one week in deep south - recommendations?

[hermespan]

I land in Had Yai by air and intend to visit Dannok, Betong or Sungei Golok as well.

Anyone care to offer their pros and cons of each destination? No place is perfect. Not even Udon.

My interests are nightlife, vegetarian INDIAN food (not Chinese) and hot springs.

[recom273]

One week in HY .. Sounds like hell ! And I live there.

Nightlife - dannok .. I describe it as Las Vegas in the middle of a rubber tree forest. Discos and karaoke - Great for meeting beautiful ladies , cons - there's always a catch.

Vegetarian - there are 2 Indian restaurants in hat yai - Namaste - google the name.

There aren't any hot springs in Songkhla as far as I know.

Betong - is great if you ride a motorbike - there's enough there to keep you busy for a couple of days - the tunnels - reservoir - possible hot springs - garden - waterfalls ( Yala ) but you'll be stuck if you don't ride or drive - it's also very very Chinese - but it's a unique and amazing place, I find it quite calming and friendly, a good Malaysian family destination for the weekend.

Golok - avoid the place - too close to Narathiwat - a little too dangerous, but too seedy. I think if you like to go to discos, meet Malaysians then Dannok is a better choice as closer to hat yai.

[recom273]

I'm never scared living here - I don't want to perpetuate the BS that the south is a dangerous place, I have a big bike and I have travelled throughout the provinces for the last 15 years without incident, but the four provinces are very different places to Thailand - it's common to stop in villages where the first language is yawi and they speak a broken Thai with a malay accent.

Hat yai / songkhla / Dannok are fine .. When you get as far as Chana, you see roadblocks - pattani - an increase in mobile military units - Yala i consider dangerous - You see very professional, very alert, very well armed plain clothes military units - for a reason.

Unless there is a specific reason for visiting past Chana / nathawi .. Don't go .. There's nothing to see that you can't see in other perfectly safe places in Thailand.