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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 750816 times)

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3620 on: November 14, 2016, 06:37:50 AM »

Im considering sri lanka in place of chiang mai... Hard to look up sri lanka
With a wife? Kids? What are your interests?

Offline David Smith

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3621 on: November 14, 2016, 06:40:18 AM »

Im considering sri lanka in place of chiang mai... Hard to look up sri lanka
There's a great Sri Lanka TR on DDF.
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline moisheyb

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3622 on: November 14, 2016, 07:24:47 AM »
With a wife? Kids? What are your interests?


With a wife. Would love to see some wild animals and based on location the local attractions as well.

Offline moisheyb

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3623 on: November 14, 2016, 07:26:57 AM »
There's a great Sri Lanka TR on DDF.


Ya i saw that. Very well written but doing research on sri lanka is much harder without bothering @emkay too much.

Also the hotels don't look nearly as nice as Thailand

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3624 on: November 14, 2016, 07:28:43 AM »



Ya i saw that. Very well written but doing research on sri lanka is much harder without bothering @emkay too much.

Also the hotels don't look nearly as nice as Thailand

Its not a bother. And you dont go to these countries for the hotel experience.

Offline moisheyb

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3625 on: November 14, 2016, 07:30:20 AM »

Its not a bother. And you dont go to these countries for the hotel experience.

Thanks! True but a five star hotel on points isn't bad either... Instead of paying for an ok hotel

Offline eandd

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3626 on: November 23, 2016, 08:43:06 PM »
We're planning on being in Bangkok in mid January for Shabbos, which Chabad should we stay by?

Offline ual902

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3627 on: November 24, 2016, 12:48:15 AM »
We're planning on being in Bangkok in mid January for Shabbos, which Chabad should we stay by?

Kohsan Rd, has loads of Israeli backpackers and allot going on.

Offline mn524

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3628 on: November 30, 2016, 01:47:28 AM »
Does anyone know if you can plug in Israeli plugs in Thailand, or do you need an adapter?

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3629 on: November 30, 2016, 02:15:06 AM »


Does anyone know if you can plug in Israeli plugs in Thailand?

IIRC you usually can.

Offline SLMYRCB

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3630 on: November 30, 2016, 04:25:25 AM »

Offline eandd

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3631 on: November 30, 2016, 01:50:23 PM »
Has anyone gotten any special vaccines when traveling to Thailand (or taken malaria meds)?

Offline mochjas

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3632 on: November 30, 2016, 01:54:01 PM »
Has anyone gotten any special vaccines when traveling to Thailand (or taken malaria meds)?
ask your doctor. But I did not

Offline eandd

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3633 on: November 30, 2016, 01:59:35 PM »
A doctor recommended Typhoid and Japanese encephalis, however if we bring water purifiers and are really careful about mosquito protection I feel like that shouldn't be a problem....

Offline Emkay

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3634 on: November 30, 2016, 02:15:36 PM »
A doctor recommended Typhoid and Japanese encephalis, however if we bring water purifiers and are really careful about mosquito protection I feel like that shouldn't be a problem....
If you keep Kosher and drink bottled water theres no reason to get Typhoid and if your not junglehopping there theres  prob no need to worry about Encephalitis either.

Offline Denverite

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3635 on: November 30, 2016, 11:39:37 PM »
I'd never seen cash and points options at the Conrad Koh Samui (although maybe they do offer them regularly). But they've got some nice C&P options next Oct and Nov., that are great values for  HHonors redemptions.

Offline INTELLIGENTBLONDE

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3636 on: December 01, 2016, 08:23:06 PM »
What are the best miles to use to get to Thailand? (from NYC) using least amount of miles and least amount of travelling time ?

Offline David Smith

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3637 on: December 01, 2016, 08:25:33 PM »
What are the best miles to use to get to Thailand? (from NYC) using least amount of miles and least amount of travelling time ?
You asked in the appropriate thread already, and got an answer.
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline moisheyb

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3638 on: December 05, 2016, 08:24:01 AM »
I'm sure it's been asked before but phuket vs koh samui???

Offline lubaby

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #3639 on: December 05, 2016, 02:51:01 PM »
Thinking of doing Thailand in March (on the way home (NY) from Israel). Working dates as of now is arriving on Wednesday afternoon, departing Monday night - 5 nights on the ground.

Want to do some of the local activities, but would be nice to get a few days of beach / relaxing in too. Traveling with a then 8 month old baby, so Shabbos would probably be stationary in hotel.

My options so far are as follows:

Option 1 is just do the extended weekend in CNX for 28k SPG (5th night free).
From reading TR's here, that seems like too many days.
No revenue flights needed.

Option 2 is Wednesday to Friday in USM, then fly to CNX until we leave on Monday.
2 nights in USM + 3 nights in CNX.
Revenue flights ~$600.

Option 3 is Wednesday to Friday in HKT, then fly to CNX until we leave on Monday.
2 nights in HKT + 3 nights in CNX.
Revenue flights ~$200.

Which would you choose?
Any other ideas or places to look into?