full. Out of luck, drove to Tunes Hotel. They did not have any rooms but the front office lady was kind enough to call BP Grand Towers and book me there. It costed my 1280 Bahts for a night. Went to have a drink and asked for cashew nuts and beer, thinking I will get some handful of cashews. Imagine how much cashew nuts I got. A plateful, good enough to be consumed for dinner. And that is my steed parked in the BP Grand Tower parking lot. Asked the watch man to keep a watch and gave him 50 bahts. He was more than happy to keep watching the car when I was sleeping. - This is what Thai's call as Cashews for snack! Plateful good enough for dinner That is my car in the BP Grand Towers parking lot among the Thai trucks.

not a good summer in Thailand and Thai divers were kept busy

Hi All, This is the updated post as slight change of plans. We will be heading up to Phuket than Krabi max. Here is the tentative schedule. From Dec 20 2008 onwards. Come back by end year. Day 1 - Drive to KL, R&R, Lunch and abit of Shopping. Drive to Penang stay one night. Day 2 - Penang R&R, then set off to Hatyai. Reach Hatyai then head to Phuket. 3 Days 2 nights. Day 4 - Set off to Krabi, 4 Days 3 nights in Krabi. Day 7 - Set off to Hatyai, then Penang (or maybe can try Ipoh) Rest for 1 night Day 8 - Head to KL, Rest 1 night Day 9 - Head back Singapore ! The above is just a guideline, when all the participants are confirmed, we can meet up and discuss the above. Basically its about 8 - 10 days, some are joining only for half the time. If there are enough cars, I will approach AA Spore or Tourism Thailand for escort purpose or something. We can even hire security guard to guard cars at the resort. Won't be expensive if all chip in few dollars. ---------------------------------------------------- Courtesy of Gadgeteer's Post (Thx Gadgeteer !) Some info on self drive holiday in the below area http://www.khaolaklovers.com/Phuket-Krabi-Samui-Drive.htm A good map of the drive in PDF http://www.budget.co.th/images/world/worldclass_phuket_eng.pdf ://http://www.budget.co.th/images/worl...phuket_eng.pdf ://http://www.budget.co.th/images/worl...phuket_eng.pdf ://http://www.budget.co.th/images/worl...phuket_eng.pdf ://http://www.budget.co.th/images/worl...phuket_eng.pdf ://http://www.budget.co.th/images/worl...phuket_eng.pdf --------------------------------------------------- A very detailed photojournal guide done by Poor Travaller is here. http://www.poortraveller.blogspot.com/2006...and-part-1.html Thanks Poor Travaller ! ------------------------------------------------ Please fill in your interest at the bottom. When it hits 10 cars, we will organise a meet up to confirm the details. Car 1 : Skinky + 1 pax (100% going) Car 2 : Val + 1 pax (60% ) Car 3 : Sg (50% / first 3 days) Car 4 : Alx (50%) Car 5 : Ian (Join till penang) Please fill in ur name and rsvp.

Hi all, Wanted to consult the guru here who have driven to Songkhla/Hat Yai. I would like to do solo and wonder whether I'm able to hit a Hat Yai hotel from Singapore within a day without getting myself too exhausted . If I start at 6am from Singapore, would I be able to reach there by 5pm running at a moderate speed of around 150km/h~160km/h . How long does it take to drive from Songkhla/Hat Yai to Phuket? Is petrol alot more expensive in Thailand than in Malaysia? I hope Ron 95 is at least common there. What are the places of attraction that I should not miss in these mentioned cities ? Thank you very much. Regards,

ok ok... I'm not driving to Phuket... although I'm very interested... haha... Anyone rented a car to drive before in Phuket? How's the driving condition there? Similar to those small town in Msia? Anything to be caution of?

Anyone interested in free 4D/3N stay in Phuket Marriots 2bedroom villa, pm me by today. Stay comes with free airport transfer. Only condition is to attend a 90min presentation during the stay.

Large fire at Phuket SuperCheap, reports of explosions [VIDEO] PHUKET: A large fire has broken out at the SuperCheap store on Thepkrassatri Rd in Phuket Town this evening (October 16). Claire Connell Wednesday 16 October 2013, 10:06PM http://youtu.be/duMT6f7TGkk Video: Eakkapop Thongtub The fire started at around 9.40pm this evening. Early reports say around 1,000 staff were inside SuperCheap at the time of the fire. There are now around 50-60 firetrucks at the scene, and around 300 firefighters. At 2am, there were still no details about the injured or if any people are dead. A support centre for the public has been set up at the Phuket Provincial Hall. A Phuket Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation official told The Phuket News on Thursday, “I have not received any reports about any injured or dead people. The fire is under control now. We have 15 officials from the department standing by at the scene to help.” An earlier report said one person had been treated at Vachira Hospital, but it was now established this man was not injured by the fire. Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa is now at the scene of the blaze along with mayors from other districts in Phuket. Police have now evacuated the area due to the risk of a possible explosion, both from the gas tanks inside SuperCheap and also the nearby Esso petrol station. Phuket News reporter at the scene Naraporn Tuarob said she arrived to find a lot of flames coming out of the building and people running from the scene. “At the moment I can hear explosions but I don’t know where they are coming from. The flames have moved to the Thanksina wood factory. “One couple told me they were about to pay the bill inside the store, and someone told them there was a fire – people were yelling “fire fire”. Then they ran out of the store and everyone else was running. They said everything was in chaos.” A pregnant Thai woman who lived in the village behind SuperCheap told The Phuket News on Wednesday night, “My husband and I heard a loud bomb noise around 9.30pm. Then I saw the flames and we escaped out. There is only one main exit onto the main road, but we went the back way and managed to get out.” Rasha Shidmaher, originally from Iran but living in Phuket for two years, was driving in the area when he saw the fire, and stopped to take a video. "It was awful when I saw the people crying and trying to leave the area where the fire was. There were people screaming and trying to leave the area. I saw a lot of ambulances as well from all around the island." Families living nearby have been ordered by officials to evacuate the area. One early report said the damage could be around B900 million. Nuengruethai Buddawong was at SuperCheap around 10.30pm this evening, after she drove there from Khao Rang Hill to see what the fire was. "I can hear the sirens and the bomb sounds. The traffic police have blocked the main road and the alleyway to get through to SuperCheap. Now I'm at the electric company office close by. On the main road there are a lot people."

Hi all am flying off next week to phuket with wifey n 2yr old boy.... staying in Kata... can recommend any nice place to go and seafood restaurant? Roughly how much will a seafood meal with lobster n crab cost ya?

Hey folks, I'll be heading to HKT with my gf soon. We will be renting a bike there (I reckon, scooter, thos lau pok one, without clutch). So would need some advise. First off, I dun have a bike licence (is that a problem?? ) Is the scooter easy to ride? How's the traffic there like? anyone who has rode there before can comment? Any other things to take note of (eg speeding, riding without helmet / without license, if I get caught, can kopi $$$ work?? haha) thanks to all

Hi guys, anyone got resources for Phuket map for garmin? Going there this June, will be renting a car for self drive around phuket with gf.

Tikos please take note and precautions.

R.I.P

Just came across this while searching online. Seems like the incident happened December 2010. Wonder if driver is from this forum. Anyway, he was charged and fined 18600thb in court and given back passport after a month. Just to share. http://rastforum.com/index.php?topic=642.0 Hello Everyone, I am new in here. Just a brief introduction of myself and why am i in here. I am from Singapore and currently i am being detained in Phuket Thailand, Please allow me to share with you, what actually happened. With a group of friends,that are keen 4x4 drivers, we drove from Singapore, via Malaysia to Phuket Thailand. With the need to communicate in the convoy, we were all using walkie talkies in our cars, as it was expensive to communicate via mobile phones. All went well when we crossed the international border into Thailand, but my nightmare started when we were driving in Phuket Island on the 1st of December and we were stopped at a routine roadblock at Kamala checkpoint in Phuket. I was detained as i was using a handheld Yaesu FT60 Walkie talkie and i found out at the moment that it was illegal to use this in thailand. Despite my explainations that i was using it for car to car communications and i was unaware that a license was required to bring or use it in thailand, it fell on deaf ears. The Officer asked me for a bribe of 20,000bt to let me go, but i politely explained to him that i didnt have that much cash on me and it was in the hotel room. We couldnt' communicate well and therefore i made a call to the Singapore embassy in Thailand and asked the officer to translate for me. After passing the phone to the officer and after my embassy has spoken to the thai police officer, i was detained and driven to the police station where i was thrown into the prison lock up for a night. I was susbquently released on bail the next day, when my Singaporean friends bailed me out for a whopping 100,000 bt, the thai cell mate that shared the cell with me, was locked up for possesion of drugs and his bail was only 40,000 bt. I was told to report back on the police station on the 9th of december when my understanding was that i would be sent to the court to face the sentence. but it wasn't the case, i was instead taken to the thai immigration department to extend my passport where i paid 1900bt to extend my passport and had to give 500bt to the policeman as "service charge". Up to today, i do not know my charge and i was told that i had to remain in thailand and unable to return to thailand for like 1-2months while they investigate and send the walkie talkie for investigations and testing. I have since engaged a lawyer and he is doing all his best to get me home. right now, i am stranded in phuket thailand and unable to return home because of a possession of a walkie talkie. I do not know how soon i can return home but i really do miss home and just want to get home asap. I might risk losing my job back in Singapore and my finances are drying up even as i stay in Phuket. This is my 3rd time visiting Phuket, and it is indeed a beautiful country with lovely people,throughout my ordeal. I have met and made new friendships with the thai people. i am appealing to all in this forum for any form of assistance, advice. It was suppose to be a holiday but it turned into a nightmare. As a tourist, there was no way that i would ever be aware of such "strict" laws governing the use of walkie talkies in thailand. Best Regards

Pre-trip preparations : Asked wife permission to drive up due to the recent terrorist activities. She is not as adventurous n wouldn

Going to phuket, staying at movenpick resort at karon beach. If i have to find own transport from airport to movenpick, what's the best way and cheapest to get there? And what's the typical charge I got to pay? Anything i need to avoid, from being a carrot head? I'm going there alone. And I'm not arranging hotel transfer service.

dear all going to phuket soon, anyone who has experience with reliable taxi drivers to recommend?

Hi All As the above, just like to know if there was any recently newly opened ? Thanks in advance.

Dear Bros and sisters, was thinking of planning a short trip and tot of these 2 destinations coz i haven been there b4. can anyone advice which place to go? wat are the decent n cheap hotels i can stay in? dun ask me go both coz i no time.. hahaaha! sorry for asking this question here coz this is the only forum i go to...

Anyone signed up for a special holiday package through Languan Holiday Club? http://www.lagunaholidayclub.com/ Package is $299 for 4D3N at Banyan Tree Phuket for 2 adult 2 children, plus 2000Baht food voucher. Looks too good to be true.

Hi , Anyone being to Phuket before? Nice place?

Hi Guys, Will be going to phuket nxt year..any hotels for recommendations? thanks for ur time!

apparently.... Phuket International Airport was the first to shut its doors after the protester invaded the runway Airports closure in Phuket, Hat Yai, Krabi affect flights from S'pore By Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 29 August 2008 2348 hrs SINGAPORE: Thai authorities have closed airports in Phuket, Hat Yai and Krabi due to protests in the country and this has affected flights from Singapore. So far only one SilkAir flight to Phuket was affected. It was supposed to take off at 6:30pm on Friday but has now been postponed to 10am on Saturday. Travellers at the popular beach resorts have also been stranded. The airport protests came as thousands of activists laid siege to Bangkok's Government House for the fourth straight day, calling for Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign. - CNA/vm