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Inter-Thailand Flights   Bangkok Airways (PG)

PG flights are bookable on points through JAL, CX, EY and AB.

JAL
Required Mileage: Transferable from SPG. JAL uses a distance based award chart and allows up to a maximum of 7 stopovers (8 segments). To figure out how many points you will need, add up the total amount of miles that will be flown (can do this on GCMap.com) and then find the appropriate row in the award chart (http://www.ar.jal.com/ar/en/jalmile/use/partner_air/p_jmb/jmb_mile_ar.html). If you are traveling before 3/31/2017 there is a promotion for trips up to 4,000 miles (see http://www.jal.co.jp/121campaign/pg_discount/index_en.html for reduced mileage rates). The promotion makes JAL the best award redemption option for PG flights. 

Booking the Flight: The only way to find out if there is availability on the flight that you want is to call JAL. Recommended that you do so before transferring points. JAL doesn't allow you to hold a reservation so you have to hope that the flight doesn't get booked up while you're waiting for the point transfer to go through. Once the points post to your JAL account, call JAL back to book.
+1 800-525-3663 (5:00 - 18:00 PT) press 1 - 4 - JAL membership number - # - pin - # - 0 (for human or 1 for computer search)

Traveling with Infant: Tell JAL that you are flying with a lap child. They will put the infant on the reservation, but they will also tell you that you need to call PG directly to get the infant's ticket issued and pay for any taxes etc. JAL will only charge you for the adults on the reservation. Unless you speak Thai, calling PG won't work (when you press 9 for English when calling any of the Asian offices, the message will tell you to go to their website, and the office in Germany can't issue tickets). To add the infant, send an email to reservation@bangkokair.com with your confirmation number and tell them you want to have the lap infant's ticket issued. They will email you back with the price (data point: it was ~$96USD for CNX-USM-HKG for me) and ask you to reply with your cc info split into two separate emails for security (one email with first 8 digits, exp. and name on card, second email with last 8 digits, cvv, and billing address). I believe they only take Visa or MC. You'll then get an email back with confirmation.

Baggage Allowance: Economy passengers are allowed 20kg, infants (and dolls) are allowed 10kg. Excess weight on domestic flights will incur a charge of 80thb ($2.25ish) per kilo. International overage fee chart can be found here. Join the PG FlyingBonus program to receive an additional 10kg.

Contacting PG: In general, if you have any questions, the only way to speak with them in English besides email is PG Live Chat. You can find the link if you log in to your Flyer Bonus account. Chat reps are very helpful.

IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE TO PAY (JAL AND PG) WITH A CC BELONGING TO SOMEONE THAT IS TRAVELING ON THE ITINERARY. PG WILL SOMETIMES ASK YOU TO SHOW THE CC USED TO PAY FOR THE TRIP WHEN YOU CHECK IN, AND RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DENY BOARDING IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT.

CX
Required Mileage:

EY
Required Mileage:

AB
Required Mileage:



Bangkok   BKK/DMK

Hotels                                              Activities                                          Chabad                                                                Additional Info
Viengtai Hotel (Ohr Menachem)
Davis Hotel (Beth Elisheva)
Shangr-La (Even Chen)
Sheraton Resort (Hua Hin)
Riva Surya
Kao Sahn Rd
Night Markets (near stadium)
Shopping Malls
Grand Palace
Kanchanaburi (2 hrs away)
Floating Markets
Beth Elisheva (Financial & Shopping district)
Even Chen
Ohr Menachem (Kao Sahn Rd)
ALWAYS use meter in taxis and
   try to say destination in Thai - if you
   need help with numbers as Cbs ;)
(Free) sim in airport at kiosks -(true move(h- sim), dtac
   (happy(micro) sim for iPhone)
Songkran (water fight week)- April 13th!
Kosherthailand.com
BKK Luggage Lockers - 100 baht/day/bag (~$3)
Public Transport
Domestic flights:
   Air Asia, Tiger Air, Thai, Bangkok Air
Tailor:
   Rajawongse




Phuket/Patong/Koh Phi Phi/Krabi   HKT/KBV

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                            Additional Info
Westin
JW Marriott
Sala Resort
Sheraton Krabi
The Pavilions
Holiday Inn Koh Phi Phi
Ritz Carlton Reserve
places w/ private pools
Beaches
Monkey Show
Cable Skiing
Longtail Boats
Island Tour
Koh Phi Phi:
Diving
Fire Show (wed is biggest)
Maya Bay (full day trip)
Nice Lookouts
Kayaking (to Monkey Beach)
Thai Boxing
Beware of summer weather; monsoon season
Best weather: Jan - May
Island Tour (can be done as a day trip or overnight):
   Andaman River, Maya Bay, Similian Islands, Krabi Islands,
   Koh Lanta (Emerald Cave)




Koh Samui   USM

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                          Additional Info
The Conrad
Sunday Resort
Sheraton
Le Meridian
The W
Le Murrya (Near Chabad)
Fx Hotel (Near Chabad)
Beaches
Diving (Koa Phangan, Koh Tao)
Ang Thong Marine Park Islands
Water Sports (at chaweng and boh phut),
Safari Island (elephants, tigers, zip line)
Scooter (around island)
Kayaking $30
Koh Tao and Koh Nangyuan Island trip w/ snorkeling
The Conrad will gladly make arrangements with
   the Chabad restaurant for Kosher food. Email them at usmks.fb@conradhotels.com




Chiang Mai   CNX

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                            Additional Info
Le Meridien (10 min. Walk to Chabad)
Shangri La (2 min. Walk to Chabad)
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
Sukantara Cascade Resort
Maese Elephant Show
Maetaeng Elephant Park
Patara Elephant Farm
Thai Elephant Home
Thoms Pai Elephant Camp
Bamboo Rafting
Tiger Kingdom
Monkey Shows
Snake Shows
Crocodile Shows
Zip Lining
Trekking
White Water Rafting
Longneck Tribe
Gun Shooting
Night Safari
Temples/Palaces
Chiang Mai River Boat (To Cooking School)
Extreme Sports!
Repelling
Caving,
ATVing
Bungee
Segways
Rent motorbikes (5$ day)
3D museum right down the road from Chabad
   (if you have an hour or two to kill)
Sunday Market (ratchadamonoen  Rd, old city)
Night Market (Changklan Rd, near Chabad & Le Meridien)
Sat Night Market (Wua Lai)
Tiger Kingdom is best in morning
Use ישראל 669  as travel agent for trips
   (next door to Chabad)
Recommended Zip Line: Flight of Gibbon or Flying Squirrel,
   can be reserved through Yackov (המרכז המטייל)
   for best price.
When reserving tours, ask for a discount due to
   using your own transportation
Tailors:
   CM Tailors
His and Hers- 3 minute walk from LM on the way to chabbad.




Chiang Rai   CEI/4hr drive from CNX

Hotels                                                            Activities                                                                            Additional Info
Le Meridien
Four Seasons Tent Camp Golden Triangle
Black House
Queens Residence
Night market
Day trip to Burma/Myanmar
Waterfalls
White Temple
Ruaamit elephant camp
Pai village (3 hr drive)
Hot Springs
Scooters
Golden Triangle

« Last edited by CR on July 26, 2020, 11:38:14 AM »

Author Topic: Thailand Master Thread  (Read 732304 times)

Offline Wizmanison

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3980 on: January 01, 2018, 07:55:00 AM »
Any recommendation for a massage near CKS?

Offline Theg

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3981 on: January 01, 2018, 08:49:08 AM »
Tamarind springs forest spa

Offline Z56

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3982 on: January 01, 2018, 11:54:31 AM »
Any recommendation for a massage near CKS?

spa in the hotel:)
“I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work

Offline Denverite

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3983 on: January 01, 2018, 03:45:56 PM »
Tamarind springs forest spa

Thanks so much for this recommendation. I went to the website and it looks awesome! Did you go there?  What package did you do?  We are going there in a few weeks and I think I want to add it to our to do list!

Offline SOS

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3984 on: January 11, 2018, 07:50:46 PM »
Did anyone stay at the ritz in koh samui?

Offline Denverite

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3985 on: January 14, 2018, 09:13:19 PM »
From the Conrad Koh Samui thread on Flyertalk. If it’s true, it’s pretty cool in general and especially with the new Aspire card, you’d get 14ppd from the card, 20ppd from the stay (if you are diamond) and the $250 resort credit on the card.  Could be another fun little reason to stay there.  :)


“Manufactured Spending Hounds: There is no ATM on-site, rather you can withdraw from the conceirge and they will charge your room or cc. Great way to earn Hilton and cc points.”

Offline Z56

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3986 on: January 14, 2018, 11:29:31 PM »
From the Conrad Koh Samui thread on Flyertalk. If it’s true, it’s pretty cool in general and especially with the new Aspire card, you’d get 14ppd from the card, 20ppd from the stay (if you are diamond) and the $250 resort credit on the card.  Could be another fun little reason to stay there.  :)


“Manufactured Spending Hounds: There is no ATM on-site, rather you can withdraw from the conceirge and they will charge your room or cc. Great way to earn Hilton and cc points.”

Cool! Would definitely come back for the resort;) not for MS
“I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work

Offline Denverite

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3987 on: January 15, 2018, 06:58:44 PM »
Cool! Would definitely come back for the resort;) not for MS

Yeah, not a reason to go but a nice little icing on the cake, especially if you get the credit card that has $250 resort credit!

Offline SLP

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3988 on: January 15, 2018, 07:28:45 PM »
OK just finished reading all 266 pages of this thread along with several trip reports and still can't decide between Phuket or Koh Samui (and maybe even Krabi) for my beach destination in Thailand! Seems that most people on this thread recommend Koh Samui but I would also like to visit the phi phi islands for a day trip.

Will be in Thailand from Monday 1/1/18- Sunday 1/7/18.

CKS is only available for 95k points a night 1/1-1/3. I booked it for 1/1-1/3 just incase it gets full as the other dates are not available.

 Will be in Bali beforehand so I will either be flying in Sunday night (12/31) or early Monday.

Option 1)  on 1/1 or 12/31 arrive in HKT and go straight to the phi phi island day tours (is there anything else to do in HKT?). So as not to waste points staying at CKS just for the night I would stay in HKT and then fly to CKS the next morning. Be at the resort all day Tuesday and do late checkout Wednesday fly out that night to BKK for a night. Then Chiang Mai for shabbat (already booked at the LE CNX)

Option 2) Arrive USM on 1/1 leave late on 1/3 to Phuket or Krabi for the night and on 1/4 do the phi phi island tour stay the night and go to CNX for shabbat. This would cut out Bangkok which from reading through the thread seems perfectly fine and in fact advised but I feel as though its a waste to go to Thailand and not spend at least half a day or some time in Bangkok city.

Any other advice?
Where did you end up, in Phuket or Koh Samui?

Offline Wizmanison

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3989 on: January 15, 2018, 07:35:50 PM »
Where did you end up, in Phuket or Koh Samui?

Koh Samui
 I was really debating between Phuket and Krabi. Ended up going to Phuket for less then 10 hours to simply do a phi phi island tour

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3990 on: January 15, 2018, 07:41:52 PM »
From the Conrad Koh Samui thread on Flyertalk. If it’s true, it’s pretty cool in general and especially with the new Aspire card, you’d get 14ppd from the card, 20ppd from the stay (if you are diamond) and the $250 resort credit on the card.  Could be another fun little reason to stay there.  :)


“Manufactured Spending Hounds: There is no ATM on-site, rather you can withdraw from the conceirge and they will charge your room or cc. Great way to earn Hilton and cc points.”
Take out $3k and earn enough points for another free night
"JS [is] a fetid cesspool of unvarnished linguistic manure, with lots of useless drivel and post-padding." -Moishebatchy

Offline EJB

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3991 on: January 15, 2018, 08:11:54 PM »
Curious if anyone tried the amex Conrad rebate on international conrads such as USM. Did it work? T&C excludes properties outside US

Hopefully I'll be the first (I believe) to review the 3BR at the conrad :).

Offline SLP

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3992 on: January 15, 2018, 08:12:41 PM »
Koh Samui
 I was really debating between Phuket and Krabi. Ended up going to Phuket for less then 10 hours to simply do a phi phi island tour
I was in Koh Samui in August. We went to the Anthong Marine National Park on a day trip and it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

Offline Denverite

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3993 on: January 15, 2018, 10:11:50 PM »
Curious if anyone tried the amex Conrad rebate on international conrads such as USM. Did it work? T&C excludes properties outside US

Hopefully I'll be the first (I believe) to review the 3BR at the conrad :).

I don't think that deal will work.  It clearly says its not for use outside the US and also it doesn't work for pre-paid rates and didn't you buy it during the Asia flash sale?  If you have time and want to get the new Aspire card you can use the $250 resort cc credit.

When are you going?  I might beat you on your review...or even worse we are there at the same time and...gasp...have to interact with other frum people!  :P  Seriously, I  booked the 2BR and they 3BR is booked for a couple days of my stay so I don't want the upgrade if I gotta pack up all my kid's junk in the middle of the stay...right now I'm trying to see if they'll give me the Royal Villa and adjoining unit.  She didn't understand what I was asking at first and told me the Royal villa is a downgrade so I told her that I also wanted the adjoining "regular" villa right next door (I've seen in a Youtube report how they connect) so I think that would be a cool option.  I'm excited to hear about your stay in the 3brm!

Offline EJB

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3994 on: January 16, 2018, 07:12:47 PM »
I don't think that deal will work.  It clearly says its not for use outside the US and also it doesn't work for pre-paid rates and didn't you buy it during the Asia flash sale?  If you have time and want to get the new Aspire card you can use the $250 resort cc credit.

When are you going?  I might beat you on your review...or even worse we are there at the same time and...gasp...have to interact with other frum people!  :P  Seriously, I  booked the 2BR and they 3BR is booked for a couple days of my stay so I don't want the upgrade if I gotta pack up all my kid's junk in the middle of the stay...right now I'm trying to see if they'll give me the Royal Villa and adjoining unit.  She didn't understand what I was asking at first and told me the Royal villa is a downgrade so I told her that I also wanted the adjoining "regular" villa right next door (I've seen in a Youtube report how they connect) so I think that would be a cool option.  I'm excited to hear about your stay in the 3brm!

1/22-26, lmk if you overlap

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3995 on: January 17, 2018, 02:58:23 PM »
1/22-26, lmk if you overlap

Coming on the 29th so just a few days after, enjoy the 3Br, it should be totally over the top and looking forward to your whole TR!

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3996 on: January 17, 2018, 03:00:41 PM »
Oh and please do post if you “change money” from their concierges and it does go as a normal room charge.  Maybe I will do this...  ;D

Take out $3k and earn enough points for another free night

Offline EJB

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3997 on: January 17, 2018, 05:53:57 PM »
Oh and please do post if you “change money” from their concierges and it does go as a normal room charge.  Maybe I will do this...  ;D

Perhaps I'll try, but my room rate was on my Citi card for 4th night free and I don't have a HH card with me (don't have Aspire), so it wouldn't be as profitable for me. Might take out $100 or so, though, just to test it out. I anyway will be getting like 80k on this stay :).

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3998 on: January 17, 2018, 06:00:44 PM »
From the Conrad Koh Samui thread on Flyertalk. If it’s true, it’s pretty cool in general and especially with the new Aspire card, you’d get 14ppd from the card, 20ppd from the stay (if you are diamond) and the $250 resort credit on the card.  Could be another fun little reason to stay there.  :)


“Manufactured Spending Hounds: There is no ATM on-site, rather you can withdraw from the conceirge and they will charge your room or cc. Great way to earn Hilton and cc points.”

Wish I knew this about a week or so ago! :(

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3999 on: January 17, 2018, 10:03:42 PM »
Perhaps I'll try, but my room rate was on my Citi card for 4th night free and I don't have a HH card with me (don't have Aspire), so it wouldn't be as profitable for me. Might take out $100 or so, though, just to test it out. I anyway will be getting like 80k on this stay :).

If you are a Diamond you will still get 20ppd...not too shabby!  I’m gonna check the exchange fee at the airport, figure out what I’d lose if I just changed it right back and figure out if that is a good price for essentially buying these points.