Bangkok is the best place for cheap shopping of all kinds. They are renowned for their authentic-looking rip-off designer goods, and clothing is amazingly cheap. Best markets/places to go include: Chat Tu Chak (although it is really hot and crowded can become overwhelming), Sum Lum Night Bazaar is good for a night out, MBK (Mahboonkrong) Center sells great bags and clothes (and is wonderfully air-conditioned), but by far the best place for shopping (and just to check out the scene) is Patpong. It is certainly the Thai experience. I kinda hate Bangkok, as it is a falling down mess, but the shopping and food are unbeatable. I suggest being adventurous buying from the street sellers... they really make the best food although it looks dodgy. Great places to visit are: The Royal Palace, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, and taking an hour or so train to the abandoned city of Ayutthaya (although I suggest seeing Ayutthaya before ever going to Cambodia for Angkor Wat). After Angkor Wat, Ayutthaya is quite disappointing.

Hotel: Relax Bay.
Geiles Hotel, echt

Wear bug repelent!!! (Normally they don't bug* me but here they were EVERYWHERE!) Also, the famous Bridge over the river Kwai is walking distance from most accomodations along the river, so don't get scammed into paying $20 for a boat to it unless you want to see all the extras the boat trip includes- (there are far more impressive versions of most extras accross Thailand.)

When you come out of the airport you may need a shuttle but/taxi. Be careful as sometimes the stop at a jewellry store/tour/hotel booking centre….they will try to sell you tours and stuff to make a commission. Simply tell them you want to go straight to the hotel and that all your tours are booked. We had a major hassle, but I remembered to tell them to just take us to the hotel. We stayed in Patong. Please note that this is a party town! There is a strip with all bars and clubs and it gets rowdy everynight. So don’t stay in a place located near the main strips (Bangka Road) if you want peace and quiet. The beach was nice, but the water was very rough (at the beginning of July). Not much swimming- just avoiding waves. Still some beach activities like parasailing and jet skiing.

Pattaya was a disappointment for me. I'm an asian girl and i was traveling alone in Pattaya. Does this alone necessarily mean i'm looking for someone??? Pattaya's swarmed with dodgy old blokes and putas. I really disliked the atmosphere there and ended up staying in the hotel's swimming pool for 4 days! Pattaya is an oversized red light district. Unless your interest is in prostitution, go somewhere else!

Go for Pala-U waterfalls with taxi. Make a deal with taxi for a trip to Pala-u (a part of Kaneng Krachan National park). It´s cheap and the place is great rainforest river. There´s is a good restaurant nearby before maybe 5km before entrance. If You´ve rent car You may want to visit Kaeng Krachan National park. It´s biggest National park of Thailand (about 3000 square kilometers). Entrance fee is about 10 dollars / person. We managed to get a guide inside from the camp of forestguardians. Didn´t speak english but guided us few hours in the forest for a money (not much).

1. use taxi that the driver able to speak english..it save a lot of your time..:) 2. and when using a taxi ask for "metre charge"..it save your money..:)

I found rail travel in Thailand to be easy, comfortable, safe, economical, and green. A rail pass was inexpensive and afforded me unlimited travel for 21 days. I also saved time and money by taking night trains, thus traveling while sleeping and saving money for lodging. The sleeping trains were clean and surprisingly easy to sleep in. I slept well and often arrived at my destination fresh and early to start a new day. When compared with flying, taking a bus, or renting a car, this was by far the most green solution to my travel needs. In addition to being green, it allowed me to interact with the locals.

the islands off krabi are some of my favorite spots in this world. ko lanta, railey beach etc, the best for diving, relaxing, rock climbing. and i love the food, the people are super friendly, its almost too good to be true!

Bring towels (of course) and make sure you have small change for the little boats.... Go snorkling