sukhothai

[paperboy]

hi everyone

Has anybody been to sukhothai ????
one of my boys has sugested we go there for a week and see his village etc, when i come over next year
Ive googled it and it looks nice and has a few nice hotels to stay in, rather than staying with family.
has anybody got any info please?????

[paulosussex]

Hi,
I've been a few times to Sukhothai. 'New' Sukhothai has more going on and the usual night market and loads of decent guest houses and hotels, it's the usual small Thai town but a bit more tourist friendly given the nearby archaeological park which is around 12km west of the new town centre.
Old Sukhothai is small and much more rural with the well know ruins as a centrepiece. There are also outlying ruins north and west of the main park area and some nice countryside. There are several decent bungalow resorts here and a few guest houses, some of the bungalow places have pools. The main street has a 7-11 and a small strip of restaurants selling tourist staples and a few local dishes and there is a small evening food stall market in the main street too, otherwise it's very quiet. The main park has small electric trains to take you around include in the ticket price and you can also drive or cycle. In fact the main area is not so big and you can walk around too and a day will be all you need to see most of the ruins here and those just north of the park - Sri Chum etc.
About 45 km north of new Sukhothai is Si Satchanalai which is another lovely group of temple ruins and well worth seeing.
Cheers

[paperboy]

thank you Paul

it sounds amazing, and the pics ive seen on the net do too.
So its a def for next year then with my boy

thanks

[goji]

Is there any gay scene here?

[fedssocr]

I was there for Loy Krathong a few years ago which was fantastic. It is very quiet though the rest of the year, I believe.

I doubt there is much of a "gay scene".

I stayed right near the old town which was good for visiting during that time. There are some big national parks nearby which are very pretty if you're into nature.

[GWMinUS]

Try one of the many Restaurants on the River.
Or even take your dinner on a boat.
I have only visited the ruins with my Thai BF and his two sons and we had a great time!!!
ENJOY

[Patanawet]

I was there for Loy Krathong a few years ago which was fantastic.
I too was there for Loy Khratong a couple of times a few years ago. It was two of the most amazing nights in Thailand (touristwise).

Day long parades in the Historical park and at night all the Krathongs on the lake, including one from the king.
Following that (or preceding, I'm not sure) there was an historical costume performance (as the Thais do best) culminating in the launching of what seemed like thousands of hot air balloons, filling the sky.
To round the evening off, around midnight, there was a huge firework display at/on the lake.

We booked late and the nearest hotel we could find was 30 kilometres away.
Getting out of the car-park took an hour but it was all worth it.

PS I should add that as usual, in Thailand at festive times, the hotel prices are greatly inflated.

[christianpfc]

Thanks for your reports. I am pondering spending Loy Krathong in Sukhothai this year (Bangkok last year, Chiang Mai two years ago), have to decide quickly to get hotel in walking distance at a reasonable price!

[Surfcrest]

I last visited back in 2006;
http://sawatdeenetwork.com/forum/sukhothai-t7871.html?hilit=Sukhothai

Here's some pics of that visit of some of the beautiful things that pretty much should still be the same.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1910.jpg

The airport was owned and operated by Bangkok Airways and this is how it looked (above).

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1925.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1921.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1935.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1962.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1971.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2019.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2021.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2022.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2032.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2055.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2072.jpg

...back then, the easiest way to enjoy the whole park and all the sites was to rent a bicycle and to bring a packed lunch for the day.
It's a very photogenic place, a great place to bring someone...whether he's ever been here before or not.

Surfcrest

[fedssocr]

Thanks for your reports. I am pondering spending Loy Krathong in Sukhothai this year (Bangkok last year, Chiang Mai two years ago), have to decide quickly to get hotel in walking distance at a reasonable price!

The "sound and light" spectacular is great but I think it was fairly expensive to get a seat in the viewing area.

When I was there the fireworks came at the end of the program and then the launching of the lanterns. One of which burst into flames and plunged into the crowd. That was pretty exciting.

If you get a chance Phitsanulok was interesting that time of year as well and is near to Sukhothai. They set up these neat rotating colored light displays and hang colored lights in the trees along the Mae Ping. Many interesting photo opportunities.

[billyhouston]

I've stayed at the Orchid Hibiscus, close to the Historical Park and with bicycle rental across the road. The Italian owner was something of a 'character' and, reading the reviews, there are those who don't get along with him.