grumpyoldman

Bingo, move on to a different part of the island, better yet, as long as the weather is ok, catch a ferry to islands south, Lanta, Ko Muk etc.

Oh wow, ya, Richard and his wife, the owners, used to be my landlord. Thanks for this.

I'm with the OP, first times coming to Phuket were early and mid 90's, Rawai quiet, '95 or so surfed Nai Harn on a good swell BY MYSELF. Lived in Rawai off Soi Nanachart for 11 years 2005-2016. I'm sure this high season is a nightmare crowd-wise as we come out of the whole Covid restriction time, probably a lot of pent-up Thailand visit desires out there. I like earlier poster's suggestion of Koh Kho Khao, just a bit far from some of OP's requirements. Gulf coast is also a great suggestion, Prachuap and Chumpon. Not beachy but in my Thai travels really enjoyed Kanchanaburi. House on the river, fishing. OP, maybe rent your place out during high season, go to the Philippines or just elsewhere in Thailand, come back in June when it chills out a bit.

The Windmill Yannui Beach. .2 Kilometers to the beach, local markets in Rawai.

Some years back, a guy had just gotten to Patong on holiday, comes out of his hotel room on Soi Sansabai to hit the Bangla girlie bars, it's raining/flooding, a power line is down and old boy gets ZAPPED, dead. Bad luck.

Has to be a bus from Khok Kloi to Krabi. Most of the drivers for the hotels would love to pick up a little extra dead-head cake to Phuket Airport for guest pickup, have them drop you off there enroute, on the sly.

Bangkok is an awesome city. You have to spend a couple days there for sure. Excellent restaurants of all kinds, super street food, sights to see, get an evening boat on the Chao Phraya river (skytrain to Thaksin bridge, walk to the water) to one of the seafood restaurants, you basically get a river tour for free. Skytrain is the bomb for an inexpensive way to get around, love Bangkok. I was once like you, young Skywalker, would go straight for Phuket, but then a friend showed me around BKK and I was sold.

Luxury Villa Rassada seems an oxymoron.

Hi Simon, you and I met many years back when I was riding the motorcycle around the island selling wine. Agreed, Phuket is definitely "not what it used to be", that being said, no where is. What you said about Khao Lak, perfect, I like quiet beaches. When I need to see friends in Phuket or get in the party mode, will jump the bus, get a hotel room. Good call on Kanchanaburi. I spent some time there, loved it. Can imagine a little place near the river, fishing kit, cooler of drinks. Fish on the grill. Enjoy brother, cheers, GOM

View a few recent pages of Patong the Wake as poster Xylophone basically gives a run down of whats happening (and whats not) on Bangla.

Bangkok Phuket Hospital, Phuket Town, has an excellent dental department. Had an implant done there, top notch.

When it's your time, it's your time...............I remember when I was living in Phuket we were having monsoonal storms, a guy had just arrived to Patong, happy as could be steps out to get drinks and a girl, BANG, electrocuted from a wire that had come off a pole. Enjoy each day folks.

Please don't paint all Russians with one brush. I have Russian friends in Phuket and they are really good people. As one poster already mentioned, it's Putin's agenda, not your average Russian's. My buddy Max's wife, Tanya, makes the BEST pierogi...............mmmmmmmm mushroom & onion pierogi........

Looks like chef Umberto has his shingle hung at Colors Resort, the old Alisea on the hotel cut through road toward Hat Napparat. Probably not cheap, but if you need a great Italian grind he's the guy. Used to sell wine to him when he had a restaurant on the seafood row beachfront as well as his own restaurant later. Excellent chef.

Taking in a couple of 7/11 big beers sitting on the Ao Nang beachwall at sunset is heaven.

Been there done that, had an episode where it felt like my kidney was bursting, was vomiting white froth, mai sabai. Lemon juice and stay fully hydrated, lots of water, try and cut salt. I forget what the doctor said about whats in lemon juice that breaks down the stone, but start drinking lemonade as well as your own squeezed lemon juice and it should break down and pass on its own.

I'll second the apple cider vinegar with "the mother" (acv particles floating around). Two tablespoons in big glass of water every morning. That'll knock it out for sure.

Have you been drinking (?), the post reads airport to Patong or Rawai. Why would you look for a taxi to go a few hundred meters. Are you immensely overweight as well as not bright? You hansum man you!

Mid 2000's sold wine to Aleenta Resort. Nice place but definitely isolated. Lone female walking the beach there not the best of ideas. I remember down the coast across the bridge Swedish ladies thought camping and topless sunbathing were a good idea, stabbed to death. Seclusion is nice as opposed to a whopping Kata Beach crowd, but for the foreign ladies can be dangerous.

Not sure what makes you think I've been boozing here, pretty arrogant suggestion, just saying if you already know that the price of the cab is going to be expensive, why make trouble? Get over it, and yourself capital D Smith.

Making mountains out of molehills guys, one poster even goes as far as to say not a nice place to live because of this.............. So you get nicked 17-18US$ to get from the airport to Patong or Rawai, are you really going to let that ruin your holiday? Are you the guy that refuses to buy a BG an occasional ladydrink? Booo freakin hoo. They don't pay the police diddly-squat so a lot of them drive cabs when not in the brown shirt and are armed. Knew one myself when I lived there. So best suck it up, know the score and ride with it, lest you upset an off duty cop AND GET SHOT.

Wow, holy smokes. Used to sell wine wholesale there, was amazed at the markup (like 300%), place was full of hipster Russians, DJ playing super bunk Euro beat... Guess no more wealthy Russians to support the place.

When I used to do sales calls in Khao Lak, just before you get off the island headed north I used to stop for some lunch. Restaurants are right on the sand, table with hut, some pretty decent food, not too expensive, not a lot around except sand and water.

Get everyone vaccinated, require proof of vaccination before anyone enters the country, and get back to normality. At some point this will become endemic, meaning, it'll be the flu, or a cold and the sooner we get to that point the better. Here in the U.S., 90% of the people in the hospitals are dumbs**t Trump antivaxers (everything is a big conspiracy), and people clogging up ERs to get a covid test when THEY HAVE NO SYMPTOMS, while complaining that there are not enough tests. Time for a new path forward because this living in crises is dogs**t.

Keen yao, now who is being the "cheap charlie"?