Thailand Itinerary and Notes

I have become quite the planner when it comes to trips -especially those that are international!  There are just so many places to visit, so many restaurants to research and since WiFi and cell service is often unreliable, my itineraries become extremely detailed. 

It’s become common practice for me to distribute my travel itineraries to friends and colleagues to help them plan their trips, so I thought I’d do the same here!  Some of the information won’t matter too much to you, but hopefully you’ll find my notes, itinerary outline and attraction tips useful.  So without further adieu, I give you my Thailand itinerary and travel tips:

Thailand Itinerary and Notes

February 4^th & 5^th: Travel to Bangkok

American Airlines Flight 2413

Depart DFW at 8am CST for LAX.  Arrive at 9:29am local PST

Cathay Pacific Flight 885

Depart LAX at 11:25am PST for Hong Kong.

Arrive Thursday, February 5^th at 7:05pm local time.

*Checked bags cannot exceed 20kg; 44lbs.  May be able to go beyond this leaving the US, but getting back will be strict

Cathay Pacific Flight 709

Depart Hong Kong at 10pm local time.

Arrive in Bangkok at 11:55pm

Airport transportation:  taxi.

Notes on taxis: When you get into the taxi, make sure the meter is on and showing 35 baht. On arrival at your hotel, you’ll have to pay the fare on the meter, plus an airport surcharge of 50 baht that is not shown on the meter. In addition there may be optional expressway tolls of 75 baht which you should pay directly at the two toll stations. Typical cost: 250 to 400 baht in total (including metered fare, surcharge and tolls) depending on distance and traffic conditions. The average seems to be around 300-350 baht to most inner city destinations. Average Time : About 30 to 45 minutes.

Taxi drivers are not normally tipped, although rounding of odd amounts (e.g. 97 baht to 100 baht, or even sometimes of 101 baht down to 100 baht!) is commonly practiced.

Bangkok: 2/5- 2/8

Hotel: Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok

11 Sukhumvit Soi 24

Bangkok, 10110, Thailand

+66 2 620 6699

Places to go:

Sirocco

·       Sirocco: tallest open-air restaurant/bar in the world.  Go at sunset for a drink

·       Grand Palace.  [Closes at 4pm; audio guides stop at 1:30pm; must have your knees and shoulders covered and pants cannot be tight]

·       Temple of Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew)  looks like it’s located within the Grand Palace

·       Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun) most famous and photographed temple in Bangkok.  Pretty close to Grand Palace, just West of the river and down South just slightly.

·       Jim Thompson House – he has plenty of stores throughout Bangkok, this is more of a house tour.  Looks like it’s on the way from the Hilton to the Grand Palace.  Could also do it on our way to Sirocco possibly.

Grand Palace

February 7^th:

Dinner at Hamilton’s Steakhouse at 7pm

Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel

946 Rama IV Road,

Bangkok 10500

+66 (0) 2200 9000 ext 2345

Bangkok Notes:

·       Skytrain is also known as BTS

·       There are 3 types of transportation: the BTS, the MRT (metro) and Airport Link

·       13 hours ahead

·       Ask taxis to always use the meter, otherwise negotiate on cab fare

February 8^th Travel to Phuket

Air Asia flight FD3005

Depart Bangkok (DMK) at 12:45pm

Arrive Phuket (HKT) at 2:00pm

*DMK is Don Mueang International Airport; different from when we flew in

Air Asia Baggage Notes:

·       Checked bags need to be 20kg/44lbs or less or we’ll be charged

Catch Beach Club

·       Checked bags cannot exceed 81cm (H) x 119cm (W) x 119 cm (D)

·       Each passenger is allowed 1 carry on and 1 purse.  Cannot exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm and cannot weigh more than 7kg; 15lbs

Airport transportation: taxi

Phuket: 2/8 – 2/11

Hotel: DoubleTree Phuket Surin Beach

106/27 Moo3, Cherngtalay Surin Beach

Phuket, 83110 Thailand

+66 76 303 300

February 10: Koh Phi Phi Island Tour

Koh Phi Phi Island

Andaman Leisure Phuket Co

Koh Phi Phi + Maya + Bamboo island day trip

Contact: nick Candu

nick@andamanleisurephuket.com

+66 (0) 818 955 766

Pickup at hotel at 8:40am.  Return around 5:30pm

Price per person is 3,300 TBH + tip.  Pay in person

*bring sunscreen, nausea meds, beach towel and maybe water shoes

Things To Do in Phuket:

·       Beaches, gyms and yoga studios mainly

·       Phuket Big Buddha – on the Southern tip of Phuket; taxis may be expensive.  Look into public transit if we want to go.  May be cool around sunset.

·       Catch Beach Club – across from hotel, will rent out bean bags on the beach, restaurant and night club

February 11^th: Travel to Chiang Mai

Air Asia Flight FD3161

Depart Phuket (HKT) at 10:35am

Arrive Chiang Mai (CNX) at 12:30pm

Air Asia Baggage Notes:

·       Checked bags need to be 20kg/44lbs or less or we’ll be charged

·       Checked bags cannot exceed 81cm (H) x 119cm (W) x 119 cm (D)

·       Each passenger is allowed 1 carry on and 1 purse.  Cannot exceed 56cm x 36cm x 23cm and cannot weigh more than 7kg; 15lbs

Airport transportation:  Resort is sending a complimentary car

 

Hotel: Oasis Baan Saen Doi Spa Resort

199/135 Moo 3 Chonpratan Road, Mae Hia,

Muang, Chiang Mai 50200 Thailand

Spa:

Blue Elephant Tour

Booked: 2 Paradise of Oasis treatment from 14:00 – 18:00.

3,920 TBH after the 20% discount; however, there is a 17% VAT and tourism fee.  Include tip as well.  Pay after services.

February 12: Day Trip

Blue Elephant Super Day Trip: Elephant Interaction + Chiang Mai Zipline + lunch at tiger Kingdom

Price per person: 4,900 TBH to be paid in person.  Tip is encouraged

Pickup at hotel at 6am

Contact: Surin Riangtong

Rinlong55@gmail.com

*email Surin with our room number once we arrive

Blue Elephant Tours.  +66 (0) 81 884 3295

Highly, highly recommend this tour!

Blue Elephant Tour

Things to do in Chiang Mai:

·       Salsa Kitchen – North of walled city; Mexican food; knows about Celiac

·       Yummy Pizza – fairly close to the hotel; good reviews; $3-$15; Australian owned

·       Note on food: Butter is Better and Blue Diamond Breakfast Club sometimes offer gf baked items, but they are not actually gluten free. Stay away.

·       Wat Chedi Luang – used to house the Emerald Buddha, ancient ruins; #3 in TA

·       Wat Phra That Doi Suthep – beautiful, 30 minutes outside of city.  Reviews say it’s not to be missed, view of chiang mai from top is amazing (stairs are involved), see monks and maybe get blessed.  Can get guided tours that talk about Buddhism.  Bring offering. Traveler’s Choice Award.  Looks really cool.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

·       Wat Phra That Doi Kham (Temple of the Golden Mountain)

·       Wat Suan Dok

·       Royal Park Rajapruek – flower gardens.  Close to hotel

Other Notes:

·       TripAdvisor reviews mention a shuttle that takes guests into the walled city and back every day.  May only run 2 times a day, but may be worth asking about

February 14: Travel to Hong Kong

Dragon Air – HKG Flight 233

Depart Chiang Mai (CNX) at 6:25pm

Arrive Hong Kong (HKG) at 10pm

*Checked bags cannot exceed 20kg; 44lbs.

Hotel: Regal Airport Hotel, connected to airport

Notes:

·       Hong Kong Airport Express takes passengers from the airport to the city center; located in the airport.  It operates until 1:15am with the last train leaving Hong Kong Station at 12:48am.  Journey time from airport to Hong Kong is 24 minutes; roundtrip ticket is $28 or 180HK$.   If we do want to go into the city, we may be able to train there but we may have to taxi back based on time. Hotel also offers shuttles based on availability

·       $1 USD = $0.78 HKD

·       14 Hours ahead

February 15 Fly Home:

Cathay Pacific Flight 806

Depart Hong Kong (HKG) at 11:50am

Arrive Chicago (ORD) at 12:20pm on 2/15 local time

*Checked bags cannot exceed 20kg; 44lbs.

American Airlines Flight 2335

Depart Chicago (ORD) at 2:38pm

Arrive DFW at 5:20pm

Tips for Traveling to Thailand with Celiac Disease

One of my best friends and I decided a few years ago that  one year we’d travel for both of our birthdays.  Sounds quite ambitious I know, but with enough planning and airline miles we made it work! My birthday in September was spent in Italy (posts coming soon) and her birthday in February was in Thailand.   

Thailand is a great gluten-friendly destination as most of their culture revolves around rice, not wheat. That being said, the vast majority of Thais will not understand what gluten is, so I did a TON of research before our trip.  I’m happy to report that I never once got glutened during our 11 day trip and hope that my tips and research will help you as well!

Tips for Traveling to Thailand with Celiac Disease:

1.  Use the hotel reservation comment box to your advantage.

Make sure to alert your hotel before check in of your special diet.  I was surprised to find that my hotels went out of their way to make sure they had gluten free bread ready for me at breakfast.  They also graciously walked me through the breakfast buffet and explained what was safe to eat.  I’ve found that this is the case with most hotels as long as you give them enough of a heads-up.

            2. restaurants beforehand and store their locations.  

Callie downloaded an app called CityMaps2Go and it was a real life saver.  It’s a map that allows you to store points of interest (attractions, your hotel, restaurants, etc.) but doesn’t run on WiFi – so no international roaming charges!  I highly recommend storing restaurants with gluten free selections in this app before leaving.

3. Pack plenty of snacks.

I packed about 3 meal bars for each day we were over there along with a package of rice cakes, a jar of peanut butter and a box of crackers.  Make sure to take a good amount of snacks on the plane as well.  While most of the long-haul flights offer gluten free meals, many of the shorter routes do not.

4.  Bring your translation cards.

These are absolutely essential! I took these everywhere I went and everyone I presented them too was really receptive.  I’d suggest bringing two copies just in case one gets lost or messy (I had one chef assume it was his to keep and threw it in the trash).

5. Ask your hotel concierge to write a simple allergy card.

This may seem redundant if you have your translation cards, but I found this was a much faster and more relatable tactic to use when on the go.  I had my hotel concierge write out  "No Soy Sauce. No Wheat. No Oyster Sauce.”

Quick allergy card my hotel wrote for me

6.   Have an idea of safe food options.

Plain rice, bamboo sticky rice and banana leaf rice were all my favorite go-to snacks while in Thailand and most could be purchased absolutely anywhere.  I’ve also developed an extensive translation card where I’ve noted what should be okay and what shouldn’t be okay.  (More about that in a later post)

7.    If the sauce is dark and you’re in doubt, go without.

While Thailand’s sauce of choice is fish sauce, not soy sauce, a few varieties of fish sauce actually do contain wheat.  The same goes for plum sauce and oyster sauce as well.  So, if you’re served a dark sauce and the restaurant cannot verify that it is wheat-free, go without.  [See post about safe foods for a list of gluten-free fish sauce brands]

Bangkok's Grand Palace