Thailand Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in Thailand.
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Nice report Pete. Seems the weather has been a bit wierd in Thailand this year - Koh Samui is currently fllooded and flights were cancelled for some of this week.

Glad you enjoyed Khlong Muang...those hongs are something else, but you've kind of confirmed my fears about them getting overcrowded. Did you notice if a new hotel was being built on the site of the old Andaman Holiday resort...I gather the Kata group are doing something with it. It sounds like theres a few more restaurants than we last visited the area.

The Sofitel in Hua Hin is a beautiful hotel, just wish there were more like it.
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Hi Sunbear,

Not just Koh Samui - latest report is 4 dead and about 100 missing in a mudslide Khao Phanom, Krabi.

The weather everywhere has gone mad - our last 2 trips to Bali were all rainy (in the dry season) and in Borneo 12 months ago, they were having a drought - no rain for 3 months; absolutely unheard of.

I Video Conferenced my friend in Hua Hin yesterday. At 5 pm local time, both he and his wife had coats on - no real insulation in Thai houses.

Cheers

Peter
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Read your report with interest Peter. We might decide on Thailand next winter, and having never been before are toying with various options. We will be going for around a month and, travelling from Manchester if possible, have decided Qatar are our best option for travel. It's much cheaper to fly to Bangkok than Phuket with them so one of the great obstacles is how and where to travel in Thailand. By coincidence I had decided on Bangkok/ Hua Hin/Krabi/Bangkok ( or vice versa, maybe add another place too).
We are looking at economical options, decent 3* would suit but we like quiet spots with good restaurants rather than loud and lively. Would Krabi and Hua Hin fit this description ?
Is it as cheap to hire a car and driver as say fly, or self drive to get us to the south and back ?
Any tips appreciated. Thanks Dave
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Hello Dave,

Sorry to take a while to reply. I think that a lot may depend on which month(s) you intend to travel.

I am by no means an expert on Krabi or its hotels. We are both now in our early 60s and prefer quiet hotels, interesting sites to visit and sights to see and a few restaurants (of a reasonable standard) so that we are not trapped in a hotel / resort. A small town / village to visit in the evenings is a plus.

Bangkok, though a bit daunting at first sight, is a vibrant and interesting city. The old manages to exist beside the new. The Grand Palace, some of the Wats and a floating market are absolutely "must dos". We like the klongs too and splashing out on a Manohra dinner cruise (via the Marriott) will get you in someone's good books! Consider 3 to 4 nights in Bangkok (we now prefer to do this on the way back - but it all depends on flight timings).

Hua Hin is approx 3 hrs drive from the airport in Bangkok. The beaches are not fantastic, but we rate the beach at the Anantara as being quite good and better than the beaches near the town hotels. I do not really know the beaches to the South of the town, but these are meant to be good and new hotels and development is taking place there. If you like peace, then Cha-Am may suit. Hotels tend to be cheaper, but you may find that there is little to do without taking a Tuk Tuk into town (this also applies to the Anantara). A very popular, small hotel is located very close to the Anantara. We haven't been there for a couple of years, but we sometimes used to eat there in the evenings - It is called White Sands.

Floating market and even Kanchanaburi (death railway) are possible for trips out, and there are local attractions - it is worth some web research.

Krabi was much different. We were, in general terms, disappointed with the beaches and the busy nature of the place. We were thankful that we chose Khlong Muong as the beach was peaceful and was quite good near the Sheraton. There were sufficient restaurants for the evening (a week to 10 days at this place would be fine - longer may be a struggle). The hongs are a must see, so the scenery is very good. Sunbear can probably say more about other places of interest - see the advice that he gave to me before my trip http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=1512521#p1512521
Ao Nang seemed busy and there was little in Krabi Town, apart from a weekend market - neither place appealed to us, so we spent no time there and cannot really comment. It is fair to say that we are glad that we went, but there is nothing that would make us want to return.

I am not able to comment on driving south from Hua Hin. We have not done the trip, but I will say that we have never been tempted to hire a car on our many trips to Thailand. You may wish to look at train schedules, both North and south from Hua Hin. This has always been something we want to try "one day"!

Sorry that I cannot recommend any hotels that will fit your requirement, but my answer to your question ""¦"¦"¦we like quiet spots with good restaurants rather than loud and lively. Would Krabi and Hua Hin fit this description ?" is that, depending on month of travel, almost certainly - yes.

Enjoy Thailand, we always do!

Cheers

Peter
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Thanks for the info Peter and link. I will continue my investigations ! cheers Dave
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Dave,
if you like quiet you might like to consider the Khao Lak area on the Andaman mainland coast. It has mile upon mile of beaches, yet is easily reached from Phuket airport - an hour or so transfer. There are hotels to suit most budgets, the beaches are better than those of Cha'am or Hua Hin. We've two centred it with Krabi before with a land transfer between the two, before flying back from either Phuket or Krabi airports to Bangkok.
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Thanks Sunbear. Certainly worth investigating. cheers Dave
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