Can anyone tell me if I will be able to get some childrens cargo type school pants made to order in Phuket. I find them hard to come by in Australia in chocolate brown colour. (preferably non-ironing type fabric)
Thanks
Anyone??
Will also be in Bangkok for 3days -so maybe there.
Thanks
Lisa
Is it easy to get from Kula lumpur to bangkok by train
There is a direct line to Bangkok, stopping at Butterworth to go through customs. However it is a long distance and you may wish to try AirAsia which is a lot cheaper and a lot quicker.
mackying
very easy. good website for planning this trip and useful tips is
www.seat61.com (malaysia section)
bkk3
We are looking for a small plane or private pilot with plane or helicopter to fly us from Chiang Rai to Siem Reap in November.
Does anyone have any referrals?
Thank you
Lomette
lomette
sorry it can%26#39;t be done here. as you will still be flying commercially even in a small plane the pilot needs to have a commercial pilots licence (not just private license). ditto for helicopter. by the way you realise that Siem Reap is hundreds of miles from Chiang Rai. even if you use a single or twin engined small aircraft you will still require at least 2 fuel stops. the cost would be very high as the aircraft would have to return to chiang rai (typical cost for hourly rate for cessna 172 is about $150 USD, round trip about 14-18 hrs. also cambodia has very strict rules about light plane movements within it%26#39;s borders.
chiang mai has a flying club (about 170 km from chiang rai). you can contact someone there for info.
www.cmflyingclub.com
bkk3
Thank you very much for your helpful information.
We are looking forward to being in the mountains of northern thailand and seeing the nature and small villages etc.
We will have 3-4 days in Chiang Mai and then in Chiang Rai.
Do you think it better to go to Southern Thailand rather than spend so much time in No.thailand before heading to seam reap?
it is so much more traveling to try and include southern thailand.
that is my thinking. we are doing no. thailand, siem reap and vietnam in three weeks.
thank you for your advice.
lomette
lomette
i thunk what you have planned is fine. i%26#39;m a big fan of northern thailand compared to southern thailand i.e. phuket, samui. you will enjoy it.
a note of caution though - it;s best to avoid the trips that involve long neck tribes, they are heavily exploited and treated very poorly.
3/4 days in chiang rai and mai is good. it%26#39;s a good place to chill out as well as travel around the region.
i%26#39;m off too chiang rai in october for a few days with the family during school holidays here.
enjoy
bkk3
Hi to all,
We are a family of 2 teenagers and a 12 year old. We decided to venture out of Phuket and do something a little different and we did!
We had such a memorable trip. We booked a trip through Kris at limestone lake tours - highly recommended. A very friendly, efficient lady, who has been living in Phuket for a few years now and is married to a local Thai person and runs her own tour business. Kris is orginally from Australia and is very helpful.
Kris can put together a trip to suit your family / or couple.
We choose to do the following:
We were picked up byu an airconditioned car ( van) and taken to the Kao Sok National park. This took about 3 hours from Karon Beach. I would recommend if you are going to do this tour to stay a little closer to the National Park, to cut down on such a long car trip.
We arrived in the national park and were taken by jeep to the elephant trek place. The kids got to sit in the back of the jeep and thought this was terrific. About 20 minutes drive through the park.
We then all bought a drink, either water, soft drink or even a beer all cold from local people who sell near the elephant trek.
We then got on our elephants for a 1.10 min elephant walk. I need to say that it was a little scarey at first, because you are up high and the elephant tends to plod along, not a smooth ride, but you are safe and yes, you must hold on at some places.
The elephants move along through the jungle and it%26#39;s fantastic, they go through very very narrow pathways, where you think they won%26#39;t be able to cope, but they manage, no problems! they walk through water - not deep and it%26#39;s enjoyable. Please remember to bring a strong insect repellant and you won%26#39;t have a problem.
You go 1/2 way and then stop for a while and then you return back the same way. by now you are really relaxed and taking in all the peaceful, scenery,.
You arrive back and feed the elephants some banana%26#39;s that a lady sells to you (cheap) and at this stage you can pay for you photo that someone has taken when you first went up on the elephant. - Yes, a good quality photo, for not much money.
After thisyou are taken by the jeep to your jungle house accommodation. We stayed at the Jungle House, there are other types, but we are very happy with this, We highly recommend this place. The food was some of the best food we have eaten. Both Thai and western and all fresh ingredients. You can sit at the casual restaurant - well it is very casual and order food whenever you desire.
Your accommodation in the tree house is clean, and has a fan, flushing toilet and net over the bed. I recommend you once again put insect repellant on prior to going to bed, but he nets around the bed were of a very good quality and had no holes. Basic accommodation, but hey, it%26#39;s a tree house after all and I think it was one level up from camping.
When we first arrived at the tree house, we then hurried off to go on a canoe ride down the river with a guid. Two people each canoe. This took 2 hours and was wonderful and relaxing. There were monkey%26#39;s at places on the embankment and it was a gentle flow of water. We stopped off at a place to have a swim - so wear your costumes, it was a large rock that you climbed up on and then there was a rope swing you could have a go on. It was a lot of fun and the water wasn%26#39;t cold at all, - worthwhile getting your hair wet ladies!
We then continued along and at the end , we got picked up by jeep and taken back to our cute tree house accommodation.
We enjoyed a delicious meal - including my 2 fussey eaters! and the next morning about 8am we headed off by car to the raft houses. My kids enjoyed wonderful pancakes for breakfast!
I would also like to add, that although you are deep in the jungle , you feel safe and there are places close by that give you massages, we ran out of time, but if we had time we definitely would have had a foot massage each, by local people and very cheap - 200 baht for 1 hour.
A car drove us to the wharf where we met Kris , I guess this car trip was about 1 hour . Kris made us all feel very welcome and delightful and very helpful.
TWe then took a long tail, traditional wooden boat to the raft houses along the Chieow Laan Lake, so peaceful and beautiful. This took about 1 hour and then you are at the raft houses.
Amazing small huts built on floating bamboo poles across the lake. Very basic accommodation. I%26#39;m glad we didn%26#39;t stay here overnight as it was a bit too basic for my liking - being in my mid 40%26#39;s I like a flushing toilet in my room at night and this accommodation you would have had to walk to the toilet with your own torch. It was in a beautiful setting, the scenery was brilliant, so if your not one to worry about a toilet in your room - stay there. check out a web sight on Chieow Laan Lake raft houses ( google it)
We swam in this lake and the water was superb, warm and we also had canoes we could take out ( no extra cost) and we did have a lot of fun and shared some wonderful family memories here, playing around. It%26#39;s a fresh water lake, so no sharks etc.
We had a delicious lunch here at the raft house - fantastic food and at some time in the day we visited the coral caves. We all thought the coral caves weren%26#39;t worth visiting. It was a hike up a hill in the muddy ground for about 1.20 min and down the hill. and this would have been worthwhile, but the caves were a cave, and I reckon if you have seen one cave, you%26#39;ve seen enough, we all thought this.
So, I would recommend doing all of the above except the coral cave. But if you did go to the coral cave, it was a bamboo boat ride over and you arrived there in 10 minutes and then you walked in this cave and stayed there for about 40 min and then boat ride back and then a hike over this hill. You arrived back at the raft houses only then to get on your long tail boat back to the wharf. The long tail boat was really enjoyable and a relaxing hour.
At the wharf Kris is there to greet you and you then you are ready to go back to either another night in the jungle ( one night was ideal) or back to Phuket accommodation. We were all looking forward to a foot massage near our hotel.
Different holiday and well worh the kids seeing a different part of Thailand.
Happy to answer any questions.
Simone
Hi Simone,
Isnt Kris great? Isnt Khao Sok ever better?! It was one of the highlights of my trip and some of the best food I had eaten in Thailand. We stayed at the Lake overnight and loved it but yes very basic!
I too highly recommend time spent in Khao Sok!
Reet xx
Does anyone knows what is the operation hours for Pratunam Market and Suan Lum night bazaar? Is it open 24 hours?
Pratunum Market is normally opened around 10 am and closes about 6pm. The stalls on the street are not opened on Mondays but inside the building it%26#39;s business as usual. Sundays there is a small market around the Indra Regent Hotel.
Well do u know any market open untill late at night? By the way, which building u mean? Anyway thanks for your info.
Suan Lum night bazaar open from 17.00-23.00 everyday.The clothes here are nice but not cheap if you compare to Pratunam.
Many better places then Suan Lum nowadays in Bangkok. Since many vendors have left, there are plenty other better places.
The building I am referring to is the actual market. You head in through one of the alleyways off the street and the market is inside. you can wander for days,,,, There is also a small night market opened at night around the Indra Hotel.
KTbeerlover, Beezely
Thanks a lot, your information really helps me to arrange my itinerary. Do u know what are the price range?
Thanks Garyphil, any market sugestions that open until late at night?
In Pratunam, for clothes, they can be found around 150 Baht per piece but need to buy 3 pcs up. These are good to wear at home. They also have 400-500 Baht per pc.
Thanks land_premier, do u have any suggestions which market to buy nice %26amp; cheap shoes?
If you looking for nice cheap shoes.You can go to Siam Square,MBK and Pratunam.
There are many shops esp. around the Bonanza mall ( which is the small shop area under the aircon-bridge crossing from Siam Square to MBK).These shops sell shoes at 199 bht one price for almost every shoes in the store.The style is very fashionable.
For Pratunam area I %26#39;d like to reccomend Platinum Mall. You can find a lot of wholesale clothes(buy 3 pieces up) for 100-250 bht
and also Shoes that sell for 250 bht.
Imagine what you can buy from only us$30..5 pairs of shoes at least!!
Enjoy shopping in BKK.
leave in 2 weeks for holiday.....just wondering with the ATV tour if I should book this before I go, or should I book it once we get to phuket....want to do the 3 hr tour Phang-Nga tour.
thanks Danny
Danny, We booked this tour when we were over there.
Cathy
thanks Cathy - also thanks for your travel pages they have been a wealth of info, really appreciate it !!!!
regards Danny
just got a phone call last night from qantas to inform us that when we are staying at the banthai in october that they will be doing renovations to the bathrooms. The renovations are starting this month. Just thought I would let everyone know .
thanks
sheen
Hi Sheensydney
Thanks for that info as I will be staying at the banthai in October as well, hmmmmmmm I havent been notified
cheers julie
might see you there
Im staying there in January......yay to updated bathrooms!!!
gday everyone....just a short messgae to say a big thankyou to everyone who helped us out with planning our holiday and all the best wishes for our wedding which was last saturday,had a great day indeed!!!!!
we made it to Merlin Beach Resort finally this arvo,what a long flight it is!!!!
just got back from some shopping and picked up some bargains...loving the price of beers also!!!
shall see everyone who going to friday night bbq this friday if u guys not here allready,chatted with Richard on phone earlier and think he said 35 ppl going so shall be a blast....love 2 keep chatting but its darn hot here and the poolbar is calling my name...
thanks again everyone!!!
Camo and Nicole.
A big congratulations again Camo and Nicole.
Enjoy your time away, have lots of fun and am looking forward to your jbr.
Cathy
Hi Camo %26amp; Nick
Congratulations on your marriage, have a wonderful holiday.
You will have a ball Fri night.
Lee %26amp; Trevor
Oops that was meant to say ';honeymoon';, not holiday.
Lee
Hi Guys.
Congratulations to you both .
We leave tomorrow to go to Sydney then fly out next day. Long way around but thats cheap flights with Jetstar for you. See you both Friday night
Wendy
hi there im thinking of getting married at the merlin beach reosort next march going through creative events asia,i see you got married there and wondered how the day was?
Where did you get married ?
Would you do anything differently?
Did yoy have reception afterwards, if so where and how was the food.
Any other tips would be greatly appricated, sorry to bombard you with questions .
thanks laura
Hi Camo %26amp; Nicole - Congratulations %26amp; have a great honeymoon - say hello to Richard %26amp; Megumi for us - we will see them in about 7 weeks at the bbq on the 5/10.
Cheers,
Sandy %26amp; John
Laura,
you might not of noticed Camo and Nic got married back in May, they were married in Geelong (australia) We met up with them at the Fri night BBQ and sorry I havent seen Camo on here for a while.
Maybe if you PM him he can answer any questions or have a look (or search) for his JBR.
Karla
Morning All
Sadly we are now back in the UK from our honeymoon in Phuket. Thought we would give you a quick review of our holiday broken up into small chunks to make them easy for reading and searching on in future. So watch this space for more reviews.
Hotel
We stayed at the Seaview Patong Hotel on the beach front. Upon arrival you have a nice cold drink and ice cold towel to wipe your face e.t.c.. Your luggage is taken to your room while a copy of your passport and credit card are taken. We got upgraded to a honeymoon suite which was very nice and had a balcony overlooking the bay. Walking past other rooms while housekepping were in there cleaning them they all seemed to look pretty nice and done up to a high standard.
There were two pools one with water jets built in and another (the bigger one) for swimming.
Two pool side bars for you to order drinks at and get them to bring them to you whilst your soaking up the sun.
There is a laundry service but this is expensive and can be done at a third of the price 5 min walk down the road.
There is an internet room which costs 200baht an hour and works on a login process so you don%26#39;t have to sit there for an hour.
Food was amazing. Breakfast has everything you can think of to eat and didn%26#39;t get boring even after 14 days. We had lunch there a couple of time whilst sun bathing which was excellent. (i know it%26#39;s sad but can recommend their cheese sandwich). We did eat there a couple of times on an evening and can%26#39;t fault the food in anyway. They do a range of Thai and Western meals. Each night they have entertainment in the way of a singer and keyboard player.
The staff can%26#39;t do enough to help out and so friendly it%26#39;s un real. Everywhere you walked in the hotel the staff would stand still and greet you as you walked past. After a couple of days all the bar staff knew what drink we wanted before we even sat down. by the end of the first week we would just walk in and ask for the usual and they would bring it over.
The hotel has a gym, Hair Salon and Spa. We didn%26#39;t use the gym but my wife had her hair cut (very nice) and had a facial and thai massage in the spa.
As this is a review i should put what i thought was bad with the hotel and after some serious thinking the one thing i could think of was that housekeeping never did your room at the same time each day. We never knew if when getting back the room whether we would have clean towels to have a shower with or not.
We would definitely go back to the hotel and would receommend it to all. When at the bar ask to see their photo album of the damage done by Tsunami.
Hi There,
Thanks for your review on the Seaview Patong - My sisters %26amp; I stayed there in March last year and really enjoyed it - we thought the pools were lovely. The only downside in our opinion was that the location was across the worst part of Patong Beach - the northern part if much nicer and cleaner. But the price was amazing, and, yes, we loved the breakfasts, too.
Cheers,
Sandy
Was meant to mention the beech but had writers block.
The location is south Patong which as Sandy said isn%26#39;t the best part of the beech but for a 5 min walk up the beech you are then fine. The advantage of it%26#39;s location is that you aren%26#39;t near the noise or bars and tuk tuk%26#39;s on a night time we never heard any noise in our room and we were on the front.
Really can%26#39;t think of anything else to say now
Hello there
We are planning our holiday for October - staying at the Seaview - can%26#39;t wait -
Can you tell me more about the internet access - I was planning to take my laptop - as I believe there was wireless internet in the room you could access - I just want to send a couple of emails every day - maybe keep up with the forum - do you pay for minimum 1hour or just what you use,
Thanks
Lisa
We did see signs in the rooms informing us about wireless internet so you could take your laptop. The internet room only has two desktops in for the whole hotel so it can be a bit touch and go as to whether you will get on one.
They do have different packages with the shortest being 1 hour. Obviously the more time you buy the cheaper it gets. 1 hour did me fine for 2 weeks. I wasn%26#39;t on it every day but occasionaly to check e-mails, transfer money and check weather.
Good choice in hotel your%26#39;ll love it.
hello..well its been nearly 3 months but finally got round to doing our jbr..flew out to our first thai holiday with singapore airlines on the 22 may this year..wow..this airline is the best longhaul flight we have done..the service was wonderful and the food was nothing like we have had on any flight..the inflight entertainment kept us both amused for the 12 hours we were on the plane..i even managed to get some sleep which is a first for me.( iam one of those fliers that think every time the plane makes the slighest dip or turns sharpley something terrible is about to happen..)..we had short transfere from singapore to phuket..i missed the drive to our hotel as soon as i got in the car i fell asleep and missed it all..we were staying at the horizon beach phuket..we werea bit nervouse about staying here as we had read some very mixed reviews on this place..check in was fast and smooth and we were taken to our room. stayed pool side on the ground floor..room was big clean and very nice..spent the next couple of days relaxing and getting over our jet lag..pool area was nice and the drinks and food were great with wide selection on offer..one thing i will say as this was the only thing that put a big dampner on our holiday..after a couple of days a large group of three familys arrived from oz..now we usually make friends pretty quick but it was made plain from day one that we were not welcome at this hotel..as one of the women so nicely put it..who the *';:* started letting the brits in..the next 10days were awful..from snide comments as we walked passed to silence and sniggering..one of the younger chaps hit a ball into us as we passed the pool with cheers and a ';good on ya jordan'; from the parents..anyway we just made sure we spent as little time in the hotel as poss..which turned out well because we met some wonderful people while we were in thailand..from all the people who go into scruffy murphys to the bar girls down bangla road..we had so much fun and had so many laughs we can honestly say this is the best holiday ever..we had booked to go on the elephant treking with richard we arranged this prior to leaving uk and it was booked about two months in advance..we checked our emails at singapore airport and richard had left a mobile number to call him on when we had settled in but when we emailed him from our hotel we never recieved anything back from him..did try ringing but no answer so we booked through a shop which was just outside the hotel..we went to pang pa waterfalls first then we where taken to a gibbon rehab(this was a proper rehab centre) we where not allowed near any of the gibbons and asked to keep as quiet as poss..next we set off to the elephants which were a short drive from the gibbons..i was very anxious about doing this as i am an animal lover and couldnt have coped if i saw any miss-treatment of any animal..we climbed up the tower and sat aboard this amazing animal..now i dont know why but as we set off on her i became so overwhelmed with this creature i actually creid a bit?? dont ask me why i cant explain it..now we did try to introduce ourselves to the manhoute..he wasnt in the slightest bit interested in me or paul which at first i thought was very rude but as our journey went on we witnessed the most amazing bond between these two...he never talked to us once but he never once stopped chattering to his elephant..he constantly stroked patted and even when he noticed a mosquito had biten it he gently lent forward and wipe the blood away and rubbed his salavai into it..he did get down to take our camera and take some photos for us..he briefly went out of the elephants site..well you should of heard the noise she made when she couldnt see him..he came back to her side and she trumped her trunk at him and then gently brought it down to rest on his shoulder..amazing..he never once raised the stick he carried or in anyway raised his voice..magical and i will never forget the bond between them..we gave him the biggest tip we gave anyone while we were there..拢1000.00 baht..lovely man..next few days we went shopping and bought loads..spent time relaxing on the beach and just having the best time ever..now before we left for thailand i had booked a surprise trip for paul..a days sailing with captain mark..now both paul and i agree this was the best day we spent..because paul didnt know anything about this we had a bit of a night out the night before and we woke up with the most amazing headaches..so when he found out we were going on a sailing boat for the day he did change a very funny colour..we were met by marks driver at our hotel..there was an other couple with us called joe and chrissy who are friends of marks and visiting him from ozz..what a lovely couple they were..with mark they made our day very special..we saw some wonderful sights and had a wonderful lunch on a secluded beach cooked fresh for us with prawns that where bought fresh from one of the local fishing boats..thankyou so much to mark and his crew you gave us some wonderful memories that will always be with us..you are a credit to thailand..we had booked to do the friday night bqq..we spoke to richard to confirm our booking but we got an email at our hotel to say it was cancelled..so we never got to do the friday night bbq either..all in all thailand is a wonderful place with wonderful people..shame that some people abuse that when they are over there and take advantage..cant wait to go back and see the people in the land of a thousand smiles..
Hi guys,
Thanks for your detailed report. Bit of a pity about the other hotel guests, we struck the same from other countries, not sure why people have to behave this way.
Lee
Hi there, nice report, certainly a shame about the feral Aussies though, but at least you didnt let them ruin your holiday.
Cathy
Hi there great report. I hope you don%26#39;t think all aussies are rude unfortunately it only takes a couple of obnoxious people to give all of us a bad name. It must have been wonderful to see the bond between the mahout and elephant at least you got some lovely memorys. Bez
Hello theakos,
That was a lovely report, I too am surprising my fiance Paul in two weeks from today with a sail with Capt. Mark I can hardly wait..Sorry to hear you did not make the BBQ that is what I myself am looking forward to. All in all it sound that you had a great trip with many cherishable memories.
Hello theakos
I was wondering what had happened to you, I ve been waiting for a long time for this report
Im sorry you had a rough time at the resort, Im a little surprised as i have been to many resorts in bali malaysia fiji and others and have never experienced what you have, and I hope I never will
Im glad it didnt stop you from having a great time.
What a wonderful experience you have had with the elephants
something to remember for a lifetime
Im going in 68 days Ive starting counting down now
cheers julie
Hiya THEAKOS
Great report. Can you remember the name of the trip you booked, was it all inclusive of the Waterfall, gibbon rehab and ele ride.
Hi There,
What a fantastic JBR!!!!
I am an Aussie and I am ashamed to think you were treated
so badley by my fellow Aussie%26#39;s!!!!
I know we can have a bad reputation overseas and we are not all like that.
Anyway it looks like you had a great time.
Thanks Lindy.
thanks for your replys..we had such a wonderful time in phuket i still look at the photos and wish i was back..its the first holiday that i really wish i could have stayed there..i usually start missing home after a week..we are both totally smitten..we did so much i could';nt write it all down..even had an other tattoo done while i was there as wanted a lastng reminder of my first trip,,,sweet talking our boss for some more time off to go back november time..i still have the leaflet we were given when we booked the elephant/waterfall trip so i will let you know who it was..
oh forgot to say about the people at the hotel..just so unfortunate they were that way..my partner paul has family in oz so we know that not everyone is like that..but you meet good and bad werever you go..some very rude brits where over there and the way that they spoke to the thai girls and people in the restaurants made us feel so ashamed...we met some wonderful people from all over and had so much fun in places like scruffy murphys and bangla road..
That%26#39;s terrible!
Hello Jane and Paul, if that happens again you are to tell me immediatley and I will go and punch the people concerned on their noses. Or have someone else do it for me. Or keel haul them or something. I clearly remember the day we had together, and what very, very nice people you are. I like you and Paul a lot. I am glad you don%26#39;t think we are all like that.
Anyway, rising above their miserable behaviour as you have done, apart from showing a nobility of spirit, would also have ensured you had a better holiday than the mean spirited guttersnipes. So you won, anyway. Ha!
I am glad that you remember us as well, even if the beginning of the day was a bit foggy for you. I still remember Joe%26#39;s performance in the bat cave when he was convinced that a bat had peed on him. What a sook.
I hope we see you again here sometime. All the best to both of you, I remember you as really special people.
Mark.
We are planning our first trip to KC (Dec 22 - Jan 7) and are thinking of staying at either Bhumiyama or Amari. Which would be most suitable for us?
The Amari is much larger so has the biggest open area for kids to play in, plus a much larger pool %26amp; kids pool. Also the beach is better for kids at Amari as it slopes very gently into the sea. At Bhumiyama the beach is better for swimming as drops off about 10-20 metres offshore.
Thank you Ian. Does any of them have kids club or baby sitting? What about everything else (when it comes to comparing these two hotels); location, food, service, spa, activities etc?
My Boyfriend and I will be travelling to Koh samui late oct/Nov
He would like to do some fishing whilst there
I am away of teh fresh water fishing resort on the islan
but has anyone tried and tested any foshonmg tours or knows of any great fishing spots - he is looking for a full day/ half day
let me know
i posted this in the worng forum
whoops sorry :)
Can anyone please tell me if you can bring food into Thailand. We are travelling via Singapore to Phuket. Don%26#39;t laugh but I want to bring a Plum pudding. I won%26#39;t bother making it if I can%26#39;t bring it. This could be packed in the suitcase. I was also wondering about a side of salmon - but that would need to be in the carry on.
Thanks
Ange
AussieAnge
You should have no problem with the plum pudding. As for the salmon you can buy australian and/or norwegian salmon here cheaper than in australia.
bkk3
Hi Ange we always take cheese, crackers, potato chips just to start us off. We like to sit on our balcony and have a duty free drink and snack when we first arrive no matter what the time. I don%26#39;t think there is any restrictions on bringing in food to Phuket.
Happy Holidays Bez.
Hi AussieAnge, When you arrive in Phuket did you declare the food you had %26amp; was it in your suitcase or hand luggage. As I want to take some nibblies over when were there as we have 4 kids.
Thanks Sue.
AussieAnge, sorry I meant to reply to Bez123 on the food thing, or if anyone can help, that would be great.
Sue
I wouldnt stress to much about taking snacks for the kids with you, there are plenty of 7/11 and little grocery dtores that have everything you could want and they are so cheap! Cheaper than at home.
We brought a few bits and peices to keep in our room for nibbles and there was plenty to choose from.
As far as taking food into Phuket as long as you declare it you will have no problems. I was suprised at the things you could by at Melbourne Airport in the departure area shops to take ...they even had frozern muscles and fish!!!! how you keep in frozern on a 10 hour flight I have no idea?? lol
enjoy your trip
Chelle
I have taken all kinds of food to expats in Thailand in my checked-in baggage, along with my manyt bottles of wine and never been questioned. I would recommend that you take whatever you wish with you, and should you be questioned (unlikely), then just say you were bringing in what you heard was unavailable in Phuket.
Like Athena I have always taken food in my checked in luggage and have never been questioned I buy the kraft chedar cheese which doesn%26#39;t need refrigeration until opened. Yes you can buy all the differet snacks at 711 but I like to have something to start us off rather than going shopping as soon as you arrive. We go over seas every year . We always empty our fridge in the room and put our own drinks etc in while there, have never been questioned as I%26#39;m sure everyone does this. Bez
Thanks Chelle e be, I think i%26#39;ll buy nibblies in Phuket, they%26#39;ll most probably be different to oz, so the kids will like them even more.
Sue
Ange, I just re-read your post and noted the side of salmon. You can buy salmon steaks in Phuket, and if you went to Choice Foods in Chalong, I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;d be able to get a side there. Best if you order in advance though. This could be a much easier option for you.
19/51 Chaofa East Road
Chalong , Muang Phuket
Phuket 83130
Phone: 076282407 Fax: 076383186
I think there%26#39;s a new rule re alcohol. In the past you could take alcohol with you that you%26#39;d bought in duty free, but you can only do so now if it%26#39;s in your hold luggage, so you can%26#39;t buy it airside once you%26#39;ve checked in. Don%26#39;t think you can take it in your hand luggage any more. Am sure that %26#39;s now the case from the UK, but not certain about Aus. May be worth checking though, as it would be awful to have it confiscated!
So how much can I expect to pay for a taxi from the bus stop(Bus from Bangkok) to Rabbit Resort in Jomtien without ';being taken for a ride'; so to say.
I have read the blog about the baht bus and it sounds like too many buses involved to get there so perhaps a quick! taxi ride may be the way to go.
Thanks
WENDY
You will have to walk few steps outside of the bus station on to the main road where number of taxis will be waiting. A ride to Jomtein will be about Bhat160 to the intersection of Dongtan and Jomtien roads. The ride will take about 20mins.
The taxis in and around the bus station forget it, these guy%26#39;s are a rip off they will want 250 -300 to jomtien, you need to flag a passing baht bus with no passengers to get nearer to 160, do Rabbit Resort offer free pick up? worth sending a mail.
Thanks.
Rabbit Resort does not do pick up. I have already been in contact with them and everyone going there apparently does the limo trip from Bangkok therefor getting dropped off at the door . At leasat I now know how much to expect to pay without being ripped off.
Thanks
Wendy
Why not just get a taxi from the airport? (Is that where you%26#39;re coming from?) - about 1300 baht door to door and no hassles with luggage. You%26#39;ll save up to an hour in travel time too.
Thanks but I am actually spending the night in Bangkok before travelling to Pattaya the next morning. Th taxi fare for 1300 compared to approx 100 bht is a lot so figured that I would save a bit of money to spend elsewhere and see a bit of countryside along the way.
Wendy
I see.
I%26#39;m never a great fan of staying in Bkk on arrival as it is the opposite direction to Pattaya so I used to go straight there no matter what time I%26#39;d arrived; and you have to pay for the hotel in Bkk which will be about the same as the taxi.
Don%26#39;t forget the 150 to 200 baht for your connection to the hotel and the extra time it takes
As for seeing the countryside - you%26#39;ll find they take the same route - difference being you can tell a taxi driver when to stop.
The new orange airport bus goes to Jomtien I believe...perhaps someone has the low-down on that too.
Rabbit can send a car to pick you up from Bangkok (not the Pattaya Bus Station). If you want to spend one night in Bangkok then suggest you take as early a bus as possible from EKAMAI bus station - like you I am a great fan of traveling by bus to see the countryside - however, if you go by taxi/limo you could stop anywhere you like to buy fruit or drinks or whatever. How are you going to go to Bangkok from the airport?
Hi energyone,
This is my plan so far.
Arrive 8pm Bangkok airport, metered taxi to hotel (Hope land Serviced Appartments) only a couple of stops on the skyrail to Ekamai station according to the map.
Get up early and catch first bus possible to Pattaya.
Taxi to Rabbit Resort.
I calculated my taxi to hotel, hotel in BKK, bus to Pattaya and taxi to RR worked out much cheaper than taxi to Pattaya and extra night accom at Rabbit Resort
plus I didn%26#39;t really want to be arriving at the resort about 11.30 pm or even later after travelling 10 hours on a plane.
Does that make sense?
I like to do things the hard way !
Wendy
Arrive 8pm Bangkok airport, metered taxi to hotel (Hope land Serviced Appartments) only a couple of stops on the skyrail to Ekamai station according to the map.
Get up early and catch first bus possible to Pattaya.
Taxi to Rabbit Resort.
I calculated my taxi to hotel, hotel in BKK, bus to Pattaya and taxi to RR worked out much cheaper than taxi to Pattaya and extra night accom at Rabbit Resort
plus I didn%26#39;t really want to be arriving at the resort about 11.30 pm or even later after travelling 10 hours on a plane.
Does that make sense?
I like to do things the hard way !
Wendy
*
I always head into town from the airport, maybe it is an old habit from when I used to land at Don Muang. I stay in the same cheap hotel and check out the same places I have for many years. I like it this way and I understand that some travelers want to shell out some big baht for a direct ride to Pattaya. Your call!
When I am in Bangkok for that night I also make my reservations for my last night in Bangkok before my return home. The first night I can only sleep a few hours anyway. I have a good breakfast in the morning at an ';all you can eat place (Fortuna Hotel 119 baht.) Check my email and leisurely head on down to the Ekamai bus station by Skytrain - under 120 baht for the ride to Pattaya!
If I arrived earlier in the daytime (before 5 PM) I might be persuaded to take one of the cheap buses that leaves from the new bus terminal direct to Pattaya or use Bell Travel. Only problem with those bus rides from the airport is that there is not enough of them at this time and that they are far apart!
So I%26#39;m not that silly after all.
Good to hear it.
I know my budget and if I can save a few BHT by not spending where I don%26#39;t need to then I will. Not hard. Thanks infidelal for your opinion
Wendy
I will be visiting Pattaya in early September 2007. Would like some recommendations on some restaurants or eateries that we should not miss. I am not so interested in the Western food though I knew that its plentiful there. Would like to try the authentic Thai food, seafood and Indian food there. Please recommend.
As both of us travelling are gals, I would like to know whether it is safe for us to visit their A-go-go bars? We really want to experience the infamous nightlife culture there without compromising on our safety.
Hope someone can help!
Kiss on 2nd road near Mikes is good, open 24/7. also fatties up at the Naklua end of 2nd road near Big C..
the Pink lady on Beach road is ok too.
On Walking Street there are loads of places to eat and visit. I love the Seafood restaurant there which I think is called Kings? It has all the seafood fresh towards the front so you can see it and half of the restaurant is outside above the sea (which is actually quite nice but cover up from the mosquitos)!
Also when you go to the beach during the day (head up Jomtien beach on the frequent %26#39;taxi%26#39; buses) you can order fantastic fresh seafood to be cooked for you. I%26#39;d recommend grilled thai prawns %26amp; steamed mussels (with chili dipping sauce of course), freshly grilled fish and chargrilled chicken and sticky rice. Also Som Tum (Papaya salad) but warn them if you dont want it too hot!!!
Enjoy.
My suggestion is the Kiss Restaurant also. There are two of them, one is across from the Mike Mall. The second Kiss Restaurant is near the Dolphin where Pattaya 2nd Road meets North Pattaya Road.
Tops Supermarkets, Foodland Supermarkets and malls also service Asian foods in their restaurants. Food courts are a cheap way to sample lots of stuff!
Women are free to enter any bar, beer bar or go-go bar without any problems. The bar owners like your money just as much as money from men!
One go-go bar you might want to check out is the TIM BAR on Pattaya 2nd Road. This bar is located after the Kiss Restaurant (the one across from Mike Mall) walk south for a few minutes. Clean toilet inside.
I know you mentioned that you are not interested in Western food, however you might want to check out a couple ';all you can eat'; buffets anyway. Two I use pretty often in Pattaya are the APEX Hotel and the LEK Hotel. Breakfast Buffet for 110 baht includes Western foods and Asian foods plus all the water, coffee, tea, cold drinks you can consume! Menu varies from day to day but you are free to look and judge for yourself! Morning menu includes dinner/lunch type choices not just typical breakfast stuff!
The Lek and Apex are on Pattaya 2nd Road. The Apex is not far from the Kiss Restaurant and Diana Hotel. The Lek is on the other side of Pattaya 2nd Road, probably a little across from Tim Bar.
Good luck.
Generally you have no problem going into any bar of any sort as they want your money pure and simple - you might also try a gay gogo bar as the chaps in there often swing both ways so to speak and these bars are sometimes frequented by women on the search for ehm some company - I think it is the pharoah nar on soi chaiyapoon that is particularly noted in this respect
Foodwise;
the foodcourt in tops supermarket on second road is surprisingly good
the streetside restauranton second road just about 50 yards south of pttayalnd soi 2 is on the ball as too is the pink lady on beach road
Indin wise Ahaar on the corner of second road and i think it is soi post office, upstairs is good with the food prepared in a perspex booth so you can watch, and other good indians ( and in a sense more ethnic) are to be found if you go south on second road where the traffic turns into second road from beach road - walk along past the school on your right and the waiting baht buses and maybe 100 yard along on the right is a collection on indian and middle eastern restaurants easily seen by the hookah pipe smokers on the pavement
umarket Casa Pascal in the little soi off second road the other side of the road to soi post office is the place
and finally my own favourites include the paradise grill on second road opposite the Marriot - classy central european food and nice service, Gullivers on beach rod near the Amari I think does great pub food both european and thai and tropical berts on second road near the start of soi yodsak(soi6) does a tremendous sunday lunch
For more advice call into Cheers Bar on pattayaland soi2, which is anon girlie bar and the owners now the best places for food drink and whatever in funtown. I%26#39;m not one of the owners by the way and have no proprietray interest!
Indian: Ali babas, central beach road opposite Nova Lodge .
Thai: P.I.C. kitchen, soi 3/4.
Western (english): Gregs Kitchen, North Pattaya,2nd road.
Go-go bars are really pretty safe for voyeurs.
Most of the eateries recommended I would say are pretty poor or average.
Good Indian food - Singapore or UK style is difficult to find in Thailand.
Ailibaba%26#39;s is appalling.
Ahaar on Soi 13 is one of the better ones but getting dear.
Cliff Hotel has a swish expensive one with good food but a little bland.
there is a new one on 3rd road - opposite ';Exite'; night club - any motorbike taxi knows Exite....
Seafood,
About 10 km south is the village of Ban Amphoe for seafood but unfortunately, you will get plastic plates. However Preecha and Co have some of the best seafood around.
Sattahip has too.
Try Moom Aroi in Naklua? Beachfront and modern ';arty'; decor. They have one on 3rd road too and another in Sri Racha. There%26#39;s also ';Grand Seaview'; in Sri Racha....over the water with trad Thai decor.
For atmosphere, try Cabbages %26amp; Condoms or Sugar Hut. Sugar hut has a beautiful wooden restaurant and great gardens but the food is crap, bland and really expensive. C%26amp;C has better food lovely surroundings and some good reasonably priced wines. The walk from the car park to the restaurant is beautiful.
at the very end southern end of Jomtien beach is a Thai seafood restaurant - it%26#39;s the very last restaurant on the corner - cheap and very good seafood - try the steamed black crab...
Ruen Thai on 2nd road has Thai dancing etc......food%26#39;s OK too.
Street food,
No trip to Thailand is complete without sampling the street food. Unlike many other countries it really is quite safe….why this should be I can only hazard a guess, the food is prepared, cooked and then reheated on sale, a high turnover ensures there is little time for bacteria to culture.
Those of you who saw the comedy “The trouble with Mary” may recall a scene where the lead actors bemoan the fact that there is not enough “meat no a stick” …they should come to Thailand; everything is stuck on a stick…spicy Issan sausages, chicken livers, chicken satay, fish balls, and other dumpling-like savouries, eggs, squid, fish…the list is endless.
Whether sweet or savoury the food is delicious and cheap…usually about 20 baht a throw.
My favourite? “Pok-Pok - Som tam thai, a spicy papaya salad made with peanuts and dried shrimps., you will see someone bashing away with a pestle and mortar, then they are most likely making some form of Som Tam, or “pok-pok” as it is called referring to the sound made by the mortar and pestle. It comes in various forms and can be extremely spicy so beware. Another favourite of mine is chicken liver on a stick….my least favourite? - Malaeng or maeng - crispy fried insects…I still can’t bring myself to eat these, but with so many other choices, who needs to?
In Pattaya itself there are street stalls everywhere, near the bottom of Soi8 at the entrance to the old immigration office is a great stall for kebabs, he also sells BBQ’d sticky rice - mmmm!
On the lane that links Soi 7 and 8 there is a lady who has about 3 tables set Along the side of the road, she does fantastic Thai curries and salt egg salad…what’s on offer depends on what she’s got. I think it’s a family thing, they never seem to close I had a great meal there once at about 4 or 5 in the morning. They even have a small English Language menu on the wall now.
On Central road make sure you visit the sweet mango and sticky coconut rice stalls situated about half way between 2nd and 3rd roads. 50 baht will buy you a Styrofoam boxful of heaven.
If you venture to Soi BuaKhao market, be sure to visit the duck noodle stall by the Seven-Eleven on South Pattaya Rd…it attracts scores of people ho sit at tin tables eating the duck noodle soup sat on plastic chairs. The drinking water is free. Strangely enough, noodle soup is about the only thing Thais eat with chopsticks (and a spoon) I guess because of its Chinese origins. Any of the noodle stalls offer great value, with pork, chicken or Beef mixed into various kinds of noodles. You can have it as soup or “dry” too!
Issan food - North Eastern Thai food,
Soh Larb Pbet....you won’t break the bank here!
Please forgive the approximate spelling, but I thought it well worth mentioning this restaurant specializing in Issan food. Larb Pbet is a minced duck dish usually eaten with sticky rice and some raw veggies as a side salad these are served with a spicy dip too.. This place in a back street of Pattaya does some of the best larb I%26#39;ve tasted...they does various flavours....duck, pork and even frog! Another great one is Yam Pla Duc Fuu (??), which is a catfish salad consisting of catfish fried at high temperature served with spicy salad and peanuts. The grilled beef (Nua Yang) is usually a bit chewy but always tasty. Other items on the English language menu include bull’s penis soup, various frog dishes and some startlingly hot Som Tam. Beer is only available in big bottles. With a beer 2 should eat for 3 to 500 baht.
A covered open-air establishment, the furniture is basic; bamboo chairs and tables, although they do have air-conned VIP rooms for karaoke. There are fish tanks around for decoration and some catfish in an artificial stream. The staff don’t usually speak much English, so be prepared to point and mime the mime for “Not too HOT!’
How to get there......Start from the Carrefour supermarket crossroads/traffic lights on Pattaya Klang. Take the road off called ';Paniad Chang'; and continue along to Soi 8 on the left, follow this Soi and take the second lane on the right, the restaurant is down this rough old track (a cul-de-sac) about 40 meters on the left...there is somewhere to park.
Bon appetit!
Go-go bars are really pretty safe for voyeurs.
Most of the eateries recommended I would say are pretty poor or average.
Good Indian food - Singapore or UK style is difficult to find in Thailand.
Ailibaba%26#39;s is appalling.
Ahaar on Soi 13 is one of the better ones but getting dear.
Cliff Hotel has a swish expensive one with good food but a little bland.
there is a new one on 3rd road - opposite ';Exite'; night club - any motorbike taxi knows Exite....
Seafood,
About 10 km south is the village of Ban Amphoe for seafood but unfortunately, you will get plastic plates. However Preecha and Co have some of the best seafood around.
Sattahip has too.
Try Moom Aroi in Naklua? Beachfront and modern ';arty'; decor. They have one on 3rd road too and another in Sri Racha. There%26#39;s also ';Grand Seaview'; in Sri Racha....over the water with trad Thai decor.
For atmosphere, try Cabbages %26amp; Condoms or Sugar Hut. Sugar hut has a beautiful wooden restaurant and great gardens but the food is crap, bland and really expensive. C%26amp;C has better food lovely surroundings and some good reasonably priced wines. The walk from the car park to the restaurant is beautiful.
at the very end southern end of Jomtien beach is a Thai seafood restaurant - it%26#39;s the very last restaurant on the corner - cheap and very good seafood - try the steamed black crab...
Ruen Thai on 2nd road has Thai dancing etc......food%26#39;s OK too.
Street food,
No trip to Thailand is complete without sampling the street food. Unlike many other countries it really is quite safe….why this should be I can only hazard a guess, the food is prepared, cooked and then reheated on sale, a high turnover ensures there is little time for bacteria to culture.
Those of you who saw the comedy “The trouble with Mary” may recall a scene where the lead actors bemoan the fact that there is not enough “meat no a stick” …they should come to Thailand; everything is stuck on a stick…spicy Issan sausages, chicken livers, chicken satay, fish balls, and other dumpling-like savouries, eggs, squid, fish…the list is endless.
Whether sweet or savoury the food is delicious and cheap…usually about 20 baht a throw.
My favourite? “Pok-Pok - Som tam thai, a spicy papaya salad made with peanuts and dried shrimps., you will see someone bashing away with a pestle and mortar, then they are most likely making some form of Som Tam, or “pok-pok” as it is called referring to the sound made by the mortar and pestle. It comes in various forms and can be extremely spicy so beware. Another favourite of mine is chicken liver on a stick….my least favourite? - Malaeng or maeng - crispy fried insects…I still can’t bring myself to eat these, but with so many other choices, who needs to?
In Pattaya itself there are street stalls everywhere, near the bottom of Soi8 at the entrance to the old immigration office is a great stall for kebabs, he also sells BBQ’d sticky rice - mmmm!
On the lane that links Soi 7 and 8 there is a lady who has about 3 tables set Along the side of the road, she does fantastic Thai curries and salt egg salad…what’s on offer depends on what she’s got. I think it’s a family thing, they never seem to close I had a great meal there once at about 4 or 5 in the morning. They even have a small English Language menu on the wall now.
On Central road make sure you visit the sweet mango and sticky coconut rice stalls situated about half way between 2nd and 3rd roads. 50 baht will buy you a Styrofoam boxful of heaven.
If you venture to Soi BuaKhao market, be sure to visit the duck noodle stall by the Seven-Eleven on South Pattaya Rd…it attracts scores of people ho sit at tin tables eating the duck noodle soup sat on plastic chairs. The drinking water is free. Strangely enough, noodle soup is about the only thing Thais eat with chopsticks (and a spoon) I guess because of its Chinese origins. Any of the noodle stalls offer great value, with pork, chicken or Beef mixed into various kinds of noodles. You can have it as soup or “dry” too!
Issan food - North Eastern Thai food,
Soh Larb Pbet....you won’t break the bank here!
Please forgive the approximate spelling, but I thought it well worth mentioning this restaurant specializing in Issan food. Larb Pbet is a minced duck dish usually eaten with sticky rice and some raw veggies as a side salad these are served with a spicy dip too.. This place in a back street of Pattaya does some of the best larb I%26#39;ve tasted...they does various flavours....duck, pork and even frog! Another great one is Yam Pla Duc Fuu (??), which is a catfish salad consisting of catfish fried at high temperature served with spicy salad and peanuts. The grilled beef (Nua Yang) is usually a bit chewy but always tasty. Other items on the English language menu include bull’s penis soup, various frog dishes and some startlingly hot Som Tam. Beer is only available in big bottles. With a beer 2 should eat for 3 to 500 baht.
A covered open-air establishment, the furniture is basic; bamboo chairs and tables, although they do have air-conned VIP rooms for karaoke. There are fish tanks around for decoration and some catfish in an artificial stream. The staff don’t usually speak much English, so be prepared to point and mime the mime for “Not too HOT!’
How to get there......Start from the Carrefour supermarket crossroads/traffic lights on Pattaya Klang. Take the road off called ';Paniad Chang'; and continue along to Soi 8 on the left, follow this Soi and take the second lane on the right, the restaurant is down this rough old track (a cul-de-sac) about 40 meters on the left...there is somewhere to park.
Bon appetit!
Wow wilko - I%26#39;ll try Ali Babas this weekendas i%26#39;ll be down there in pataya and report back -don%26#39;t want to give out misleading info!It used to be fabulous (7 years ago or so) and was very dificult to get a table most nights.Has it changed hands?
Firstly - I have yet to find a ';fabulous'; Indian restaurant anywhere in Thailand.
In the past 5 years I%26#39;ve eaten there about 4 times and eventually had to give up trying - The last time I ate in Ali Babar%26#39;s myself was about 2 years ago....the water had been cut off so they simply laid the dirty dishes in stacks up and down the stairs.
The food was so bad we paid and left after sampling a few things.
Since then I%26#39;ve had come-back off various people - some solicited some not - and one in particular was a visitor from UK who I%26#39;d never met before suddenly said....
';And what%26#39;s with that Indian round the corner? worst meal I%26#39;ve ever had in my life!';
I would imagine that the place hasn%26#39;t changed hands at all - I think one of the problems with all the Indian (generic term) restaurants in Pattaya is they utterly fail in consistency. Some are OK for a while and then the whole thing goes downhill and expensive - I%26#39;ve yet to understand why, relatively speaking Indian restaurants are so expensive here as 90% of all the ingredients etc are readily available here.
I have a couple of business acquaintances who are first or second generation Indian immigrants and none of them can recommend a good Indian restaurant in Pattaya.
Hi, I was wondering how much cost food on the beach or in carts on food street?
Do I have to haggle or is there a fixed (and displayed) price?
Hello
Me and my girlfriend are heading to Phuket from Lanta and we%26#39;re curious about our options - I%26#39;ve read that the ferries do not run until November.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Rob
When are you going?
If there are no ferries, you can always take the bus to Krabi and from there to Phuket. Ferries from Krabi to Phi Phi and Phi Phi to Phuket are possible year round also.
Sorry about the vague information - we%26#39;ll be there in the first two weeks of October.
If a direct ferry is not looking likely, might it be better to break the journey from Krabi by having a couple of nights on Phi Phi?
Thank you!
Depends, if you catch the early morning ferry from Krabi you can continue straight away to Phuket. If you don%26#39;t, you have to stay overnight anyway (or take the bus).
Nothing wrong with staying on Phi Phi for a few nights anyway, so why not make the trip relaxed and enjoy everywhere you go?
In our quest for the the right hotel in Chiang Mai for our November trip, we absolutely must have a wonderful pool at the hotel. Criteria:
- shallow end (e.g. sloped entry) so that a 3 yr old can stand up **most important**
- clean
- easily accessible from hotel rooms
- not over-crowded
If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them!
Hi
We just ret%26#39;d from Chiang Mai, where we stayed at Yaang Come Village. The pool was lovely. It does have a shallow end, but I think that would still be too deep for a 3 year old to stand up right except for on the steps, but it also has a separate jetted pool. The water temperature was the same as the pool (quite warm) and I think that a 3 year old would be quite happy splashing around in there. I think it would be shallow enough for a child to stand up in it. I have a photo I could e-mail you if you want. Yaang Come is a fabulous hotel. The pool was never crowded and the pool was central to the guest rooms as far as I could see. It is on the pricier side, but well worth it.
Hi yvrtogo,
I appreciate your post as I too have a 3 year old boy and always look for family friendly hotels wherever I go.
Your request is a little too general for me to offer any help at the moment though, so if you can give me an idea of your budget per night, style of hotel you prefer, location (city or rural - central or slightly out of all the hustle) and what you plan on doing in Chiang Mai (this will help give me an idea on what hotel locations are best) I can then offer you some hotel suggestions to look at.
Thanks
Our budget is somewhat flexible - trying to keep it under 3500 baht/night, but we can be tempted up for the right place.
As for stuff to do - I don%26#39;t mind something a bit rural, as long as we can hop in a car and do sightseeing. We won%26#39;t be doing much shopping - more day trips, and playing in the pool at the end of the day! (for our family, a pool is a %26#39;kid tranquilizer%26#39;!)
Hi yvrtogo,
I would have to agree with the recommendation from bcgirl62. The Yaang Come Village is becoming more and more popular by the day thanks to its great service, location and the beautiful furnished rooms. But it does come at a higher price from 3,700 THB a night (travelspeak.org/as/鈥etails.php).
The Amata Lanna is a relatively hidden gem that location close to the Yaang Come Village. The reviews this places gets is remarkable, and the location is very good. This place offers Thai style architecture with added lux0ury. The swimming pool is quite small and quiet which helps when you have little ones running around as you can keep an eye on them easily and from what I remember is sloped at one side although it might be best to double check on that. At 3,300 THB a night it鈥檚 great value for what you get (travelspeak.org/as/鈥etails.php).
For something more mainstream then the Amari Rincome is a good option. Located on the fashionable Nimmenhemin Road means that you鈥檙e not far from some great restaurants and shopping. The swimming pool is quite big and family friendly. For under 3,000 THB a night it鈥檚 good value too. Expect great service here as I have found with all Amari hotels I have stayed in throughout Thailand. (r24.org/travelspeak.org/chiangmai/rincome/)
If you don鈥檛 mind being out of town a bit then this place comes highly recommended (r24.org/travelspeak.org/鈥?/a>). The Ayatana Hamlet %26amp; Spa offers it all with great rooms, pool and service, however it is set away from the main tourist areas and therefore requires a car or taxi to get to places but as you say for day trips this really isn鈥檛 a problem.
I hope the above suggestions help. If you don鈥檛 mind being a little further out of town then there are some lovely rural hotels and resorts I can recommend, but ones that involve about a 30-45 minute drive into the city centre.
Any other questions then let me know,
Thanks
Alan
Alan - thanks for much for your detailed reply! I%26#39;ll look into all of those suggestions.
Another one we%26#39;ve been looking at is the Baan Deva Montra, which is not in town - and wondering if it is just too far, but the individual pools sound enticing...
L.
The Baan Deva Montra is quite far out of town but it is peaceful and very beautiful.
Actually, there is another place around 5-10 minutes drive away (nearer to the city) which is one of my wife%26#39;s favourite hotels called Baan Saen Doi. It%26#39;s located very close to the Night Safari and the Royal Flora Project (Similar to a very large and beautiful botanical gardens).
Take a look at it here r24.org/travelspeak.org/鈥?/a>
It has a lovely pool and separate smaller 2nd pool. The views of Doi Suthep mountain are stunning and if you sit upstairs around sunset the view are even better. Spa and fitness rooms are located on site as well as a tennis court (best in the early morning or late evening). Rooms are stunning, service is great and food too. We both really like this place and have recommended this to visiting friends and family.
Maybe worth taking a look at if you can%26#39;t decide from the rest.
The Baan Saen Doi looks lovely - I considered it until I noticed the fine print on Sawasdee booking site that it only accepts children 10 yr %26amp; up... Mine are 3 %26amp; 5, so unless that policy has changed ...(anyone know?)
Hi,
Sorry I was not aware of their child policy, and come to think of it I saw no young children there when we%26#39;ve stayed there before and though nothing of it.
I just called the hotel and they have told me that this is the case, and the reason they only accept children above 10 is the fact that they have many valuable art pieces/antiques located around the hotel and therefore have chosen to add this restriction.
Hi,I recommend Centara Duangtawan Hotel,hotel has great location right in night bazzar area, pool is great and they have pool for childs that suitable for your child 3 years old too, staff very friendly,food good overall good value for money .
Highly recommended!
I wanted to take this opportunity to do a JBR in return to all those who have done so in the past. It has helped and enhanced our trip immensely reading everyone%26#39;s tips so I want to return the favour.
We are a family of 4, with 2 kids ages 8 and 5, first time in Phuket.
We flew from BKK to Phuket with Air Asia, no problems however was delayed on the return back to BKK by 2 hours. So, perhaps if you wish to avoid the chance of delays book flights that leave in the morning as opposed to evenings.
HOTEL
We stayed at Ramada Karon, Adventure room (Underwater theme) with connecting door to ours. Very happy with it. The kids enjoyed the fish tanks with live fish, the noise of the pumps in the tank didn%26#39;t annoy them. Our room was comfortable, King beds and a balcony.
The kids had their own TV/DVD and playstation with games to play with and their own bathroom. The hotel also lends DVD players for free to us so we can test the DVDs that we bought.
Hotel also had internet access at one of their cafes, 15 mins for 20B, or if you have coffee they give you 1 hour for 40B. Breakfast were good, typical buffet style, also catering for asian tourists so there were choices that seemed strange first thing in the morning. My 8 yr old son moved from cereals to having fried noodles for breakfast!! I%26#39;ll do a review in the hotel
MR SAM
We spent a great day out with Mr. Sam, he was very amiable and so great with the children. Please don%26#39;t hesitate to book him he would make your day memorable. The children and I learnt so much. Briefly this is where he took us: -
Rubber Tapping show
Koh Chang (Elephants)
Kata viewpoint
Phrom tep Cape Viewpoint
Many different beaches
Wat Chalong
Phuket Town (and Phuket View restaurant at Rang Hill)
Siray Island (wild monkeys and visit to Sea Gypsy village)
Along the way, he would stop the car and order different things for us to try such as fried bananas, fried sweet potato chips, fried sticky rice balls with bananas inside (they didn%26#39;t look good but boy did they taste great!). He bought different fruits from the local markets for the kids to try as well - mangosteens and longans. He was sweet also buying souvenir trinkets for the children, which I know is insignificant but the the thought was there and we appreciated it.
Phuket Sail tour with Captain Mark
Another fabulous day! Once again, Mark was awesome with the children, for families, please don%26#39;t hesitate to go it is an unforgetable day out. We shared the day with 4 other Aussies, great bunch. Thanks for your wonderful company and thank you for playing along with the treasure hunt that Mark orgnised for the kids. My son is allergic to peanuts so Ya catered for him, the kids loved the fried chicken! My 5 year old daughter was spooked about exploring the caves but Mark was very patient and eventually she came around and happily took the flashlight and ventured in. The picnic lunch was so yummy, I wish we could have eaten more but we probably stuff our faces with the fried chicken. My son, kept saying ';This is the life, I tell you!'; and frankly we agreed! Captain Noi gave him an opportunity to steer the boat on the way back but we just kept going around in circles. A definite highlight for us!
Phuket Fantasea
We left to do this on our last night because we really didn%26#39;t plan to go except we met other people and how they raved on about it so we decided to go. Mmmm, the kids loved all the lights and arcades but by the time we sat down in the theatre, they both fell asleep and couldn%26#39;t be woken up!! I think the last 7 full days had taken its toll and they were buggerred. LOL. Look, it%26#39;s our opinion but I think it was just ok, we really didn%26#39;t think much of seeing animals on stage, after awhile, whilst everyone around was cheering and clapping, both my husband and I were sharing looks of cringe factor!
General stuff
Karon Beach was great and expansive, lots of waves and unsafe for swimming at this time of the year. However, the beach behind Club Med at Kata was perfect. We spent a wonderful day out there. It was safe for the children to swim in and more family friendly. I would not hesitate in returning to stay at this part of Phuket next time.
Patong is not something to rave on about. We only ventured there for eating out and shopping and glad to return back to Karon. We bought our DVDs from a couple of sources, a tailor opposite Sabai Sabai restaurant at Soi Post office (nearest corner to McDonalds) but he has a limited choice, happy to return 1 faulty DVD out of the 16 we purchased. Another better one to go to is Mr Nok/Mr Noon next door to Ocean Plaza on the beach road section, better selection. We were led by a boy of about 12 and he was honest to us about the quality, a man came afterwards with other people and he was not as honest to them, saying everything was good. I caught the boy%26#39;s eye and he would shake his head to us without the other man seeing. We bought over 60 at this place and all tested fine.
Jetskiing cost 1000B for 30 mins, hairbraiding 300B for my daughter. DVDs all 60B. Re: bartering, I don%26#39;t mind paying extra when we enjoy the banter with the shop keepers. We are always smiling and polite and if they are the same then we buy from them. However, I refuse to buy from those that are too pushy and rude, just choosing to walk away. Since we are spending another week in Bangkok, we didn%26#39;t do much shopping here.
Eating out - Breakpoint had great staff, very good with children but the food at Sabai Sabai were better. Dino Park restaurant was good but didn%26#39;t get to play mini golf as it poured down with rain that night.
Weather, probably rained a couple of times but only lasts for a max of 15 mins during the day. The kids enjoyed swimming in the rain, certainly can%26#39;t do that back home.
Tuk Tuks/Taxi are a rip off! So come with an open mind. In BKK, I paid 260B (incl. tolls) from hotel to the airport and was getting charged 250B from top of Karon to Patong (Holiday Inn end, any further up its 300B one way) were charging us min of 800B for an airport transfer from Karon and was unwilling to negotiate. It should only cost 470 on the meter from the airport.
Well, in conclusion, will we return? Yes we would, the kids enjoyed it, perfect time to go, everyone says its the low season but I hate to be there during the high season, I don%26#39;t think we would enjoy it as much.
Cheers,
dcrv
Thanks for such an informative and honest report, we went in April and are definitely keen on heading back in low season next time.
Lee
Hi DCRV,
Thanks for your report, i am very interested in taking a drive to Si-Ray Island , can you give me some more information please?
Cheers,
Stewie.
Thank you for your report, it was an excellent read. Sounds like your children really enjoyed their day out with captain Mark, I really want to do this as well but thought it might be a bit too much with a 5 year old....I really think I should email Captain Mark as it does sound great. Thanks again, Rene
Hi Rosemarie,
Glad to hear you had a great holiday. Ramada Karon sounds like a great hotel for kids - I%26#39;m sure lots of people will be interested in it now,
Welcome home,
Sandy
StewiePerth, unfortunately I don%26#39;t have any other info about the island. Mr. Sam took us there, certainly quite small and you can drive around it in just 20 minutes. The wild monkey experience was good but if you are going to Bangkok, I suggest you do the Fishing Village with Tong. The wild monkeys there were awesome! (Still in BKK atm so will do my JBR on this when we return home).
SandyL, thank you so much for lending me your Thai SIM card. Will return it when we get back in a few days time, the exp date is now 15th Dec.
Friday Night BBQ (no. 7) I almost forgot about this!
As Cathy mentioned in her photo album, this did turned out to be a kids night, my kids loved it so much, within half an hour my daughter asked if we can come back again the next night. They didn%26#39;t have any problems climbing that pole.
Cheers again,
dcrv
Rene, your 5 year old will be fine, my kids are usually active and I was worried about them in a sailboat, but it is perfectly safe, I initially insisted in the first hour for both kids to wear lifejackets but relaxed after that.
Thanks for that. I often wondered had any one taken a five year old along. The oldest two are 12 and 10 and I knew that they would be fine, just was a bit worried about the 5 year old. It all sounds good, thanks.
Rene
dcrv,
Great report... really enjoyed reading it... Cant wait to hear about your Bangkok experiences and more importantly the Fishing Village...
Safe travels home
Love Reet xxxxx
Hi There,
If you don%26#39;t mind me asking how much is Mr Sam for the day.
Thanks
Gardie
Hi,
Mr Sam charges 1500 baht a day. He will tailor the trip according to your requirements.
Great JBR dcrv, sounds like you had a fabulous time.
Sarah
xx
Hi all
Just wondering if the shopping is similar in Koh Samui as it is in Phuket?
Can I buy replica hand bags/tops?
Are there market stalls and shopping centers?
Which is the best area to stay in?
Anyone stay at the Chaba Cabbana beach resort, is it good for couples?
Thanks so much guys.
Maz :-)
Hi Maz
Yes pretty much the same
Yes
Yes there are stalls all round the island in the different places like Chaweng, Lamai etc.The shopping centre is a Tesco Lotus certainly no malls like Bangkok or Pattaya.
Depends on what your likes %26amp; dislikes are.Chaweng if you like to be near the action. Lamai the same but a little quieter.Bophut Choengmon,Maenam etc if you like it a bit more peaceful.
Haven`t stayed there but it`s your average resort some good reviews some bad reviews pretty much what you`d expect from a resort in that price range.
Jamie
Thanks a lot for your reply, you were a great help.
Maz :-)
we%26#39;re visiting bangkok in september and i%26#39;ve narrowed down my choice of hotel to to the sofitel silom and lebua at state tower.
can anyone whos been there recommend one
pricewise the lebua has the edge because it includes breakfast.
thanks
ok, now i%26#39;ve added the mercure park avenue as its 拢110 cheaper for our four day stay.
are the other two really worth the difference?
Lebua, bigger room, great views. Easy to skytrain station. Sofitel, smaller room, about same distance to different skytrain station, not much of a view. All in all, take lebua.
Hi travelling over late September. Can anyone recommend where I can buy computer games and software in Phuket.
Thanks
Sue
There are to many places to mention. Many times waling up the street and through the markets of Patong there are stalls with computer games, DVD%26#39;s, CD and all sorts of software.
All of them are pretty much the same price so go with somewhere you feel comfortable with and always try before you buy. We have just come back never got any computer games but did get a few DVD%26#39;s and CD%26#39;s and we always insisted on watching some of it or listening to a couple of tracks before we got them. You will be suprised to see how many films they suddenly say are no good once you insist on watching them.
Remember barganing with them should be fun and always have a smile on your face for the best price. Handy tip if you are not happy with the price is say you will leave it and prepare to walk out. This then lowers the price a little bit more. We loved it
Hi CooperUk, thanks for the info %26amp; to check the DVD%26#39;s out, should be fun. Kids are looking forward to it. Happy to hear you had a great time. Sue
just a comment......buying pirated DVD%26#39;s, CD%26#39;s and software is stealing.
Hi,
Can anyone tell me if they have stayed (or know of) a hotel in Bangkok that you can bring your own laptop and access internet from own room? I%26#39;m travelling on a thin budget, can%26#39;t afford a flash room! I%26#39;m travelling alone, so want to be able to chat to my family from my room at all times to let them know Im ok.
Many thanks in advance :)
Hi,
I haven%26#39;t traveled yet myself, but I have found that these two websites have helped me a lot!!!
http://map.sawadee.com/
This one is cool!!
Select what area map you want, let it load and then search for your area. It shows a lot of hotels within that region. If you then select the hotel on the goto bit down the botton, it will show you a small picture. Under the picture is says Show rates and details, click on that and it will take you to the sawadee website with rates, info and reviews.
The other one is
www.travelfish.org
This will give you info on hotels, b%26amp;bs, flashpackers and backpackers.
When are you going?
Lorree
Thanks heaps for that! Those sites are very helpful. I%26#39;m going next week. I%26#39;m very excited! HAve you been to Bangkok?
I%26#39;m now looking for a good spot to stay down near Phi Phi. I feel I have to experience that while I%26#39;m there :) Any tips on flights or accommodation?
Thanks for your reply!
Hi again....
Glad you found them useful!!
I%26#39;m basically looking for the same, a cheap place with wifi...preferably in the room, but they are looking scares.
I%26#39;m going to Phi Phi but only on a day trip. Am going to Koh Lanta prior to Phuket so will do Phi Phi on my way over on the boat. I can%26#39;t find anywhere half decent within my budget so thats why I%26#39;m not staying over night! While at Phuket I%26#39;m staying in Karon and Patong and will do other day trips from there.
How exciting next week huh!! I wish I was going next week, get away from this cold!!
I%26#39;m not going until Nov - 96 days to go!!
As for flights. I%26#39;m mainly using Tiger airways (www.tigerairways.com) where I can.
Also look at Nokair (www.nokair.com)
Air asia (www.airasia.com)
One to go (http://www.fly12go.com/en/main.shtml)
Also depending on where you are going, such as other major airports have a look at this...good for a budget lol
http://www.sleepinginairports.net/
Are you going to Chiang Mai?
Hey!
Ni, I won%26#39;t get to Chaing Mai unfortunatley. I%26#39;m there for a week and I would love to see the islands! I have to be in Bangkok for 6 nights so I hope to squueze the islands in for the last night (2 days).
I%26#39;m very excited, but nervous too!
I bet you are!!
I%26#39;m 96 days away and I%26#39;m getting nervous!!!
I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll be fine, I%26#39;m traveling on my own too and if I can do it...anyone can lol
Let me know when you get back if you made it to the islands and how you went :)
Have fun
Lorree
Thanks Lorree! It%26#39;s inspiring to hear another female doing it alone. Some people thought I was nuts, but I thought %26#39; why the hell not%26#39;!
I will be sure to let you know how I go
Kristii
Hi Shakeysarah,
I think there are lots of us single woman travelling now...........and why not I say ! I%26#39;m staying at Baiyoke Suite in Bangkok, it is quite cheap and has internet access.
I am heading off in 44 days time.............am going to Asia and Europe, and am sooooooooo excited!!
Hi Loree, how are your plans going ??
Di :-)
I%26#39;m with you Di. More and more women are biting the bullet and going for it!! Whahoo!!
Plans are ummmm in the air at the moment...I just can%26#39;t decide where to stay lol
I%26#39;ve only got chiang mai booked and thats it! lol
I reckon all us girls that are going on our own this time, should stay in contact and do a quick trip back to LOS together :) Can you imagine the party hehe :)
That could be a great plan Loree !!
