Serious question. Whats the cost difference between going to Thailand and say someplace like Hawaii or Fiji? I've been to Hawaii four out of the last five years. I love everything about Hawaii but am looking for something different. I'd like to maximize my dollars as well.
Jeezus freakin' Christ!! Are you kidding!?!?! Thailand DESTROYS Hawaii.
I've only been to Kauai, but it was after having been to Thailand so it was pretty much "meh". If you ask me, the only thing better about Hawaii is the waves and probably folks in Hawaii are better drivers than Thai people (for whom traffic laws are only traffic suggestions, lol.)
Thailand is far cheaper, there's no crime to worry about as a tourist, and about a million times more culturally interesting than Hawaii and, except for surfing decent waves, anything you can do in Hawaii you can do in Thailand. And then some.
If you haven't been to Thailand before but like beach vacations, then I'd recommend the big island of Phuket somewhere not far from Patong Beach which is the nightlife center. If Patong Beach is too touristy for you, you can always relocate to a quieter part of the island but you'll probably want to rent a car (about $30-/day) if you do that. My first 3 trips to Phuket I rented a motorcycle (a CB400, I think, for about $12/day) but I don't do that anymore since crashing in 2009.
So, what kind of stuff do you do on vacation in Hawaii? Re: price, it depends on how cheap you want to be and what kind of activities you like to do. If you stay in a crappy place with no AC (I don't recommend this), eat street food only (street food is the bomb -- I could eat the $2- grilled chicken and sticky rice every day), and "pre-drink" at 7/11, you can get by on surprisingly little money.
No matter what, though, most activities are much cheaper (less than half) than what you'd pay for the same thing here in the USA. So, bungee jumping, go-kart racing, para-sailing, sea-kayaking around small islands, snorkeling, ATV tours, attending Muay Thai fights, seeing a ladyboy cabaret and watching, uh,
ping-pong sex shows are all things I've done in or near Phuket. Zip-lining, elephant trekking, going to the shooting range, fishing, or tours of various gaudy temples are things I haven't done -- but not because they're too expensive. It's easy to be a baller in Thailand, lol.
For my wife and I, we've found that budgeting about $100-/per day (includes hotel but not car rental) is fine. We usually limit our hotel choices to places that are no more than $50-/night and prefer hotels with no more than about 50 rooms. (The hotel we liked the best this trip is called The Viridian which was offering a special rate on Agoda.com.)
BTW, I'm assuming you're bringing your woman so you'll probably be spending money on massages and salon stuff (body scrubs, facials, and the like) all of which is much, much cheaper than in the West. Women also usually like all the knock-off goods you can find everywhere. One year I bought fake Gucci purses for every female in my family and they were a big hit, lol.
Also, you are a guy with a lot of gym miles on you, right? If so, then a vigorous 1 or 2 hour Thai (like a deep tissue) massage (for about $15-) is something that you'll want to do at least every other day. Seriously, it can be glorious. This last trip there was this one awesome massage lady who I didn't think would do a good job because she was so slight but there was a point when she was walking sideways up my back balancing on the edges of her feet while working her way up my spinal erectors when I swear that my appreciation for her started turning into something like love, lol.
If you're going without your woman then, well, you won't be without female company for long but that will usually cost you, although your mileage may vary. (And, actually, they say to beware of the Thai woman with whom you hook up but doesn't want any money the following morning -- She's trying to get you caught up in the long con, lol.)
Check it out yourself; Go to agoda.com and check hotel prices in phuket, patong beach. What I like to do is just book the first couple of nights and then use Agoda's "flash deals" to find hotels offering huge temporary discounts so we can stay at nice places and not pay much. There are so many hotels in Phuket these days that this strategy works even during high season.
Feel free to ask any more questions. Here's a couple of non-nightlife videos I like to show folks (with wives) who are interested in checking out Thailand:
