Bangkok and Thai Islands

Hello,

I need some help setting up a route for my thai trip. Im going to be for 20 days in Thai, planning on making it to Bangkok and the islands. Any recomendation is helpful, want to do scuba and some relax time on the beaches.

peace,
nel

Are you a certified diver or are you planning on getting certified there?
-If you want to get certified there, Koh Tao is the place everyone goes. It is a big dive factory, but you can't beat the price. I dove with both Seashell Divers and Big Blue, I liked Seashell far better, but Big Blue gave me a free bunk in the dorm for every day I dove with them...
-If you are certified and want to get some serious diving in, look into a livaboard. I have done the Surin/Similan Islands twice and it was amazing both times! The boats leave from Khao Lak (near Phuket). Both times I booked thorough Dive the World http://www.divetheworldliveaboards.com/liveaboard-thailand-diva-andaman-main.php and felt like I got a good price. Be aware if you don't have your advanced certification they may be sticklers on the 18m rule. I ended up paying extra to do the Deep Dive module only from the advanced course to get around it and it was pain to have to deal with it at the last minute.
I also really enjoyed the diving from Phi Phi. I LOVED Blue View Divers there, they were great (and when the divemasters found out it was my birthday and I was by myself they treated me to dinner!). If the party hearty atmosphere of Phi Phi isn't your thing, when you get off the ferry, turn right, go past the hospital and check out the 3 lovely little places to stay on a quiet little beach.

I found Krabi a good place to base myself for some Island hopping. Phi Phi for full moon party (more low key than other places, but still lots of fun!) & diving. Koh Jum for feeling like a cast away with nothing more pressing than reading in the hammock and Koh Lanta for a blend of the two. IT is super easy to do this all by ferry.
Check out Koh Jum online http://www.kohjumonline.com/ for everything yo need to know about Jum.

Are you skipping Bangkok and flying directly to some beach area?

Do you need help for Bangkok hotels or other assistance?

If you intend to immediately fly out after arrival at Suvarnabhumi allow sufficient time for connections between flights. Some local Thai flights leave from Don Muang too which is not close to Suvarnabhumi! Know where your internal flight departs from. My recommendation is to not skip Bangkok and stay for a day or two.

Same for flying back to Bangkok for your flight home, spending the last night in Bangkok allows you to do some shopping, see the city, check out some restaurants, etc. Don't try to fly into Bangkok at the last minute for your flight home. Your connecting flight could be late or cancelled - and you lose your expensive flight back home! (Bangkok has warm summer-like weather too, just like at the beach except for the sand!)



Up to you.