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[kolasaab]

Viper, on 2009-11-03 14:26:49, said:

What utter crap!!! I agree London has now most certainly become better value. Things are much cheaper in comparison to Thailand. Thailand is fast becoming a major rip off! People are still living in the past and still believe the old crap. So what is better value in Thailand?

HMM! This year ive been to bulgaria, fuertaventura, menorca , london and thailand twice and i think thailand was the best value hoilday by far and as for london being cheaper than thailand???? i dont think so!!!

[ignoramus]

Haven't been to LOS for quite a while so can't comment,     but,   other post on other topics would suggest that it is still very reasonable.

South Africa?     LP  is kidding surely.     Cousin of mine just returned from 4 weeks seeing old friends.     She lived there for 28 years.     Rape capital of the world  (good value?).  

It's STILL a  "time bomb so what's new",   to quote from  today's email  (value?).

South Korea?      They eat dog there.     Good value?     Who gives a shoot.

Mexico?      Super dodgy household electrics.     Who gives a shoot?

Iceland?         So the ladies are friendlier,     are they,     than in times past?     Cold,    barren.     Who gives a ........?

India?      OMG.      Never been there,     but  how could it be other than filthy and smelly  and chockers with child exploitation?     Value?     Who gives a ........?

London?      Don't know how ordinary tourists manage there frankly.    A friend recently returned with 'horrific' stories of the cost of a coffee,   piece of cake etcetera.     Great place if you like the cold winters (some don't mind I'm told).


Where else?     Who gives a ........

Met a lady a while back who'd lived in Lombock for 30 years.      Wouldn't DREAM of seeking medical treatment there.       Ditto goes for Vietnam,    I understand,     and almost certainly Cambodia.      Thailand,    I understand,     is streets ahead of surrounding countries  (especially for those without medical insurance).

[gotlost]

Look who published this article on Thailand "The Lonely Planet" written by back packers for back backers do I have to say more? I would not trust the LP if they told me I was in Thailand and it was November 3,2009 at 6:46pm.

[Navalator]

Acharn, on 2009-11-03 13:20:17, said:

nosatisfaction, on 2009-11-03 13:02:51, said:

In case of doubt, Istambul is in Turkey,

Yes, and it's not "Constantinople" any more, either. So what?

hel_l, I remember when it was called Byzantium.

[thefalang]

Grey11, on 2009-11-03 16:17:09, said:

thefalang, on 2009-11-03 13:49:31, said:

The Lonely Planet also stated : "The top 10 countries overall for travellers were El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Portugal, Suriname and the United States. " and "South Africa, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Bulgaria, Kenya and Las Vegas in Nevada rounded out the top 10, said the British-based company in its "Best In Travel 2010" guide."

How they could claim that El Salvador, South Africa and Thailand are good tourist destinations? They must be basing their opinion on cost only, with little or no priority given to the safety of the tourist. All three countries posed serious threats to toursists.

What about India? Name me a dirtier country in the world. Kenya, Mexico & South Africa have huge crime rates. I think South Africa leads the world percentage wise in murders, rapes & HIV. I've known businessmen from the U.S. who were forced to go to India as the U.S. ships most of its jobs overseas and many to India thinking they can speak English and who have lost quite a bit of weight because they would not - under any circumstances - eat the food. Kenya, the birthplace of Barack Obama, is not so safe. Thailand is, for the most part clean, the food is clean and good and decent hotels are affordable. If they were not cheap skapes like the Koreans, Japanese, & Koreans wouldn't be flocking here. I have never heard a non-Indian in the U.S. say, "we are saving for a vacation in India." Mexico, man, you want to talk about murder!

I'm one Yank that loves Indian food. Don't believe for one moment that the Thai restaurants are clean. I've found everything from rocks, building mat'ls to insects in my Thai food and have a missing tooth to prove it!

Yes, Mexico has high crime rates but Thailand is right at the top, along with Mexico, So Africa, El Salvador and Columbia.

I suppose it all "boils down" to where you'd like to where you'd prefer to take a "dirt nap".

[dieter1]

just the usual crap:

it is just cheap advertisement for lonely planet.
In fact there is no information. No explanation how these ratings were done. Just some underpaid (probable low trained)
journalist, with very few information. The time (length of time), thaivisa readers are wasting with reading this shit is much more compared to the time, the journalist spent for making this bullshit.....
usual media shit !

El Salvador, Kyoto, Charleston ! What a crap!

Ask people, what is the best drink: result: Coke !!!!!!!!

Oh thankyou: Now I know, Thailand is relatively cheap for holidays !   I didnt know this before !

bla bla bla....

no more comment

[Ulysses G.]

Viper, on 2009-11-03 13:26:49, said:

What utter crap!!! I agree London has now most certainly become better value. Things are much cheaper in comparison to Thailand. Thailand is fast becoming a major rip off! People are still living in the past and still believe the old crap. So what is better value in Thailand?

Food, girls, accomodation, transportation... Should I go on?

[antony77]

george, on 2009-11-03 12:55:31, said:

Thailand second best-value destination
Iceland, Thailand, London best-value destinations: Lonely Planet

Iceland and London are among the world's best-value destinations thanks to the economic crisis, travel guide firm Lonely Planet said Tuesday, while Thailand remains tough to beat.

South Africa, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Bulgaria, Kenya and Las Vegas in Nevada rounded out the top 10, said the British-based company in its "Best In Travel 2010" guide.

The annual snapshot book captures "the world's hottest travel trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the year ahead," Lonely Planet said.

The economic collapse in Iceland meant the island was no longer punitively expensive, said the guide, putting the beleaguered country at the top of its best-value list.

"Have you always wanted to discover this magical, mysterious country? To explore ice caps and volcanoes, and wallow in hot springs? Been put off because of the prohibitive prices? Well, 2010 is your year."

Thailand, at number two, remained "perennially good value", said the book.

"It's one of the cheapest long-haul holidays for European holidaymakers... visitors are always spoilt for choice regarding accommodation."

Meanwhile London's days as a costly destination were now over, Lonely Planet said.

"Long ludicrously expensive, London has become much more affordable for visitors from abroad, if not for its residents," said the guide.

"The favourable exchange rate means that travellers will often find hotels and meals up to half the price they were a few years ago."

Elsewhere in the top 10, Malaysia "is a clever choice for travellers on the lookout for a bargain", while in India "your money stretches almost as far as the infamous Indian 'stretchable' time".

"South Africa is not only about an amazing climate, vast unspoilt scenery, balmy sandy beaches, extraordinary wildlife and adventure activities, but the cost of living is low, so it's also excellent value for money."

The top 10 countries overall for travellers were El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Portugal, Suriname and the United States.

The top 10 cities were Abu Dhabi, Charleston (South Carolina), Cork (Ireland), Cuenca (Ecuador), Istanbul, Kyoto (Japan), Lecce (Italy), Sarajevo, Singapore and Vancouver (Canada).

Bali (Indonesia), Goa (India), Koh Kong (Cambodia), Southern Africa and southwest Western Australia featured among the top 10 regions.

-- Agencies 2009-11-03

____________________________________________________
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London based, obviously puts its own country first. What a joke                  
Lunch for two and a single glass of wine at 116 UK pounds = about Bt6000,  was what my brother paid to take our visiting
nephew out in London a couple of weeks ago. He (my brother) is moving to Spain because of the high cost of living in the UK
The rest of the survey was about fair

[MaiChai]

What about Vietnam? One of most exciting new destinations, which is very interesting, less commercialised and cheaper than Thailand? It does not even make it to their list. This is someones opinion than a proper survey.

[caulfield2]

I would pick Colombia as one of the best values as well (northern coast, like Cartagena, Santa Maria, etc.), but then again you have to factor in the "danger" factor...for a single guy who's relatively young, it's a different destination than for a family of four.

Thailand is definitely a better value than say, the Philippines...in my mind.  I would also think that Vietnam would be one of the up-and-coming countries and would be featured ahead of Thailand, for a number of reasons.  I went to Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia last year for a two week tour and really, really enjoyed Vietnam a lot.  (Just watch out for all those motorcycles in Ho Chi Minh!)

I've never been to Spain, London, Paris, Rome, Venice, etc., because they always seemed pricey...heck, Prague, when I was there in late 2006, was becoming too trendy and expensive as well.

I was in Taiwan a couple of weeks ago and I felt I was paying the same prices I would be paying in the US, except now I am living on my $1250-1500 USD per month teaching salary working 2 jobs here in Thailand.

I lived in Cebu City, Philippines probably for six months in the last 2-3 years and it's definitely much more expensive than where I live here in Thailand (between Pattaya and BKK).   Rent here is 25-30% cheaper....electricity about the same, food costs and vacationing costs are probably 15-30% lower as well.

China is so different...I lived and worked in mainland China (away from Beijing/Shanghai/HK/Shenzhen/Macao) and I wouldn't call it a value destination anymore either.   And my eyes are still irritated from the pollution...I think going forward, the issue of pollution and coal-burning energy production will have a profound impact on Asia, if it's not yet already.

As far as cheap/safe/interesting, I'd probably go with Peru, Cuzco, Macchu Piccu.

[joker]

oevna, on 2009-11-03 07:48:21, said:

george, on 2009-11-02 20:55:31, said:

Bali (Indonesia), Goa (India), Koh Kong (Cambodia), Southern Africa and southwest Western Australia featured among the top 10 regions.

?!?!?!

I once got stuck in Koh Kong for a night on the way to Sihanoukville.  There was almost nothing there, except for hotels and beer bars (this was in 2002 I think).  My impression was that the whole town's business model was based on tourists getting trapped for the night because they missed the one boat to Sihanoukville.  At the time, the Thai-Cambodia Bridge hadn't been completed yet and the only way to Sihanoukville was by boat.  The border crossing from Thailand opened at 8am, and you had about 30 minutes to get through and try to catch the boat, which required a taxi or moto ride to a pier some distance away.  Maybe the first few people caught it; the rest of us stayed the night in Koh Kong.  I have a hard time believing that this narrow window was a coincidence.

It was cheap though.

Apparently it has been been built up a bit since then (and perhaps there was more to it than I knew at the time).  Admittedly, since I had no intention of staying there, I didn't do any reading on the place in advance.  The staff at the hotel were helpful, but my Khmer was minimal, and their English not much better.  I ended up taking a somewhat sketchy motorcycle tour to a "water fall" for the afternoon, and finishing up the evening at a beer bar with my moto driver and his friends (whose food and drinks of course I ended up paying for, although the total bill was quite reasonable).    

Has anyone here been to Koh Kong in recent years?

Yes, I was there not long ago actually. There are no more crazy speedboat connections etc,
so that is one headache less.
First thing, getting your Visa. At Poipet and Phnom Penh it's $20.00 BUT at Koh Kong,
whether you are 'helped' or not, they want it in BAHT(!) and usually BT,1,300 up, which
is far more than your $20.00.
Getting that boat in the morning is almost impossible, so you will end up in Koh Kong.
By the time you get there, there will be no buses going to Phnom Penh for example and
the only way to get out of there, is to go by taxi but unless you want to PAY BIG, then
you can wait to see if more people want to go and share, thus bringing the costs down.
Going to Sihanoukville of course is less distance and somewhat easier.
Coming back from Phnom Penh is ok, Bus again around 07.30am, which takes you right
to the border and crossing over isn't so bad. Transport to Pattaya/Bangkok would be better
arranged in advance, otherwise you might be able to share in a minibus to Trat.
If you really want to do Cambodia properly, then go in at Poipet and out at Koh Kong and
you can take in practically every major place.

[Martian]

Acharn, on 2009-11-03 03:48:10, said:

Typical Nation story. Leave out any facts. So if Thailand is second best, which is the BEST country to visit?

I seemed to recall Iceland being mentioned as the "best value".  Did I dream that?

[Martian]

Grey11, on 2009-11-03 05:08:27, said:

asiawatcher, on 2009-11-03 13:22:54, said:

How did Vegas rate?  Easier to get mugged?  Easier to be ripped off and taxis that you hand your wallet to and say keep the change!  Hotels that are way way over priced if you are not a gambler and police and ambulance sirens and guns shots 24/7.  Value for money?  Try buying any suit at your local tailor there for under 1,000?    Yep - LP were doing these reports off internet blogs!

Certainly Las Vegas ranks right there with NYC as the two most expensive ripoffs in the U.S.

Las Vegas is actually a very reasonable destination if you do your homework and don't require luxury.  Last year I stayed in $16-a-night rooms and ate $5.95 Prime Rib meals with all the trimmings. If you travel there once a year and play a reasonable amount of time, you can easily get free rooms. Taking some time at the penny slots while boozing it up with free beers ($1 tip to the cocktail waitress) provides for some entertainment and relaxation away from the 3 hour crap table sessions. RT airfare can be had for less than $200 from the most distant places in the 48 states.

If you stay up on Fremont Street, no need to battle the hoards or venture out into the rat race. Everything you need for a few days stay is on Fremont street ...including lower table limits and a more relaxed gambling atmosphere. Learn the simple bus routes and you can get anywhere cheaply.

I just returned from Macau and LV wins hands down...except for the available birds......Macau wins there hands down.

[caulfield2]

Iceland is strictly because of the economic meltdown, and because it was so pricey not long ago.

They could have just as easily mentioned Ireland as well (they did cite "Cork")...countries like Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, ones the most adversely affected by the subprime mortgage fiasco.

I went from Thailand/Mukdahan through Savannahket to central Vietnam (Hue/Da Nang) then south to Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh and then came into Cambodia from the southeast on bus.  (The "sleeper" buses in Vietnam are great...however, don't get trapped on a Laotian bus, there were only two every 24 hours to Vietnam, so we were STUCK all day in the bustling 2nd largest city of SAVKHT!!!  It was an okay time until our bus ride, without air conditioning, riding on top of bags of rice, with a herd (I know the wrong word but that was the feeling) of live chickens and about 5000 crates of Red Bull that was obviously overloaded, and just as obviously the MAIN goal of the transportation service was to double as a cargo company....we stopped at 3-4 am and took another 2-3 hours to load and unload and then take on MORE cargo for Vietnam.  Capitalism at work, quite an achievement in logistics.  Lo and behold, we arrive at the Vietnam border and 100 people show up with wheelbarrows, donkeys, carts and kids to carry off rice bags.

The one thing I really have a negative comment about in terms of Cambodia is that road from Siem Reap to the border (Poi Pet)...it seemed to take hours and hours on that horrible "washboard" dirt road which was overwhelmed with rain, ruts and bridge construction.  I have never been so thankful to get back to Thailand in my life.  Now I understand why people are willing to pay $300-400 just to fly from BKK to Siem Reap/Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is very amazing and worth seeing for sure (compared to say, The Great Wall)....it's essentially 2 days if you want to see everything and really enjoy it to the fullest extent, just like Forbidden City in Beijing.

[lubbkis]

Viper, on 2009-11-03 07:26:49, said:

What utter crap!!! I agree London has now most certainly become better value. Things are much cheaper in comparison to Thailand.

Yup. A plate of Pad Thai, close to my office in WC1 only costs about B400; last year it was about B600. On th other hand most restaurants in Thailand have backs on the chairs unlike the chairs in the one I refer to.

[denissr]

h90, on 2009-11-03 12:42:45, said:

How much does a good rank cost?

I was wondering the same thing. I was in Las Vegas a month ago. A value lunch or breakfast $25.00, dinner $35.00. Go a little upscale and dinner will cost $60.00-$75.00.

[stkyricesf]

Viper, on 2009-11-02 22:26:49, said:

What utter crap!!! I agree London has now most certainly become better value. Things are much cheaper in comparison to Thailand. Thailand is fast becoming a major rip off! People are still living in the past and still believe the old crap. So what is better value in Thailand?

Quote ' People are still living in the past and still believe in the old #%%.'  Hey as long as Thailand and the thai people hang on to their values and culture I always consider that a great value.  Now if we could just keep the western cultures from trying to push their values on Thailand

[LTGTR]

OBVIOUSLY,they haven't paid attention to the dollar's drop vs the pound-duh!

[mrdome]

Did I miss a turn and end up on a Thailand haters forum by any chance? Surely, people can't be this bitter??

A poll such as this will never come up with a result everyone will agree with. India sucks, London sucks, LP sucks... You will always find people who hate the thing you like or see as neutral.

[nakachalet]

THEFARANG--....How they could claim that El Salvador, South Africa and Thailand are good tourist destinations? They must be basing their opinion on cost only, with little or no priority given to the safety of the tourist. All three countries posed serious threats to toursists.

hi thefarang.... are you not quite safe here in thailand so far....?

if you were ever intentionally injured by a thai, once or several times.... then perhaps you should be thinking about the not so safe thailand and why are you not choosing a better, safer and more economical country to dwell in....?

some of us have been here on and off for decade or several decades....  if you find thailand not so safe a place to live and you happen to find a better country....

pls, pray do share with us....  we will be most appreciative.... many of us are also looking for a better place to live.... but could not find any for the moment to move our family members to....  

this is not a personal attack, ok.

[harrycallahan]

Wish they'd give Australia a permanent high place in these lists just to spare us locals the national anxiety attack every time we're not.

[phetaroi]

h90, on 2009-11-03 01:42:45, said:

How much does a good rank cost?

Do you have some evidence that the Thai government bribed Lonely Planet?

Are you here?  If so, it appears to be your number one destination.

[phetaroi]

asiawatcher, on 2009-11-03 02:22:54, said:

How did Vegas rate?  Easier to get mugged?  Easier to be ripped off and taxis that you hand your wallet to and say keep the change!  Hotels that are way way over priced if you are not a gambler and police and ambulance sirens and guns shots 24/7.  Value for money?  Try buying any suit at your local tailor there for under 1,000?    Yep - LP were doing these reports off internet blogs!

Somehow I doubt that among the criteria LP used was where can you buy a cheap suit.  That's not a typical tourist activity across the world.  Additionally, LP clientele is not typically out to buy suits...they tend to cater toward lower income earners.

Las Vegas...I've never been there...but my father and my ex boss both went/go there often.  They're not that into gambling, but they get such good deals from the large hotels that assume those who stay there also gamble there.

[phetaroi]

westcoastnative, on 2009-11-03 03:49:38, said:

Best location for Hookers maybe.

We bow to your expertise!

Only kidding.  

[phetaroi]

PhilHarries, on 2009-11-03 04:29:16, said:

No, it's sometimes hard to imagine how these publications like LP come up with this stuff, just reinforces my belief that nobody from LP actually travels anywhere they just rely on Google and update their guides about once every ten years.

The LP Thailand guides are written by Joe Cummins, who -- if you've ever actually read the guide -- has clearly spent a lot of time in Thailand.  That's not to say I agree with his reviews of lodging and restaurants, but that's because my tastes are a bit more refined than his.