We FINALLY had enough time to make a trip all the way to Southeast Asia worthwhile. Seeing Angkor Wat is pretty much at the top of my list of things to see before I die, so we built our trip around that.
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Flights: We got frequent flier tickets on United, but not without a fight. We initially couldn’t find any seats anywhere within our time frame, but my husband kept checking back and two finally popped up. So if you’re looking for mileage tickets and don’t find any on your first try, be persistent!
For our flights within Thailand and to and from Cambodia we used Bangkok Airways. They weren’t as cheap as Air Asia or maybe some of the other cheapo small airlines, but they were always on time and the flights worked best for us. They’re one of the few airlines that flies directly to Siem Reap from Bangkok, and it’s one of the only ones that goes from Chiang Mai to Samui directly (BA basically owns Samui’s airport). I thought some of the takeoffs and landings were a little white knuckle, but the planes, staff and airports/lounges are all very nice. The Samui airport is one of the nicest I’ve ever seen. We called their 800 number to get the Discovery Pass, which was cheaper than booking each segment on the company’s Web site. However, we did book one leg separately because they didn’t offer it with the pass.
Bangkok
We spent the first few days and last night of our trip in Bangkok. I know some people like to skip over it and go straight to the mountains or beach, but we love cities and it didn’t disappoint. We stayed at the Navalai River Resort for the first portion of our trip. It’s right on the river at the Phra Athit ferry stop, which is a quick walk to Khao San Road. The area gets dismissed as being overrun with backpackers, but the road that runs parallel to it, Soi Ram Buttri, isn’t as crowded but it’s still really cool. And there are tons of restaurants, bars, street vendors and shops, so there’s just about everything you need within walking distance. For the big sites, you can take the ferry, either directly or connecting via the SkyTrain. We stayed closer to all the big malls, where a lot of tourists stay, our last night, and I much preferred being near Khao San. However, if you’re looking to be close to the shopping and you want a slightly more posh place, the Vie is perfect for that. It’s very new and has lots of nice little amenities.
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Sites: We hit the biggies like Wat Po, Wat Arun, and the Grand Palace, but honestly we didn’t do everything you see in guidebooks. My favorite was probably Wat Arun, even though we had to get up and down the steep steps between downpours. The top has great views of the city. And while I don’t think I would have ever considered skipping the palace, I don’t feel a big need to go back. I think it’s one of those sites where you need a guide so you know what you’re looking at, and we just got a little bored doing it on our own.
Food: We went to one or two “nicer” restaurants recommended by our Lonely Planet book, but the best meals we had were on the street. And neither of us ever got sick. I would, however, stick to vendors who cook your food in front of you and cook it well.
Siem Reap
It was as amazing as I hoped it would be! The area is pretty small and well-prepared for tourists, so it’s pretty easy to negotiate. You need a visa, which you can arrange online ahead of time, but it went pretty fast just getting one at the airport. They also accept US dollars, so keep some handy.
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Hotel: We stayed at Viroth’s, which came recommended by the New York Times and Conde Nast Traveler, and I just saw it again in I think Budget Travel. It’s pricey for Siem Reap at $90 or so a night, but it’s a great place. They have the best croissants I’ve ever had for breakfast, and really good margaritas at the rooftop bar.
Driver: I wish I could remember his name because he was a good guy, but I don’t. He would play chess with other drivers while he waited for us at temples! The hotel arranged for him for us and it worked out fine. We had been debating about using a car versus a tuk-tuk, but having the car with air conditioning was very nice.
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Temples: The good stuff! In all we saw Angkor Wat, Tha Prohm, Bayon, Angkor Thom and several other smaller temples in the area. There’s tons of information out there, so here’s my quick bit about them. Our favorite was Tha Prom, so I’d recommend allotting it a good amount of time. We had a Lonely Planet book called Angkor Wat & Siem Reap Enounter that had a great walking tour of Angkor Tom. It took us through a more isolated area and we were the only people there. With the temples we had our driver take us back to our hotel so we could get lunch and rest a bit and then went back out in the afternoon. It was beastly hot so not overdoing it is key.
Tonle Sap floating village: This is a very common activity for tourists, but I wasn’t super crazy about it. It was very expensive ($20 per person), and who knows how much of that actually goes to the villagers. I also felt like we were just taken around to stare at the poor people, and if I had known that I wouldn’t have done it.
Chiang Mai
Loved Chiang Mai! Such a great little city and so different from everything else we saw. We didn’t go trekking because we didn’t really have the time and we’re not really campers anyway, but I really enjoyed our time there.
Hotel: The 3 Sis Vacation Lodge was a great find. Very inexpensive but we didn’t lack anything, fantastic location, and very nice staff. The Sunday street market is right outside the front door and Wat Chedi Luang is across the street. We’d watch the monks arriving in the morning while we ate breakfast.
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Cooking class: We took a class with A Lot of Thai and it was the best thing we did in Thailand (although the temples in Cambodia were the highlight of the trip). Yui is a great teacher and such a warm person all around that you feel like a welcome guest in her home, not a paying customer. And the food is fantastic! It also probably helped that we had good classmates (we hung out with two of them the next day). They provide transportation to and from class, you get a cookbook, and it includes a trip to a local market, all for about $30 (oops, looks like it’s up to $40 now!) a person.
General sties: I was a little worried I’d get “watted out,” but I never got sick of wats in Chiang Mai. The Sunday night market is also a MUST. It had a tons of great stuff to offer and there were as many locals as tourists. We saw the night bazaar once and it just seemed like the same touristy stuff you can get in Bangkok.
Koh Phangan
Figuring out which island/beach/hotel to choose for our beach was absolutely the most difficult part of planning the trip. I made all our other hotel and city decisions within a day or two of starting my search, but the island portion took weeks. I just wanted to put that out there because I felt silly about agonizing over it, but I think it’s pretty common. Here’s how I made our eventual decision.
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Gulf or Andaman: This was pretty straightforward since we traveled during rainy season. My husband had been to Phuket with his family previously in July and he said while it wasn’t terribly wet, the water was really rough. So we decided on the Gulf islands.
Samui, Phangan or Tao: I ruled out Tao because my husband can get seasick, so the two-hour ferry ride would be bad. I actually really wanted to stay on Samui so we wouldn’t have to mess around with a ferry at all, but I couldn’t find a beach/hotel combo I liked. Chaweng and Lamai are supposed to be the prettiest beaches, but they’re also the most developed and hotels are pricey. The other beaches on the island aren’t supposed to have as nice sand or water, and I couldn’t see flying all that way to sit on a mediocre beach. So that left Phangan.
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Finding a beach and hotel: Koh Phangan gets a bad rap because it hosts the Full Moon Party, but away from Haad Rin it’s quiet and undeveloped, and just a 25-minute ferry from Samui. We looked at beaches on the west coast of the island, particularly Haad Yao, but I couldn’t find a hotel that really stood out to me. Also, the summer tides leave the west coast beaches with little water and swimming can be tough. So I researched Thong Nai Pan Yai and Noi. Initially I was put off of these beaches because the only way to get there is over a sketchy road over mountains or by boat. We tend to get bored easily and I didn’t want to feel “trapped” if we found Yai and Noi too quiet, but we decided they were the best choice for us so we’d risk it.
Thong Nai Pan Yai: This beach is freaking amazing! If you’re looking for a peaceful, beautiful beach that still has a few options for a drink and dinner in the evening, this is it. The hotels are spaced adequately to keep it quiet, but it’s very easy to walk down the beach for dinner. There’s also a tiny “town” with a couple drug stores if you need anything. We went over to Noi one day to check it out, and it’s smaller and has more development. While it’s still not Waikiki or something, it’s a little busier than Yai. I’m glad we were so careful with our selection of a beach because we were completely happy with our choice!
Marylandgirl's Blog 
I am considering going to Koh Phangan but am concerned as how to get there as well. So what method did you use?
We took the big ferry over from Samui, then a little boat that goes along the east coast of the island on the way back. The smaller boat was a little iffy, but the larger ferry was fine. If you’re concerned about getting to the east side of the island, it’s pretty much the crappy road or a small boat. I think it’s a lot easier to get to the beaches on the west side, though. Hope that helps!