My sandbox experience

[PoorSucker]

Hi my fellow Samui Expats. 

I'm back in Thailand 

 

I'm in the Phuket sandbox 7+7 program right now.

 

Flew Stockholm to Phuket via Doha with Qatar airways. 

 

When arriving in Phuket Airport they check all your paperwork. 

 

1. COE

2. Proof of vaccination. 

3. Negative PCR test 72h before departure. 

4. SHABA hotel booking. 

5. Insurance 

 

Here's a tip, pay extra for a seat closest to exit. 

There will be a long long wait. 

I got off first and was first served after first and Business class. 

 

 

 

After that you pass immigration. 

Pick up your luggage. 

 

At the exit of the airport you will take your first of three PCR tests. 

 

Took a taxi to my hotel in Patong for 640 baht. 

 

Waited for 4h and got an email confirming my negative test. 

 

Hotel staff called me to inform that I'm free to roam Phuket. 

Was not denied beer in Phuket, although beer was served in mugs...

 

The Samui Extra Plus only have a few hotels for the first seven days starting at 30.000 baht for a week, second week there are more and cheaper hotels to choose from. 

 

My hotel in Phuket is only 650 baht per night. 

Same as my hotel on Samui second week.

 

Also in the Samui program you're stuck in your hotel for a week, it's just a stupid money grab by the participant hotels. 

 

In Samui Airport everybody was crammed into the same snake line to show my papers. 

Must have been the single moment that I could be infected during my stay so far. 

 

Now I'm in my Samui hotel. 

They informed me I can't ride my own motorcycle, must use taxi mafia. 

I'll rather walk. 

 

Comparing Phuket and Samui sandbox. 

Phuket wins by far, can't recommend the Samui variety.

It seems Samui still goes for money grab in every situation. 

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

Now I'm in my Samui hotel. 

They informed me I can't ride my own motorcycle, must use taxi mafia. 

I'll rather walk. 

Thats utterly ridiculous... IF you are free to walk around Samui, on what basis can they possibly deny your use of a rented or private vehicle ?

 

In that very situation I would just rent a bike and use it, they can’t really stop you. 

 

------------

 

 

My hotel (in Phuket) insisted that I register with them on a daily basis with the Mor Chana App (which they would scan) - on a couple of days I went out an no one was in reception to register with. By 6pm the hotel were calling me to ‘come back and register’... I just told them it wasn’t my problem they were not there, I sent a screen print of my Mor Chana QR code - they had little choice but to accept that. 

Strangely, the second hotel not once asked to see my Mor Chana App !

(in Phuket I stayed at 2 separate SHA Plus hotels, each for a week - in Rawai and Bang Tao).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

Also in the Samui program you're stuck in your hotel for a week, it's just a stupid money grab by the participant hotels. 

This is also ridiculous.

 

Are you stuck in the hotel room for a week, or do you mean that in the first week an arrival to Samui has to remain on hotel grounds for the first week ?

 

 

 

Also, IF doing the Sandbox in Phuket for the first week, are you then stuck in your hotel for a week in Samui, or is that considered the second week of Sandbox / Samui Plus quarantine and you are free to use the Island ?

 

 

 

[Tropicalevo]

Welcome home PoorSucker. ????

[gearbox]

Thanks for sharing your experience,  I'm coming back to Thailand in the Phuket Sandbox early November. I'm planning to spend all 14 days in Phuket as the weather in November is not good in Samui. My gf will come there and will bring me my kayak, it would be far better experience than the ASQ in Bangkok.

 

What visa did you use to come back and did you have to provide 40/400 health insurance for the CoE in addition to the 100K Covid insurance?

[PoorSucker]

16 hours ago, gearbox said:

What visa did you use to come back and did you have to provide 40/400 health insurance for the CoE in addition to the 100K Covid insurance?

I came on a single entry B-visa. 

Only had to show the 100K Covid insurance for 14 days. 

The embassy in Stockholm still demanded a ticket out for my COE. 

I bought a premium refundable ticket to Singapore after my initial 14 days. 

[PoorSucker]

22 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Are you stuck in the hotel room for a week, or do you mean that in the first week an arrival to Samui has to remain on hotel grounds for the first week ?

If you enter the Samui program first week you are stuck with the hotel. 

You can only do tourist excursions with the hotel. 

This is why I spent first week in Phuket. 

[PoorSucker]

22 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Also, IF doing the Sandbox in Phuket for the first week, are you then stuck in your hotel for a week in Samui, or is that considered the second week of Sandbox / Samui Plus quarantine and you are free to use the Island ?

It's considered second week and I'm free to move around. 

[Gulfsailor]

Hey Poorsucker. I’m following your itinerary. Currently in a hotel in Patong, but tomorrow I’ll fly to Samui to do my 2nd sandbox week there. No one told me I can’t use my own transport while back on Samui. If thats the case I’ll just park my car outside the hotel, as I only intend to sleep and enjoy the breakfast there. Oh and take looong showers to get my money’s worth. ????

[rskdev21]

"The Samui Extra Plus only have a few hotels for the first seven days starting at 30.000 baht for a week, second week there are more and cheaper hotels to choose from."

 

So, basically $900.00 USD for 7 day's? What a scam. Not paying that. Will wait. I don't like to throw money away like that. And the Thais know they got you in a corner, so they are going to gouge like never before.

[EricTh]

I am amazed at the amount of difficulties/torture/fees that one has to go just to come to Thailand.

 

I prefer not to be subjected to all these tests and quarantine fees just to go to a country.

 

Hopefully, that will change in Nov or Dec.

 

 

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

That's a lot of pain and suffering. As always, the devil's in the details. Thanks everyone for your input.  I'll be returning to Thailand from a month in the home country. I hope Pattaya will be a better deal and open for "tourists" in November.  I'll also be keeping an eye on the "sandbox" proposals that may be coming from Cambodia and Vietnam. 

 

Can't ride your own motorcycle? Outrageous. 

[Scouse123]

I will just wait for the UK to get real and accept Thai administered vaccines once we are off the Red list and Thailand drops the quarantine for our return.

 

I am just not prepared to walk in this minefield of tests, rules and regulations.

[PoorSucker]

1 hour ago, rskdev21 said:

So, basically $900.00 USD for 7 day's?

Yes.

My first seven days I stayed in Phuket instead. 

650 baht/night  for my 4 star hotel. 

[arithai12]

Great info PoorSucker, thanks and welcome back.

Can you comment on your Qatar flights? How was the seat occupancy, can one hope to have some extra space also in Economy or is it elbow-to-elbow?

And transfer procedure in Doha, did you feel at risk of infection there?

[SteveMdmt]

"650 baht/night  for my 4 star hotel."  Where did you stay PoorSucker ?

[PoorSucker]

45 minutes ago, arithai12 said:

Great info PoorSucker, thanks and welcome back.

Can you comment on your Qatar flights? How was the seat occupancy, can one hope to have some extra space also in Economy or is it elbow-to-elbow?

And transfer procedure in Doha, did you feel at risk of infection there?

It was perfect. 

One empty seat between all passengers. Great legroom. 

I have pretty long legs and I had to best legroom ever in coach.

No worries in Doha, every other seat in waiting areas was sealed off

[PoorSucker]

41 minutes ago, SteveMdmt said:

"650 baht/night  for my 4 star hotel."  Where did you stay PoorSucker ?

The Lantern,  soi sansabai.

Crawling distance from soi Bangla.

[geisha]

PoorSucker Hi,  so the initial rule where you had to fly direct , home country to Phuket is not actual ?

i have two options, Emirates France Phuket via Dubai,  or , Singapore Airlines Paris via Singapore. 
Is this good, thanks !

[PoorSucker]

11 minutes ago, geisha said:

PoorSucker Hi,  so the initial rule where you had to fly direct , home country to Phuket is not actual ?

i have two options, Emirates France Phuket via Dubai,  or , Singapore Airlines Paris via Singapore. 
Is this good, thanks !

Yes.

Not directly from your homecounty.

You must fly directly into Phuket, can't transfer in Bangkok 

[Raphael Hythlodaeus]

Congratulations for navigating through all this.

I hope people realize the Thai government just want your money but not you in person. It's been the same for decades but now they are facing a brick wall economically.

[roquefort]

Does anyone know if there is a flight operating out of Phuket to Khon Kaen at the moment? I'll be there next month.

[nofarang]

Hi Poos Sucker and thanks for sharing. Can you say, how much you paid for the three PCR tests of for one?

 

[steevjee]

On 9/23/2021 at 4:28 PM, richard_smith237 said:

Thats utterly ridiculous... IF you are free to walk around Samui, on what basis can they possibly deny your use of a rented or private vehicle ?

 

In that very situation I would just rent a bike and use it, they can’t really stop you. 

 

------------

 

 

My hotel (in Phuket) insisted that I register with them on a daily basis with the Mor Chana App (which they would scan) - on a couple of days I went out an no one was in reception to register with. By 6pm the hotel were calling me to ‘come back and register’... I just told them it wasn’t my problem they were not there, I sent a screen print of my Mor Chana QR code - they had little choice but to accept that. 

Strangely, the second hotel not once asked to see my Mor Chana App !

(in Phuket I stayed at 2 separate SHA Plus hotels, each for a week - in Rawai and Bang Tao).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm heading there soon and looking for Hotel recommendations/prices if you can kindly assist. Welcome to pm me

[SunsetT]

????

[SunsetT]

5 hours ago, geisha said:

PoorSucker Hi,  so the initial rule where you had to fly direct , home country to Phuket is not actual ?

i have two options, Emirates France Phuket via Dubai,  or , Singapore Airlines Paris via Singapore. 
Is this good, thanks !

Emirates automatically includes free insurance for the duration of your stay up to a year which satisfies Thai requirements for a COE (if its a one-way flight, cover is for 31 days max).

[SunsetT]

4 hours ago, roquefort said:

Does anyone know if there is a flight operating out of Phuket to Khon Kaen at the moment? I'll be there next month.

check Skyscanner or momondo.com for all available flights

[MrJ2U]

On 9/23/2021 at 1:19 PM, PoorSucker said:

Now I'm in my Samui hotel. 

They informed me I can't ride my own motorcycle, must use taxi mafia. 

I'll rather walk. 

Ridiculous.

 

Thanks for the report.

[JimmyJ]

12 hours ago, rskdev21 said:

"The Samui Extra Plus only have a few hotels for the first seven days starting at 30.000 baht for a week, second week there are more and cheaper hotels to choose from."

 

So, basically $900.00 USD for 7 day's? What a scam. Not paying that. Will wait. I don't like to throw money away like that. And the Thais know they got you in a corner, so they are going to gouge like never before.

+1.

 

Town has no tourists so the Thai solution is to raise prices.

 

 

 

$900 - That's more than I like to pay to buy a car.

[ChaiyaTH]

Have to be honest, at 650B a night and basically being free to roam and drink in Phuket, is not really a pain to do at all. Still would be the 3x 3000 baht for tests aside of paperwork and insurance costs then, better than nothing at all for longstayers but doubt tourists like it. 

10-15K baht extra cost might not sound like a lot but for most young and new travelers that is the difference to fly for a bit more to Mexico etc from Europe too. I personally picked Asia at the time just because tickets saved me that 300 euro more (aside of fear testing positive and then being locked up or having even more costs and no holiday left, doubt this attracts backpackers or fearful elderly couples that never went here before - let alone families).