Phuket Sandbox Updates

[Andy1961]

haha, so its not just the government that is making the sandbox scheme less attractive ????

[kingofthemountain]

3 minutes ago, Andy1961 said:

haha, so its not just the government that is making the sandbox scheme less attractive ????

Wait, i don't even talked yet about the obligation to have a mask on your face

all the time as soon as you are out of your room

 

 

[ThaiVisaCentre]

There are a few updates that answered our previous questions / concerns.
 

• You can change your hotel after 7 nights of staying at a SHA Plus hotel.
• If you own a condo in Phuket you will still have to stay a total of 14 nights at a SHA Plus hotel before being able to stay at your property.
   

Already 65 hotels have been officially SHA Plus approved, and we are working hard to obtain a package list for as many options as possible.

Also due to the speed of the approvals we expect almost all SHA hotels to be SHA Plus approved by July 1st.
 

Edited June 6, 2021 by ThaiVisaCentre

[BKKTRAVELER]

20 minutes ago, ThaiVisaCentre said:

There are a few updates that answered our previous questions / concerns.
 

• You can change your hotel after 7 nights of staying at a SHA Plus hotel.
• If you own a condo in Phuket you will still have to stay a total of 14 nights at a SHA Plus hotel before being able to stay at your property.
   

Already 65 hotels have been officially SHA Plus approved, and we are working hard to obtain a package list for as many options as possible.

Also due to the speed of the approvals we expect almost all SHA hotels to be SHA Plus approved by July 1st.
 

I know it has been asked but do you have to remain within the hotel facilities for 14 days or can you wander freely around Phuket? Many interested friends asking me.

[DrJack54]

 

Pinched this post from Thai news forum.

 

 

 

[KannikaP]

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, KannikaP said:

Brian Wilson's famous sandbox !   LOL

[madmen]

10 minutes ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I know it has been asked but do you have to remain within the hotel facilities for 14 days or can you wander freely around Phuket? Many interested friends asking me.

Nobody knows but it may lock you into your precinct. 

This is purely for us returning expats. Nobody really expects million tourists 

[ThaiVisaCentre]

51 minutes ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

I know it has been asked but do you have to remain within the hotel facilities for 14 days or can you wander freely around Phuket? Many interested friends asking me.

Yes you can.

[Sheryl]

@ThaiVisaCentre

 

Do you have any idea if people have to fly into Phuket directly, or will connecting flights from Bangkok be allowed?

 

And staying at SHA+ hotel, will they be allowed to leave hotel premises during the day? Will beaches be open?

[Tanoshi]

17 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Do you have any idea if people have to fly into Phuket directly, or will connecting flights from Bangkok be allowed?

Apparently now you will be able to transfer through Bangkok.

 

17 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

And staying at SHA+ hotel, will they be allowed to leave hotel premises during the day? Will beaches be open?

You can go wherever you want on the island.

Meals and onsite medical facilities are not included at SHA+ hotels prices

Edited June 6, 2021 by Tanoshi

[kokesaat]

21 hours ago, Andy1961 said:

I am going to retire to Thailand, hopefully travelling sometime between late July and September.  I really don’t want to spend 2 weeks stuck in an expensive ASQ hotel room so the Phuket Sandbox allows me to spend 7 days on a pretty island and at least I can sit by the pool and stroll down to the beach.  Not the most exciting holiday but better than holed up in a hotel room.  That was the plan.  

I have both my vaccinations, would have a PCR test before I leave UK, have another test when I arrive and another test on day 5.  Yet the Thai government have now decided that still doesn’t prove I am COVID-free.  But there is no mention of any further tests on days 7-14.   So what does the extra 7 days achieve, apart from me spending more money in Phuket?  Even Boris Johnson couldn’t come up with this level of hogwash.

As I plan to spend the rest of my life in Thailand, maybe an extra 7 days on a tropical island is a small price to pay.  But I wonder if there will be more changes to come and the sandbox scheme will become less and less desirable.  I have booked a Phuket hotel and have free cancellation up until 3 days before arrival but I am scared to book a flight until I know for sure what the rules will be.

Before you burn any bridges back in your home country, spend 2 weeks in Phuket.......rules be damned.  If you find things not to your liking, it'd be best to turn around and go home.  Yes, there will be more changes.....whether covid restrictions or changes to immigration that may make your stay in Thailand less comfortable.  It's why many expats say t.i.t.

[ubonjoe]

12 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Apparently now you will be able to transfer through Bangkok.

Not sure about that. It certainly would not be a domestic flight.

Maybe the flight would stop in Bangkok to allow passengers to disembark there if their destination was there and those for Phuket would remain on the plane.

Edited June 6, 2021 by ubonjoe

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

@ThaiVisaCentre

 

Do you have any idea if people have to fly into Phuket directly, or will connecting flights from Bangkok be allowed?

 

And staying at SHA+ hotel, will they be allowed to leave hotel premises during the day? Will beaches be open?

 

Sheryl, there is a good Q&A section on Richard Barrow’s twitter page (you don’t need to have twitter to read it). 

 

It answers a lot of the questions we all have while of course at the same time outlining that nothing has been finalised. 

 

I read that transfers will be allowed in Bangkok but the details have no been finalised. Reading other sources (the FB Sandbox page and some posts on this forum) it would appear that plans are being put in place for transfers to take place via ‘concourse’ E and must be with tickets which have Phuket as the final destination. 

 

i.e. Fly in to Bangkok on Thai Airways, that flight docks at a Concourse E airbridge, flights to Phuket also depart from a Concourse E gate (bus gate) - the passenger does not leave their ‘concourse E’ transit area.

I’m assuming documents are checked at this point (concourse E) and an Immigration post would be set up there. 

 

Nothing concrete on any of this yet, but this is they way it looks to shape out for arrivals at Suvarnambumi transiting to Phuket Sandbox. 

 

 

 

[Tanoshi]

12 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Not sure about that. It certainly would not be a domestic flight.

Maybe the flight would stop in Bangkok to allow passengers to disembark there if their destination was there and those for Phuket would remain on the plane.

Watch the above video posted by @DrJack54 at 2.40 into the video.

Passengers will be able to transit through Suvarnabhumi airport (International not domestic).

Also reported by press in updates.

[kingofthemountain]

16 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

It answers a lot of the questions we all have while of course at the same time outlining that nothing has been finalised

And we are now at only few days (24) from the supposed start of this scheme

 

the famous ''7 P'' comes to my mind

(Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents P.ss Poor Performance)

[BKKTRAVELER]

2 hours ago, madmen said:

Nobody knows but it may lock you into your precinct. 

This is purely for us returning expats. Nobody really expects million tourists 

 

1 hour ago, ThaiVisaCentre said:

Yes you can.

 

Thank you both

[Phillip9]

3 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Not sure about that. It certainly would not be a domestic flight.

 

They are planning to run special domestic flights for new international arrivals only.  People would be kept in a separate part of the terminal in BKK while waiting, isolated from normal domestic passengers the entire time.

[BestB]

Basically they have changed it to standard arrival procedures , but put some lipstick on it, can move feels around the hotel grounds.while paying premium prices. Safe to assume 100000 target will never be met 

[Heng]

Debate it all you like, it'll be done with the first renewed outbreak IN the sandbox.   (still should be tried though... gotta fail before you move forward)

Edited June 6, 2021 by Heng

[dexterm]

7 days with one test was a winner for me, fully vaccinated and from a low risk country, despite having to change my ticket and arrange additional transport.

 

14 days with 2 tests followed by additional expenses and travel is just not worth it for me personally.

 

I'll spend a fortnight in a Bangkok hotel watching Netflix, reading and computing followed by a 150 baht taxi ride to my condo.

[ThaiVisaCentre]

We have been updating the list of hotels on our index for the Phuket Sandbox.

So far we have 105 SHA Plus approved properties.

https://asq.in.th/phuket-sandbox-hotels
 

Edited June 7, 2021 by ThaiVisaCentre

[oldcpu]

On 6/5/2021 at 3:29 PM, kingofthemountain said:

You should ask first if the swimming pool is really open

here in Pattaya ALL the swimming pools (Hotels, condos)

are closed since 2 months by order of the province's governor

 

As for the beach good luck with that

it's the raining season at the moment and

this year there is a LOT of rain, particularly in Phuket

Swimming pools are allowed to open in Phuket at present time.  Of course the situation is dynamic ... what is true to day - could be different tomorrow.

 

We have been getting a small amount of rain, but myself a Phuket resident, I like the rainy season as it is often cooler and there is not as much rain as many are afraid to see.  Thus far, this year, there has not been as much rain as I would like. It seems the rain carrying clouds keep going north and hitting Koh Lak , or just south of Panwa (the area where I live).  But I'm hoping for some more rain, to keep things cool. ... Of course, there is the saying - be careful of what you wish for - so hopefully we don't get too much rain - but again , my experience as a Phuket resident, is the "LOT of rain, particular in Phuket" predictions, are invariably inaccurate.

[ThaiVisaCentre]

We have been updating the list of hotels on our index for the Phuket Sandbox.

So far we have 150 SHA Plus approved properties, and we expect maybe 100 more by the end of the month.

Hopefully it's one of the easiest ways to search through them.

https://asq.in.th/phuket-sandbox-hotels

[jackdd]

On 6/6/2021 at 11:18 AM, ThaiVisaCentre said:

If you own a condo in Phuket you will still have to stay a total of 14 nights at a SHA Plus hotel before being able to stay at your property.

Will they force people to spend the night at the hotel, or does it only mean that they have to pay for 14 nights, but can spend their time where they want?

[skatewash]

3 minutes ago, jackdd said:

Will they force people to spend the night at the hotel, or does it only mean that they have to pay for 14 nights, but can spend their time where they want?

It appears they are serious about this if this is to be believed:

• Quote

   

  • You are required to scan ‘Mor Chana’ application and do a temperature check at your ‘SHA Plus’ hotel every day during your first fourteen <14> days stay.

   

  Accommodation

   

  • It is mandatory that you book a ‘SHA Plus’ hotel for the first fourteen <14> nights in Phuket. 

  • Residing in a private residence is not allowed on the first fourteen <14> nights for COVID-19 control purposes

  • You MAY move to another ‘SHA Plus’ hotel(s) after your first seven <7> nights in Phuket. 

  • Once you have made your ‘SHA Plus’ hotel reservation(s), you must advise the hotel(s)/tour operator(s) or OTA(s) that you are joining the “Phuket Sandbox” project so that the hotel(s) can enter your booking details into the ‘SHAPBA’ (SHA Plus Booking Authentication) system and you will then receive a QR code and Reference number as required by the ‘Certificate of Entry’ application. No other forms of confirmation of reservation will be accepted. 

  • All ‘SHA Plus’ hotel bookings must be fully pre-paid for the first fourteen <14> nights or less if you are planning to stay in Phuket for less than fourteen <14> nights.

   

  https://www.phuket-sandbox.com/copy-of-faq

•  

[candide]

1 hour ago, ThaiVisaCentre said:

We have been updating the list of hotels on our index for the Phuket Sandbox.

So far we have 150 SHA Plus approved properties, and we expect maybe 100 more by the end of the month.

Hopefully it's one of the easiest ways to search through them.

https://asq.in.th/phuket-sandbox-hotels

Great! Thank you! 

As more hotel are added, it would be nice to have a location filter, at least for the most popular areas, I.e. Patong, Kamala,  etc...

[asiam110]

Someone mentioned its been pushed out to 9th July a few hours ago? Cant access facebook at the moment to quote source as they've blocked my account until I do some upload photo nonsense

[DrJack54]

36 minutes ago, asiam110 said:

Someone mentioned its been pushed out to 9th July a few hours ago? Cant access facebook at the moment to quote source as they've blocked my account until I do some upload photo nonsense

July 1. 

Just check various sources including Facebook. Most likely some clown stating July 9

[ThaiVisaCentre]

5 hours ago, candide said:

Great! Thank you! 

As more hotel are added, it would be nice to have a location filter, at least for the most popular areas, I.e. Patong, Kamala,  etc...

Thank you for the feedback.

We will look into adding an additional location filter for sandbox search.