Southern Thailand Recommendation?

[skyd1gger]

After a week in BKK with my 30 y.o. viet wife I want to relax for 7-10 days.

Possibly Phuket, Krabi or somewhere else. I've been to Koh Samui but nowhere else south of Bangkok.

We're looking for fairly close access to beautiful beaches/snorkelling but we don't want to be too secluded. We'd like to be reasonably close to some good restaurants too.

Not really interested in bars or nightlife...

We'll be travelling in February and are budgeting about $125 a night for accomodation...

Any recommendations on where to go or where to stay?

thanks...

[craigt3365]

This is a great source of info for the various islands and beaches here:

http://tezza-thailandbeachesandislands.blogspot.com/

There are just sooooo many options. Phuket, Krabi, Lanta, Phi Phi, Tao. I loved this resort off the coast of Koh Tao:

http://www.nangyuan.com/

No restaurants nearby, but it's a pretty cool place to stay for a few nights.

[wardje]

don't forget to look at Khao Lak. Great beaches, a wide variety of hotels and for the budget mentioned lots of choice.

Locals are still recovering from the Tsunami, and try to please tourists as much as possible. Great seafood restaurants for honest prices.

[skyd1gger]

thanks....

[keeniau96]

I have been living on Phuket for about 10 years now and it has all the things you want. Feb is a very good time to be here, past the big tourist rush and still relatively cool. Avoid the Chinese New Year time. If coming here avoid like the plague the tuk-tuks and be suspicious of the minibuses at the airport. Do not go on the jet-skis because they are a dangerous ripoff here. Many great package deals will be available, look for them at the hotel travel sites eg. Agoda, Asia Rooms.

[skyd1gger]

ok...i'm leaning towards Ao Nang...but still searching for the right resort...

I don't want my Vietnamese wife to be uncomfortable. Isn't Phuket full of bargirls and massage parlors?

[craigt3365]

ok...i'm leaning towards Ao Nang...but still searching for the right resort...

I don't want my Vietnamese wife to be uncomfortable. Isn't Phuket full of bargirls and massage parlors?

Phuket has some really, really nice beaches. Just avoid Patong and you're fine. We spent a week on Bang Tao beach at the Dusit and it was great. If you've got the bucks, the Banyan Tree is probably the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in. But we were lucky and got it for free for 2 nights...it was a pool villa room. Incredible.

I don't think we saw even a karaoke bar during our whole visit there on Bang Tao beach.

[irishken]

ok...i'm leaning towards Ao Nang...but still searching for the right resort...

I don't want my Vietnamese wife to be uncomfortable. Isn't Phuket full of bargirls and massage parlors?

if you are been put of by bar girls and massage parlours you'll be disappointed to know that Ao Nang has them to but not in as high a number as phuket. as does many of the resorts in south thailand. just keep to yourself and you will be ok

[skyd1gger]

ok...i'm leaning towards Ao Nang...but still searching for the right resort...

I don't want my Vietnamese wife to be uncomfortable. Isn't Phuket full of bargirls and massage parlors?

if you are been put of by bar girls and massage parlours you'll be disappointed to know that Ao Nang has them to but not in as high a number as phuket. as does many of the resorts in south thailand. just keep to yourself and you will be ok

We wake up early and go to bed early so I guess the bars aren't going to be much of an issue anyway. Would you recommend Phuket over Krabi or would you do 4 nights in each place?

[Mooner]

Railey or Hat Noppharat in Krabi.

Areas of Phi Phi are nice too. Great snorkelling areas around here too.

[Mooner]

Can't see the weather being very kind to you this time of year!

[skyd1gger]

Can't see the weather being very kind to you this time of year!

I like to plan ahead.

We're coming in February....

[irishken]

ok...i'm leaning towards Ao Nang...but still searching for the right resort...

I don't want my Vietnamese wife to be uncomfortable. Isn't Phuket full of bargirls and massage parlors?

if you are been put of by bar girls and massage parlours you'll be disappointed to know that Ao Nang has them to but not in as high a number as phuket. as does many of the resorts in south thailand. just keep to yourself and you will be ok

We wake up early and go to bed early so I guess the bars aren't going to be much of an issue anyway. Would you recommend Phuket over Krabi or would you do 4 nights in each place?

i spent a week with my wife on phi phi and loved it. relaxing drinking beer on the beach in the day time with and some excursions like renting long tail boats filled up our time nice and we would just have some nice food at night and relax watching fire shows at night.

i found phi phi better than railay for my wife as there is a better selection of thai food for her as there is more of a thai community on phi phi. we will be returning there for another week in feb next year. so there is more to do than on railay or ao nang in my opinion.

[craigt3365]

We weren't impressed by Railay beach either. Sure, at low tide it's really beautiful. High tide, almost the entire beach is gone. The east side of Railay is just a mud flat and it's packed with cheap backpackers.

I haven't been to Phi Phi since the tsunami. But I've read there are also resorts scattered all around the island, so if you want peace and quiet, it's available also. Phi Phi is beautiful for sure.