JamJar

You can park it at Bali Hai, in between the automated car park and the water.There is dedicated parking for motorbikes there. But put an extra lock on for safety.

Waay too many unhelpful people on this board.

Perhaps stay by the river. That way you can take the express boat to most of the popular sites, Not more than 14 baht per journey and an authentic and pleasant way to travel.
This is a good place to start, as they have five properties in that area; https://www.newsiam.net Choose to 'Skip Intro' at the bottom of the page.

New Siam 2, for instance falls in below your budget, from around 900 baht per night.
Nearest pier is Phra Athit. Most people head to Sukhumvit., but I say stay by the river. You'll have a better experience.

I think Friendship has it too, in bags.

Unfortunately,  the cheap new stuff here is just crud. 8500 baht for an ACER with 2GB of RAM and a low powered CPU is a bit of a joke.

But I don't know what's for sale on the second user market in Bangkok.

29 minutes ago, Chicog said:

Sounds like a Chromebook would fit the bill.

I wouldn't waste my money on one those underpowered things with minuscule storage.

Ok if you need portability and long battery life...but I would prefer a second user laptop with an SSD fitted.

Interesting that some of the 'encroachment' was on land next to the Tourist Police station and the TAT office....

That gym disappeared quite quickly.

8 minutes ago, Asiantravel said:

 

I've noticed that about the Hilton hotel as I walked down the beach promenade often wondering how they can achieve such a high occupancy rate?

People use their FF rewards/Hilton HHonors Points....

According to a news article in a Thai language magazine, his wife said that he was in dispute with a former business partner, "Mr Toby", though she does not know if he is responsible.

Common issue.

You'll need to work through the options.

http://www.windowscentral.com/how-fix-black-screen-problems-windows-10

and/or

https://www.tenforums.com/general-support/10457-fix-windows-10-booting-black-screen.html

In a well known tourist city in Thailand, I was in a right turn lane at the traffic lights. As is usual in Thailand, cars, especially four wheel drives, use the lane even if they are going straight on. So myself and another motorcycle moved forward and out of the way for the cars behind us.

Before the lights changed, a policeman came out of his box, waved the motorcycle on who was in front of me(with Chinese types on), but beckoned me to go over to the police box. 

When I got there, one of his colleagues told me to go inside the box.

First thing he asked for was my licence. I produced my IDP. The idiot looked at the date on the licence and declared it expired. I didn't bother to explain to him that the date on the front was the start date....as I already knew that he was not getting a single baht from me.

He also stated that I stopped beyond the line at the lights. I stated that it was clear that I moved out of the way for the cars behind me and anyway, why did he wave the bike in front on me, with Chinese tourists, on.

He ignored the question.

He then produced a sheet, stated 1000 baht for no licence etc and asked me if I wanted a ticket. I told him that he was getting nothing. Not even 1 baht.

Soon after, another policeman entered the box, wherein they actually started distributing cash. The crook handed what looked like 3600 baht to the other policeman.

Then the other policeman smiled and left, thinking they would soon have another 1000 baht to add to their coffers.

So the crook wrote out a ticket and told me that I had to go to the police station immediately to pay it.

I said no. If i have to pay, I will pay within seven days and not before I speak to a friend.

He said no, you are on a rental bike, you have to pay now. I said no, I will not pay anything before I speak to my friend. At that point I took a picture of his badge. He took a picture of the helmet that came with my rental and a picture of the ticket he just issued. Methinks he was in a panic.

He asked the name of my friend and whether he was stationed in that city. I told him the name and location. He went quiet. I then picked up all of my things and rode away from the idiot. 

After dinner, I stopped at the police box to see if he still had a problem. He didn't emerge.

Names withheld to protect the guilty. 

In Hua Hin, I saw many Chinese looking at the prices on the menus in restaurants and walking out again. 

Thailand is pricing itself out of many markets, but simply doesn't not offer the standard required for higher spending tourists. The place is a mess.

It's been that way for a while and has been getting progressively worse.

Thailand.... a perfect example of how to abuse your natural resources.

It's simplicity was it's charm. Now it's trying to be something that it cannot.

HSBC account in Pounds via SWIFT £4 UK side and 200 - 500 baht Thailand side.

Halifax Bank £9.50 UK, 200 to 500 baht Thai. So no good for small amounts.

Best to withdraw Thai baht over the counter using a suitable credit card.

https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?catId=0&initiative_id=AS_20170118203308&SearchText=huawei+e5573s-320

Plain white is original.

The model to order is the Huawei E5573s-320.

Such as here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original-Unlocked-Huawei-E5573-E5573s-320-CAT4-150Mbps-4G-LTE-FDD-Wireless-Router-3G-Mobile-WiFi/32788174982.html

Whether they send the model advertised is another thing altogether.

If you prefer Suvarnabhumi(certainly more easy to reach) Thai Smile is your only flight alternative at 8130 baht for 3. Plus the 3500 for the Lomprayah transfers.

http://www.lomprayah.com/timetable

The best options I have already posted.

If you go with Air Asia you will pay more for luggage and end up at an out of the way pier.

East and West refers to sides of the country, not Samui island.

http://www.lazada.co.th/huawei-e5573s-322-4g-wifi-router-150mbps-e5573c-band-5-850mhz-4gmifi-pocket-router-4g-mobile-wifi-11024701.html

http://www.lazada.co.th/huawei-e5573s-322-4g-wifi-router-150mbps-e5573c-band-5-850mhz-4gmifi-pocket-router-4g-mobile-wifi-11024683.html

https://thai.alibaba.com/product-detail/huawei-e5573-4g-lte-cat4-mobile-wifi-hotspot-e5573s-320--60229124414.html

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

In my experience, True and AIS hardware isn't locked. My AIS dongle turned up missing last summer while I was up country but I still had the SIM. I bought a True dongle in an IT mall since AIS didn't have any and the generic ones were double the price. It still works with the AIS data SIM in it.

 

I also have an O2 (UK) branded pocket hotspot (a ZTE MF60) that works here with an AIS SIM.

That was locked to O2 but then unlocked by the user.

It will work with all SIMs in Thailand on the  900 and 2100 MHz  3G bands,  which covers all of them, but AIS offer the most data for your money.

http://www.o2.co.uk/static/www/docs/mf60_universalquickguide.pdf

6 hours ago, Gulfsailor said:

Nathon is the official island capital. It's on the West coast. Most touristy stuff is on the East and West coasts. So if you plan to stay in Chaweng or thereabouts add 45 minutes (taxi) to at least an hour (combined minivan) travel time.

This and the direct flight from Suvarnabhumi is the reason why Bangkok Air gets away with their high prices. For most international arriving tourists at BKK the choice is between going direct to tourist area on Samui in 2-2.5 hours. (Check in / transfer time plus flight time plus drive to hotel), compared to at least 8 hours when doing it by transferring through Don Muang and a southern mainland airport. 

 

Not everyone is connecting directly from an International flight, nor does everyone stay wish to stay on Chaweng. :)

If going directly to Samui from abroad, many would book a 'through' ticket in the first place.

There is little doubt that the Suvarnabhumi link is the more convenient, but the alternative is not bad for people already in Bangkok.

As an aside, since you are posting on the Don Mueang board, direct flights to Koh Samui leave from Suvarnabhumi.

From Don Mueang, the choices are like the one I have illustrated.

There are even cheaper options available by mixing and matching flights. For instance the earliest flight with Nok Air is 839 baht each(2517 bt). Transfer to Na Thon with Lomprayah 1500 baht for 3.  So 4017 baht one way, depart 06.10am, arrive 10.55am to Na Thon Pier.

Use Lion Air Thai for the return.

6300 baht for the flights. 3500 baht for the Lomprayah transfers from Surat Thani airport and from Samui.

Edit: Lomprayah journey half price for children, so a total price of 9,800 baht.

Approximately a third of the price of the Bangkok Airways flights.

17 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

Bangkok Airways files direct from Suvarnabhumi to Samui 15 - 25 times daily. Thai Airways also has a direct flight once or twice daily. 

Unless you take afvantage of rare promotion you should expect to pay between 4000 and 5000 per leg per person. So yes, a return trip for three would set you back close to 30,000 Baht. 

 

A cheaper alternative is to fly from Don Muang to either Suratthani or Nakorn sri Thammarat on the mainland. From there you can take a (mini)bus to Donsak, from where the ferries depart to Samui. Some airlines offer all inclusive tickets (flight+bus+ferry). Savings compared to a direct flight could be upwards of 50%. However you will spend the better part of the day getting to Samui this way. 

Not necessarily. 

For example; departure time of 2pm, arriving in Na Thon at 6.45pm is not terrible.  Total cost 10500 baht inclusive of transfers with Lion Air Thai and Lomprayah.

You are better off stating what you need.

Maybe book in advance with the likes of  https://www.facebook.com/mrtpattaya/ or http://thelimopattaya.com