new to thailand ?

hi to all just wondered if anybody could fill me in with your knowledge on thailand as we are looking to make our first visit this november at the moment we are looking to go to the north coast of pattaya to a place called the green park resort would really appreciate any feed back on this resort and any tips on the way of the daily way of life in thailand total novices so would love any advice on the cost of living etc ! thanks to you all for the valued info we all recieve on tripadvisor !

new to thailand ?

You%26#39;re asking a big question in relation to the way of life in Thailand - maybe do some google searches on Thai culture, and ';do%26#39;s and don%26#39;ts thailand'; etc.

The resort is a 10 minute walk or so to the main beach area of Pattaya but Nalkua (where you are located) also has beaches. Pattaya big, brash, and is popular with Brits, Germans and Russians, plus many other nationalities. The main form of transport is a pickup truck with seats in the back called a Songtaew; foreigners like to call them baht buses. They run fixed routes like at bus with fares averaging 10 baht or so. If you see an empty one you can flag it down and hire it like a taxi but must agree the fare in advance.

Pattaya has something for everyone at every budget, food, hotels etc. You can eat a decent Thai meal for 50-100 baht each, but you can also pay over 1000 baht in some places.Alcohol prices vary alot in bars too depending of the type of bar, anything from 60 baht up to 250 baht for a beer. You can buy a big bottle of beer in 7-11 for 40 baht.

While you%26#39;re in Pattaya, visit the Sancutuary of Truth, an amazing place, plus there is underwaterworld, mini siam, Pattaya Water Park, Viharn Sian, submarine rides, Buddha hill lookout point, island trips etc. And don%26#39;t miss the huge cabaret shows at Tiffanys or Alcazar - you%26#39;d never know that th girls are really boys! And visit neqaby Jommtien for a different feel.

new to thailand ?

Here are some general tips -

20 things to think about when visiting Thailand…

1. Bring a cell phone “unblocked” and buy a Thai SIM card for it on arrival, they’re cheap (apprx. 50 baht) and include some credit already on them - e.g. - International calls to Oz/UK are about 5 - 8baht per min…Phones are cheap too – and unblocked

2. Money - Bring ATM and/or credit cards. - check fees and tell your bank your are going abroad. - Take Travellers cheques only as back-up. Bring very little cash (Baht) – you tend to get a better rate of exchange here than any home country. You can change money on arriving at the airport...(keep some cash in reserve in case of flight delays/diversions etc)

3. Booking – there is usually no need to book rooms before you come as there is plenty of cheap accommodation. Exceptions would be in high season if you want a particular place and maybe for your first one or two nights just to get orientated.

4. Bring very few clothes – they are cheap here and you’ll only bring stuff that is too warm anyway.

5. Very little luggage – this makes you more mobile if you need to be and less vulnerable to taxi touts and undesirable men….Before you go home you can buy any extra luggage (cheap) to take souvenirs etc.

6. Internet access is everywhere – even on the beach… you can get all your photos copied to CD - If you have a lap-top you can connect it (broadband even wi-fi) at most cafes.

7. Food - Thai food is very unlikely to give you food poisoning but can contain more chillies than you ever thought possible….Street food is usually safe (and delicious!), check for numbers of customers and general looks of the stall. Western (“farang”) food is much more likely to give you food poisoning – fridges are not part of Thai cooking lore yet…beware of Western Fast Food outlets and hotel buffets - food that has been out for over an hour or so. Thailand is not used to fridges/chill-serve etc.

8. Always carry a pack of tissues - they don’t supply free tissues (if there is a vending machine at all!) – learn to use a “bum-gun” !!

9. Drink bottled water - not tap water. Even consider not brushing your teeth with tap water. Ice is usually safe in drinks and for anything else.

10. Use common safety sense – it is easy to relax too much here…when it comes to petty crime the rate is certainly lower than in places like the US/Europe etc…but every country has its share of con-men and psychopaths…..beware of fellow travellers!

11. Don’t be afraid to go to Pattaya – it is the sex capital of Thailand but they don’t jump out at single women and couples and it has good, cheap hotels, shopping and food. Not a bad place to start off for Koh Chang, Koh Samet or Cambodia.

12. Bring an international driving licence – although most national ones are accepted by motorbike and car hire companies and anyone else who wants to hire you something….you may not be insured without an IDL! In Thailand they drive on the left - cars are Right-hand-drive. However driving is really only for the experienced. Be especially careful on a motorbike - Samui has the highest accident rate in Thailand.

13. Public transport is cheap. Planes, Trains, Buses, Minibuses, Taxis, from town to town. If you’re in a minibus or taxi, tell the driver you’ll tip him if he keeps the speed below 90/100 kmph! National speed limit is 90kph (120 on motorways)

14. Around Bkk try to use meter taxis with the meter on...it’ll be cheaper than the tuk-tuks. Take a tuk-tuk once for the experience then use meter taxis. Don’t let the drivers take you out of your way...they’ll try to take you to some (relative’s) store where they get commission.

15. Medical - Check out a few “jabs %26amp; medications” - Hep “A” %26amp; “B” require a long course before leaving and are a pretty good idea – don’t bother with the malaria ones – too heavy! You can get tetanus or rabies here if you’re bitten by a dog - it’s cheap. Most medicines (including antibiotics) can be bought over the counter without prescription and are cheap. A pharmacist will give you what he considers right for your symptoms but you can just as easily see a doctor at a local clinic for a couple of hundred baht. They usually speak a little English.

16. Check up on Thai manners and customs – this will earn you more respect from the locals. - Keep up some dress sense – how you dress in Thailand is quite important. Don’t go topless without checking out if it’s acceptable where you are – usually it’s frowned upon. You’ll notice that Thai women (even sex workers) are very modest in public –they usually swim fully clothed. Table manners – Thais tend to eat from communal dishes in the centre of the table – don’t pour everything onto your own plate!

17. Don’t knock the royal family – even in jest.

18. Body language - Don’t point your feet at people – the body is seen as hierarchical and the feet are the lowest part and should not be waved about (this is like a “fingers up” sign. Before entering someone’s home you must take off your shoes; this also applies to some shops and businesses. - Never take a shoe off and wave it at someone – this could lead to violence.

On the other hand it is impolite to touch people on the head.

19. It’s not necessary to “Wai” people - the Thai greeting - as you’ll probably get it wrong. If they Wai you, you might try a wai back.

20. Remember, this is the Land of Smiles and you will find everything goes much better when you have a smile on your face - whatever the situation….

NB – the wearing of yellow or red could be construed as showing support for either of the main political factions.

thanks for your promt repliea great information i can see i will need to do quite a lot of research on your country but relish the challenge and looking forward to visiting your country and educating myself on your culture and way of life ( Once again just to say thank you for your time and valuable information!)

Hi paul419 ,just like you when i first visited pattaya we stopped at green park ,hotels ok great pool.But to be honest its long way from the action.Yes dead easy to get a tuk tuk ,but i found after a week doing it there and back got a bit tiresome.I would say the best position is hotel on second road ,somewhere like the areca lodge around soi 13ish.you have the bars on soi diana and near to soi7 or 8 and not to far from walking street.Many times i have walked.Food ,beer all very cheap .Beer can be 40 baht up to 120 baht in go go bars.Food again from street vendors 40 bahts or 200/300 baht at nice place.On green park in my opinion you can find cheaper places in a better location which are just as good.I found from past experiences its cheaper to book flights and hotels seperate by yourself,hope this helps

cheers flago will give green park a miss and do more research before deciding where to go thanks for the tip on seperate flights and accomodation !

No probs paul419 if you need any more info just post private message mate.

Sorry to hijack thread Paul, Hi Flago, how are you, not long to go now till we have that beer m8,anyway a nice hotel can be found on Soi2 called Sabai lodge, i always stay there, we must try a hotelswap one day Flago HAHA. Dont forget the research as Thailand can be a real culture shock for some people and remember everybody on this site talks from experience, some of us have been scammed and learnt a lesson from it, but there is an easy way, so Research everything.

Andygsxr