Thailand for the winter

[gotoPzero]

Been contemplating our winter getaway and I am thinking of Thailand. Never been before.

My plan would be to get a 6 month tourist visa (multiple entry) so we could stay pretty much as long as we want between say December and March with just one quick visa run.

Anyone done 3-4 months?

I am thinking of renting a condo in Bangkok for the duration and then doing short trips of 5-7 days to various places when the mood takes us.
We don't want a "holiday" as such, so wont be doing touristy stuff all the time.

If we did a couple of visa runs thinking of KL and Singapore.

Been watching a lot of youtube stuff and I think its probably decent value compared to the canaries which is our back up plan?

[Bezerk]

Advice here

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Bangkok is great to visit but I wouldn't want to live there for 4 Months just because it's warm.

[GT4P]

Quiet a few topics already on here about Thailand , we are regular visitors to Thailand and I have posted many comments on the subject like many others also so just trawl through some of previous posts for insight

[GT4P]

Why use Bangkok as a base just travel spending a few weeks at different destinations, go to Cambodia, Vietnam or Laos.
We spent 7 weeks earlier this year and will do same early next year but will move around for 4 weeks then relax for 3 weeks at our favourite beach resort , heaven!

[gotoPzero]

Yeah I searched <this is the way> and found a few threads but most of it 2/3 weeks vs 3/4 months and a lot of old pre covid info.
I read the above thread (thanks) and thats got a bit more long term info.

[smifffymoto]

Thailand has just reopened for Chinese tourists so I expect them to return in huge numbers. Couple that with the major push from TAT for Indian tourists and Thailand could become a miserable holiday.

Never before has solid research been needed in respect of avoiding them.

[GT4P]

Just avoid the places where they love to go and should be fine, pre COVID they were there in large numbers so we know what to expect.

[MrBen986]

We spent Jan and Feb this year mostly in Thailand, with a brief trip to Vietnam in the middle to keep visas simple (Thailand was doing 45 day visa exemption at the time, believe that is now back to 30).

Cost of living can be incredibly low still, especially away from the major cities and tourist spots. If you have that sort of time, definitely get out and see more of the 'real' Thailand - we did a couple of road trips, including driving back from Chiang Mai to Bangkok at the end of our trip. You don't have to go far before you lose all the English signs and banana pancakes! We never booked accommodation for more than a week and usually less, to keep things as flexible as possible.

One thing to be aware of is Air Quality. Thai farmers still burn their fields at the end of the season, and where this used to start in March just before the rains arrive, they are now starting in mid-January. Technically illegal but nobody stops it. In February the air quality in the north of Thailand got really bad, and that's what led us to move on.

[Griffith4ever]

smifffymoto said:

Thailand has just reopened for Chinese tourists so I expect them to return in huge numbers. Couple that with the major push from TAT for Indian tourists and Thailand could become a miserable holiday.

Never before has solid research been needed in respect of avoiding them.

They reopened this spring, as we left. Last few days in Feb we saw Chinese tourists appearing in small family groups. I'm told on another thread here that they are not resuming their vast numbers like before for various reasons. Easy way to avoid huge Chinese swarms is to avoid going to the easy and spoilt places like Ao Nang, Phi Phi, Samui etc.

For the OP,I think I can see your reasoning for the BKK base but it really isn't a place you want to stay in for long periods. It's way to sticky and hectic, and smoggy. Fantastic place but not for months! There is absolutely no reason you need to base yourself in a city to facilitate easy access to transport / flights. Hardly anywhere in Thailand is more than one day away from Suvernabhumi airport! If you are thinking along the BKK lines due to wanting to have a temp "home" as you are going for so long, or, somewhere for all your luggage, you really don't need a base,and you really really want to travel light. First time I did a long stint I posted home most of my stuff Id taken after a month. You need so little Inthe way of clothes. We do several months with only carry on bags (overhead)

Flights are pocket money if you book around two weeks in advance or more and travel light. For example , Krabi to BKK is around £16 each with no luggage and takes 1 hour. Krabi gives you same day access to Ao Nang,Koh Lanta.Koh Jum,Koh Lipe and many many more . It's the same on the other side from Trat airport for Koh Chang etc . Leave it till the last few days and £16 becomes £96

My advice is to just go where you fancy going and take it one week at a time (I've done two 6 month stints before). You will never struggle to get where you want to go,be it the South,North, Cambodia, Vietnam, Loas etc. You WILL always have to fly back to BKK / DMK but it's like catching a bus over there.

There are so many fabulous places in Thailand (and Nam and Cambodia) you will end up staying places longer than you planned :-)

Multi entry visa followed by a visa exemption sounds like a good plan. Online Thai visas are now easy and fast. Ask if you need help with the details (some docs they ask for seem impossible,but you just keep uploading a copy of your passport instead). You can do a combo of land and air border visa renewals up to around three times in a year. I've literally just done our 3 month single entry visas again (only staying for 32 days on the initial stint - quite annoying - don't want to overstay even by two days as might be looking at a retirement visa in the future there...). On the application - anything that asks for pension/employment/self assesment - just insert a bank statement (over £450 balance), anything that asks for contact details in Thailand - copy of your hotel booking, even if it's for just the 1st night in BKK (I use a screengrab of the booking.com confirmation), don't tick the "more hotels" option. They don't care and you don't know! Anything that asks for proof of residency - another copy of your passport. You end up uploading those three docs at least twice each! The proicess is a LOT easier than it was during the pandemic!

If you really don't want. "holiday" then get yourself up to Chiang Mai , that's where athe ex pat's head. Much nicer than BKK

Whatever you do it'll be much much more varied and interesting than the Canaries.

Edited by Griffith4ever on Tuesday 3rd October 11:48

[nikaiyo2]

Great country, I would suggest maybe look at Phuket Town or Chiang Mai or Hua Hin over Bangkok, Bangkok is kind of hectic, like living in Soho/ West End, its great for a few days.

[gotoPzero]

Thanks all some good info. We do like the city, tbh I am much more comfortable in a city than out in the sticks. I appreciate some people hate it both my wife and myself would much rather be in the big city.

We would of course leave our options open and would likely spend several weeks travelling around. Like I said its not a "holiday" so to speak.

The waters are muddied slightly because we are (trying) selling our house - so wont be able to book for another few weeks. Hoping to get a black friday deal on the flights

[GT4P]

Travel light is my mantra , never exceed 20-25kg between the 2 of us, makes life so much easier, always makes me laugh when I see people with 2 massive suitcases getting on a long tail, both cases are full size cabin bags so one goes in the hold with all the lotions and potions and the other comes in the cabin

[GT4P]

Personally I rate Chang Rai over Chang Mai, less commercialised and more authentic, white temple is worth a visit

[gotoPzero]

GT4P said:

Travel light is my mantra , never exceed 20-25kg between the 2 of us, makes life so much easier, always makes me laugh when I see people with 2 massive suitcases getting on a long tail, both cases are full size cabin bags so one goes in the hold with all the lotions and potions and the other comes in the cabin

Yeah we try and travel light, we did 7 weeks in Japan, 4 weeks in the US, 4 weeks round South America etc etc so we are used to living out of suit cases.

One thing we want to do this time though is have more of a base. Its fun moving from place to place but after the 6th hotel / air bnb it gets a bit old.

So this time we plan to go pretty much open ended (can stay up to 9 months on METV) and just have a base centrally located and then take trips north / south as we decide to do when we want.

[Griffith4ever]

GT4P said:

Travel light is my mantra , never exceed 20-25kg between the 2 of us, makes life so much easier, always makes me laugh when I see people with 2 massive suitcases getting on a long tail, both cases are full size cabin bags so one goes in the hold with all the lotions and potions and the other comes in the cabin

Thapts what we do - the liquids thing is a pain in the arse, but hey, we are never in a rush so no probs with baggage reclaim.

[daqinggregg]

This is our luggage on a current schlep around Vietnam, 4 weeks in so far.

[Bustlepuncher]

I spend two months each year, Jan/Feb with my wife in Bangkok in a serviced apartment. We used to go for just a few weeks but found staying longer cost less and its a fantastic place to be and avoid the miserable British weather.
Like you, we love cities, and use BKK as a base to visit other places in Thailand. Last time we also went to Laos and Hanoi, and on our next trip there will be side trips to Saigon and Cambodia.
We find plenty to do in Bangkok, and you can live well, and cheaply compared to other major cities I have lived in or visited. We get into a routine, gym, hunting out new experiences, food , drink, cinema and meeting interesting characters on the way.
This is not a backback experience, so we stay in a nice serviced apartment which is attached to a hotel. All hotel facilities are then available to us. Rent is about £1250 per month inclusive of internet, aircon etc.

I find people either love Bangkok or hate it. Obviously we love it, the noise, the hectic pace, the excitement, the sleaze, the 24 hour a day buzz, and these days the glamour. Its not for everyone but horses for courses. For context, we are now late 50s but first visited 30 years ago and heave been returning regularly over the years. Every year we return the city has changed, as cities do, so there is always new stuff to discover.
Good luck !
Simon.

[nikaiyo2]

gotoPzero said:

Thanks all some good info. We do like the city, tbh I am much more comfortable in a city than out in the sticks. I appreciate some people hate it both my wife and myself would much rather be in the big city.

We would of course leave our options open and would likely spend several weeks travelling around. Like I said its not a "holiday" so to speak.

The waters are muddied slightly because we are (trying) selling our house - so wont be able to book for another few weeks. Hoping to get a black friday deal on the flights

Whatever you do Thailand is epic, if you love hustle and bustle Bangkok has that... in spades :P



Its amazing how different the country is, travel south to the Muslim areas, people in Bangkok will tell you its the most dangerous place in the world... its not. Hat Yai, Suratthani etc are great as are the far south islands.

[gotoPzero]

Bustlepuncher said:

I spend two months each year, Jan/Feb with my wife in Bangkok in a serviced apartment. We used to go for just a few weeks but found staying longer cost less and its a fantastic place to be and avoid the miserable British weather.
Like you, we love cities, and use BKK as a base to visit other places in Thailand. Last time we also went to Laos and Hanoi, and on our next trip there will be side trips to Saigon and Cambodia.
We find plenty to do in Bangkok, and you can live well, and cheaply compared to other major cities I have lived in or visited. We get into a routine, gym, hunting out new experiences, food , drink, cinema and meeting interesting characters on the way.
This is not a backback experience, so we stay in a nice serviced apartment which is attached to a hotel. All hotel facilities are then available to us. Rent is about £1250 per month inclusive of internet, aircon etc.

I find people either love Bangkok or hate it. Obviously we love it, the noise, the hectic pace, the excitement, the sleaze, the 24 hour a day buzz, and these days the glamour. Its not for everyone but horses for courses. For context, we are now late 50s but first visited 30 years ago and heave been returning regularly over the years. Every year we return the city has changed, as cities do, so there is always new stuff to discover.
Good luck !
Simon.

Thanks great stuff similar to what we plan, looked at flgihts last night but just waiting for some points to hit my account with Cathay and then we are on our way!

If you don't mind me asking - which condo do you use? Sounds like what we are after. (have been looking at various sites but always good to have quality info on specific buildings as hard to belive some of the reviews)

[vtgts300kw]

gotoPzero said:

Thanks great stuff similar to what we plan, looked at flgihts last night but just waiting for some points to hit my account with Cathay and then we are on our way!

If you don't mind me asking - which condo do you use? Sounds like what we are after. (have been looking at various sites but always good to have quality info on specific buildings as hard to belive some of the reviews)

AirBnb is a good way to search for places, as the reviews are more reliable. Either book the accommodation via AirBnb, or use it for research if you have found a building/ area you like the look of via another platform.

Bangkok is vast, and as long as wherever you choose is near a mass transit station you will be fine. But researching the different areas, then selecting a Soi based on things that you are going to want to most days (ie; wander around at night, good coffee shops in the morning, neighbourhood green space etc) will make it measurably more enjoyable.