billp

The official taxi fare (flat rate) is 1200 baht. Alternatively, you could take BMTA bus #551 (35 baht) to Victory Monument (from the airport bus terminal) and catch a van to Kanchanaburi. The 551 is pretty fast - expressway just about all the way. Or bus #556 to Southern Bus Terminal and a bus from there. You can't "avoid" Bangkok in any case, because the airport's on the eastern outskirts and K'buri is west of the city, and Bangkok is in between and it's immense.

It's at 1537/1 New Petchburi Road. Tel: (02) 251-6171.

Bus #554 or 555 from the airport bus terminal - 1 hour, 34 baht.

Duty free should now be bought at the last airport before destination.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work if you're flying into the EU and heading for another EU country. Or heading into any hub airport with a domestic flight in your destination county for that matter.

When you go to the ATM, make sure you get 9900 baht or 14900 or whatever. Bangkok cab drivers can't or won't change 1000 baht notes. Refuse a flat rate and insist on the meter. Apparently the taxi dispatcher is now pushing flat rates. Tell the driver you DON'T want the toll highway. No need for it at that time of night and you'll save a couple bucks.

Just wanted to add that I failed to notice you said they'd be coming in a few weeks. That means it's actually a bad time to visit islands. It's rainy season, the sea tends to be rough this time of year, and many ferry & boat services aren't running. I've heard that Koh Samet tends to be the driest during this season. Otherwise, they should probably stay in coastal areas where they don't need a boat trip: Khao Lak, Pak Meng, Ao Manao for example.

Tokyo Joe's is re-opening this month on soi 26 opposite the Impala Hotel, according to Bangkok Jungle. I met Jeff T from the Soi Dog Blues Band in March at the Carrefour on Rama IV, and he told me they were busy re-doing it.

Koh Jum and Koh Phayam are my favourite islands up to now. Both offer sufficient inexpensive but good-standard accommodation, big, empty beaches and lush interiors. Koh Ngai, Koh Chang (near Ranong NOT the island of the same name near the Cambodian border) and Koh Yao Noi come a close second. Koh Sukhon is also a nice, friendly little island. Koh Kradan is OK, too although the main resort is not so good and pricey.

If you're looking to get away from the crowds, I'd avoid Koh Lanta, Koh Chang (Trat), Koh Samet and of course Koh Samui and Phuket. Although the latter two also have some very nice less-developed beaches, such as Mae Nam on Samui and Nai Yang on Phuket.

It's not an island, but I would also recommend considering Khao Lak, up the coast from Phuket, which has a good range of budget to 5-star accomodation and is not overly commercialized (yet).

On the Gulf of Thailand side, there are Koh Tao and the less-developed part of Koh Pha Ngan. I don't have any experience with them, but I imagine someone else will comment.

See Andaman Island Hopping.com

Thanks! One more useful tip.

I don't know about anything on soi 31, but the next street on, soi 33, is a well-known somewhat upscale nightlife area.

Crepes & Co.. Very quiet and elegant, in a lush tropical garden, indoor and outdoor. Suk soi 6.

Any Thai barbecue place. For a flat rate (like 80 baht a person), you select fish and meat balls, pieces of meat and fish and vegetables and cook them youself on a brazier partly filled with stock at your table. You can take as much food as you want. Drinks extra. I forget the location of the one I was at, but Thais know where to find these places. Just ask at your hotel or guest house.

I had never heard of Big Move. Filipina26 didn't include a link, but I found them at www.bigmovethai.com/eng/storage.asp. Horrible website (web developers: here's a job for you!). It does indeed seem to be even cheaper than BSS. From its website it seems considerably less professional, though, if that's any indication. Filipina26, the website seens to give no address. Where are they located? How did you find them?

Dayroom rates:

1-2 persons/3 persons

4 hrs 2000/2900

6 hrs 3000/4300

8 hrs 4000/5800

10 hrs 5000/7250

12 hrs 6000/8700

For only 4 hours I think most will still choose the LT Dayrooms though being by the time you add on taxi or hotel transfers you won't save much.

For 4 hours it's hardly worth it (maybe just to take a shower after a long incoming flight if you don't have the use of a lounge) but if I had 8 hours, I'd much rather pay maximum 1000 baht, including transportation there and back, to the Sananwan than waste 4000 baht on a day-room.

Most of the places that advertise as being close to the airport are at least 20 minutes away which is the same time as it takes for me to get to Sukhumvit when arriving in the middle of the night

But don't forget, the 20 min. time to get to Sukhumvit in the middle of the night will be much longer when you're trying to get back to the airport to catch your plane. I've had the experience of getting into a traffic snarl and barely making my flight. It puts The Fear in you. There are definite advantages of being physically closer.

What I like about the Sananwan is that you can have a refreshing swim in the pool in the morning before leaving, something unfortunately not offered by the Queen's Garden Resort despite the higher price.

Buses #554 and 555 have always been 24 hours.

An internet special rate is just that, and they would be justified in refusing to give it to walk-in customers. But in practise, if you point out that you know what the internet rate is, AND offer to pay in cash up-front, they'll probably let you have it. They do save the fees they'd have to pay the credit card company and whoever handles their internet transactions.

In any case, the retail rate on buying baht in Europe has been around 42, 43 to the euro in recent weeks, whereas I hear people are getting 46 or 47 in Thailand. So the OP is in for a rude surprise when he first puts his chip-carrying shoulder up to a currency exchange stand in Thailand. I think he got the arithmetic reversed.

You might also try Bangkok City Inn by Central World Plaza, and First House off Petchburi Road. I've never been to these hotels, but they look OK for the price. These sort of hotels are almost never booked out. Reserve for one night, and if you don't like it, move.

OP, have a look at Boss Tower. It's on Rama IV between the ends of Sukhumvit sois 26 and 36. You can take a quick 15 baht moto up soi 26 to Phrom Pong or 10 baht up soi 36 to Thonglor. Or a 35 baht taxi ride. The building has great security, lots of inhouse facilities, cable TV, in-room ADSL (up to 2000 baht a month extra) and a big beautiful pool. Studios are 13,000 to 17,000 serviced. I had a one-bedroom for 25,000 with a kitchen. Carrefour Superstore and Tesco are both about 10 minutes walk away. There's a soi with great street food 5 min. away. It's a really good building.

Silly comment. It's a beautiful, peaceful beach. What the OP wanted.

No catch. It's quite nice, simple, basic, only a couple years old. No pool or other frills. Not in a premium district. I know of a lot of pretty good hotels in Bangkok for under 1000 baht. Here's another. Very nice international-standard rooms, friendly, free internet (wifi and LAN) and right beside a BTS station.

I recently stayed for a month in the Boss Tower. I had a really nice one-bedroom serviced apt. for 25,000 baht (plus utilities added up to 28,000). Studio apartments there go for 13,000 to 17,000 for a month. The building is really secure, very clean, has lots of services and a beautiful big pool. ADSL internet cost about 2000 baht extra. It's on Rama IV, not right next to the BTS, but soi 36 is only about 5 minutes walk away and you can get a 5 minute moto ride up the soi to BTS station Thonglor for 10 baht (or pay 35 baht for a taxi). There's a huge Carrefour superstore with a surrounding mini-mall about 10 minutes walking distance away, and an equally huge Tesco Lotus across the street.

I also checked out Lang Suan Serviced Apartments on Soi Langsuan near Chit Lom BTS. Big, very handsome studio there for 20,000 but no pool and no internet. And House by the Pond is also in that price range.

Hey Jack, whaddaya want for 400 baht? I got my cellphone in my pocket. I'm happy to shower anywhere that's clean and has water pressure, and I don't need a bathtub when I've got a pool. If all those things - phone in the room, shower stall and bathtub - are important to you, then I guess you need to pay 10 times as much and stay in the Novotel. But personally I think the Sananwan has more than what it takes for a short stay, much less a quick overnight when you'd rather not have to deal with traffic getting back to the airport.

By the way, for anyone who'd like to stay longer and see the sights, Bangphli is a really interesting place in my opinion. It has an old market (175 years old) of linked teak houses floating on the klong which goes on for a couple km, and then a bridge made of old boats which people cross to get to the Big C. Really an example of Old Thailand that most tourists never see.

Ao Manao near Prachuap Khiri Khan on the Isthmus of Kra (not far from Hua Hin). It's actually on a Royal Thai Air Force Base, so you have to ask for permission to go there from the Commander of the 53rd Squadron by calling (032) 611031 ext. 2146. They have huts for overnighting. Probably not many farang ever get there and not many jetskis either.

World Nomads Travel Insurance???

POST #2 IS WRONG!

Bangkok Airways flies out of Suvarnabhumi ONLY!!! It does NOT fly out of Don Muang airport. It is the ONLY airline serving Koh Samui from Bangkok (they own the airport). Malaysian budget carrier Firefly is the only other airline to fly there (from Penang).

Air Asia, One-Two-GO (Orient Thai) and Thai Airways fly to Surat Thani and you can bus/ferry to Koh Phangan from there.