gk10002000

Browsing a thread under a search for koh samet and koh chang has left me confused between the 'koh changs' and the sharply conflicting opinions on them/it.

I'm planning a few days off somewhere on the east coast. Am looking for something not tacky and as uncrowded & untouristy as possible; with decent if simple seafood and comfortable accommodation (fan is tolerable – if with mosquito net). Would be nice to have something within sight/earshot of the beach/sea. All this under 800 bht would be great, but will pay more if worth it.

Koh Chang, Koh Samet, or another island or seaside place. Would also appreciate a tel no for booking/inquiry. I want to book in the next couple of days – unless there really is no need at this time of the year for a particular place.

Many thanks.

I stayed on ko samet in december 2004 during the tsunami! A very quiet and wonderful place. We stayed on the southeast side . Darned if I can point out the exact beach, but not up northeast part which is busier. Took a minivan from pattaya and then a ferry to the island. Easy to book from pattaya at any of the hundreds of travel agents. We used a lady that just had a desk and table outside a bar on second road. Worked out fine.

My friend says koh samui definitely had some more night life. The beach we were on in ko samet had 6 hotels along the stretch and each night they each put out a pick your own food buffet and grilled everything up fresh. Beautiful and peaceful sitting out under the stars right on the beach. water is great, boat snorkel tours easy to arrange. Bungalows were very nice but more than 800 baht, but there was a range of accomodations.

I have noticed a particular thing about travel to the USA...that there are no passport/immigration control when one leaves the country. This is the only country to which I have been that operates in this fashion. Are there other countries like this?

I am a US passport holder so don't get a entry stamp on arrival or any limitation on my length of stay. Do foreigners entering the US receive such a stamp? I would suppose not as nobody checks any such stamp when they leave. Just seems sorta weird...and another example of American exceptionalism

The only record is the airline ticket. however, one can "walk" across the border down in San Diego California right into Mexico. Absolutely nothing is checked and nobody would know that you left the counrty

bring some traveler's checks as they are insured against loss or theft. Bring some cash. Then bring your ATM card and withdraw Thai Baht from the atm as needed. Use credit cards as a last resort.

Best cheap and pretty tasty food court is downstairs and make a left. Buy coupons but redeem the ones you don't use when you leave. Place is packed with the stewardess and airport help as the food is the least expensive I have seen at the airport. I had the duck over noodles and it really was good, much better than carre-4 food court or other places like that.

Can't think of any particular place to hang out that is of note. I usually land and bus or taxi out to pattaya pretty quickly.

Open an account with Etrade. Their savings account pays a decent rate. If you have a total of $50,000 USD in your combined accounts at etrade, brokerage, CDs, Savings whatever, you pay 0 ATM fees. I was just in Thailand and have been their 8 times over the last 4 years. Never charged a penny for using their ATMs.

Yes. That is a very good book. Should be required reading for every westerner.

I recommend "Awakening the Buddha Within", by surya lama das. The book just reads very well and I thought it was an excellent introductory book with many decent examples.

i agree. eva food was the poorest I have had on my flights from los angeles to asia. China airlines was much better.

The rice gruel is also called joke rice soup here in american asian restaurants. served with cut up chicken and some sides of lemon squeezed into it, it is actually decent and similar to the greek egg and lemon soup.

Above 10,000 you have to declare the money to the USA. Don't forget that in case you get stopped at airport security and get accused of money laundering, drug dealing or just general Department of Homeland security paranoia

Hmmm. In the USA, I usually use Walmart. They have international money orders up to $1,000 USD and they are cheaper to buy than the US Postal Service Money Orders. Take a walk into the local Carre 4 or Tesco Lotus. Being large international stores, they may carry a good international brand.

i have used ATMS in the airport old and new, bangkok, and pattaya. I use Etrade bank which has all those logos on the back of the card for all those networks. No problems, and the exchange using the ATM is a bit better than using cash exchange.

Fairtex

Go to the top of Mike's shopping mall. 60 baht to use their pool. it is pretty long. fantastic view of pattaya. They could really market that place a bit more if they would repoint the tile and add a tad more shade palms. No pads or cushions on the reclining wood chairs.

I went there several times in November 2007. water was pretty cold, probably because they have several "dolphin" and mushroom fountains that blow water up in the air. The water is always being moved around and doesn't just sit.

I was in pattaya last year for all of songkran. I strongly recommend staying away except for two days. You will not be able to walk to the mall, go to the store or do anything without getting completely soaked, and probably getting your clothes ruined by ash or flour mixed in. The kids have fun, but the older kids drive around in trucks with 55 gallon drums of water. All the outdoor bars have barrels of water and people stand there and douse everybody with water.

I don't mind a little fun, but it goes on for over one week, and it makes it impossible to do any touristing or simple walking around. Don't think that the Baht bus ride is dry. Those just become bigger targets and at every intersection you will be soaked.

I forgot to mention that usually the water is pretty dirty and rank. You can't just dry your clothes. They will need a laundering.

The worst of it was that I believe there was too much hatred and venting of anger towards Falang. This is the chance for Thais to strike back for all the abuse they took or bitterness they feel towards westerner's money.

I love Thailand. I have been to Pattaya 7 times. I am going to Thailand march 3 for 3 weeks. But, Songkran is over done in Pattaya.

If you want to run around in just your bathing suit all day, and not be able to go inside and sit in any business dry, then go to Songkran.

I will never go there again. Just not my cup of tea.

I started visiting thailand in 2004. I loved the old airport. I thought it was efficiently sized. And, it had a little more style than suvani. Nothing against steel and glass, but I would prefer a different decor that lets you know you are in Thailand. Some more Thai architecture for example. Plus there was a better juice bar, that would mix an orange and a banana for me. Always a nice farewell before leaving. This trip, I found the juice bar among the food court there, but the buy wouold not custom mix the drink, even though the sign said mix your own. Oh well.

Service wise, I have had no problems. The long walk is a bad design. For elderly people it is a long way and the moving sidewalks are too few. The design of making you walk past store after store of airport stuff for sale is a bit insulting to me, but I don't have to stop and spend, and I don't.

In November, I had to change my return ticket which I could only do at the China Air Ticket counter. I had a 1255 flight and was there plenty early. Not much of a line. The ticket agent man was Thai and did a fine job. It was a $25 USD change fee, and I paid in Thai Baht. Ten minutes at the counter and I was off to the gate.

The taxi situation is seemingly always in flux, but really never a show stopper. Last trip I even went with one of the touts who pesterred me inside the terminal because we agreed on an OK rate. I took the Bell bus back to the airport from Pattaya that worked real well. Non-stop from Pattaya to the departure gate. Did not stop at the airport transit center. Great deal for 150 baht. Same speed and time as a taxi (800 baht) from pattaya.

i took the bell bus from pattaya to the airport on November 20. Piece of cake. For 100 baht extra they will pick you up at your hotel with a shuttle, but i did not bother with that. I only had a carry on and I hopped on a motorbike taxi that only cost 50 baht from soi bukao to the pattaya bus station. Simple non-stop bus ride from the bus station right to the departure gate at the airport. The bus did NOT stop at the transit center. I am told the bus for arrivals is not at the airport, but at the transit center and you have to catch the airport free shuttle to the transit center.

I was in Thailand in April and saw nothing that was discussed here. Just the usual passport inspection lines. Has something changed since then? Are they really taking photos, or creating long lines? I do agree that Don Meung seemed to be consistent and never really waited very long. Sometimes 10 -20 people in each line, but with a 747 or two arriving at the same time, that is unavoidable.

Don't all embassies issue emergency travel documents in a couple of days for 7 months validity in such a bind. They do when you lose you passport.

Badbanker

the canadian embassy can issue emergency docs, but they are as expensive as the passport renewal.

they are also VERY reluctant to do so

The US embassy will only issue an emergency passport that is only good for one trip immediately back home. They do not issue any passports at overseas embassies.

I arrived april 8. negotiated with a tout right outside baggage and went to pattaya for 1200. did not go downstairs like I did in november.

I know two guys who had their cards copied in Thaland - for both of them it could have only been doen at the Eastiny or The Lobster Pot Restaurant

I never use my personal card in Thailand outside 5* hotels and now not even that - its my Corporate Amex.

Thailands is not the worst in the region but I do here of it more and more recently.

I had money stolen twice from eastiny place last november. Manager did nothing. And as expected, their english got worse the more I complained.

avoid eastiny place on soi 8. Used be an OK lower range hotel, but not worth it any more.

I was there in april and paid 1200 from one of the touts right outside of baggage. In november, I walked downstairs to the taxi "stand"/table and paid the same.

gk10002000 What airline did you arrive on? On 40 or so arrivals on UA at Don Muang I got a bus gate 39 times. So far on two arrivals at Suvarnabhumi on UA I've gotten a fixed/jetway gate. Bus/remote gates can be a pain, moreso for elderly/infirmed passengers, and their use is based on several criteria. The airline itself may have made the decision to use a remote gate for economic/logistical/scheduling reasons.

After you clear immigration, retrieve any checked bags and clear Customs you are on level 2. To reach the official taxi stand you need to proceed down one level via the elevator or sloped moving walkway. I am not 100% certain but they may have a flat rate, for destinations other than Bangkok, for metered taxis departing the official taxi stand(s) on level 1?

If you exit at level 2 and proceed to the far curb you may find a few taxis waiting here. They will use the meter into the city, or negotiate for more distant locales. Negotiating might yield a fare to Pattaya of 1,000 THB, and you would pay the tolls. Alternatively you could head up to level 4 and try to netotiate with a taxi dropping people off?

I arrived and departed United Airlines. Maybe "Falang" airlines get staircase!

I just returned home on November 10 on United Airways departing at 0640. Ticket counters were not hard to find. But on arriving in taxi outside, the signs for carriers was not that large. Keep your eyes open. I drove by the transportation center but did not use it. Taxi dropped me off right outside the departure terminal curbside. Inside a sign board pretty clearly showed what counters were for what airlines, and had big letters, A, B etc.. showing which part of terminal had your ticket counter. No big lines when I got there at 0500. 500 baht departure tax booth was just to the right where you exit the ticket counter area. I didn't see it at first and was looking for machines like Don Muang had. Lady simply turned me around and pointed me to it about five yards from the exit when I tried to go through without the departure tax receipt.

Airport is just not up to par. So noisy in gate area, one can not hear boarding section announcements. At Narita in Tokyo, you can see digital sign board stating what sections are boarding and clearly hear the attendant on the Microphone Public Address System. Long walk to terminal past all the crap mall shopping is a waste of my time and energy. Not obvious on my run out where the internet things were if any. Others have found them, but I don't want to browse. I was hoping something was on my way to my gate. Narita had a decent internet place near gate 31, in the massage and day room and shower shop. 300 yen for 30 minutes. They took 3 USD, so not the actualy exchange rate. Don Muang had a nice juice stall. Fresh banana and orange mix drink squeezed fresh. One of the things I enjoyed and helped lessen the pain of leaving the LOS.

Taxi from Pattaya was 900 baht inclusive of tolls. Friend of mine has a standard guy he uses and he showed up on time at my hotel at 0300.

Nana station has many hotels. Dynaty majestic suites are probably considered low end of 3 star, but good prices. Nana hotel always has openings if one wants to be near NEP!

I arrived the new airport October 16 at 11 pm. Easy pass through customs and passport/visa stamp line. Went down stairs and caught taxi to pattaya. 1300 baht to soi 8. There was no outdoor kiosk lilke at Don Muang but there was a table with one person sitting there. Hopped in taxi and off we went. Easy 90 minute trip.

######, that is pricey. I had a layover in Narita, Tokyo and they had very cheap rates. 10 USD first hour, 1 USD each additional hour or something like that. The prices at Suvi that people are quoting I would take a taxi to pattay, 90 minutes and stop any place along the way. Roundtrip taxi only 3000 and hotle would be less than 1000 baht for sure.

I just arrived from Tokyo narita via USA. 747 did not park at a gate. Walked down a rollaway staircase to the tarmac. Boarded bus to terminal, about a two minute ride. If the airport is going to continue doing that, then it has failed. Although I heard from others that they do not have adequate people moving stairs inside so one may have a very long walk from a terminal to their gate. Old people and wheel chairs could not get down this stairway, and if it is raining well...

Customs was easy and fast. Signs less than obvious. Saw immigration signs that pointed both directions. Maybe either way would have worked. I don't know. I followed the crowd and had no problems. "Way Out" sign does show where to go, but one has to look around to see it behind the baggage carousels.

Airport is spacious but bland. No style at all. Like a shiny new mall. No notion of being in Thailand. After leaving customs, I noticed the "taxi" sign pointing downstairs to level 1. The upper level had a crush of people as you leave immigration, not unlike Don Muang was. Two narrow squeeze points. I had carry on only, but had to wait as five or six people laborously pushed their luggage carts through. Two exit points only. No way except to push them out of the way to get through. Much less space than at Don Muang. Stores and outside wall are way too close to where you walk out of immigration. Lots of space in the airport, but not distributed in any sensical way. I was quite put off by it, because I am an engineer, and there is no need for such a congested exit.

Downstairs area was big and empty. Walked outside and there was a taxi table, no kiosk like at Don Muang. Told man I wanted Pattaya, girl gave me a slip of paper. I asked how much and he said 1300 Baht. OK and off we went in a taxi. Did not pay for taxi in advance like at Don Muang.

I was in and out of the airport in about 15 minutes and that included about 5 minutes to exchange some USD into Baht. Drive from airport to Pattaya Soi 8 took about 90 minutes so as expected it was faster than from Don Muang. We get on that elevated hiway pretty fast. Of course there was the usual stop to get gas!

I had good experience with Eastiny travel. The one right outside Eastiny Place hotel. Did mini van to airport, show tickets etc. Also used lady and husband shop on second road, just north of Apex hotel. Lady has a little booth outside a restaurant. We booked 3 days and 2 nithgts on ko samet in 2004. There were no surprises. Van transport and ferry and rooms were quite nice. She made an inquiry for me about changing my flight so she speaks thai and english very well