Social Group For Retired People And Partners

[petercallen]

Are there any retired people Who would be interested in forming a social group, most people i meet are restricted by work commitments etc.

and are limited in time when it comes to doing anything.

I am thinking of things like short trips where you do not rush and stop to see anything of interest and have no time schedule and if there is a

lot to see stop over night before shifting on, maybe 2 or 3 day trips to adjoining provinces

A night out at a restaurant or a barbecue there are plenty of things to do if you are not restricted by other commitments

We have two spare seats in our car for anyone interested in trips and seeing the real Thailand

As far as accommodation is concerned as long as it is clean self contained and if its hot air conditioned that's all we want and like eating

at local restaurants and meeting local people. .

[petercallen]

Interesting, there cannot be to many retired people here with Thai partners who like to travel.

The reason i started the post is my wife's English is getting better all the time but she is shy when we travel overseas and

will only talk to me , the one overseas trip we did with another couple she had a Thai lady to talk to and felt more comfortable.

We stop in 3/4 star hotels when we travel i don't book 5 star hotels you seem to be paying for a fancy lobby and not much else

We intend going to Bali this year and the 5 star hotels the last time i was there were at a separate beach away from all the action

and fun and you even had a problem catching a taxi there because they would drop there passengers of and if no one was waiting

return straight away to the main tourist area.

We went to Krabi and stopped overnight at songkran the resort we stopped at had 3 stars, the resort was old, the rooms were

musty and the air conditioning work very poorly in fact it stopped working in our friends room in the middle of the night.

We voted it minus 2 stars, i don't think there is an independent organization who gives star ratings here i think they must rate

themselves, thats why when travelling here of peak i dont book in advance and always ask to see the room before paying if no

one can recommend a hotel to stop at, you get better rooms doing it that way, take your laptop with you if you find a hotel you do

like the look of with out checking book on the internet get the discount price and turn up 10 minutes later.

[madmitch]

Interesting, there cannot be to many retired people here with Thai partners who like to travel.

The reason i started the post is my wife's English is getting better all the time but she is shy when we travel overseas and

will only talk to me , the one overseas trip we did with another couple she had a Thai lady to talk to and felt more comfortable.

We stop in 3/4 star hotels when we travel i don't book 5 star hotels you seem to be paying for a fancy lobby and not much else

We intend going to Bali this year and the 5 star hotels the last time i was there were at a separate beach away from all the action

and fun and you even had a problem catching a taxi there because they would drop there passengers of and if no one was waiting

return straight away to the main tourist area.

We went to Krabi and stopped overnight at songkran the resort we stopped at had 3 stars, the resort was old, the rooms were

musty and the air conditioning work very poorly in fact it stopped working in our friends room in the middle of the night.

We voted it minus 2 stars, i don't think there is an independent organization who gives star ratings here i think they must rate

themselves, thats why when travelling here of peak i dont book in advance and always ask to see the room before paying if no

one can recommend a hotel to stop at, you get better rooms doing it that way, take your laptop with you if you find a hotel you do

like the look of with out checking book on the internet get the discount price and turn up 10 minutes later.

Peter, that's an interesting way of doing it but can be time-consuming, I would have thought, especially if you don't have your own transport.

There are many review sites on the net. Many of the big booking engine sites have review sections and they don't edit them as if they don't sell one hotel they'll likely sell another. It doesn't matter to them.

Tripadvisor is the best independent site. Reviews and ratings come from travellers. Remember to read between the lines. Some people find fault with the best hotels as a matter of course and a backpacker may highly rate anything that offers basic comfort at a cheap price.

B

[petercallen]

Peter, that's an interesting way of doing it but can be time-consuming, I would have thought, especially if you don't have your own transport.

There are many review sites on the net. Many of the big booking engine sites have review sections and they don't edit them as if they don't sell one hotel they'll likely sell another. It doesn't matter to them.

Tripadvisor is the best independent site. Reviews and ratings come from travellers. Remember to read between the lines. Some people find fault with the best hotels as a matter of course and a backpacker may highly rate anything that offers basic comfort at a cheap price.

B

Yes i am aware of what you are saying,I was talking about stopping in small towns when you are traveling around and have no set destination each day.

We went to Bangkok last October and i put a post on this forum asking for recommendations on what hotel to stay in i know a lot of expats travel to Bangkok

It was shifted to the Bangkok forum (how many expats in Bangkok live in hotels) the only answer i received was from an expat living in Pattaya, we stopped

in the hotel he recommended and were quite happy with it.

I have had a PM from someone who is interested and one other couple is fine, if other people are interested that's good to..

I do have my own car i bought a new Toyota within 3 months of arriving in Thailand and it needs a good run its not used a lot.

I have 2 spare seats i do not require them, i was thinking of other people who may be interested but don't have a car.

[LivinLOS]

We stop in 3/4 star hotels when we travel i don't book 5 star hotels you seem to be paying for a fancy lobby and not much else

I discovered a while ago I (we) are the same.. I now look for the smaller guesthouse or boutique type hotel over a glitzy one. I love it when you find a family run or simply well handles small place, where you feel remembered and valued. Plus I think my wife finds posher places a bit intimidating, shes far happier to crunch some crab and be relaxed than worry about which cutlery to use.

OT but Balis fun.. and even smelly Kuta has some enjoyable stuff so would advise being close but not in.. Legian Seminyak is a good compromise IMO, Sanur I never really get a feel for and Nusa dua is strange in its 'not for balinese' roadblocks and segregation. Of course ubud and trips round the northern loop are also recommended.

[petercallen]

We stop in 3/4 star hotels when we travel i don't book 5 star hotels you seem to be paying for a fancy lobby and not much else

I discovered a while ago I (we) are the same.. I now look for the smaller guesthouse or boutique type hotel over a glitzy one. I love it when you find a family run or simply well handles small place, where you feel remembered and valued. Plus I think my wife finds posher places a bit intimidating, shes far happier to crunch some crab and be relaxed than worry about which cutlery to use.

OT but Balis fun.. and even smelly Kuta has some enjoyable stuff so would advise being close but not in.. Legian Seminyak is a good compromise IMO, Sanur I never really get a feel for and Nusa dua is strange in its 'not for balinese' roadblocks and segregation. Of course ubud and trips round the northern loop are also recommended.

Thanks i stopped in Legian last time i was there (a long time ago) i am going to book a hotel there when we go this time,

Its always good to have up to date information.

[petercallen]

I started this post to test the water it wont be an old foggies club.

We have friends much younger than us we have been away with and we had a great time but they have a business and are restricted on when they can travel.

We are going to Chang Mai in November when the flower festival is on and there is already talk of hiring a Mini bus as other people are interested.

Its about finding like minded people getting together socially and discussing what we would like to do and when we would like to do it.

Thai ladies like a Thai lady/ladies company especially when traveling overseas and i enjoy good company no matter where they are from.

I/we are thinking about going for a European holiday next year, i have not told the wife because if i did she would already be packing the bag.