Phuket Thailand

ihavefun · #1 22-12-2004, 13:05

HEY BM's

My friends and i are going back to the LOS for my birthday in FEB(it is also my third time there, i did the sales pitch and convinced friends to come) and plan to spend it in Patong...

Then we fly to Chang Mai for 3-4 days , we then plan to drive to Bangkok from there then fly back to patong to relax the last phew days before going home... My QUESTIONS ARE....

1. Can we hire a car from Chang Mai and leave it at our Destination in Bangkok...

2. Is there any dangers in four westerners travelling between these areas and stopping in different towns...

3. If we can does anyone know how much a rental car is.

Thank you for any help you guys can give.... If i don't get back on post before Xmas I wish you all the best and safe festive season

gregor200 · #2 22-12-2004, 13:45

When you want to rent a car in Chiang Mai and leave in Bangkok, you have to rent it from big rental companies. These are normally cheaper, when you book directly in Europe. Or you look for a car with driver who is going back later to Chiang Mai. The pay for the driver is about the same as when you buy full insurance for your car, The road from Chiang Mai to Bangkok ist mostly highway, sometimes going through cities. All roads are very secure.

rockstar! · #3 22-12-2004, 14:14

We hired a mercedes with driver for a bkk to pattaya run and it worked out well, I would recommend this so you can relax and not have to worry about reading those signs!

ihavefun · #4 22-12-2004, 14:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockstar!

We hired a mercedes with driver for a bkk to pattaya run and it worked out well, I would recommend this so you can relax and not have to worry about reading those signs!

Sounds good but it will be part of the adventure doing it yourself...

How much did that cost you?

rockstar! · #5 22-12-2004, 14:39

I can't even remember...BG's have clouded my brain!

stevem · #6 22-12-2004, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockstar!

We hired a mercedes with driver for a bkk to pattaya run and it worked out well, I would recommend this so you can relax and not have to worry about reading those signs!

Bangkok to Pattaya is alittle bit different to Chiang Mai to Bangkok.

slimbag · #7 22-12-2004, 20:46

shouldn't be any problem, I drove from bkk to Isaan without any probs, hardest part I would say is bkk, I get lost so easy.
Go for it, road trips are always fun !

stevem · #8 23-12-2004, 12:07

Just get yourself a good road atlas. The one produced by Lonely Planet books which covers all of SE Asia is very good.

steven eleven · #9 24-12-2004, 20:12

I'm not sure but I think you may need an international driver's license as well.

ihavefun · #10 28-12-2004, 17:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by steven eleven

I'm not sure but I think you may need an international driver's license as well.

Yes thanks for help guys , I e-mailed rental company and yes i do need a international Drivers license

magnusvv · #11 17-06-2005, 19:56

I made a change of plans for this next trip and instead of going to Phuket I will be flying to Chiang Mai staying there a few days and then renting a car and driving back down to Bangkok. I'm hoping it will be a really fun experience.

I plan to stop off in Sukhothai and Kamphaeng Phet on the way...as long as there is enough time.

This will be my third trip to thailand and first time driving there. I'm a little nervous since things are so different from here in America. Is it important to get the maximum level of insurance that Budget is offering? I did not see an option to get it at the checkout time on their website. Anyone do this before?

Captain · #12 17-06-2005, 20:34

Why don't you drive the other way round? From BKK via Ayutthaya and Sukothai to Chiang Mai. In Chiang Mai there is a daily direct flight TG129 1115-1310 back to Phuket, no stop over..

magnusvv · #13 20-06-2005, 18:42

I want to visit Chiang Mai first since I'm not sure how things will be going. That way if I want to spend some extra time somewhere I am free to do it after hitting the initial desired destination.

If I had more time I would take advantage of that direct flight between Chiang Mai and Phuket. But with only 8 days I think I'm fitting about as much as I can in here.

steve@thaib · #14 20-06-2005, 18:59

I did this trip, Bangkok to Chiang Mai via Sukhothai and Nakhonsawan, by bus over a few days. There were some scary hills at the Chiang Mai end but it was a fantastic trip.

Sukhothai is interesting and it is good to see some places that you would not normally get to. Sounds like a great idea to me; enjoy.

void · #15 21-06-2005, 03:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by magnusvv

I made a change of plans for this next trip and instead of going to Phuket I will be flying to Chiang Mai staying there a few days and then renting a car and driving back down to Bangkok. I'm hoping it will be a really fun experience.

Did you consider taking the train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok? My Thai wife I tired this a couple of years back, and it was a good experience. Not something I would do every trip (from Chiang Mai to BKK) but definitely worth trying once, for the experience, IMHO.

magnusvv · #16 21-06-2005, 18:27

Actually I did consider it going from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. But the flight with Air Asia was so cheap at 500 baht and it would only take 1 hour, that I could not resist.

magnusvv · #17 15-07-2005, 00:54

I did the trip and it was great. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest. The drive is a piece of cake and there is plenty to stop and see along the way. Maps aren't even really necessary unless you want to get somewhere obscure.

My trip report is here.