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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 732217 times)

Offline rots5

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1120 on: June 25, 2013, 11:38:08 AM »
First line of defense when you don't know what something means: click here.
lol. im sorry, i thought i was an acronym. excuse my mistake!
If you have any questions please search and then ask. PM me for detailed help.

Offline SavingsBigtime

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1121 on: June 25, 2013, 12:48:09 PM »
im sorry you feel my answer wasnt enough, im not sure what more you want...
and i dont regret it , which means it was worth it
please don't take it the wrong way , I thank u for all advise , just not getting a clear answer if anybody went for 2days/1 night to see the islands ? How long did u go for?

Offline rots5

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1122 on: June 25, 2013, 12:56:34 PM »
Seriously?

how much did you pay and how long was your stay? approximately
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Offline andrew

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1123 on: June 25, 2013, 12:58:28 PM »
and is this normal or should i wing it at the airport. im arriving at 9 am and would like to get a full day in.
If your taking the taxi to pavillions then pick up a legit taxi from the airport and make sure he goes on the meter, it will be cheaper then a quoted price.

Offline rots5

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1124 on: June 25, 2013, 01:07:36 PM »
If your taking the taxi to pavillions then pick up a legit taxi from the airport and make sure he goes on the meter, it will be cheaper then a quoted price.
thanks. i happen to have been asking about chiang mai, but that was going to be asked soon! thank you so much!
If you have any questions please search and then ask. PM me for detailed help.

Offline Cbs

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1125 on: June 25, 2013, 01:22:36 PM »
please don't take it the wrong way , I thank u for all advise , just not getting a clear answer if anybody went for 2days/1 night to see the islands ? How long did u go for?
well u just asked if it was worth it. if u want a clear answer u have to specify what u want

i went for 2 nights and one day in HKT and i went for a day trip to the 7 islands which includes phi phi .
if i had time id prob stay on phi phi for a night or 2, cuz HKT is nasty

Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1126 on: June 25, 2013, 10:59:27 PM »
yes thats the market.
I didnt think it was expensive. maybe for thailand it is. theres other trips you can do as well inclusive, like continue on to Kanchanaburi which is another hour away and go see tigers, and nice water falls, and elephants, bamboo rafting etc....but that i wouldnt do if your going to chiang mai cuz its better there.
Kanchanaburi  looks pretty cool. I am not going to be in Chiang Mai as my BKK stop is on my way home from Bali. One day I'm sure I will get there but not on this trip.

Offline Suave

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1127 on: June 26, 2013, 01:00:29 AM »
well u just asked if it was worth it. if u want a clear answer u have to specify what u want

i went for 2 nights and one day in HKT and i went for a day trip to the 7 islands which includes phi phi .
if i had time id prob stay on phi phi for a night or 2, cuz HKT is nasty
Did phi phi for a few weeks (i think). loved every second.
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Offline ZCN

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1128 on: June 26, 2013, 01:45:44 PM »
I'm planing a trip to Thailand in late December and trying to decide whether to go to HKT or Ko Samai. I would be spending Shabbos plus 2 days wherever I decide to go. I know there's been a little bit of discussion upthread about HKT vs. Ko Samai but I'm looking for some straight up comparisons between the two, or at least peoples opinions about each one.



Another part of this decision is Shabbos, from what I can tell I would need to stay in a local hotel to be near Chabad for meals and davening on Shabbos in both HKT and USM. Does anyone have any experience with the local hotels around those Chabad's?


Offline Dan

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1129 on: June 26, 2013, 02:07:44 PM »
Chabad is not located where you want to be in either place.
CNX is the place to be for shabbos.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline ZCN

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1130 on: June 26, 2013, 02:36:01 PM »
Chabad is not located where you want to be in either place.
CNX is the place to be for shabbos.


Was already in CNX. I was thinking of staying at a hotel near Chabad for Shabbos, they have several options listed on Chabads website.

Offline ZCN

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1131 on: June 26, 2013, 03:47:30 PM »
How about Shabbos in PEK?

Offline AJK

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1132 on: June 26, 2013, 05:33:07 PM »
How about Shabbos in PEK?

IIRC moish is a big fan of PEK, you may want to PM him.
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Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1133 on: June 28, 2013, 12:21:53 PM »
Is the Grand Palace in BKK just temples or is there nice architecture not temple related there?

Offline Brian

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1134 on: June 28, 2013, 04:12:46 PM »
Most of the architecture is not temple related.

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1135 on: June 28, 2013, 05:03:04 PM »
Most of the architecture is not temple related.
Thanks. How long should I give for walking around the palace area?

Offline Brian

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1136 on: June 29, 2013, 10:47:01 PM »
1-2 hours

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1137 on: June 30, 2013, 03:26:18 AM »
Mandatory travelers health insurance?
http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/upiUPI-20130628-175152-8260

(You should anyhow have)

Offline rots5

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1138 on: June 30, 2013, 03:55:23 AM »
Mandatory travelers health insurance?
http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/upiUPI-20130628-175152-8260

(You should anyhow have)
whens that going into affect? And does muchedet cover out of israel
If you have any questions please search and then ask. PM me for detailed help.

Offline Drago

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Re: Thailand Master Thread
« Reply #1139 on: June 30, 2013, 03:58:00 AM »
whens that going into affect? And does muchedet cover out of israel
I paid Meuchedet a few shekel for coverage.
Either way, you should ALWAYS buy travelers health insurance.
Always.