Thailand Travel Portal

Hua Hin Beach

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Wanting to go to a nice beach that is close to Bangkok, well a bit over 2 hours drive, we finally get to Hua Hin. One thing I notice about Hua Hin is how clean the roads were, compared to Bangkok it was spotless. Also on the main road I noticed there wasn’t any mobile food stalls (which are all over Bangkok) and it made the streets look a lot better I have to say. The air is also much cleaner and there isn’t much traffic at all.

The beach at Hua Hin is surprisingly empty compared to the other popular tourist beaches. There also a beautiful Buddhist statue on one side of the beach overlooking the water. Hua Hin beach is one of the most underrated beaches in Thailand.

Pattaya Beaches

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Pattaya Beach: is situated alongside the city centre. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya’s abundant nightlife area. Most sections of the beach are covered by rented deck chairs run by local beverage vendors during daylight hours. While the beaches in Pattaya and not among the best in Thailand, there is a few borderline decent beaches around. Not a place to visit if your looking for a beautiful beach though.

Jomtien Beach: is divided from the main part of Pattaya by Pratumnak Hill, just south of the city. Jomtien is essentially a residential area with beach side hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. A wide array of watersport activities can be found, including jet skis, parasailing and small sail boat (Hobie Cat) rental. Dongtan Beach, just past the Avalon Beach Resort in Jomtien, is known as the gay beach, and is busy every day of the year.

Jomtien’s most visible landmark is the 56-story Pattaya Park tower, part of the Pattaya Park entertainment complex which also features a water park, roller coaster, monorail. This may soon be overshadowed by the proposed 91-floor Ocean One Tower (“O1″) Tower. With an overall height of 367 meters, it would be the tallest building in Thailand and one of the tallest residential buildings in the world. The Jomtien district is already home to one of the largest resorts in Asia, the 4000+ room Ambassador City Jomtien.

Naklua Bay: Is immediately north of Pattaya Bay, with Rachvate Cape separating the two. Naklua Beach, to the far north, is the main strip, with the smaller Crescent Moon Beach and then Palm Beach further south. Beyond them is Wong Amat Beach which occupies the northern end of Pattaya Bay, but is accessed from Naklua. All are generally cleaner and more suitable for quiet relaxation than Pattaya Beach.

Phuket Beaches

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Phuket has a lot of activities to choose from, there is many Phuket travel guides around. You can go snorkeling, diving, island hoping, sky diving, water skiing, swimming and almost anything else you can think of. But remember to try and bargain the prices down as much as you can, the savings you can make with good bargaining skills can be huge.

Beaches

The major beaches from north to south are:

Mai Khao (Sai Kaeo) - near the airport, very quiet (aside from the planes!) and far away from it all

Nai Thon and Nai Yang - two quiet beaches in Sirinat National Park

Bang Thao (Laguna Beach) - long, very quiet beach

Surin and Pansea Beach - an up-and-coming upmarket destination

Laem Sing - small bay with stunning views, between Kamala Beach and Surin Beach

Kamala Beach - a quieter beach to the north of Patong

Kalim Beach - a series of small beaches just to the north of Patong

Patong Beach - the largest beach resort, known for its nightlife

Karon and Karon Noi Beaches - the second most-developed beach after Patong

Kata Yai Beach - busy, clean tourist beach with good surf

Kata Noi Beach - quieter sister of Kata Yai

Nai Han and Ao Sen - a quiet beach (probably the best) in the south, near Phromthep Cape view point

Rawai, Mittraphap and Laem Ka - set off point for lots of local islands, popular with locals for eating on the beach

Cape Panwa - home to Phuket Aquarium

Full Moon Party, Koh Pha ngan

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Full Moon Party (Ko Phangan) Had Rin Beach on nearby Ko Phang-ngan was once a secret haven for a few backpackers who could only get to the beach by boat. Now, it is packed with bungalows, bars, pizza joints and even a 7-11 and every month on full-moon, a huge all-night event is held with rave music played by international DJs to thousands of party-goers. To get there you will need to take a boat. The party goes until late morning and only the biggest party animals will survive until the end. a lot of people will sleep on the beach and then take the boat back in the afternoon. So if your a party animal and your in Koh Samui around a full moon, this is a place not to miss. Party-goers often say this is one of the best parties in the world.

Chaweng

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Chaweng Beach: is especially famous for its beer bars (also called bar-beers), staffed by pretty hostesses, usually from the north-east of Thailand. Buy them a “girlie drink” and you’ll be in entertaining company. Beer bars can be found all over Chaweng. The bars offer pool, Connect4 and other popular bar games. Since the nightlife on Chaweng can see serious debauchery at times, the local law enforcers are strict in concern to enforcing closing times. The official closing time in “entertainment zones” is 1am (in practice usually somewhere between 1am and 2am, depending on the location).

Chaweng Beach is packed out with nightclubs playing the latest rave sounds and serving exotic cocktails. Electronic music is very popular. The biggest club is the Green Mango to which even a street was named. There is some other bars in Lamai that is nearby but its best to party the night away in Chaweng as this is where all the action is.

Bangla Road, Patong

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Phuket has a busy nightlife, second only to Pattaya among Thailand’s beach resorts. Patong Beach is by far the busiest, and seediest, of the lot. To some travelers, Patong’s nightlife can be a bit intimidating.

Patong’s nightlife spills out in all directions but the center of the maelstrom is Thanon Bung La (Bung La Road) and its four soi’s – Crocodile, Eric, Gonzo and Seadragon, packed with a frenetic mix of pubs, beer bars, and go-go bars. Soi Crocodile is also known as Soi Katoey, a reference to its many ladyboy’s. There are also a couple of good nightclubs with dance floors.

Thanon Bang La can be too much for some people, its a full on party atmosphere and should be something to remember for awhile.

Walking Street

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Walking Street is a famous and vibrant part of the city located in south of Pattaya Thailand. It is a location that is well-known to many tourists visiting Thailand, and especially to the male visitors. It is also known as International Meeting Street. Walking Street runs from the Beach Road to the Bali-Hi Pier, and there are entrance arches at either end. The street is traffic-free at night (from 6:00pm), and car parking is at the Bali-Hi end.

There are go-go (dancing girls) bars, beer bars, discotheques, strip pubs, and night clubs. In 2004 the local press reported that there were 30 of the air-conditioned go-go bars on the street (as of February 2008 there are over 50 in the street itself and adjoining soi’s). The street is also known for the amount of glowing colored neon signage used on and above the street at night. In the earlier part of the evening one can also find live bands and fine dining. Closing time is usually about 2:00am to 2:45am. Walking street is most vibrant on Saturday nights.

Although this part of the city is safe, pick pocketing is a common problem, and the bulk of one’s money should be concealed. Travelers should follow the same basic safety rules here as they would in any other unfamiliar city. Offering the exact change, for anything from a taxi to buying drinks, is always a good idea in order to avoid any misunderstandings. It is also recommended that visitors only visit well-lit venues and venues with a proper and permanent sign showing the venue’s name; information can then be given to the tourist police if required. Although some western visitors drink heavily in the bars, this does not usually cause problems.

Chiang Mai Nightlife

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Chiang Mai’s nightlife scene is the most happening in the North, although still a far cry from Bangkok’s. There are discos, karaoke bars, and live music everywhere. The busiest nightlife zones are near Tapae Gate, Loi Kroh Roadand along Charoenrat Road on the eastern bank of the Ping River.

Most of Chiang Mai’s bars and pubs are located along Loi Kroh Road and Moon Muang Road. Here you can find small expat hangouts, go-go bars and sports bars. Most have pool tables and hostesses, along with music videos or various TV sports programs. Be aware despite their charm and friendliness, the pressure to purchase lady drinks can end up with a very surprising “check bin” (tab) at the end of the night.

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

Chiang Mai has great shopping and an internationally renowned night bazaar. There are also vendor booths that line other streets after dark, selling all types of merchandise including antiques, silks, beautiful handicrafts, silver, art, electronics, and knock-off and copycat merchandise, such as watches, handbags, and designer label clothing. Some hardcore shoppers say it is even the best shopping in the world.

The Chiang Mai night bazaar is the best night market in Thailand, it will be hard to leave the market without buying anything.
It opens at about 5 PM, but many vendors open about 7 PM until 11 or so. It is situated along a three block stretch of Chan Klan road in the heart of the city, within walking distance of most hotels. It’s not just a place to shop, but possibly Chiang Mai’s largest tourist attraction, with products from Northern Thailand and neighboring countries, especially those associated with Thailand’s hill tribes.

Shopping

Chiang mai is famous for its hand-tailored Thai silk clothes, funny t-shirts and huge selection of cheap CDs and DVD’s (many are pirate copies so expect to get what you pay for, usually the quality is poor)

Prices are not fixed so you will need to use your bargaining skills to get the best deal you can get. Remember when you are bargaining, you should do it with a smile and be friendly. It is seen as a bit of a game, if you start getting upset and getting too serious with it, you usually won’t get the best price. Remember have fun.

Food and Drinks

There is plenty of food and drinks about, there is plenty of Thai seafood and noodle restaurants within close vicinity. If your looking for western food, you can go to Loi Khro Road just east of Chang Khlan Road near the river, which will have many western favorites like McDonald’s, Subway etc. There is also travel agents about where you can plan your next tours.

Patong Night Market

February 07, 2011 admin No comments

One of Patong’s main attractions, besides the nightlife, is shopping. Many small stalls and markets line the streets offering everything from t-shirts and clothing, silk, carvings, souvenirs, shoes, CD’s and DVD’s. Bargain hard for anything you buy from these stalls, as everything is negotiable in Patong and starting prices are often ridiculously high. Get a local to help you haggle rather than complain about it, or if you don’t have a local to help you out, just halve the originally price and meet somewhere in between.
Shopping at shopping malls in Phuket is a lot saver and cost effective. Price of a pair of sunglasses for example will be the same price as stalls on beach road.

While the night market here is good, it not comparable to Chiang Mai night markets. But if you are not going to Chiang Mai or even Bangkok, it will give the the Thai market feel. I still recommend to visit and see what is on offer.
One of the good things about the market being at night is the temperature has dropped a little and you can bargain as much as you want and not get too sun burnt or be sweating like a water fountain.

Shopping

Along side all the market stalls there is many other retail shops which offer the market a mix of fake and genuine merchandise. They have sports shops (Nike, Adidas etc), Cigar shop, Ripcurl, tailors, gem stores and much more.

While Patong beach road markets don’t offer the great bargains as other markets do in Thailand, it does have it’s own feel to it. The atmosphere is great as it is along side the beach, close to bars and fine restaurants. Many people who do come to Thailand nowdays, fly straight in and out of Phuket, if you are on of these people, then Patong Beach Road Night Markets are the place to shop.

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Chatuchak Weekend Market

The Emporium

Siam Paragon

Pantip Plaza

MBK Center

Hua Hin Beach

Pattaya Beaches

Phuket Beaches

Beaches

Full Moon Party, Koh Pha ngan

Chaweng

Bangla Road, Patong

Walking Street

Chiang Mai Nightlife

Chiang Mai Night Bazaar

Shopping

Food and Drinks

Patong Night Market

Shopping

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Beaches

Shopping

Food and Drinks

Shopping

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