Samui To Phuket

[KVJ]

Just thought I'd put this up for the benefit of anyone thinking of traveling to Phuket with Bamboo House: DON'T!

An advertised 6 hour trip turned into a 12 hour one with multiple changes of minibus en route. The Holiday Travel office in Surat (where you change to the minibus) flogs additional tickets for 300baht per person (on top of the original fare!) to take passengers directly to their hotels in Phuket.

Total disaster.

[PattayaPhom]

I think they are all the same.......pick up from hotel about 6.30am, first ferry to mainland then shuffled about in Surat till miday....after a slow drive to Phuket stopping for food and then of course a stop at the travel agents in Phuket so you book a room at premium price. This system has been going on for years and the only optionis are fly or go it alone by car/bike...shame really but nowt can be done.

[limbos]

There's also the regular government bus option, used to leaved from Nathon.

[PoorSucker]

"999" bus or Sombat bus.

Big VIP-buses price controlled by the government.

Never book at a travel agency, you get stuck in minibus hell with the rest of the tourists.

Ask your self why is there's not any locals on my bus, answer: you have been conned.

[NHJ]

to go to phuket never take a minibus you'll have this kind of problem for sure, take the phantip 1970 bus from nathon, leaves at 7H30 and 9H30 everyday, the last one is using the southern road to reach phuket(don't ask me what's the difference).

they'll stop a lot of time to take people and you'll experience a very quick change of bus in surat(10min max).

price is 430 baht(including boat) and will take around 8hours.

http://www.phantiptravel.com/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=5〈=th

their offices do speak english btw.

[KVJ]

Good information. I guess the lesson in this is always take the regular bus option rather than the minibus.

[BangrakBob]

Does anyone have Sombat's Samui office number?

[joe84330]

i've used bamboo house a number of times over the years and never had any problem with my bus trips to hat yai or elsewhere. never been diverted or redirected or held hostage in a travel agents shop to buy overpriced rooms.

[limbos]

In my early days on Samui, I've used Bamboo House as well several times, never had a problem with them.

Edited November 16, 2011 by limbos

[BigC]

Thanks for posting that.

It is amazing with all these corrupt style companys and taxis. Must leave a huge vacum for someone to do a legit service and they would clean up.

For example if one driver turned on his meter i bet people would fight to get to his or her car.

If one person opened a direct service from samui to phuket with no stringes attached then i am sure the bus would take off.

Could even have business class buses to Phuket but who would trust them. Pay more as advertised and still get crap.

Too many people think short term out here.

Just grab the money quickly and piss the customer off and grab as much as possible than thinking long term where with all these un trusted people if some people were to be trusted then if they worked togethe then business could flow much more smoothly. less head aches and more stable income problem is that to some people tryng to do things properly they consider that in istelf to be a head ache.

hence the word lazy.

What these people do not realise is that they are making life hard for themselves going around chasing every 100 baht here and there rarther than doing less work having a stable income.

Surley it cannot be that hard to have a bus that goes direct from A - B. In fact i would pay a bit extra to not have to stop.

Anyway i just fly. you cannot stop in the air if u do then the only time u have to complain shall be from the moment u fall to the moment u hit the ground. Squash!

[stiggy]

Book in advance with budget car costs 900 bht perday drive your self .

if theres three of you its actually good value including the petrol costs.

Can then drop of car at Phuket airport or in patong office.

[BigC]

can drop for free after 7 days or they charge u an extra day dropping fine.

though as u say for 3 people doesn't work out too bad also u could drive back to samui if u r only there for 1 week or less or more.

plus u can pay extra for full inssurence. u need cipy passport credit card for deposit and driving liscence. budget are better than AVis

bidget u can settle the bill at the end in cash avia they take off your card.

also for some reason it is more expensive in samui to rent than phuket.

best boo online