Ok - I know you can't drive to the islands - but I want to visit the islands and drive from BKK in personal car (no bus, no train unless you'll babysit the kids). How long does it take to get there if we left early one morning from downtown BKK. What would be the city we'd travel to?

Surin islands? I don't think Surin has any islands but if you mean Samui and Ko Phangan then you would head down to Surat Thani and then south east to a place called Don Sak and this is where you would get the ferry. Maybe 11 hours steady driving then 2 on the boat. Boat is around 600 baht for car + one, one way. Roads are good the whole way but drive carefull as the lorry and van drivers in particular are idots!

It takes maybe 9-10 hours to drive to Phang Nga from BK. Have a look at surin-islands.com that site should help you. I'm told that we will be going and that we will book it at the next Travel Fair!

Another option is similians.net Plenty of good advice on both sites.

Surin islands? I don't think Surin has any islands but if you mean Samui and Ko Phangan then you would head down to Surat Thani and then south east to a place called Don Sak and this is where you would get the ferry. Maybe 11 hours steady driving then 2 on the boat. Boat is around 600 baht for car + one, one way. Roads are good the whole way but drive carefull as the lorry and van drivers in particular are idots!

the Surin islands are not in Surin province. They are on the Andaman coast north of Phuket.

It takes maybe 9-10 hours to drive to Phang Nga from BK. Have a look at surin-islands.com that site should help you. I'm told that we will be going and that we will book it at the next Travel Fair!

Another option is similians.net Plenty of good advice on both sites.

I'd recommend staying overnight and leaving from Khuraburi, it's the usual jumping-off place. I worked there for 6 months, great little town, a beautiful little bungalow resort right on the small river that goes through town, you'll enjoy it, and it's easy to get to the Surin boat from there.