Thailand travel deals from Singapore

Thailand, the tourism capital of South East Asia, offers almost everything you would want from a holiday. And it offers all types of holidays. You can go for fantastic beaches, waters and jungles as well as fascinating mountains, night life and culture. The country is littered with historic sites and where ever you go you will find very good food.

Thanks to its proximity, Thailand is a popular tourist destination from Singapore. Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai, Krabi and Pattaya are the most popular destinations but it also offers many more lesser known places to visit. Thanks to the start of budget airline age in Asia in 2004, last decade made Thailand cheap and convenient to access destination from Singapore.

A more recent development for travelers to Thailand is the group buying sites. Thailand is one of the most popular travel deal destination in these web sites and you can find many deals to the destinations in the country ranging from hotel stay deals to full package holiday deals including flights and land transportation. Although coupon deals were mostly budget a few years ago, you can now find a lot of mid to luxury level travel deals from Singapore to many destinations, resorts and hotels in Thailand.

Even if you already arranged your Thailand hotel and flights, it still worth to check these Thailand travel deals below (click the image to continue).. There are also many activity deals among them which can save money for you in your trip.

Thailand travel deals from Singapore

Loy Kratong 2013 Thailand hotel deals

On November 17th this year, the night of the 12th full moon on the traditional Thai calendar, celebrants will head to Thailand’s many rivers, lakes and canals to take part in a tradition that’s hundreds of years old. Honoring Phra Mae Khongkha, the Goddess of Water, the festival gives people a chance to pay respect and give thanks for a (hopefully) bountiful year past, and to ask for continuing good luck in the coming one. Thailand, as a culture with a heavy reliance on agriculture, has long had a deep and vital tie to the availability of water, so it’s no surprise that Loy Kratong is still seen as an important event.

The name of the festival is unique in that it describes – in Thai – exactly what participants are expected to do. Around most any large body of water throughout the country are dozens of vendors offering a huge variety of round little boats – or kratongs – that range from small and simple to large and ornate. Made from wood, bread or cross-sections of bamboo and banana trees, they are often adorned with flowers, leaves, candles, incense and other decorative items. After choosing a kratong, participants head to the water, say a prayer, and float – or loi – their kratong away from shore. For an extra bit of karma, some even include a fingernail clipping or a few strands of hair to symbolize new beginnings.

But it’s not only the water that gets the attention – floating lanterns are also released in great numbers. Called khom loy, these oversized rice paper bags use hot air provided by a candle to float upwards until they are nothing more than an orange dot in the night sky. One alone is pretty, but the sight of thousands – especially in Chiang Mai – is an incredible scene to witness. And of course, like any Thai festival, there is endless food, fireworks, and extra-vibrant street scenery.

When celebrating Loy Kratong, please try to avoid any kratongs that are not biodegradable. In years past, Styrofoam or plastic were popular, which clogged up rivers and caused a huge mess. If possible, always buy kratongs that are made from natural products.

The festival is celebrated throughout Thailand, but it’s most intense in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. In Bangkok, Lumpini Park, Benchasiri Park, Benjakiti Park, or anywhere along the Chao Phraya River are popular locations to take part, while those in Chiang Mai head to the Ping River or simply to the ancient moat that surrounds the inner city.

The Forest Resort, Chiang Mai 3*
Save USD $13 per night on your stay. Expires 31 October, 2014.

The Balcony Chiang Mai Village 4*
Enjoy 35% off your stay. Expires 30 November, 2013.

Rawee Waree Resort, Chiang Mai 5*
Stay for at least 2 nights and enjoy 15% off your stay. Expires 28 February, 2014.

Star Hotel Chiang Mai 3*
Enjoy 50% off your stay. Expires 30 April, 2014.

Khum Phucome, Chiang Mai 3*
Book at least 14 days in advance and enjoy 5% off your stay. Expires 30 April, 2014.

Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Bangkok 5*
Enjoy 25% off your stay. Expires 31 December, 2013.

Ramada Plaza Bangkok Menam 5*
Enjoy 25% off your stay. Expires 30 November, 2013.

Peninsula Bangkok Hotel 5*
Stay for a minimum of 3 nights and enjoy 33% off your stay. Expires 15 December, 2013.

Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort and Spa 5*
Book at least 3 days in advance and enjoy 15% off your stay. Expires 30 November, 2013.

Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok 5*
Enjoy 72% off your stay. Expires 30 November, 2013.

Songkran 2013 Hotel Deals by Agoda

Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. The celebration is the biggest holiday of the year in Thailand – Christmas, Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve all rolled into one. In 2013, the official celebration days will be April 13-15, with a few days tagged on to either end to compensate for the holiday falling on a weekend. It also might be a bit longer or shorter, depending on where you are – for instance, celebrations in Chiang Mai often go for a full week. Songkran is truly one of those events on a scale that has to be seen to be believed, and it’s hard to imagine that it came from such humble beginnings.

Observed in one form or another for hundreds of years in several Asian countries, it originally celebrated the end of the dry season. In Thailand, it marked the start of a new solar calendar and was a chance for families to get together and celebrate a (hopefully) successful year gone by and pray for a successful year ahead. Visits to temple were a priority, as was the washing of Buddha images with scented water, which was then collected and poured over the hands or shoulders of family elders as a blessing.

Fast forward a few hundred years. While there is still a great emphasis placed on community, family and temple visits, the most visible part of the celebration is the wild and raucous street parties – giant, no-holds-barred water fights where anyone wanting to stay dry will find it a hopelessly lost cause. The mood is festive, to say the least, and strangers will approach with handfuls of powder to rub into cheeks and hair while yelling “Sawa Dee Bhee Mai!” (Happy New Year!) as water splashes down all around. Luckily, it coincides with the hottest week of the year, so a full-body splashdown is usually a most welcome diversion when temperatures are bumping up against 40 degrees Celsius.

The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water.

If a trip to Thailand is in the cards for this holiday, there are a few things one must be aware of:

• Do come to any water fights armed with the essentials – water gun (which you can buy at any store around this time), plastic bags for your wallet/phone, goggles or sunglasses, and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty.
• Don’t wear skimpy clothes if you’re female. Doing this and jumping into wild, wet crowds that are in full-on party mode is a bad idea in any country.
• Do plan the day carefully. Head out with friends, have a meeting place if the group gets separated, and drink lots of water (just not the stuff that’s being dumped on your head).
• Don’t expect to go out and stay dry, even in non-party zones. If you do get a stray splash or someone runs up and pours a cup of water over your back, don’t flip out – it’s done in fun and is meant as a blessing.
• Do remember that Songkran is all about fun. It’s never ideal when some jokester shoots a jet of ice-cold water down your back or a bit of powder gets in your eyes, but laugh it off and continue the revelry. After all, this is the Land of Smiles!

As one of the more unique and memorable holidays one is likely to encounter, a trip to Thailand for Songkran is something everyone should do. Take a look at the hotels below and get ready for a wild, wet vacation!

Asia's leading and fastest growing online hotel reservation service Agoda.com is offering fantastic hotel deals in Bangkok and Chiang Mai to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year.

Bangkok
Grand China Hotel 4*
Enjoy 52% off your stay. Expires December 31, 2013.

Montien Riverside Hotel 4*
Enjoy 30% off your stay. Expires March 31, 2014.

Prince Palace Hotel 4*
Enjoy 60% off your stay. Expires October 31, 2014.

Tai-Pan Hotel 3.5*
Enjoy 50% off your stay. Expires December 31, 2014.

Montien Hotel Bangkok 4*
Enjoy 50% off your stay. Expires October 31, 2013.

Chiang Mai
Baan Gong Kham Hotel 3*
Enjoy 53% off your stay. Expires December 31, 2013.

Panviman Chiangmai Spa Resort 4.5*
Enjoy 64% off your stay. Expires October 31, 2013.

Kiree Thara Mountain & Lake Side Boutique Resort 4*
Enjoy 60% off your stay. Expires November 30, 2013.

Singha Montra Hotel 4*
Enjoy 55% off your stay. Expires October 31, 2014.

Ruen Ariya Resort 4*
Enjoy 50% off your hotel. Expires Feb 28, 2014.