To those on the ground: GF B-day this weekend. Wants to see Phuket, snorkel, maybe Phi Phi... Too dead to consider or no?

[WuhanVagabond]

She's never been to Phuket. Never seen clear water or snorkeled, and she really wants to- but also doesn't want to be bored senseless for 5 days. She also enjoys markets and, ofc, Thai food stalls to explore (she prefers street food or food at Thai markets).  I've read posts & send news that Phuket is a ghost town with 90%+ shut down. Accurate as of today? Bangkok has certainly (and increasingly) seen a lot more life over the past month. 

 

We've narrowed it to Phuket/Krabi or Hua Hin. Hua Hin is good except, of course, the water sucks for snorkeling. Can go 5 1/2 hours RT to Koh Talu for a day, but not ideal. Everything else in Hua Hin likely ticks all the other boxes because it's a Thai getaway area and quite busy on the weekends. 

 

We're in Bangkok now. Ease of getting to the location is a factor and also having good quality hotels that aren't crazy expensive (the high end hotels in premium isolated dive/snorkeling areas are still expensive).  

 

Thanks for any input. 

[Old Croc]

Pkuket

40 minutes ago, WuhanVagabond said:

Phuket is a ghost town with 90%+ shut down.

Phuket Province isn't shut down, nor is the capital Phuket City.

Perhaps you are talking about the tourist oriented town of Patong which is currently very quiet because of the ban on international visitors?

[WuhanVagabond]

1 minute ago, Old Croc said:

Pkuket

Phuket Province isn't shut down, nor is the capital Phuket City.

Perhaps you are talking about the tourist oriented town of Patong which is currently very quiet because of the ban on international visitors?

Yeah, poorly titled by me. I should have specified the tourist/hotel areas around Patong. Koh Phi Phi, etc.

[HashBrownHarry]

Krabi.

 

Lots of one day trips to islands, won't be bored.

 

Water spotless clean, hotels cheap, nice and quiet.

 

Markets etc in Krabi town, business as usual there.

[Old Croc]

While the pandemic has naturally greatly affected life in most parts of Thailand's tourist areas, including Krabi Province,  life goes on for locals and domestic tourists.

Markets, hotels, shops, restaurants, bars, dive shops, etc. are still open to some extent and bargains can be found. 

You need to decide where you want to go and look on line for deals. Many of us who live on Phuket rarely went to Patong for our shopping and entertainment even before the slowdown. 

[Old Croc]

A bunch of Thai Farang Youtubers are currently having a meetup at Ao Nang, see the link for a current update on closures there.

 

Closed For Business Empty Ao Nang อ่าวนาง - YouTube

 

[recom273]

I don’t know what it’s like in Krabi or Phuket - we are a bit further down, but the weather has been so dull down here recently. There is usually a long patch of bad weather before the high season. It didn’t stop raining over the weekend, literally. It’s cold and the sky is grey.

 

I used to live in Krabi on an island, pretty much the same, the waves hammer the beach, the sea was dirty, beaches covered in plastic waste - there were no one day tours, the sea is too rough.

Take a look at the weather and try contacting some travel agencies or tour companies to see what they are offering at the moment. I doubt you will see any crystal Andaman sea.
 

You might be stuck in a hotel room for the weekend. 

[WuhanVagabond]

Thanks for the replies.

Didn't really contemplate the weather aspect. I know it rains a lot in Phuket. I didn't consider the impact on the sea being stirred up and wiping out the clear water. Would that also be the case in the surrounding islands, or are some somewhat protected due to geography?

[ChrisKC]

I came back from a week around Krabi, two weeks ago. I had stays in Ao Nang, Railay and Ko Lanta.

I actually had  booked a resort in Phi Phi that was accepted by them but two days after, they cancelled it, citing Covid. So I didn't go there but learned while in Krabi that the place was dead as dead!

For my wife and I we had a great time, though wishing there were just a few more people about and a little more lively at the resorts that had fewer than a few guests. At one resort where they had 153 rooms,  we were the only ones and three swimming pools to choose from. All the beaches were pristine, the sea was wonderful, but no people at all!  Nearly everything closed up, in some cases looking like "given up"

I think wherever you go, you may be struggling to find all the things you might expect under normal circumstances.

 

We had flights from Chiang Mai to Krabi, half full going, about two thirds on return but less than B6000 all in for the two of us. Resorts had anything up to 80% reductions from normal and booked through Agoda,

 

The people with some kind of business still open were cheerful and we had better than great service!

 

I give you one example of "service". we bought some beer and a few other things in the 7-11 but the bag was quite heavy. One of the girls in there asked where we were staying, it was about 500 meters up a hill. Without hesitation, she offered to take us up there on her motorbike and wouldn't accept a tip when we got there! Sometimes, "Thainess" can be quite charming!

 

If anyone wants peace and quiet and inexpensive, now and for some time, I guess, you might take advantage!

 

[WuhanVagabond]

5 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

I came back from a week around Krabi, two weeks ago. I had stays in Ao Nang, Railay and Ko Lanta.

I actually had  booked a resort in Phi Phi that was accepted by them but two days after, they cancelled it, citing Covid. So I didn't go there but learned while in Krabi that the place was dead as dead!

For my wife and I we had a great time, though wishing there were just a few more people about and a little more lively at the resorts that had fewer than a few guests. At one resort where they had 153 rooms,  we were the only ones and three swimming pools to choose from. All the beaches were pristine, the sea was wonderful, but no people at all!  Nearly everything closed up, in some cases looking like "given up"

I think wherever you go, you may be struggling to find all the things you might expect under normal circumstances.

 

We had flights from Chiang Mai to Krabi, half full going, about two thirds on return but less than B6000 all in for the two of us. Resorts had anything up to 80% reductions from normal and booked through Agoda,

 

The people with some kind of business still open were cheerful and we had better than great service!

 

I give you one example of "service". we bought some beer and a few other things in the 7-11 but the bag was quite heavy. One of the girls in there asked where we were staying, it was about 500 meters up a hill. Without hesitation, she offered to take us up there on her motorbike and wouldn't accept a tip when we got there! Sometimes, "Thainess" can be quite charming!

 

If anyone wants peace and quiet and inexpensive, now and for some time, I guess, you might take advantage!

 

Thanks so much Chris for the detailed reply. Cheers.

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, WuhanVagabond said:

Thanks for the replies.

Didn't really contemplate the weather aspect. I know it rains a lot in Phuket. I didn't consider the impact on the sea being stirred up and wiping out the clear water. Would that also be the case in the surrounding islands, or are some somewhat protected due to geography?

Weather has been good, sea had been clear.

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, ChrisKC said:

I came back from a week around Krabi, two weeks ago. I had stays in Ao Nang, Railay and Ko Lanta.

I actually had  booked a resort in Phi Phi that was accepted by them but two days after, they cancelled it, citing Covid. So I didn't go there but learned while in Krabi that the place was dead as dead!

For my wife and I we had a great time, though wishing there were just a few more people about and a little more lively at the resorts that had fewer than a few guests. At one resort where they had 153 rooms,  we were the only ones and three swimming pools to choose from. All the beaches were pristine, the sea was wonderful, but no people at all!  Nearly everything closed up, in some cases looking like "given up"

I think wherever you go, you may be struggling to find all the things you might expect under normal circumstances.

 

We had flights from Chiang Mai to Krabi, half full going, about two thirds on return but less than B6000 all in for the two of us. Resorts had anything up to 80% reductions from normal and booked through Agoda,

 

The people with some kind of business still open were cheerful and we had better than great service!

 

I give you one example of "service". we bought some beer and a few other things in the 7-11 but the bag was quite heavy. One of the girls in there asked where we were staying, it was about 500 meters up a hill. Without hesitation, she offered to take us up there on her motorbike and wouldn't accept a tip when we got there! Sometimes, "Thainess" can be quite charming!

 

If anyone wants peace and quiet and inexpensive, now and for some time, I guess, you might take advantage!

 

correct, was there last week as well, nice, clear water, beach clean (some stray dogs still wondering around) warm water felt like a lake more then sea as there were no waves at all, overall great time to relax without the crowds, trips to Phi Phi and Kho Hong, snorkel  in clear blue/green water all good.... however if they are looking for night life there's none, nothing, ziltch, local markets and street food still all available