First time travel to thailand.. help?!?

Travel Info
we are planning on going to thailand in a year from now.. we are advance planning. We want to go to bankok and phuket... these are the only places that we know of.. can you give us some help? We love snorkeling.. can we do that there? We love remote places, beaches.. beautiful countryside..etc... any info you can give would be great.. where are the top destinations in thailand? thanks.

Travel Tips

If you are planning on going to Phuket, plan on going to Phi Phi island (pronounced pee pee). It's remote and beautiful!! You can take a small boat from Phuket to it. You can stay there too. It's the island from that Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach"... THere are also other small islands around Phuket that you can go to. Reseach a little on it first, but there are TONS of little travel agent guys around that can get you on boats to get to those islands. You can rent scooters too - it's really fun to explore the island via scooter! That's my fave thign to do!

Ko Samet is a great place! (don't mistake this for Ko Samui)... it's a small island and more remote. This is a great time of year to go there because it is the off season and it isn't packed with tourists. You can have a lot of fun here! The water isn't as beautiful (because it's in the bay area) but it's a great island. You can get here by bus from Bangkok (to Rayong) and then by boat.

Bangkok is a really cool place too. You can do mountain biking, shopping and look at some interesting stuff. One of our fave thigns to do is to go to the river and buy a day pass. You can get off on all the river stops and see a lot (reclining buddha, emerald buddha, temple of the dawn, china town, etc.) It's cheap and fun! You can just buy the ticket at the dock (don't go through a travel agent or your hotel). THe night market (Lumpini Park) is awesome too! THere's entertainment there at night too and it's fun!
Others

Thailand is my favorite place to travel to! I've been there twice teaching English to school kids.

The Grand Palace (also called the Royal Palace) in Bangkok is amazing and is an absolute must-see. Most Thailand guidebooks recommend that if you only do one thing in Bangkok, that should be it. It's breath-taking, and you'll never forget it.
Scuba diving is Thailand鈥檚 most popular water sport and the country boosts some of the most beautiful dive sites in the world 鈥?the water is clear, sea life plentiful, transport and accommodation readily available and instruction to a very high standard. Diving in Thailand is comparatively cheap, and once you have achieved your certification in Thailand, you can use it to go scuba-diving all over the world.

ANDAMAN SEA : Dive sites are found off the coast of Phuket with prime spots such as Shark Point, Red Rock, Ko Yao, Ko Yai, and the twin islands of Ko Racha, extending to the Similan and Surin islands to the west, Krabi and Trang to the east.

GULF OF THAILAND : Sites are around Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao, Ko Nang Yuan, Mu Ko Ang Thong Marine National Park, and Ko Chang in Trat Province near the Combodian border.

EAST COAST : On the east coast of the Gulf, Pattaya offers dive trips out to Ko Larn, Ko Sak, Ko Krok, Ko Rin, Ko Pai and Ko Marn Vichai. There are dozens of dive shops offering courses and tours to any level and in any language.

what you can do/other eco-adventures: White Water Rafting Trekking
Mountain Biking Canoeing & Kayaking
Fishing Wind Surfing
Rock Climbing Jet-Skiing
Wakeboarding Walking Through History
Nature Study Bird-Watching
Butterfly-Watching

As part of the year-end shopping celebrations, TAT, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and members of the private sector representing hotels, department stores, shopping malls and other business interests around Bangkok鈥檚 famous Ratchaprasong Intersection have joined hands to make the area a colourful shopping street with bright, fresh and fun look decorations.
http://www.tourismthailand.org
Bkk
grand Palace
Wat Pho
Dawn of Temple
Jatujak Mall

Nicest beaches
Hua Hin
Krabi
Similan Island

Countryside,ride an elephant
ChiangMai
Changrai

Historic places
Ayuttaya
Hiya - great choice, Thailand is a wonderful place and travel is easy, so, going with a vague itinerary works ok too - I would suggest that you browse a guide book and get some idea of what might quirk your eye... there are many wonderful, remote or shall we say less traveled places, and these of course, are not the "top" destinations which have a distinctly touristy flare to them.. as opposed to the majority of the country that will be less visited and have a more genuine feel about them. I live in Central Thailand and there are some wonderful places where i go to "hang out" that are not going to be on any tourist maps, but I imagine this is the same everywhere - there are beautiful timeless beaches that are rarely visited and in the north there are mountainous regions that are populated w/hilltribe people - so much.. and everywhere the main attraction is the lovely Thai people.. if you want more specific advice as to areas, please feel free to contact me.. enjoy your stay!
It's a good idea to plan in advance before your visit to Thailand, there're of course many interesting places to see and things to do. Therefore, please visit the official web site below for more information or further contact, welcome and enjoy you trips.