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Thailand Branch FAQ

Welcome! This is the home of those looking for information or looking to share information about Thailand.

Here are some tips to help you find the information you want and need:

1. Research before asking a question. It will help you get better, more detailed and useful answers from the community if you've already done some homework. It's also polite. The community is here to help, but we're not your personal search engine. Invest some preliminary time and we'll happily help you fill in the gaps.

2. Explore Lonely Planet's Destinations online, which has a wealth of key info and tips.

3. Have a good look around the Thorn Tree before asking your question - quite often your question (or one very simila... more »

VISA CHANGES For people entering Thailand by land

Thailand has changed the rules for people entering the country via land borders. If you are planning a trip to Southeast Asia, or are on the road now, then read this and prepare to either alter your plans or get better acquainted with your local Thai consulate.

So what's the deal?
While the official English translation of the order has yet to be published (and is unlikely to appear before next week due to today's holiday for the King's birthday), a combination of an unofficial translation and reports from various borders suggest the speculation is accurate. The headline change is that anyone crossing into Thailand by land, who doesn't already have a visa from a Thai embassy or consulate, will be ALLOWED TO STAY ONLY 15 DAYS, not the previous 30.

This does not apply to people flying into Thailand, who can still get 'stamped in' - or in official parlance enter under the 't... more »

Where to stay on Phi Phi

Any ideas of a cheap place to stay on Ph iPhi, we would like air con ,toilet in room. Not sure whether to book or just turn up and get somewhere ,is that possible.Not into the bar/party scene .Got any hints on what to do?
cheers Lorri

Forgot to say it will be 31march for a few days

Edited by: lorri61

Accomodation on King's birthday weekend

Hi All,

I'm planning on taking a bus from Penang to Krabi on 2/3 December and was then planning on staying a couple nights there before heading to BKK and then on to Koh Samet.

I've now found out that it is the King's birthday on 5 December and accomodation will be very busy. Is it worth just turning up to somewhere like Koh Samet/Koh Chang that are close to BKK or would I be better off staying in Krabi/Phuket?

Thanks for any feedback!

T

Ko Lanta - 1 week in Feb

Hello,
Can anyone recommend a medium budget place to stay in Ko Lanta for a week in Feb?
Many thanks

Bangkok: Special Shopping Plans

Hi, i have some special shopping needs in Bkk this week. I do know all the usual places like MBK, Emporium, Central Chitlom, 13 other Centrals, Paragon, Siam Discovery, Fortune City, Panthip Plaza, Pratunam, etc. etc. I have a city map and can handly public transport and taxis. Maybe you know something else or you can tell where to head for what exactly.

What i need:

• movie DVDs, though not the usual Hollywood/serials they sell anywhere, but Indian movies (Bollywood, regional and arthouse) and old fashioned 60ies Hollywood like Douglas Sirk, Cary Grant
• very good black daypack or shoulder bag in city/business style, not the ubiquituous cheap variety
• nice, light "Asian" christmas gifts that can be mailed overseas
• relatively slick city shoes that are open at the back side (to easily slip in, out), but don't look plump like house shoes
• probably a lightweight "trekking ...

MId Range in Bangkok - We Admiral Suites, is Sukumvit area ok

Hi has anyone stayed at the Admiral Suites? after roughing it a bit we would like to stay in a mid range hotel for our time in Bangkok before we move on. We would also like to be away from Khao Sarn road.

I found some good rates on agoda for here. Anyone stay here before? Did you enjoy Sukumvit area?

Small Sleepy Village

We are not great lovers of big Cities and Towns. So we thought we would venture further South.

We came across a small village 'Bangsaphan' about 2hrs south of Hua Hin, where we met some really friendly people.

After looking at accommodation on the beach (Huts), which were not really to our liking (no aircon, fridge etc), we opted for the guest house in town. It was so clean and comfortable. The food was great (a bit of good home cooking) and the English couple (owners) and staff were so nice, even transporting us to and from the beach. The beach was so clean and stretched for miles, no hawkers! Brilliant!

There were a few really nice cheap bars on the beach, and they actually spoke English! The Thai food we found to be even cheaper than previous places we'd been. We found a lovely thai restuarant by the train station, (only 50bht for a big bottle of beer) the Thai lady spoke ... more »

Flights from BKK to VTE

My friends are flying to Laos and hoped to get there as quickly as possible without lingering in BKK waiting for a flight to VTE. I assured them this wouldn't be a problem as it never was with me in the past - I was quite used to arriving in BKK in the late morning and I was always able to catch a flight to Lao in the afternoon, arriving just in time for dinner. :)

This has apparently changed, tho, as the only flights on the same airline I alway fly arrives in BKK at 11:15 or so am but the flights (Lao and Thai Air) to Vientiane are at a very inconvenient 11:45, hardly enough time to get the bags and run thru the airport. The next soonest flight to VTE is at 7pm. That's just terrible.

I don't know of any other airlines to suggest to my friend - I'd personally just opt for the train at this point.

Are there any other airlines that service BKK to VTE?

Ta muchly.

(cros... more »