At a loss in Thailand

10 days isnt long, and its probably changed loads since I went, but after India, surely a beach rest !

Koh Phi Phi

or SukoThai ( up north )

Lonely planet....ftw

Unless your diving do not go anywhere near Koh Phi Phi, Koh Phangan is so much better... but again stay away from Had Rin, up the top near bottle beach is better.

Chaing Mai / Rai / Pye are all fucking awesome, and great this time of year.

But if you really want a good time, bin thailand and go to Cambodia

Gatti extrapolate if you will! I am only limited by laning in thailand on the 10th and leaving on the 20th. I want to do a couple of nights in bangkok but apart from that i'm easy, and don't mind jumping on another plane if it's worth it

Snake show at the Red Cross park near Patpong is great. Take in a chicken fight (Chatuchak market) a traditional massage at Wat Pho -the Grand Palace, Muay Thai, hit Patpong for some nightlife...The Sofitel used to do the best £5 sunday lunch I've had.
If heading north- a riverboat ride to the ruins of Ayutthya then you can take the train up through the jungle in daylight- great fun.
Nearest exotic beach to BKK is Koh Samet (4hr bus). I'd fly to Siem Reap (Angkhor Wat) in Cambodia if you're in that part of the world and not seen it. Laos needs more time.
Footprint guides used to be great- don't know if you can still get'em.
Thailand is simple- the more you spend with the locals the more fun you will have :)

Come to Singapore, if you haven't before =)

As for Thailand, there's plenty to do, much of which has been mentioned already, though you should check out Phucket, great beaches and quite a popular resort area.
I think that a couple of days there will suffice, you really should choose one other country nearby and go there for a few days too...

Oh and when I was at Thailand recently, I stayed at this awesome designer hostel in the city called "Refill Now", I can get you their contact details if you're interested.

My 3 favourite places in thailand were:

1. Koh Tao. Beautiful island, everyone is either a diver, doing a diving course, or chilling with divers, and they're all super laid back. Not much besides diving and beach bumming to do on it though, it is a very small island.

2. Hua Hin. It's just south of bangkok, and it's where the king lives, so that tells you something. It's the equivalent of blackpool. Miles of white beaches, a big night market, monkey hill nearby where you can get attacked by monkeys, and also see the fattest little alpha monkey you've ever seen.

3. Pai. It's a little town north-west of chang mai, but it's absolutely awesome. Real beautiful countryside. We rented motorbikes and just rode up into the mountains everyday, found some massive caves, then drank in the uber cool little bars that Pai is awesome for. There's nowhere else quite like pai in thailand.

Oh and as a 4. Koh lanta, which someone mentioned, is an island on the west side of southern thailand. Lovely place, and we found the best bar in the world in kantiang bay, the why not bar. Think thai hippy guys singing acoustic REM, coldplay, and hotel california alot and you get the drift :)

head to krabi and ton sai and get some climbing in!

http://siamfixed.com/

go to kanchanaburi and ask to play with the tigers.

seriously.

Ok thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Think I've got it sussed now, going to spend two nights in Bangkok, then going to do a begginers diving course on Koh Tao and depending on time / botheredness I'll either hop to another island (phi phi maybe) or catch a plane up north for a few days. Can't fooking wait!

As you'll be in the south, after Koh Tao I would recommend visiting a town called Lang Suan between Chumphon and Surrathani if you want to experience real traditional Thai life and where there are no farang. 5 km from the town centre there is Pak Ban Lang Suan which is Lang Suan by the beach where you can stay in an air con beach hut for £10 a night and eat food that has just been caught from the sea in front of you.
Not my website but something I found to give you a taster.
Enjoy whatever you do!

http://jeremy29.smugmug.com/Thailand/Lang-Suan-District

The diving on Koh Tao is amazing :) You'll see what I mean.

I am going to Thailand for 3 weeks and after a few days in Bangkok I was thinking of flying to nakhon phanom and going on to the Mekong river and travelling downstream. Any tips? After that I want to fly down to the islands koh Tao

Can you dive?

I enjoyed the diving off Koh Tao and Koh Samui. Not so bothered about Koh Panghan - was mainly a hub for mock hippy whole moon party bums.

You have to go to Koh Phi Phi - it's stunning.

Unless you like seedy (and I'm talking late middle aged men out on the town with considerably younger girls/lady-boys) avoid Phuket.

I'm in Kho Phanghan now. That half moon party las night has left me properly wounded.

Kho Samui is a den full of whoppers and Kho Tao is too sleepy.

Phuket is alright, just stay well clear of Patong. There's some great little villages and beaches around. Just rent a car or a moped. It's also the easiest way to have quick access to Koh Phi Phi.

Ko Chang is another island(s) that I wouldn't mind visiting again.

... Koh Panghan - was mainly a hub for mock hippy whole moon party bums.

I'm in Kho Phanghan now. That half moon party las night has left me properly wounded.
I rest my case.

Jokes! I know you'd never mock hippy. ;)

Thanks all. Can I have a recommendation off hotels in Bangkok, I am not on too much of a budget so something nice