Other Destinations in Thailand > Thailand Experience

Advantages: Beautiful natural scenery, friendly locals, VERY cheap
Disadvantages: Parts becoming slowly more commercialised

Thailand really is a country which will change the way you look at the world. I have personally visited this country twice to date and during my time there saw many different sides to the country and what it has to offer. The most important to thing to understand about Thailand is that, although the majority of the country still reflects the original natural beauty that the country has to offer, some parts are slowly becoming very commercial in terms ...
...locations for anyone travelling to Thailand and it is fair to say that most tourist do make a stop off here at some point. The first time I visited this island tourism was only starting to creep in and, although it was already far more tourist orientated that most part of Thailand, western culture was yet to really seep through. The second time I visited this island, a mere two years later, alot had changed. It was simply more geared towards looking ... Read review

Advantages: location,pool,people,off the beaten path,views, experiences
Disadvantages: not too much English spoken in the local area

...20 minutes out of Udon Thani. Udon Thani itself is quite a modern Thai trading town, and did not really seem that attractive. However, once we had left the city we felt we had really found the true Siam from the past. We did not want to stay in a hotel and found the website (http://www.geckovilla.com) on the recommendation of friends. We were picked up by the owners at UTH airport off our Nok Air flight (which again had been recommended - http://www.nokair.com) ...
...had rented ourselves an entire country house for our holiday, right in the middle of the Thai countryside and surrounded by rice paddies and woodlands. We really enjoyed having the privacy of our own pool and house, and the food that was prepard for us daily was delightful (and learning how to make it from the owner, a former cook, really pleased my wife!). Perhaps the best thing was being able to explore the nearby rural villages and experience ... Read review

Advantages: Fitter, Happier, Cleaner.
Disadvantages: The Overnight Train.

Chaing Mai is the capital of the Northern Thailand province of Chaing Mai. With a population of just over 160,000 people it is the perfect urban getaway from the strangling density of Bangkok. The weather is also a little cooler than the capital and its centre is beautifully contained within a square moat. There are a range of options available in getting to Chaing Mai from the capital. We took an overnight train which left Bangkok at 10 in the evening ...
...day. You can also bus it which takes around 12 hours. Many of the agencies on the Khao San road offer a VIP bus to Chaing Mai. The last alternative is to fly which would probably be best for those with limited time. Our single train journey cost us 500 Baht each (12 Euro). ACCOMMODATION We stayed in 2 guesthouses while in Chaing Mai. The first, SK house was chosen for us by our trekking agency. As part of our trek we would get the night we arrived ... Read review

Advantages: escape the husle and bustle of commercial parts of Thailand
Disadvantages: Absolutely none

...visit, peaceful bike rides around Pai and if you are too lazy the you can relax alongside the river and forget all about the rat race.Everyday living is cheap, rooms for a few pounds a night and the food is awesome, as you would expect in Thailand. You can buy the best pancakes at night on one of the handful of streets that makes up Pai and during the day you can satisfy your sweet tooth / munchiesat the German bakery. There is nothing bad i can ... Read review

Advantages: good place distance-wise to stop
Disadvantages: not much to do compared with other cities in Thailand

Phitsanulok seems to get most of its visitors by virtue of its location-- it is a long train journey from both Bangkok and Chiang Mai but each journey is do-able in a day. Phi-lok is the natural stopping point. There are a few nice Wats here, such as Wat Phra Si and the Wat Chulamani ruins, but most of the entertainment revolves around eating. There are some decent floating restaurants down on the river, and if there are enough diners a few of them ...
...On the way to the bunch of river restaurants there is a rather cheesy food market that is best missed. Another reason for visiting here is that it is on the land route to Sukhothai and the not-to-be-missed Sukhothai Historic Park. My advice is to hop on the bus right from the train and spend the night in Sukhothai. Sukhothai is not much better as a place to stay, but at least you won't have a long journey first thing in the morning to get to the ... Read review