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Pattaya-Phuket drive. Possible or to be avoided?


jinners

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I'm planning to drive down with family, though I'll be sole driver, and see friends who are coming over before Christmas to Phuket from Pattaya. I've lived here a while and have made a few other long trips, but I'm having 2nd thoughts on this. I had assumed driving to Hua Hin and over nighting there would work well. Until I checked Google maps and saw Phuket is 10 hours from Hua Hin.

So I ask is this something anyone has done (For sure) and if so now that Hua Hin is out, where is a good half way stop off point and what's the overall travel time and experience? Still not too late to book a flight.

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Simple math.

Pattaya to Phuket is about 950 km.

Pattaya to Hua Hin is about 325 km.

So indeed a bit too early for an overnight.

 

Since a while ago I did trips from my place to Pattaya at 560 km.

I must say that's enough for me for a day (but with worse road conditions and taking me 8 hours).

Chumphon city is a bit further at 590 km.

 

Make sure you don't drive in(to) the dark.

 

Edited by KhunBENQ
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It should be easily doable in a car in a single day.

 

Sheesh, I rode my Harley from Pattaya to Kamphaeng Phet (just under 600kms) and was there just after noon. I could have made it to Chiang Mai (900ish kms) the same day but had planned to spend the afternoon visiting some historical sites in Kamphaeng Phet. Otherwise I would have rolled into CM around 5pm or so. (I know some people that leave Pattaya late Friday night so they can arrive in Chiang Mai before noon the next day.)

Leave Pattaya early in the morning (by early I mean be on the road by 5 am). Using the toll highways you should be past Bangkok before the morning traffic gets going. Don't spend 30-40 minutes at each fuel spot. Fill up, take a leak and get back on the road.

950kms - you should be able to easily average 90+ kms/hr so 10 1/2 hours of driving. I'd suspect that you could probably shave at least an hour(+) off that as you can do much better on the toll roads. After Hua Hin you'll probably be lucky to average 90 km/hr, depending on what day you travel as well. Add a couple of pit stops along the way and you should still be able to roll into Phuket by suppertime.

I've ridden (in an SUV) from Chiang Rai to Pattaya (1,000ish kms) in a day and from Nong Khai to Pattaya (830ish kms) in a day as well and those weren't "rushed" trips. My buddy (who was the driver) has made the trip to Phuket in a day as well and while he drives like a raped ape, he also likes to take long breaks at every gas stop along the way as well.

The problem with stopping "half way" is you end up getting to the halfway spot just after noon (depending on traffic) and then (probably) have nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon/evening. The time spent doing nothing could have been spent getting to your destination.

Some people like the break though. If you aren't in a hurry, leave later, arrive at the halfway point in the late afternoon, have a nice rest, leave early the next morning and drive into Phuket with the sun behind you.


 

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I suggest you overnight on the beach in Sam Roi Yot, south of Pranburi. Then you have a choice, continue via Surat Thani(very boring) or go across the Kra peninsula and down the west coast. That road has been/is being drastically improved.

 

Bear in mind that in these rural areas things close down very early! You don't want to be looking for dinner at 8pm!

 

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Its not a bad drive actually. I split it into three sections, stayed in Hua Hin, Surat Thani and Krabi on way down, then Chumpon and Hua Hin on the way back. Roads were pretty good.

 

I guess it depends on your urgency to actually get to Phuket, or whether you want to see a bit more than just the inside of your car.

 

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3 hours ago, Kerryd said:

It should be easily doable in a car in a single day.

 

Sheesh, I rode my Harley from Pattaya to Kamphaeng Phet (just under 600kms) and was there just after noon. I could have made it to Chiang Mai (900ish kms) the same day but had planned to spend the afternoon visiting some historical sites in Kamphaeng Phet. Otherwise I would have rolled into CM around 5pm or so. (I know some people that leave Pattaya late Friday night so they can arrive in Chiang Mai before noon the next day.)

Leave Pattaya early in the morning (by early I mean be on the road by 5 am). Using the toll highways you should be past Bangkok before the morning traffic gets going. Don't spend 30-40 minutes at each fuel spot. Fill up, take a leak and get back on the road.

950kms - you should be able to easily average 90+ kms/hr so 10 1/2 hours of driving. I'd suspect that you could probably shave at least an hour(+) off that as you can do much better on the toll roads. After Hua Hin you'll probably be lucky to average 90 km/hr, depending on what day you travel as well. Add a couple of pit stops along the way and you should still be able to roll into Phuket by suppertime.

I've ridden (in an SUV) from Chiang Rai to Pattaya (1,000ish kms) in a day and from Nong Khai to Pattaya (830ish kms) in a day as well and those weren't "rushed" trips. My buddy (who was the driver) has made the trip to Phuket in a day as well and while he drives like a raped ape, he also likes to take long breaks at every gas stop along the way as well.

The problem with stopping "half way" is you end up getting to the halfway spot just after noon (depending on traffic) and then (probably) have nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon/evening. The time spent doing nothing could have been spent getting to your destination.

Some people like the break though. If you aren't in a hurry, leave later, arrive at the halfway point in the late afternoon, have a nice rest, leave early the next morning and drive into Phuket with the sun behind you.


 

How many gallons of oil did the Harley use?

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1 hour ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

How many gallons of oil did the Harley use?

Lol ! :crazy:

You do know that the 70's ended almost 40 years ago.  ????

(I think a lot of the bad press came during the period when AMC owned Harley and was churning out bikes "of a lower standard", which lead to Harley being bought back by descendants of the original owners.)

 

I think the whole "leaking oil" thing was BS for the most part anyways. If you overfill the oil tank on a Harley and then go for a ride, of course it's going to leak as the oil expands when it gets hot. I had that happen once when I had an oil/filter change done at a shop just before a big trip. The shop filled the oil tank to the bottom of the opening of the tank instead of to the "cold" mark on the stick. Had frikken oil coming out the filler tube for half the trip until it finally got down to it's proper level.

The bike has actually been sitting in the car port since April and not a drop of oil under it.

 

(Hmmm - maybe I should check to see if the oil tank is empty ?) ????
 

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On 10/22/2018 at 9:51 AM, Kerryd said:

It should be easily doable in a car in a single day.

 

Sheesh, I rode my Harley from Pattaya to Kamphaeng Phet (just under 600kms) and was there just after noon. I could have made it to Chiang Mai (900ish kms) the same day but had planned to spend the afternoon visiting some historical sites in Kamphaeng Phet. Otherwise I would have rolled into CM around 5pm or so. (I know some people that leave Pattaya late Friday night so they can arrive in Chiang Mai before noon the next day.)

Leave Pattaya early in the morning (by early I mean be on the road by 5 am). Using the toll highways you should be past Bangkok before the morning traffic gets going. Don't spend 30-40 minutes at each fuel spot. Fill up, take a leak and get back on the road.

950kms - you should be able to easily average 90+ kms/hr so 10 1/2 hours of driving. I'd suspect that you could probably shave at least an hour(+) off that as you can do much better on the toll roads. After Hua Hin you'll probably be lucky to average 90 km/hr, depending on what day you travel as well. Add a couple of pit stops along the way and you should still be able to roll into Phuket by suppertime.

I've ridden (in an SUV) from Chiang Rai to Pattaya (1,000ish kms) in a day and from Nong Khai to Pattaya (830ish kms) in a day as well and those weren't "rushed" trips. My buddy (who was the driver) has made the trip to Phuket in a day as well and while he drives like a raped ape, he also likes to take long breaks at every gas stop along the way as well.

The problem with stopping "half way" is you end up getting to the halfway spot just after noon (depending on traffic) and then (probably) have nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon/evening. The time spent doing nothing could have been spent getting to your destination.

Some people like the break though. If you aren't in a hurry, leave later, arrive at the halfway point in the late afternoon, have a nice rest, leave early the next morning and drive into Phuket with the sun behind you.
Appreciate the insight and comments. Raped ape!!

 

 

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On 10/22/2018 at 11:28 AM, anfh said:

Its not a bad drive actually. I split it into three sections, stayed in Hua Hin, Surat Thani and Krabi on way down, then Chumpon and Hua Hin on the way back. Roads were pretty good.

 

I guess it depends on your urgency to actually get to Phuket, or whether you want to see a bit more than just the inside of your car.

 

On the way down we'll be to a time table as we're meeting friends and have accommodation booked. The return trip will be a more lazy affair. Thanks.

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