Domestic travel, what to be aware of

[Hal65]

Starting in Pattaya where I live I want to get to a nice island. On my list are Koh Mak (closes), Lipe, Phi Phi, maybe Samui. I am here on Volunteer Visa and do not have a vaccination.

 

I suppose I need to fill a TM-30 for staying 1-2 nights in another province. Is there anything else to be aware of? I may opt to take a shuttle van but will probably fly nearby to whichever Island I choose.

[jackdd]

Nothing special.

When you stay at a hotel they do maybe report you with a TM30, but nothing to do for you.

[Kwasaki]

10 hours ago, Hal65 said:

Starting in Pattaya where I live I want to get to a nice island.

Just do it you more than likely will not want to go back. ????

[internationalism]

in the south started to rain, but islands in the gulf should be dry till september.

 

[treetops]

Some places insist you have the Thaichana or Morchana tracing app.

[Jeffr2]

Hotel prices are at huge discounts right now.  No problems at all traveling to these places.  Other than....Transport options are severely limited.  Most restaurants are closed, same with bars.  And they're pretty much ghost towns.  Seriously.  Apart from the long weekends, you'll hardly see any other tourists. 

 

Mak is easy, with several boats a day.  Quite a few resorts are open.  Easy to get around the island.  A few restaurants are also open.  Some beaches will get sand flies.  So be prepared with coconut oil.

 

Lipe has only 1 boat a day, I believe.  From Pak Bara only.  It's a fantastic time to visit there.  But it's a ghost town.  Great snorkeling day trips!  Beautiful.

 

Phi Phi is deserted.  The backpacker ghetto, Ton Sai, is pretty much closed.  Only a few places are open.  We stayed at Saii Phi Phi village.  No beach at low tide, but easy to get over to Nui Beach, which is absolutely stunning.  Or, walk up to Laem Tong beach.  Absolutely stunning also.  A few restaurants were open, so you don't have to eat at the over priced restaurant at Saii PP Village.  Not sure if there are any other places to stay in that area.  The Holiday Inn was open, but not sure about now.

 

Samui has some action going on in Bo Phut and Lamai.  Chewang is an absolute ghost town.  Very depressing to see.  No action at all.  Few places to eat.

 

You might consider Koh Phangan or Tao.  Both are super quiet, but IMHO, much more interesting than Samui.  KPG has some action around and north of the car ferry pier.  But not the greatest beach there.  Had Rin is a total ghost town.

 

We're probably heading back to Samui soon as home rentals are super cheap.  30k Baht a month for a sea view pool villa home.  Hard to pass up now there are no tourists and NO traffic.

Edited April 5, 2021 by Jeffr2

[khunPer]

On 4/3/2021 at 3:56 AM, internationalism said:

in the south started to rain, but islands in the gulf should be dry till september.

Yes, in south the Andaman side has monsoon in the summer, whilst the gulf side is fairly dry, but have monsoon season from October til mid January.

[khunPer]

Samui is Okay apart from Chaweng and Lamai, the typical tourist areas, which are quite deserted. Many good hotel bargains, many open restaurants and pubs, but only few lady bars (Samui is not a place for that). Some of the night life, i.e. clubs, are open, if you are looking for that.

 

During Songkran period there are more than 20 daily flights due to heavy bookings, but train/bus/ferry or VIP-bus are also a possibilities, and very affordable.

 

Koh Phangan is fairly deserted at the moment, but some places are open, and so is Koh Tao. Boat transfers are available from Samui, or ferry from Don Sak at the mainland.

 

If flying, check with airline about if you might need any Covid-certificate. TM-30 address report will be done by the hotel or the landlord.