Recommendation For Affordable Beach

[hornuts]

Just got late word that my girlfriend will visit Thai for Songkran. I'm looking for recommendations on a beach destination (preferably in the South, but would welcome arguments for / against ko chang) that's not going to hurt the wallet but can still get decent, couple-suitable accommodation. I'm currently not paid for what I do in Thai so really need to keep the expenses down. Also I haven't seen a beach in over a year so it needs to be a beach destination!

Also any suggestions for good websites for Thailand hotel bookings would be appreciated. I used asiarooms and got a great rate for a hotel in Phuket in 2007, but am not generally in the habit of booking beforehand when going somewhere in Thailand, and I don't know if a better option has emerged since then. Thanks

[PattayaParent]

^check out the thread on the best hotel search engines.

But they're not likely to have the low end backpacker places listed.

Edit: Try Lonely Planet for them

Edited April 6, 2010 by PattayaParent

[Nio]

Koh Chang is great for couples and has a good Songkron party on main street

You can take the ferry over to the island, ride into town and check all the accomodations in person

You can always make a better deal in person

I recommend Klong Phrao Beach. Super clean and nice for long walks.

You can rent a moped for 200 baht a day and ride around the whole island together.

Explore the freshwater waterfalls, fishing village etc.

Nice place for romance

[tonititan]

You can always make a better deal in person

I wouldn't necessarily agree with such a generalization that you can always get better walk-in rates. I have had several experiences in which walk-in rates were actually more expensive. I prefer to book ahead, but sometimes my friends will join me and try to find a room when we arrive. They are often quoted prices (for the same type of room) that are much higher than what I paid. Three weeks ago I went to Koh Chang and paid 2100 baht/night. My friend was offered the same room type for 4000 baht. The hotel was not willing to negotiate, even when we showed them my booking details. It seems like a lot of it might come down to demand.

I do agree that you can often find the cheapest places when you walk-in. That is because many of the cheapest bungalows and hotels do not take advance bookings, or they are not listed in hotel search engines. But the cheapest rate for a given hotel is not necessarily the walk-in rate.

Personally I would be weary of not having a reservation during Songkran week. I would guess that you wouldn't be able to negotiate as much during a busy time like that. But then again, I've never tried because I always pre-book when I'm traveling on holiday weekends or during peak travel times like Songkran, so maybe I'm off the mark here.

[keeniau96]

Songkran can be difficult booking, and your major problem will be the travel costs and availability. Phuket hotels should be fairly available. A very decent place in Patong is Azzurro on 200 Year Road (Thanon Song Loy Bpee). One block from the beach, clean and decent. I stayed there for a month some years ago, never a problem. Many restaurants and nightlife just a few meters away. Owned by an Italian dude who lives there. Think it may be about 1000 baht/night now, good aircon (needed right now).

[ESB7]

Cha am has to be the best place to celebrate Songran. Rooms from 400 baht+ but will need to book now though. Google hotels. Only 90 minutes from bkk.. cheap, cheerfull and great fun although probably the busiest place in Thailand at that time.

[witold]

If you know where you're going and how long you're staying, booking on line is preferable . If you are staying a longer time, you should call up and negotiate a discount on top of online booking price.

Walking in works OK and this is what I usually do, but I don't think I ever priced things lower than latestays.com. They put their lowest possible promo rates online and they will not go lower when you show up. It could be just me, a pasty white American tourist. It could be different if you speak Thai, etc...

Additionally, several hotels I went to I simply asked them to match latestays rate for that night, and they said they simply couldn't and I would have to book through the site. (which was not possible for the same night.)

[soloman]

Several hotels have told me that they cannot discount and that I should go to the internet (I have even used the internet in a hotel to book that hotel) thaihotels.com. Agoda, hoteltravel.com. and lastminute.com are good for comparison.