Thailand, beach holiday, cabin kinda thing.

[LDC]

Got 2 weeks off in November and have finally been talked into/seen sense that a relaxing beach holiday might be better than trying to run about and see lots of people and do loads of things.

So, Thailand. Two weeks in mid-November. Not ideal time of year but a bit stuck with that. Somewhere on or very near the beach. Not too difficult to get to and with some cafes and places to eat all within a short walk, but ideally not too busy or town like.

Area suggestions? Travel hints? Actual accommodation ideas? Have no plans but to read, eat Thai food, swim lots, maybe run a bit, and alternately lie in the sun/avoid it.

 

[Pickman's model]

Sounds like a plan

 

[LDC]

Sounds like a plan

Beach holidays have up to now been my idea of purgatory. Now I'm starting to see the point.

 

[planetgeli]

Pick an island, any island. Samui you can fly direct to but is busy. Koh Phangan has amazing swimming on the non-party side. Koh Tao is diving paradise and has its own Urban75 rep whose name I've forgotten*. There are others, lots of others, which tend to cost more.

Phangan and Tao both accessed either from Samui or fly to Bangkok then bus down to Surat Thani then boat.

Mainland is a bit Pattaya sex shit. AFAIK.


*Edit Kanda

 

[planetgeli]

This is Kho Phangan non-party side of the island. You stay in a bungalow on the beach. Just to give you an idea.

 

[souljacker]

Krabi is also nice. RaiLei beach in particular was great when I went (almost 20 years ago!). Samui is a laugh but very commercialised these days, so I hear (it was pretty commerical when we went).

My favourite place was Ko PhiPhi but apparently that has also changed loads since we went. It was where that DiCaprio film was made and the eponymous Beach from the movie has actually been closed to tourists now due to the damage to the environment being done. Which is a shame because it was beautiful.

 

[TruXta]

Avoid Samui, Pha Ngan, Phi Phi etc if you don't like lots and lots of tourists. If you fly in to Bangkok there's loads of mainland beaches within easy reach, all in the Gulf. If you want Indian Ocean beaches you either need to fly charter or change in Bangkok for a train, bus or connecting flight.

You could do worse than the outskirts of Hua Hin. It's touristy but not that popular with the backpack set. Easy to get to from BKK. There's also places like Cha-Am. Alternatively you can look to the east of Pattaya, such as Ko Samet.

 

[Supine]

Koh Payam. Thank me later

 

[TruXta]

Koh Payam. Thank me later

How easy is it to get to compared to say Samui?

 

[Supine]

How easy is it to get to compared to say Samui?

The harder islands are to get to, the better they are

 

[TruXta]

The harder islands are to get to, the better they are

Hmmmmmmmmm

 

[JCB]

All the islands in the gulf of Thailand (samui, tao and phangan) get a lot of rain in November. Not a great time to go. Maybe look west. Koh lanta is meant to be great

 

[TruXta]

All the islands in the gulf of Thailand (samui, tao and phangan) get a lot of rain in November. Not a great time to go. Maybe look west. Koh lanta is meant to be great

Lanta is nice, as is Koh Yum. The latter being a fair bit quieter.

 

[Flavour]

Koh Bulon

 

[Supine]

How easy is it to get to compared to say Samui?

A more serious answer - you can fly into Ranong and then take a boat over the next morning. It's not a bad little journey

 

[TruXta]

A more serious answer - you can fly into Ranong and then take a boat over the next morning. It's not a bad little journey

Cool. If I was only going for two weeks I'd not fancy losing another two days travelling.

 

[LDC]

Looking at Koh Chang, fly direct to Bangkok then it's a 5 hour bus, so less travel. Also supposed to be better weather there in November. Looks to be a few nice cabin type places to stay.

 

[Supine]

Looking at Koh Chang, fly direct to Bangkok then it's a 5 hour bus, so less travel. Also supposed to be better weather there in November. Looks to be a few nice cabin type places to stay.

There are two koh Chang islands. Make sure you get the right bus lol

 

[keybored]

The harder islands are to get to, the better they are

Rockall.

Checkmate.

 

[Supine]

Rockall.

Checkmate.

I always fancied St kilda but it's not an easy journey!

 

[LDC]

There are two koh Chang islands. Make sure you get the right bus lol

Thanks!

 

[Don Troooomp]

One note of caution - Thai beach resorts are commonly full of prostitutes of various sorts, stuff I wouldn't want my kids to be around. Perhaps best to check this issue with people who know specific places.

Other than that, thinking out of the box because, if nobody suggests it, you might not think of it.

The 10 Best Malaysia Beach Resorts of 2018 (with Prices) - TripAdvisor

 

[Riklet]

Im going northern Thailand and Vietnam for a few weeks next Friday so following this too as its gonna be hot.

Any beach tips for the centre of Thailand near-ish to Bangkok folks? Or the north of Vietnam?

 

[TruXta]

One note of caution - Thai beach resorts are commonly full of prostitutes of various sorts, stuff I wouldn't want my kids to be around. Perhaps best to check this issue with people who know specific places.

Other than that, thinking out of the box because, if nobody suggests it, you might not think of it.

The 10 Best Malaysia Beach Resorts of 2018 (with Prices) - TripAdvisor

They're all dressed normally, and it's not like you'll suddenly have an eyeful of pussy unless you seek that out. Even Pattaya has cleaned up its act they say.

 

[Don Troooomp]

They're all dressed normally, and it's not like you'll suddenly have an eyeful of pussy unless you seek that out. Even Pattaya has cleaned up its act they say.

Just been the once and it was atrocious. I was with a Chinese lady I'd known for some long while but the prostitutes just wouldn't leave me alone.
It's nice to hear the country is improving.