tonititan

If anyone out there knows about all the different beaches of Phuket, I would love some help with figuring out the best beach to stay at. I have visitors coming next month and they want to go to the beach for a few days. We're going Phuket because they want to make sure to see Phi Phi while they're here, and because flights are cheaper and more plentiful than to Krabi. Here's what I'm looking for:

1. NOT Patong. I've stayed there before, and it wasn't for me. We're not looking for nightlife, and I want to be more accessible to a nice beach.

2. Somewhere where we can catch a day trip to Phi Phi (and possibly other trips). I assume that you can do that from most beaches, but I don't want to be somewhere so isolated that we have to travel far to catch the tour.

3. Somewhere on a nice beach for relaxing. I've stayed at an amazing hotel on Kata beach in low season, and it was great, but the hotels right on the beach will be pretty pricey this time of year.

4. Somewhere that is easily accessible to the airport (it doesn't have to be close, though). Since we only have a few days, I don't want to spend the first and last day of the trip taking a plane, then a tuk tuk, then a ferry, then a songtaew, etc. just to get to the hotel. I'd prefer a beach that can be reached directly by taxi from the airport.

5. Here's the kicker...somewhere that is clean and reasonably nice, very close to the beach, but not over $100 USD/3400 baht per night.

I know that's a lot of requirements, but I want to make this trip as "perfect" as possible for my friends, as it will probably be the only time they ever come to Thailand. Anyone have any suggestions for beaches or hotels? Would sticking with Kata be the safest bet? Anyone know about Karon, Kamala, or any of the many other beaches?

Thanks for your help!

I'm pretty sure the OP said that he is NOT married to the woman.

I've never even heard of a rental bond scam. What's that?

Yes, some of the taxi companies will agree to send a driver at the same time every day. I prefer to find an independent driver who will pick me up every morning at the same time. Most of the guys I've asked have been happy to do so (guaranteed fare), and several have actually asked ME if they can drive me every morning. It may take some asking around, but if you start asking taxi drivers, you should find a nice, reliable one.

There are actually a lot of foreigners in Perfect Place (which is on Ramkhamhaeng 164), due to the two international schools right there. 164 has some good restaurants/bars. There's also a lot of foreigners in the areas surrounding Perfect Place, like in Parkway Chalet (190?) and Sammakorn (112). Tons of teachers and foreigners live in Sammakorn, so it's reasonably foreigner friendly. And, while the general area (Minburi) isn't as used to foreigners as downtown might be, it's not like people will be all that shocked to see you. PP is quite a drive from downtown, but it's not too bad and it can be nice being farther away from the noise, dirt, and chaos of downtown.

As for shopping, there's some mini-marts in Perfect Place, but you're also close enough to a Big C, Carrefour, and Tops Supermarket. Someone else mentioned Bankapi Mall, which I believe will be your closest "real" mall.

Can I ask, is one of you going to be working at Bromsgrove or Ruamrudee? Perfect Place seems like kind of a random (and expensive) place to move if you were just wanting to be in Bangkok. Perfect Place is a very nice (e.g., pricey) neighborhood with lots of huge houses. There's also some smaller apartments close to the main road. You mentioned that your wife is taking a Thai language course - is that up near Perfect Place?

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to try to help!

Yeah, same for my job, JC! Some people came in on a tourist visa and the employer took them to immigration when it was time to switch to a non-immigrant B and get a work permit.

And yes, I know of dozens and dozens of international school teachers who don't actually get a work permit until several weeks or months after the beginning of the school year. The schools are in close contact with immigration (who sometimes actually comes out to the school to do all the work permits at once), so they must have an understanding somehow.

Great, thanks!

Hi,

I'm looking into places to go for the 3-day holiday weekend in December. Thinking of maybe Ayutthaya, Khao Yai, Hua Hin, or Kanchanaburi. I know that holiday weekends can be busy travel times, and that I can expect the beaches to be absolutely packed. But, I'm wondering - will everything still be open? For example, in Kanchanaburi, if I want to ride the Death Railway or go to the WWII museum, will they be open that weekend? Will we be able to find transportation (e.g., tuk tuks, songteaws, etc.)? In Ayutthaya, will the temples be open? Or does everything shut down around the country that weekend? I seem to remember that everything was "as usual" in Bangkok last year, but I'm wondering about the other parts of Thailand.

I'd really appreciate any insight into this, as I'd hate to book a vacation and then not be able to fully enjoy the destination because everything is closed. Thanks for your help!

Thought I would save build and retire to Thailand, seems the pound has found it's true value. Let's face it, the UK produces and manufactures nothing of any great use to the outside world. Is my dream really over...?

Many of the comments made on this posting are rather amateurish, the USD & GBP are weak due to financial policies introduced by both countries that is to say extremly low interest rates in order stimulate the economy, that is to say create low cost business lending on the one hand, so that companies can survive the depression, and on the other promoting export in order help the economy, PR. Obama and PM. Brown have made it clear that they intent to keep their respective currency low for sometime (perhaps two years) but it might not be possible since a low currency value has also negative aspects, the USD being the global reserve currency (replacing GBP after the war) has immensely benefited from this since major counties have invested trillions in USD, thus helping the US for years to balance their enormous annual budged deficit with the influx of foreign currency, those countries ... the middle east oil giants, China, Russia, India, Japan, are most unhappy with this as they have been suffering havy losses as a result, they are now looking for an alternative global currency more stable that the USD it may take some time but the actions are in progress.

Moreover, the low interest rates of both the USD and GBP will eventually create inflation, which has to be avoided, thus the policy of a low value currency for major economies can

not last and should not last for long, and a global currency balance has to be reached, the FED and No 11 are of course aware of this, and as a result interest rates for their respective currencies will gradually increase and both currencies will rise again against the THB to what extent depends as always on the market in this case the 24/7 FX.

However, Brit expats in Thailand (unlike Americans) have a more serious problem, their state pension is not indexed it stays the same as it started years ago, and due to inflation its value goes down annually and this will have serious repercussion, there is one last chance (apart from the British parliament itself) and that is the European Court of Human Rights the first case there was lost and last month (Sept) the case was presented to the "Grand Chamber" of the Human Right Court, and the verdict is due in March 2010.

Unfortunately, our American friends can not help us with this, the question is will the outcome of the European Court of Human Rights be as successful as our combined landing in Normandy (France 1944) when we saved Europe from tyranny, now will Europe (the EU) in return save us British expat retirees from financial disaster by granting the indexation of our state pension to which we contributed all our working life and thus give us the dignity which we deserve.

You know, most retired expats don't HAVE to remain here in Thailand. It was a personal CHOICE you made, and you're making the CHOICE to stay when many expats are returning home for financial reasons. I'm guessing you moved because life it better for you over here, but you also have to deal with the negative consequences. Do you think that because you worked all your life in Britain, your British pension means that you automatically DESERVE to live the good life in Thailand? Has everyone who has held a steady job in their own country and paid into the system earned the RIGHT to retire somewhere better, somewhere more exotic?

I think the OP was more accurate when he referred to his "dream" to retire in Thailand. That's just it - a dream. And if you can make that dream work for you (including financially), more power to you. But it's a desire, not an automatic right. If it was a right you have earned, there would be a lot more expats around the world. You are lucky to be here. It seems like you have forgotten that.

No offense to any of you who are suffering because of the exchange rate, but I for one am actually quite happy about it. For many of us working in Thailand and getting paid in baht, we actually want the exchange rate to go down even more! I sent home money every month to cover expenses at home. Sending home 40,000 baht/month used to get me $1000. Now it gets me $1200. I'm happy to pocket that extra $100! Sending home bigger chunks of money shows the difference even more dramatically.

Thanks for the tips!

" could it be succeful? is there a chance to find a job?"

Of course there's a chance. What's the downside in NOT posting your CV? I don't know that website, but I'd post in many places as you can find. Good luck with the job hunt!

With today being Canadian Thanksgiving, it got me thinking about American Thanksgiving this year. Yummy. Any suggestions on somewhere to get a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner this November? Last year I went to one of the big hotels. It was one of those 2500 baht Thanksgiving buffets that had traditional T-day food, but also lobster, sushi, Italian, Indian, etc., etc., etc. It was fabulous, but all of that extra stuff was unnecessary. I just want some turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Any suggestions?

Um, you are looking for a "shared bed" roommate? Seriously?!? For 6500 baht someone could get their own apartment. I'll be amazed if you find anyone, but good luck you you!

Another one you could try is asaptickets.com. You can only use it from flights originating from the US, so we can't use it to fly from BKK. The website quotes you a price, then you have to call in to actually by the ticket. Now, I have 3 friends who have used this to buy tickets to come see me in Bangkok (in October, April, and June). They all got the price that was quoted on the website, and they all got killer deals - WAY less than any of the other websites. Hundreds less. They were still able to choose their seats and had no problems with the 3rd party booking company. But, another friend just bought one to come over here in December. She saw cheap deals on their website and called at least 5 or 10 times. Each time they said that fare wasn't available, and the prices they quoted her were hundreds of dollars higher. She finally gave up and booked directly with an airline.

So, that's a good one to try. It might not work out, but if they actually have the advertised fares available, you can get a really cheap deal. Good luck! The weather here in January should be really nice, and will be a great break from the frigid Minnesota weather.

My question is, if your friend lost his passport, why did he wait 5 months to get a new one?

I agree that you should book it now. Like someone mentioned, the premium class tends to fill up quickly. I flew with EVA earlier this year, and had booked a premium seat. When I got to the airport (in BKK), I decided to ask at the desk about upgrading to business. I don't remember the amount they quoted me, but it was absurd. It had to be more than if I had just booked business class in the first place.

Yeah, I agree with the lotion at night thing. I sometimes do the same thing. What I do is lather up with a thick layer of lotion, then put on cotton socks and sleep with them on all night. It keeps the lotion from rubbing off when you walk or roll around in bed. It always worked for me...wake up with softer feet already! Just have to keep doing it periodically, with using a pumice periodically too.

I've never heard of that place, but it looks really fun! Ha, I almost want to go there myself, and I don't even have kids.

Hi Smokie ,.. the tour centered around BKK and Phuket ,.. hotel in BKK was Nasa Vegas Hotel , its in the heart of entertainment district ,.. in Phuket it was a private condo ,.. all flights & transfers included and fully escorted ,.. it was ideal as saved a fortune , well worth it ,.. and the tour guide was stunning,... was supposee to be going back soon but had a road accident ,..sick as a chip ,..

Umm, I wouldn't exactly say the Nasa Vegas is in the "heart of the entertainment district." For people who know Bangkok, it's on Pridi, close to Rama 9, I believe. Sure, it's fine and you can take a taxi/bus/motorcycle to the Phrakhanong BTS from there, but if I were just visiting Bangkok, I sure wouldn't choose to stay there. Pridi doesn't have too much going on.

I don't know, but it's the same thing for flights to the States. It's way cheaper to fly from the US to Thailand than from Thailand to the US. Round trip tickets are the same. It's frustrating, isn't it?

I think the point is that you had trouble when dealing with ladies, or even Thai ladies. But tacking on "with weight issues" has nothing to do with it. There are lots of unhelpful, crabby skinny people too. The fact that they had weight issues was most likely a coincidence and had nothing to do with the way they treated you. I'm just tired of people referring to someone as "a mean fat lady" instead of just "a mean lady." The "fat" part is not the reason she was mean, so it's irrelevant. As a woman, I have probably had more problems with men who are rude and seem to be power-tripping than I have with women - that issue of how people treat different genders is a whole different topic. But, I have never said to a friend, "that beer-bellied man was suck a jerk!" or "that short little guy wouldn't help me." I just say "that guy was a jerk." I don't feel the need to point out people's physical "flaws" when I'm frustrated with them, and I wish other people wouldn't either.

... but then I was served by a fat half thai woman, who has been supersizing every day.

What does that have to do with anything? Are you implying that she was less competent to help you with your visa because she was fat? It sounds like she was just doing her job, and did not deny your 3rd visa due to her size. Hmm, I wonder if you were as rude to her in person as you were behind her back? Maybe try being more polite the next time you ask someone for help!

You whine about not getting any respect as a foreigner....try giving respect! I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for someone who makes ignorant comments like you did.

I took Etihad from Bangkok-->Abu Dhabi-->Munich. No problems at all. I thought it was a great airline. For my ticket, the premium economy class (or whatever Etihad calls it) wasn't much more, and it was definitely worth the money. My layover was also about 2 hours. There's not much to do at the Abu Dhabi airport, but it was ok. At least they had free internet kiosks.

I never heard of premium economy with Etihad....just economy or business on offer??

Well, I was SURE it was premium economy, but I just looked and don't see that class on any of their planes. I've never flown business, so it must have been economy. So, wow! Even more impressive because it felt pretty spacious and much nicer than most economy classes.

Huh? OP, what is your question? You want to dress like superheros and raise money for charity? I'm sorry, but I just don't understand...what are you asking for help with?