Border run from Surat Thani - hostel in Hat Yai

[AngThong]

Hi,

I live on Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province and I need to do a border run next week. I'll probably catch a bus from Surat Thani to Hat Yai, then proceed to the border in a minivan. Return to Hat Yai, spend the night there, return to Phangan the day after.

Can you recommend a clean and cheap place in Hat Yai for one night?

Also I broke my right leg several weeks ago and am only beginning to recover mobility, I can barely walk 50 meters with a crutch. I hope to be able to catch a minivan from the bus station in Hat Yai so I don't need to travel around. Is that possible? I guess motorbike taxis are an option, though with my right leg in a weak condition with some pain, I'd prefer four-wheeled transportation.

Thanks in advance.

[babyjesus]

Cathay Guest House is central and cheap, but maybe not clean. if you can splurge try a $30 per night hotel and you can put up your foot in comfort with aircon. Agoda has the best prices and choic.

[schondie]

The Garden Home Hotel (old wing) is clean and cheap for around 500 baht a night. Air con, hot water and breakfast, It's not too far from the bus station either.

Cathay Guesthouse is probably no cleaner than fourteen years ago when I stayed there.

[AloisAmrein]

There are quit a lot of hotels and guesthouses near Cathay GH. I stayed at Laem Thong hotel, big room for 430 baht. A bit cheaper are Louise GH and Ladda GH on the road to the train station.

[recom273]

Hat Yai is full of reasonable hotels due to the Malaysian weekend trippers. Really, avoid Cathay and all those other guest houses close to Robinsons / Train station, ( for one they are all on the 2nd floor ) they arent good value, 300-400B for a stinking bed with cardboard walls and a shared bathroom. I guess 150-200B for the dorm could be classed as value.

Laem Thong hotel for 450B, never even noticed it, but its a step up from the GH's.

I use to head to Lee Gardens Hotel opposite the Esso garage, although its in need of renovations, think 80's business hotel, i think about 600-700B a night, but for that you get a reasonable bed, air-con, an elevator, a bath with hot water, I find the tuk-tuk's outside pretty fair.

ETS: VL Hat Yai maybe one of the best for you (at Gim Yong intersection) at 550B or a cheap room at Sakura hotel.

The newest hotel in town is a tune hotel, rates are around 800B on a weekday. You just need to search the web, you will find a lot, all are all well-used as they are all fully booked at the weekend. Most of the handy hotels are around niphat-Utit, from there you are close to restaurants and shopping.

I just checked Travelfish, I think their reviews are pretty fair, if it helps.

We have Subaru tuk-tuks in HY, you may find it expensive, but its the price they can get from the Malays, i guess from the bus station to Lee Gardens Hotel / Tune would be 100B.

Which border are you heading to ? If you are recovering, you might want to consider Padang Bezar, you wont be standing around in a queue, you can catch a public minivan to the border ( around 50B from your hotel to the van station near the Plaza ) and when you get to the border there are moto-taxis who will take you around and drop you back at the van station to HY.

The return van will drop you at the bus station automatically, from there you can catch the Surat bus. I would say it takes a morning (4-5 hours) to do a border run.

PM me if you need some info, i live in HY.

Edited February 23, 2014 by recom273

[recom273]

If you want an eye-opener, catch a bus straight to the Danok border, there are plenty of hotels on the border.

[AngThong]

Thanks everyone, very helpful. After some consideration, I think I'm going to take the night train to Padang Besar and return via Hat Yai the next morning. I can sleep on the train and that leg won't require much legwork

However once I'm off the train in Padang Besar and through Thai & Malay border control, do I just walk back to the Thai border control on the railway station & stamp in? And is there somewhere near the railway station I can catch a ride to Hat Yai?

The train should be in Padang Besar at around 8am Thai time so there should be enough time to make it back to Phangan that day. I've taken the train to Butterworth before and I seem to remember the border formalities didn't take that long.

Edited February 23, 2014 by AngThong

[recom273]

The immigration is on the station platform itself, you just walk between two offices, its easy, check out of thailand and into malaysia then, climb a footbridge over the tracks, which brings you out just before the exit from Malaysia (by road), there are sometimes bikes waiting there to bring you back to Thailand, I wouldn't want to do the walk on crutches.

You could, do all 4 stamps on the platform but then you would have to walk back down the tracks to the main road to Padang.

To get to HY you can wait on the main road outside immigration and catch a regular green bus which takes 2 hours to HY bus station or get the moto taxi to run you to the mini van station. The van will first call at the bus station and should drop you off at the train station if you are lucky, if that's your plan.

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[AngThong]

The immigration is on the station platform itself, you just walk between two offices, its easy, check out of thailand and into malaysia then, climb a footbridge over the tracks, which brings you out just before the exit from Malaysia (by road), there are sometimes bikes waiting there to bring you back to Thailand, I wouldn't want to do the walk on crutches.

You could, do all 4 stamps on the platform but then you would have to walk back down the tracks to the main road to Padang.

To get to HY you can wait on the main road outside immigration and catch a regular green bus which takes 2 hours to HY bus station or get the moto taxi to run you to the mini van station. The van will first call at the bus station and should drop you off at the train station if you are lucky, if that's your plan.

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There's no train back to HY? I remember the platform border control, very easy. If I could just get on a North-bound train to HY (or ideally Surat Thani), that would be sweet. I think my train should be in Padang Besar at around 8 am Thai time (9 Malaysian time) unless it's late. I know there's one train much, much later, but I don't fancy waiting all day in Padang Besar nor arriving in Surat Thani around midnight.

I think there's a bus service from Hat Yai directly to Phangan, that would be ideal if there's no return train. If I take the moto taxi to the mini van station, is there much walking or are the taxis waiting directly outside the Padang Besar station? Thanks

[recom273]

You should really talk to immigration in Malaysia, maybe you can do the 4 stamps on the platform, then cross the bridge, pickup a bike ( with your exit stamp already done ) and exit Malaysia, try and get someone from immigration to help you over the bridge and passed the road booth, then whizz through the Thai immigration, I doubt anyone will notice .. But It sounds way dodgy.

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[recom273]

Lol .. on the timetable, there are only 3 scheduled trains a day that stop at Padang, 2 south and 1 north, the morning train leaves Butterworth at 6.30 am, it must pass Padang at 9.50 to get its occupants through immigration, but it's not on the timetable,

It arrives in HY at 11.15 and arrives to Surat at 2025 hrs.

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[AngThong]

Thanks. My leg is improving daily and I think I should be able to walk enough to get back to Hat Yai from Padang Besar (moto taxi + van). I now understand that I will only stamp in to Malaysia on the railway station and do my Malaysia exit & Thailand entry on the road to Hat Yai. I guess the only concern I have left is - will I be in Hat Yai in time to catch a bus to Phangan (or Samui in worst case)? Do you have any idea of their departure & travel times? I've never been on the roads of S Thailand before, only travelled by train & air.

Edited February 23, 2014 by AngThong

[recom273]

Padang station is kind of complicated, the border is half way along the platform but when you exit you are in Malaysia as its tucked behind Malaysian immigration. I think the only exit is via the footbridge and yup there are Thai moto taxis there 'sometimes' that will drop you to the minivan, but if you get you passport stamped 4 times on the platform you will in theory be walking back into Malaysia with a Thai entry already in your passport. The footbridge isn't a long walk, it's the width of 2 train tracks.

Best way is to hope and pray that there's a 1015 from Padang.

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[AngThong]

Padang station is kind of complicated, the border is half way along the platform but when you exit you are in Malaysia as its tucked behind Malaysian immigration. I think the only exit is via the footbridge and yup there are Thai moto taxis there 'sometimes' that will drop you to the minivan, but if you get you passport stamped 4 times on the platform you will in theory be walking back into Malaysia with a Thai entry already in your passport. The footbridge isn't a long walk, it's the width of 2 train tracks.

Best way is to hope and pray that there's a 1015 from Padang.

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1015?

[recom273]

Sorry bro' I don't know the bus times from HY to KPN, i think you may find they go in the evening arriving at Surat in the early hours.

You got the right idea. Stamp out and into Malaysia, if no train, cross bridge, pickup moto, exit Malaysia, enter Thailand, continue with bike to minivan, (which if the train isn't delayed in the first) will get you to HY bus station at 10.30-11.00.

You could catch a regular daytime bus to Surat they must run every hour or so.

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[AngThong]

Thanks a lot.

[recom273]

1015 .. Yeah, check thairailways website and try and work it out, it says it doesn't stop at Padang but it must do.

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[AngThong]

Thanks for your replies everyone. Took the train to the border, stamped out, then back in, took the next train to Hat Yai (supposed to leave at 9.45 am Thai time but left at 10.15). Full report here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/706120-phangan-malaysia-border-run/?p=7505178