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megandadam
Joined: 28 Dec 2008
Location: toronto, canada
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 Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2009 3:41 pm Post subject: travelling to thailand questions |
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hey everyone,
in korea with my wife (our first year) and want to go to thailand for our vacation (end july to early august ~2 weeks) and we already reserved our tickets and such (pretty good deal, 680,000 taxes incl. and waiting for discounts) but this would be our first time to thailand as well.
we plan on staying in bangkok for a day/day and a half and then on to koh samui then to koh pha gnan (sp) for the bulk of our trip.
i would love to hear some insights/stories/experiences from people who have been there on what to expect, what to do while there, what to watch out for, etc... we pretty much hate the increasing "frat-boy, hooligan-type" atmosphere that the place is getting in the past several years (according to people we've talked to) and are looking forward to finding a somewhat secluded place to chill out. would love to hear some thoughts on our vacation.
also, where did you exchange money, won for baht, in korea before you left?
thanks in advance,
m&a |
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Tobias
Joined: 02 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:12 am Post subject: |
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This sounds like a good trip. However, you're going during the rainy season. No worries, though. It'll rain only an hour or two each day. That shouldn't keep you away from too much.
My number one advice would be to get travel insurance from someplace like AIG before you leave.
1. What time will you be arriving in BKK?
That will determine if you take a cheaper airport shuttle bus or a more
expensive metered taxi.
2. How are you getting to Koh Samui from BKK?
I assume you'll fly. But you can also take the train or take a bus.
3. Do you have your accommodations lined up while in BKK?
If you have problems in Thailand, there is always the tourist police. Simply dial 1155 on any public phone to reach them.
Know that I went on a long visa run not long ago, and a lot of the places where I stayed were not up to par cleanliness-wise. People at Thai hotels, resorts, and guest houses have suddenly forgotten how important clean beds are. |
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amberflannery
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:04 am Post subject: |
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| I'm kind of in the same boat. Its my first time to Thailand. Going only for a week so I'd like to find a nice beach with decent nightlife not tooooo far from Bangkok. Someone suggested Pattaya Beach... Any pointers? |
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rpayvin
Joined: 29 Apr 2009
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| Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 5:30 am Post subject: |
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| Is that how much you paid for a one-way or a return? Sorry to not provide any helpful info on the matter yet. |
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thrylos
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| amberflannery wrote: |
| I'm kind of in the same boat. Its my first time to Thailand. Going only for a week so I'd like to find a nice beach with decent nightlife not tooooo far from Bangkok. Someone suggested Pattaya Beach... Any pointers? |
Unless you want to find a 'girlfriend' for that time, you're much better off heading to Ko Samet, about 3 hours away from Bkk, (not that much further than Pattaya, another 30-40 kms from that hellhole down the coast) and a short boat ride from the mainland with some nice stretches of beach, especially the further south you head (but more expensive in terms of rooms). The northern side has most of the 'action' (which isn't all that much) and the cheaper accomodation. I'd recommend Jep's Bungalows or Sand dollar, and everything's a 10-minute walk up or down the beach from there, unless you're looking for more seclusion.
Another option is to head southwest, in the opposite direction from Pattaya for 3 hours by bus from Bkk to Cha-am, a mostly Thai seaside town with nice beaches and lots of seafood restaurants. Usually quite empty during the week, gets busy Fri nights-Sunday, with Bangkokians getting away for the weekend...Lots of different kinds of accomodation, from high-end hotels to cheap guesthouses, all a short distance from the beach. |
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megandadam
Joined: 28 Dec 2008
Location: toronto, canada
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| Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:21 pm Post subject: |
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| rpayvin wrote: |
| Is that how much you paid for a one-way or a return? Sorry to not provide any helpful info on the matter yet. |
that is round trip
yes flying from koh samui to koh pha gnan, though this flight is booked up and i'm on a waiting list. |
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amberflannery
Joined: 25 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| my ticket was 486,000 round trip. but its to bangkok. |
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Tobias
Joined: 02 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 12:27 am Post subject: |
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| amberflannery wrote: |
| I'm kind of in the same boat. Its my first time to Thailand. Going only for a week so I'd like to find a nice beach with decent nightlife not tooooo far from Bangkok. Someone suggested Pattaya Beach... Any pointers? |
Pattaya is an overrated little hole. There are better places. Hua Hin isn't too bad. Better would be Samui, Phagnan, or Tao. If you're doing diving, Koh Tao is probably the best place for you. But the best....the best requires a little longer flight or bus ride. If you want to go to a cool beach, head down to Phuket. Patong and Kata beaches are great. Just up the coast from Phuket is the quiet little community of Khao Lak. This is one of my favorite beach towns in Southeast Asia, and diving on the Similans is incredible. |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:28 am Post subject: |
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| megandadam wrote: |
| rpayvin wrote: |
| Is that how much you paid for a one-way or a return? Sorry to not provide any helpful info on the matter yet. |
that is round trip
yes flying from koh samui to koh pha gnan, though this flight is booked up and i'm on a waiting list. |
You don't fly from samui to koh pagnon= you take a boat and it is a short trip. Lots of quiet places on koh pagnon if you get away from the party beach. |
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megandadam
Joined: 28 Dec 2008
Location: toronto, canada
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| Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:33 am Post subject: |
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| D.D. wrote: |
| megandadam wrote: |
| rpayvin wrote: |
| Is that how much you paid for a one-way or a return? Sorry to not provide any helpful info on the matter yet. |
that is round trip
yes flying from koh samui to koh pha gnan, though this flight is booked up and i'm on a waiting list. |
You don't fly from samui to koh pagnon= you take a boat and it is a short trip. Lots of quiet places on koh pagnon if you get away from the party beach. |
right, my bad. i forgot about that. final price round trip - 650,000 won.
i am hoping that's true, my friend has went there a lot he says it's pretty chill, beautiful beaches and other entertainment/distractions.
really looking forward to it.
thanks for the info.
adam |
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megandadam
Joined: 28 Dec 2008
Location: toronto, canada
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| Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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for those who have been:
do you exchange won into US dollars before going to thailand?
use your korean debit card? credit card?
won converted into baht?
and where???
thanks
adam |
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waynehead
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
Location: Jongno
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| Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| You could exchange won directly into baht before you go, either at the airport or maybe at a KEB. |
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D.D.
Joined: 29 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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| won to dollars here is the best as you will not get a good baht exchange here or a good won exchange there. |
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billietea
Joined: 03 May 2009
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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The ATM charges for International cards has recently gone up (a lot) according to expats complaining on the message boards in Thailand. You will be paying about $4.50 USD on the Thai side plus the $5 USD on your end (if you use an American card that charges a fee, and most do)
http://trueslant.com/jeffkoyen/2009/04/24/wtf-bkk-450-atm-fees/ |
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Tobias
Joined: 02 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:19 am Post subject: |
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| billietea wrote: |
The ATM charges for International cards has recently gone up (a lot) according to expats complaining on the message boards in Thailand. You will be paying about $4.50 USD on the Thai side plus the $5 USD on your end (if you use an American card that charges a fee, and most do)
http://trueslant.com/jeffkoyen/2009/04/24/wtf-bkk-450-atm-fees/ |
This is the truth, so minimize your ATM visits. It's 150 baht a pop to make a withdrawal from an ATM in Thailand now. At 34 baht a dollar, this can get expensive if you make a lot of withdrawals. The fees are ridiculous these days. So ridiculous one should open an account in his favorite vacation spot and simply wire money to himself before setting out. I have two accounts in Korea, one in Thailand, and two in the USA. I'll be going to China sometime soon, and I'll probably open an account there. May as well...before it costs ten bucks just to check your balance at an ATM. |
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