Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hogwonguy1979]

I've got a few days to kill before the wife gets down there for the thai tesol conference next week and samui is too far/expensive for a couple of days so i'm thinking of heading to samet. anybody have any recs for beaches or hotels? I'm looking in the 800-1000 baht/nite range. also my flight gets into bkk at 11p so i'm trying to find a place to stay near the eastern bus terminal

or should i just take the xanax and head to ko chang? (I'm not good on long bus trips)

thanks

[Harpeau]

Ko Samet is a nice island, but the bus ride really sucks!! It's a national park, so more Thai tourists. It's a pleasant enough beach. I can't remember where we stayed, but once you get there, I'm sure you'll like it. Have fun!!

[waynehead]

I spent a couple of days there, it's an ok place. You can rent a motorbike and ride around the island without fear of terrible drivers/traffic, and I had fun doing that one day. The beaches are ok and I had no trouble finding budget accommodations. It's an excellent place to chill, there's nothing too flashy going on.

[Moldy Rutabaga]

I stayed at a decent hotel near Siam Square downtown. There's a bus which goes downtown from the airport. I cannot remember the name but I recall numerous hotels in the area walkable to the skytrain.

Ko Samet is a nice place to do nothing, in a good way. Good fish dinners. The cheaper stays on the main beach on the east side will be further north along the beach. You might also consider Jomtien, just south of Pattaya, if you're pressed for time. Pattaya is a sleazy place full of rent-a-girls, but Jomtien is more family-friendly. When I was there in '05 it was less expensive than Samet and there was more to do and see. There are certainly shuttles to Pattaya from Bangkok, or you might splurge on a taxi. It is not really so far, it is just that (from my memory) the bus was so slow.