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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 732497 times)

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #600 on: January 31, 2013, 12:59:25 AM »
Nope, but good for CEI/CNX/HKT
Gotcha thanks. So if I choose to fly to USM I'll be paying close to $300 for a OW ticket? Any ideas tricks?

Offline MAJ

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #601 on: January 31, 2013, 01:01:14 AM »
Where do I search for cheap intra-Thailand tickets.
skyscanner.net

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #602 on: January 31, 2013, 01:46:06 AM »
Where do I search for cheap intra-Thailand tickets.
Consider Thai's or Bangkok's flight package options to see if you can save money.
There are previous posts about them.

AirAsia.com
But that leaves out others such as Nok, Bangkok, and Thai.
Try skyscanner as the poster wrote, or chk out each individual website. They often run promotions.
If you're using a budget carrier, make sure chk which airport in BKK it departs from, since when we flew Nok, they arrived into the old airport.

You can also consider cheap flights to Malaysia and other nearby places.

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #603 on: January 31, 2013, 02:07:29 AM »
Consider Thai's or Bangkok's flight package options to see if you can save money.
Thanks guys appreciate the help. Are you alluding to award tickets with an extra leg? I'm trying to piece the trip together with AA miles on CX. In the meantime I could book CEI - BKK for $36; BKK - USM for $150;USM- BKK for $150.

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #604 on: January 31, 2013, 02:14:35 AM »
Thanks guys appreciate the help. Are you alluding to award tickets with an extra leg? I'm trying to piece the trip together with AA miles on CX. In the meantime I could book CEI - BKK for $36; BKK - USM for $150;USM- BKK for $150.
I'm referring to the flight packages that allow you to book 3+ legs for a set price.
Here's the post about Bangkok air. They have the advantage of good flight options to USM.

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #605 on: January 31, 2013, 08:26:00 AM »
I'm referring to the flight packages that allow you to book 3+ legs for a set price.
Here's the post about Bangkok air. They have the advantage of good flight options to USM.
Thanks, but where's the post?

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #606 on: January 31, 2013, 02:44:22 PM »

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #607 on: February 01, 2013, 05:05:20 PM »
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=305.msg399320#msg399320

Search earlier for the other one.
Thanks. Does anyone know if the Conrad Koh Samui is walking distance to Chabad?

Offline ChikkyMonkey

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #608 on: February 02, 2013, 11:11:21 AM »
25+ km away... very long walk

Offline damaxer91

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #609 on: February 02, 2013, 10:03:15 PM »
Thanks. Does anyone know if the Conrad Koh Samui is walking distance to Chabad?

None of the nice hotels are near Chabad

Offline ZCN

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #610 on: February 02, 2013, 10:59:08 PM »

Do I need to apply for a visa before traveling to Thailand?




No, you just land and get a visa at immigration, like in Israel, EU, etc.

FYI there are companies at the Bangkok airports that will escort you though customs for about $35 PP. I haven't used them but have heard of people using them. They skip all the lines and go straight to a special customs desk. IMHO only worth it if you don't want to take the chance of waiting in a line, i.e. you think you will be exhausted or traveling with a bunch of kids.

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #611 on: February 02, 2013, 11:11:02 PM »


No, you just land and get a visa at immigration, like in Israel, EU, etc.

FYI there are companies at the Bangkok airports that will escort you though customs for about $35 PP. I haven't used them but have heard of people using them. They skip all the lines and go straight to a special customs desk. IMHO only worth it if you don't want to take the chance of waiting in a line, i.e. you think you will be exhausted or traveling with a bunch of kids.
Thai does the same thing for F passengers.
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline Brian

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #612 on: February 03, 2013, 11:33:28 PM »
I’m landing in BKK at about midnight and leaving at about 6pm. What are the top 2 things to do in bkk? and which *w hotel will you recommend?

Offline MAJ

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #613 on: February 04, 2013, 01:00:17 AM »
Depends what u like doing

Offline moish

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #614 on: February 04, 2013, 09:41:57 AM »
I’m landing in BKK at about midnight and leaving at about 6pm. What are the top 2 things to do in bkk? and which *w hotel will you recommend?
the grand palace and a boat ride

Offline Suave

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #615 on: February 04, 2013, 08:53:53 PM »
P.S. For those traveling to USM / Koh Samui on a budget - check out http://www.thesundaysresort.com/ - I loved it there.
DDMS Built with ♥ by SWIZU

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #616 on: February 05, 2013, 07:07:44 AM »

Offline zvmiester

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #617 on: February 11, 2013, 03:30:22 PM »
whats the closest starward hotel to chabad Bangkok is it walking distance for shabbos??

Offline mendoul

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #618 on: February 11, 2013, 03:43:28 PM »
whats the closest starward hotel to chabad Bangkok is it walking distance for shabbos??

which Chabad house?
mendy

Offline daganster

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #619 on: February 11, 2013, 09:44:37 PM »
I'm still planning my trip and could use some help.
This is what I have so far:
My plan is to stay in Chiang Mai from  08/01 - 08/05
Then travel to chiang rai and stay there from 08/05 - 08/08
Then I have from 08/08 - 08/11 to go somewhere in the area. I initially planned on traveling to Koh Samui, but I was told earlier that there are no nice hotels near Chabad,  it's a flight to BKK - USM which isn't cheap and I'd like to stay near a Chabad house for shabbos if possible.
The question is if I'm already flying from CEI - USM ( Spending time and $$$) is there a better option in southeast Asia where I could go to a cool place and stay at a nice hotel near a Chabad house? Or Koh Samui is really that worth it and I should stick to that.