State Of Tourism On Samui

[smokie36]

Virt...the price per person is for a minivan transfer. Taxi is a flat fee regardless the number of passengers. (Up to four!)

[insertmembernamehere]

I can live with the 400 Baht from airport to Chaweng North and 400 baht on return day since our travel agent wants 4200 Baht for the same thing,

What??? That can't be right.

[PoorSucker]

All Chaweng origin. How do they determine other fares? Say Bophut -- Ban Po.

Simple.

Boput-Chaweng + Chaweng-Ban Po.

[Virt]

Virt...the price per person is for a minivan transfer. Taxi is a flat fee regardless the number of passengers. (Up to four!)

Ahh ok, that makes sense. Thanks.

I can live with the 400 Baht from airport to Chaweng North and 400 baht on return day since our travel agent wants 4200 Baht for the same thing,

What??? That can't be right.

Yeah sounds outrageous does it not but it's true.

They almost trippled their transfer prices this year.

They want 800 Danish Kr which is about 4200 Baht.

Maybe they run a limo service now

Last year we paid 290 Danish Kr on our first trip for transfer which is about 1500 Baht so off course we felt they overcharged us a bit after seeing the prices in the airport.

Maybe that's why i think 400 is ok price from airport to Chaweng, considering the prices our travel agent wants

[oldsailor35]

Same old topic, same old answers really.

We don't get as any tourists as we would because of the many we lose to Phuket, Krabi and Pattaya, thanks almost totally to Bangkok Airways.

I believe Samui remains the nicest option of tourist areas despite the locals best efforts to ruin the place with tacky greedy ideas. Shame really, but hey ho. I didn't come here to make a fortune which is a good thing in respect of how things will be here longterm.

As i have posted before, Samui will only really have 14 days per year of it being anything near to full occupancy. All for the usual reasons such as global economy, BKK Aiways, cronic oversupply here etc etc and the average monthly intake of tourists just isn't enough to support all the businesses here.

But still the newbies arrive to throw away their money with stupid ill thought out business ventures which allow gredy landlords to keep raising rents to unsustanable levels. Laughable really which a touch of madness to it.

Not so many Aussies coming here now as they have to fly to Bangkok first unlike Phuket where they fly in direct from all the major Aussie cities on cheap ( to them) package deals.

Bangkok Air have got everybody by the " short and curlies"

[BusyBee123]

Virt...the price per person is for a minivan transfer. Taxi is a flat fee regardless the number of passengers. (Up to four!)

Ahh ok, that makes sense. Thanks.

I can live with the 400 Baht from airport to Chaweng North and 400 baht on return day since our travel agent wants 4200 Baht for the same thing,

What??? That can't be right.

Yeah sounds outrageous does it not but it's true.

They almost trippled their transfer prices this year.

They want 800 Danish Kr which is about 4200 Baht.

Maybe they run a limo service now

Last year we paid 290 Danish Kr on our first trip for transfer which is about 1500 Baht so off course we felt they overcharged us a bit after seeing the prices in the airport.

Maybe that's why i think 400 is ok price from airport to Chaweng, considering the prices our travel agent wants

I used to regularly get a taxi from Central bangkok to the other side of rangsit a 45-50 minute journey and 48 kilometres by highway so some serious distance covered but never cost more than 300baht, so i would still be pissed to have to pay 400baht for such a short journey to Chaweng.

[marstons]

i came to Samui for a week recently after 3 nights i left, could not accept the prices and the grumpy some time's agressive service, not to me but to other travellers, one example in burger king a guy wanted a cheese burger, not have, he replied how can you not have cheese burger. Straight away raised voice get out we call police get you. then when he went bragging about how they tell farang go or call the police. soi reggae was 100 baht a beer, breakfast 120 for a small and upward of 200 for decent one. pictures demonstrate why people go else where.beer price is prity much standard and the beach is just ourside pattaya, note no development or chairs on the beach.

The girlie bars have gone off main road through Chaweng but the road in and the road around the lake there are dozens of seedy massage places. the roads were worse than ever. ice bar, sound bar,q bar,boxing etc all had slow pick ups blaring out loud music all night.

i was on a tour of Pattaya, Phuket and Samui. As a tourist i could not wait to get out.

the one way road at the end was worse than i ever saw, and the dredging of the lake was simply stacking the silt around the edge of the lake, so when it rains it will run back into the lake.

High end holiday makers will stay in high end resorts.

the brekkie was 120 baht. beer prices well you can see.

It seems to me that we are comparing oranges, apples and lemons. (Yes - Pattaya is the lemon. It's a town and not an island.)

Surely this is the same as saying "I went to Blackpool for a week and England is crapp as a holiday destination!" (Yes - I exaggerate to make the point.) I too stayed in Chewang once -12 years ago, and I vowed never to stay there again! I built a house instead.

A few dodgy areas in Chewang are not what Samui is about. There is very good (cheap if you want it) food out there . Beer as well. A 3/4 star resort near where I live sells small singha at 55 baht a bottle! Another one charges 120 baht. Guess which one I would use.

I am sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience here on the island, but please do not judge it by the few places that you seem to have visited. You have travelled outside of Pattaya (Jomtien) but you seem not to have travelled outside of Chewang! (Absolutely ZERO pick ups blaring out ANY noise where I live.) By the way, most beaches on Samui are clean, wide and also have no development or chairs!

I cannot really comment on comparing Phuket, but friends who live/stay there tell me that the roads are better, the traffic is a much worse and it is more expensive than Samui.

i lived Samui 8 years, know every beach, i live in Banglamung, of which Pattaya is a small part. Few places!!! 15 years ago as tourist for 5 years and live full time 8 years, my judement was made on a return visit. Travelled outside of Chaweng!!! in 8 years give me a break. Navy beaches have zero devlopment just outside Pattaya. Seemed not to have travelled outside of Chaweng, know it like the back of my hand, the island that is. So where are the beach roads, as in road and see beach. hope business is still good.

[Evergreen]

i came to Samui for a week recently after 3 nights i left, could not accept the prices and the grumpy some time's agressive service, not to me but to other travellers, one example in burger king a guy wanted a cheese burger, not have, he replied how can you not have cheese burger. Straight away raised voice get out we call police get you. then when he went bragging about how they tell farang go or call the police. soi reggae was 100 baht a beer, breakfast 120 for a small and upward of 200 for decent one. pictures demonstrate why people go else where.beer price is prity much standard and the beach is just ourside pattaya, note no development or chairs on the beach.

The girlie bars have gone off main road through Chaweng but the road in and the road around the lake there are dozens of seedy massage places. the roads were worse than ever. ice bar, sound bar,q bar,boxing etc all had slow pick ups blaring out loud music all night.

i was on a tour of Pattaya, Phuket and Samui. As a tourist i could not wait to get out.

the one way road at the end was worse than i ever saw, and the dredging of the lake was simply stacking the silt around the edge of the lake, so when it rains it will run back into the lake.

High end holiday makers will stay in high end resorts.

the brekkie was 120 baht. beer prices well you can see.

It seems to me that we are comparing oranges, apples and lemons. (Yes - Pattaya is the lemon. It's a town and not an island.)

Surely this is the same as saying "I went to Blackpool for a week and England is crapp as a holiday destination!" (Yes - I exaggerate to make the point.) I too stayed in Chewang once -12 years ago, and I vowed never to stay there again! I built a house instead.

A few dodgy areas in Chewang are not what Samui is about. There is very good (cheap if you want it) food out there . Beer as well. A 3/4 star resort near where I live sells small singha at 55 baht a bottle! Another one charges 120 baht. Guess which one I would use.

I am sorry to hear that you did not have a good experience here on the island, but please do not judge it by the few places that you seem to have visited. You have travelled outside of Pattaya (Jomtien) but you seem not to have travelled outside of Chewang! (Absolutely ZERO pick ups blaring out ANY noise where I live.) By the way, most beaches on Samui are clean, wide and also have no development or chairs!

I cannot really comment on comparing Phuket, but friends who live/stay there tell me that the roads are better, the traffic is a much worse and it is more expensive than Samui.

i lived Samui 8 years, know every beach, i live in Banglamung, of which Pattaya is a small part. Few places!!! 15 years ago as tourist for 5 years and live full time 8 years, my judement was made on a return visit. Travelled outside of Chaweng!!! in 8 years give me a break. Navy beaches have zero devlopment just outside Pattaya. Seemed not to have travelled outside of Chaweng, know it like the back of my hand, the island that is. So where are the beach roads, as in road and see beach. hope business is still good.

Hmmm...from what little i can actually comprehend from your post it still seems like complete utter nonsense! Your original post was quite rightly vilified for all you mention is the really "important" (NOT) things like Burger King, dredging Chaweng Lake, Soi Reggae blah blah...all of which are Chaweng.

Anyway, in your latest "offering" you seem to be saying you have been all over the Island, you know it like the back of your hand.....then you seem to be saying there are no roads anywhere around the whole Island that you can see the beach??...ha ha ha sorry to chuckle somewhat but, dear oh dear!!

Remember that driving along the 1 way road then turning and coming back along by the lake road does not constitute driving round the whole Island, lol.

Maybe i'm just wrong and all the times i've driven around the Island i must have been imagining things or hallucinating as i was sure on occasions i could see lots of water that i could swear looked like the sea and also golden type of stuff that again i could've swore would have been sand but hey...what do i know, since i was a kid i was told this would be called a beach but obviously you have a complete different definition of what constitutes a beach....ho hum, each to their own i guess...and why someone who obviously detests it so much here lurks around this forum waiting to pounce and vilify the place at any given opportunity is also beyond me....anyway, it's beer o clock

[jamesbrock]

i lived Samui 8 years, know every beach, i live in Banglamung, of which Pattaya is a small part. Few places!!! 15 years ago as tourist for 5 years and live full time 8 years, my judement was made on a return visit. Travelled outside of Chaweng!!! in 8 years give me a break. Navy beaches have zero devlopment just outside Pattaya. Seemed not to have travelled outside of Chaweng, know it like the back of my hand, the island that is. So where are the beach roads, as in road and see beach. hope business is still good.

Hmmm...from what little i can actually comprehend from your post it still seems like complete utter nonsense! Your original post was quite rightly vilified for all you mention is the really "important" (NOT) things like Burger King, dredging Chaweng Lake, Soi Reggae blah blah...all of which are Chaweng.

Anyway, in your latest "offering" you seem to be saying you have been all over the Island, you know it like the back of your hand.....then you seem to be saying there are no roads anywhere around the whole Island that you can see the beach??...ha ha ha sorry to chuckle somewhat but, dear oh dear!!

Remember that driving along the 1 way road then turning and coming back along by the lake road does not constitute driving round the whole Island, lol.

Maybe i'm just wrong and all the times i've driven around the Island i must have been imagining things or hallucinating as i was sure on occasions i could see lots of water that i could swear looked like the sea and also golden type of stuff that again i could've swore would have been sand but hey...what do i know, since i was a kid i was told this would be called a beach but obviously you have a complete different definition of what constitutes a beach....ho hum, each to their own i guess...and why someone who obviously detests it so much here lurks around this forum waiting to pounce and vilify the place at any given opportunity is also beyond me....anyway, it's beer o clock

+1 - I just assumed due the the posting time, that the incoherence was due to either drunkenness or caffeine deprivation!

[insertmembernamehere]

Finally, after years of flooding, an "under-road" channel is being constructed under the T-intersection at the north end of the Lamai beach road. This should prevent the head of the beach road becoming a flowing creek every November.

The stinky section of the Chaweng beach road is being repaired along the gutter, although I am not sure what they are going to do exactly. I think the problem is the camber of the road and I don't see how they can simply replace the gutters without improving the slant of the line.

The whole "block" in front of the Weekender (which included the popular health clinic) in Lamai has been taken over by the Weekender and will, according to the images on the poster, be a "Weekender" shopping complex along the beach road. I suppose this will enhance the "upscale" movement of the area.

[insertmembernamehere]

For those tourists who wanted to furnish their digs with used furniture and what not, bad new in Lamai; the Second Hand Shop is closed.

[ydraw]

Not sure why that health clinic was popular, the doctor charged an arm and a leg. 1000 baht just to say hello.

[brzy]

Finally, after years of flooding, an "under-road" channel is being constructed under the T-intersection at the north end of the Lamai beach road. This should prevent the head of the beach road becoming a flowing creek every November.

The stinky section of the Chaweng beach road is being repaired along the gutter, although I am not sure what they are going to do exactly. I think the problem is the camber of the road and I don't see how they can simply replace the gutters without improving the slant of the line.

The whole "block" in front of the Weekender (which included the popular health clinic) in Lamai has been taken over by the Weekender and will, according to the images on the poster, be a "Weekender" shopping complex along the beach road. I suppose this will enhance the "upscale" movement of the area.

The front block has always belonged to the weekender they are refurbishing the units and rooms above, whilst moving the reception to the new building (being built atm) to where the generators were before.

[samuijimmy]

Has August been a good month for tourists?

From my observation, seems at least Maenam has been quite busy for a while now...

I was quite surprised this afternoon to see two Lomprayah ferries come into Maenam at about 5 pm .... it's not dropped right off as one would think it would given the skools and universities going back in most western countries.....

Although some of the tourists I saw today were well past their university years!

Tour boats seem quite busy too, judging how many where returning from the Marine park or KP / KT today..... as also Zip-line riders and those blessed quad bikes.....

Thankfully Maenam beach is fairly free of Jet ski's...

How about other areas of Samui ?

[Tropicalevo]

Has August been a good month for tourists?

From my observation, seems at least Maenam has been quite busy for a while now...

I was quite surprised this afternoon to see two Lomprayah ferries come into Maenam at about 5 pm .... it's not dropped right off as one would think it would given the skools and universities going back in most western countries.....

Although some of the tourists I saw today were well past their university years!

Tour boats seem quite busy too, judging how many where returning from the Marine park or KP / KT today..... as also Zip-line riders and those blessed quad bikes.....

Thankfully Maenam beach is fairly free of Jet ski's...

How about other areas of Samui ?

It has been busy up here in Plai Laem Jim - and September is about the same. Then nothing booked until December.

Hopefully a break in Oct/Nov unless of course .....

[dorsia]

Here is the link for the very latest Koh Samui Hotel Market Update :

http://www.c9hotelworks.com/downloads/samui-2012-hotel-market-update-2012-08.pdf