
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 27, 1994                   TAG: 9403290131
SECTION: TRAVEL                    PAGE: F-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GOING TO THAILAND? HERE'S HOW

Flying time from the west coast to Bangkok is about 20 hours. U.S. citizens are allowed 15 days in Thailand without a visa. Thai Airways International's domestic flights link the capital to Chiang Mai, Phuket and other major towns. Rental cars are available, but note that the Thai drive on the left side of the road as in Britain.

Though Thailand considers itself a year-round tropical vacation spot "subject to short showers,'' the best time to visit is October through January, the cool season. February through May is hot and June through September is often rainy. The cool season lasts longer in the north, where nights may actually be cold.

Bangkok boasts some of the finest hotels in the world, and you don't have to rough it outside the capital. The choice of orchid-on-every-pillow accommodations is exploding, especially in the south. For example:

On the west coast, Krabi's Dusit Rayavadee, a new luxury retreat on Phra Nang peninsula, is approachable only by water. Hemmed in by primeval-looking cliffs, its octagonal-shaped pavilions fit into plantation lines of coconut palms. Wild gibbons spy from the branches. (Rates, $336-$2,000 to October '94). Nearby Railay Beach ("Backpackers Beach") has until recently offered only simple huts and bungalows.

On Phuket, Sheraton Grande Laguna Beach is part of an environmental-award winning restoration of Bang Tao Bay, where the pits of abandoned tin mines have been landscaped into private lagoons. (Rates $164-$600 varying a little with the season).

Buyer-beware. Bangkok deserves its reputation as a sex-tour capital. Though prostitution is against the law, the government has not been eager to lose tourist dollars. Throughout Thailand, "everything for your pleasure" is blatantly advertised. With the presence of AIDS, younger prostitutes have been coerced into the profession, but the risk remains high.

For general information, including a wide range of accommodations, tour packages, and festival dates, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand, 5 World Trade Center, Suite 3443, New York, N.Y. 10048, (212) 432-0433; for Western United States and Canada, 3440 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1100, Los Angeles, Calif. 90010, (213) 382-2353; for the Midwest, 303 East Wacker Drive, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60601, (312) 819-3990; Canada, 250 St. Clair Ave. West, Suite 306, Toronto, ON M4V 1R6, (416) 925-9329.

by CNB