keepsamuiclean

We have just had another power cut in Plai Laem. Off at 4 pm on at 5.20 pm.

Carmine was right.

3rd world country 1st world prices!

North Lamai: 3 pm off - 5.20 on.

can't get the context... or perhaps you, 'cause that was the answer to the poster before, who clearly seems to be not a package tourist.

And was has the package argument you are quoting to do with individual travellers? Nothing at all...

And: Samui suffering now....??? You must be someone somewhere out there but not here right in the middle of happenings

If you read it the second time - you might get it!

10 years ago package tours to Samui went mainly to several bigger hotels in Chaweng/Chaweng Noi. Lamai had one or two. Nowadays lots of hotels on the island have contracts with various organizers - even with the German TV promoter "Sonnenklar TV" which seems to be like Aldi in tours.

IMO it is neither good for the hotels which only fill capacity but do not get enough money to keep their properties up to date - how often one can read reviews about 3 year old hotels that are in need of renovation - nor for the smaller businesses on the island. A visit to a bar? 7/11 sells the beer cheaper... They seem to gain as well as Tesco. But even this I doubt as there are too many outlets. Might be that small restaurants as well as the street food vendors have a boom now. But looking at the old beachrestaurants in Chaweng Noi which had to go as a new hotel will be build just there (legally?) I am afraid the charm of Samui will soon be gone completely.

I

a beautiful buffet, eh, boutique airport and the choice to fly to Bangkok or not and nice open air cars from/to the aircraft and the possibility to make a nice ride by ferry to Khanom and maybe on the ferry you are lucky by finding a lottery ticket or meeting an old friend from elementary school, who gives you all his fortunes or/and his stunning wife/her husband or you can see a yellow submarine on the way or...

How can you know what have happened, if prices would be different...?

Do I remember correctly that you are caring for package tourists? In this case none of them knows what the part BKK-USM-BKK costs - included in a package that anyhow often seems giving the hotel for free. That Samui is suffering as now too many hotels offer package deals is clearly showing on the holidaycheck review pages. 2, 3 years back there was rarely a non recommendation, now you'll find one to three of them on every page listing 10 hotels. If BKK Airways prices would be reasonable like their BBK - HKT fares more individual travelers would return to the island.

Thanks Boater for mentioning the predicted rainfall. Till lately I ignored forecasts but with 300/260 mm we bought new sandbags which are up to now a good investment....

Could you please say where you brought the sand bags, I think this could be useful information people to know...

During the last flood in November there was a place towards the sea near Soi 1 in Maenam (by the bridge) providing bags and self fill... not heard that that is the case this time... but there are probably several places around the island......posting locations maybe of use! :jap:

Sorry, just after my posting the power went off. If you are still interested in sand bags I will ask the guy who bought them for me.

Thanks Boater for mentioning the predicted rainfall. Till lately I ignored forecasts but with 300/260 mm we bought new sandbags which are up to now a good investment....

To the OP KeppSamuiClean.

Please keep Samui clean.

Had to come....., but was not thinking in 2007 of the roads...., more about the overwhelming constructions etc. Now I will take it serious! When you see a female farang cleaning the road in direction Nathon close to the recycling place after heavy rain, then it's me!

The recent floods damaged our beachfront massively. We got some sand but due to more rain we were not able to complete the work till now. The weather prospects seemed brighter and the work started again. Trucks unload sand and a digging machine distributes the sand. Truck and machine have to cross one part on the plot which is still muddy. Today a guy from tessaban came and complained that the ring road got dirtied by the truck. Do we have to clean the tyres of the truck/machine now with a garden hose before they leave our plot???

I see this posting has been on the for front again. Again all the complaining and trying things won't work but on a positive note, dont be surprised if bangkok airways financial status isn't necessarily good.

1. Unless you can get a significant amount of people also outside thailand, who are planning to travel to thailand then onto koh samui by bangkok airways, I don't see much build up in more people to boycott bangkok air

2. I'm sure bangkok airways if they have enough sense realizes that they don't need the foreigner who lives here or the thai person as most likely their business model revolves around only tourists.

3. Another area which doesn't seem to be posted is the high demand for pilots, Seems the demand is so high that CEO airasia is building his own school to train pilots, could be pay wages look better else where than bangkok airways and pilots are up and leaving, although how well they do is another story

4. At some point or now bangkok airways could be losing money, how so

a. it servers no major routes where most market is ( example bangkok - singapore, bangkok to mumbai or delhi )

b. Areas where bangkok airways has routes is basically be decimated by low cost airlines or even other airlines cheaper than there's not necessarily low budget

c. Their business model won't last long due to the rise of thai baht and the fall of the Euro, Pound, Dollar which actually makes the flight rate higher, could be wrong but seems to me western economies aren't going to be doing to well for the next years

d. Since the price of oil and demand of labor make up most of the airlines expensives how well they last who knows

On the positive note if somehow bangkok airways somehow, someways manages to change their business model I have a list of ways to nickel and dime the customers

a. Give the lowest possible fare like airasia but

1. Charge for carry on bag

2. charge for 1 piece of luggage underneath the plane

3. Charge for check in, in person, get rid of people and just put an electronic machine and make people check in that way, if they need help with a real live person, charge for it

4. Charge for food and drinks

5. Make contacting customer service almost impossible and put in the automated telephone machine and make customers jump through at least 10 hoops to get to an actual person, make people do everything online, if people do succeed and get to a live person to talk to, again charge for it

6. Make all plane tickets non refundable

7. Get rid of all free drinks and food at airport in lounge

8. Regarding special price make a really good price and really cheap but give people have less than 24 hours to book the seat

9. Take out all in flight magazines

10. Seriously no need to in screen tv's on plane

11. If you need to save more money convert all planes to the smaller aircraft no need for those big boeing

12. get rid of all business class seats and change some seats to premium economy

13. If customer's want the exit isle row where most space is available charge for it. other wise customers don't get it

14. Kids don't fly for 50% price / charge full price

15. If people want to rechange their flight to another day make them do it online and charge for it as well

if you want even take Ryan O leary idea charge for using toilets

finally with that nickel and dime tactic's just remember most people don't care all they want is cheap seats. find new ways to nickel and dime people, seems all that tactic's in the west is helping with revenue.

i don't understand what u r saying. basically by bangkok airways sense. when they have less customers they put the price up. It donsn't work like that. U cannot try to pull customers in the make your more money when the airline is doing badly.

like the gambler who starts of betting low and loses then bets higher with more money to win his money back and loses again. till the point where he puts all his money down and loses the lot.

Also they had enough money to build a huge private airport. So they cannot be that skint.

Noone forced them to build that big airport.

I reckon if they are in money crisis as are most companies and airlines around the world. then they can rent out there airport to other airlines. they don't have to charge too much. to rent out the space costs them nothing all they have to do is maintance the run way.

there might be shortage in pilots but there are not shortage in airlines.

cut prices and open up for other airlines.

Iff the price is in some case 6000 baht a ticket then u cannot blame people for moaning or for not coming at all. i mean imagine if u want to bring your family of 4 over. that 24 000 baht each way. 48 000 baht to the person that fits the bill.

there are allot o people on the island at the moment so i wonder ifthey all came down by plane.

PS to the "family of 4": My family, 2 adults & 2 children wanted to come over Christmas. As the tickets BKK - USM - BKK amounted to 80 % of the tickets for Delhi - BKK - Delhi theypostponed the visit. Other families of 4 are going to Koh Chang.

Jonno, hope you'll come to Lamai again before leaving. Then Vodka (Gorbatshow, 1 ltr 425 Baht from Sanphet....) goes on my account. Bottle is still almost full!

Yes I have also heard very good reports from several people re Nathon Hospital.

This could be because a lot of the Doctors and nurses there now have left The "Samui Bangkok rip off hospital" out of disgust at the present administration.

I know this for fact as these people (Drs. and Nurses) are customers of mine.

Now I understand why working and legally insured Thais can now even use the "r -o" hospital... Cannot imagine how high the bill would have been.

After 7 years when my wrist was broken and everything was fixed very professionally for 5027 Baht I decided today to visit them again as I had postponed a visit to a doctor too long and one foot especially one toe looked extremely ugly after the nail went off.Within total 3 hours of treatmens by many English speaking nurses, doctors and very little waiting time inbetween I lost the toe (my fault!) and had to pay 2690 Baht incl. blood test and medicines I have to bring with me for the next 10 appoinments. Nevertheless it was again a very good experience!

Why only the "big" ones? Never been to Sanphet??

......it's like that: more families and average middle class couples than last year, who eat here and there > the range of restaurants on Samui now is like never before - anyway, there are also many which are full every night (e.g. Sydney) - and simultaneously hotels have special f&b offers like never before, e.g. 10.000 = 15.0000. This people never go to bars and discos, but to bed at 22:00-23:00.

Any facts proving your conclusion? All hotels are full with average middle class people and families???? Sincerely doubt it.

What can we do?? Asking myself now for 4 months. What I did, selling DVD/CD systems and reduced the rates. Our restaurant has unchangend prices for 6 years. Nevertheless the people who come are happily opening their chips bags on our pool loungers...and my prices are only 20 Baht more than 7/11. After the riots the inquiries almost stopped. Seems that lots of potential guests put their Thailand plans on hold. And the coming people smell bargains. 400, 600 Baht for a bungalow with AC, safe, fridge, nice bathroom with hot water?? 10 years ago a bungalow with AC, hot shower and a TV with Thai program was already 800 Baht.. Feel that we have to sit it out as long as we can.

Samui guests in the moment are at least 70 % package tourists who assume they got the hotel for nothing compared to the price of a regular ticket. Individual tourists are almost not to be seen. And if they keep a close watch on their purses. 35 Baht for a Coke?? Better buy at 7/11... it's really no fun after 9 years in this business. The next one who might turn up and wants to pay 400 Baht for a bungalow with AC, fridge (already emptied...), safe and hot water I will ask how long he needed to reach Samui via hitchhiking. Would be very glad if the next months might turn only 50 % to normal.

if western currencies dropped 20% it is no wonder businesses must feel that , wait until the so much expected "high season" is coming , let see how HIGH it go to be..??

The currencies dropped, yes but 7 years ago the Euro brought 44 Baht - compared to this it dropped only by 10 % ....

A slice of wealth is not coming without any slice of efforts. During 9 years of running a resort on Samui we had around 200 employees. After 50 we stopped counting. There were the people who only needed one salary to come over several weeks of doing nothing, there were the people who did not understand that making copies of a book cost money and they packed up and vanished, there were the people who stole etc.etc. There were/are only 2 persons having some ideas about "tomorrow and the near future" . All others could have made a "slice of wealth" with good salaries, free food , free accommodation and this in a quite free atmosphere without much controlling. According to my limited business views - not many are interested in earning a slice of wealth sincerely and honestly.

Samui guests in the moment are at least 70 % package tourists who assume they got the hotel for nothing compared to the price of a regular ticket. Individual tourists are almost not to be seen. And if they keep a close watch on their purses. 35 Baht for a Coke?? Better buy at 7/11... it's really no fun after 9 years in this business. The next one who might turn up and wants to pay 400 Baht for a bungalow with AC, fridge (already emptied...), safe and hot water I will ask how long he needed to reach Samui via hitchhiking. Would be very glad if the next months might turn only 50 % to normal.

To Fido:

Thanks for reminding us that YOU have some habits and that WE have some habits.. You are talking about a "deal" - and this is the deal my female (street/beach) dogs have with me: I got them castrated and they are greateful, not having to care for litters twice a year. Hence they take care that no stranger is entering our premises. Sometimes when it's low like now they misunderstand and try scaring away even potential guests ... but then I am there to explain and when people become guests they are accepted. Both of your mates hate genuine breeds. The barking is horrendous when shepherds cross the beach below. It's impossible to calm them down but I can explain to the guests. If mixed breeds are roaming on the beach it's different, one stays up, the other goes for a play.

Both are here now for 9 rsp. 5 years. Fortunately nobody tried to poison them. And all three of us think we are a very good team.

@ zooweemama "That's it I am spending my weekends safe and sound on the Langham pontoon from now on. "

Is the pontoon public now???

Not seeing many people walking from there on the beach and back. Or do they all stay in like " In the Ghetto..."

I knew it..., but it's true... Hope that today all planes of any airline landed safely while my roof tiles went.

18 roof tiles gone in seconds, could advertise "natural rain showers in restaurant". At least the floor gets wiped with water and the guys who replaced tiles last July (the day when BKK Air crashed) have to come again.

Learnt this today from tripadvisor forum that one had booked Nok Air and was asking how to proceed. Also today Lomprayah people came explaning their new venture (in Thai) and gave the schedule which is not too easy to read - have to study...

Suratthany (City) is mentioned and correct what I understood. It lasts 2 1/2 hours from Nathon to Airport Nakon Si Thammarat - twice a day 8.00 - 10.30 and 12.45 - 15.15 for 500 Baht. Nok Air prices - will look at their web site. All I know now is that's going from Don Muang. But as this seems to be very interesting for individual travellers who are my target group and as we know Lomprayah being a very reliable company I will work on the schedules.

New possibility: Nok Air is flying to Nakonsithammarat. From there Lomprayah offers a coach to Suratthani and then the speed boat to Nathon. Suratthani - Nathon only 45 Minutes. From airport to Samui it's only 500 Baht .

Sanphet in Nathon. They are in the last row opposite the dog food.