Phuket, Krabi, Patong, Ao Nang and Rai Leh

Hi guys, I need some advice from y%26#39;all please, especially if you are familiar with the Southern region of Thailand.

Here%26#39;s my difficult situation. I am flying into Phuket sometime in mid May, and plan to book a hotel for two nights at Patong. Thereafter, we are thinking of taking a ferry (from Phuket Town?) to Phi Phi Island. First of all, how can we get from Patong to Phuket town so quickly in the morning, in time for the first ferry out?

Then it gets more complicated. From Phi Phi, we%26#39;re thinking of leaving for Ao Nang, Rai Leh or Krabi on the SAME day, i.e. we arrive Phi Phi late morning, and leave in a few hours time on the next boat out. Seeing that we want to see Ao Nang and Rai Leh beaches, where should we stay in the Krabi area (the beaches or the town)? Do you recommend that we give Koh Phi Phi a miss, and arrive at Krabi direct from Phuket?

It%26#39;s an ambitious itinerary, but any advice is most appreciated. Thanks a lot!

Phuket, Krabi, Patong, Ao Nang and Rai Leh

Hi

You can easily get a taxi to take you from Patong to Phuket town. Spending just a couple of hours in Phi Phi in my opionion is not worth it you will miss the whole experience. If you are staying in Krabi why not do a day trip tour to Phi Phi. Myself i prefered the the beach at Railay as it was so beautifull but would recomend staying on west railay to east.

Also when i stayed on railay i got a taxi from phuket to krabi my transfer a year ago was 2500baht. There are many drivers on this forum site who do this trip might be easier than your itinerary.

Julie

Phuket, Krabi, Patong, Ao Nang and Rai Leh

Hi Julie,

Thanks for your reply! I have seen so many beautiful pictures of Rai Leh and feel really excited about what you said. So it seems like making a beeline for Rai Leh, from Patong/Phuket, is the best option eh? Just one more question, do you, or anyone else, know if there are direct ferries between Phuket and Rai Leh? Wikitravel seems to suggest so, but one can%26#39;t be too sure with Wiki!

Thanks

Hi, from my research I found you can get a ferry from Phuket or car to Ao Nang beach, but you have to get to Railay by long boat. Can you contact hotel and ask what services they provide for transport etc, I know you might pay nore, but security of luggage etc may make it still worth contemplating. If you do a search of Phuket to Krabi or Krabi to Railay or how do I get to _ _ _ etc, I think you will find some helpful advice either car or boat, do this on both the Phuket %26amp; Krabi forums. Check out this recent post re travel from Phuket to Krabi. Good luck, Lee

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g297927-i9287-k168鈥?/a>

Oh my, the John Gray%26#39;s expedition looks really attractive. But it will cost each one of us 12,000 THB, which is big money. But thanks for the tip on boating direct to Ao Nang (even in May - low season?)... seems like it%26#39;s the best bet and I don%26#39;t mind overnighting in Ao Nang instead of Rai Leh... The two beaches seem close enough...

I%26#39;m not sure about May for boating, I vaguely remember reading the ferry service stops after April, but I could very well be wrong. Check it out on the Krabi forum as there are some very knowledgeable people on there that could give you the right answer. Just read this which is slightly different to info I read last year.

www.krabi-hotels.com/info/getting-there.htm

Lee

After doing a lot more reading, I think the best way to get to Krabi while saving some time is to take a taxi. We are even thinking of getting on a sea canoe trip that day before we depart Phuket for Krabi in the evening. Do you think that is a good idea? I don%26#39;t know what to do with luggage though...

Hi all... Please help! I need to take a cab from Patong to Krabi sometime in the evening after a diving day trip. Does anyone know if this is feasible. Would cab drivers accept orders so late (6ish 7ish?) in the day to head to another part of the bay?? Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Iljc82. Mr kam can help you on this. He owns 1 Toyota sedan (for 4), Toyota forerunner (for 5), van (for 8). His email kam197493@gmail.com

Christina

Karon to Patong

Can somebody tell me the distance from Karon beach to Patong beach. In particular the cost of a tuk tuk or any other mode of transport.

We are going to Phuket in August. I was last there 14 years ago so a lot has changed since then. Our first 3 nights we were going to spend it in Patong but after reading many reviews, it sounds as though we should stay outside of Patong and just visit instead.

The rest of our stay will be in Katathani resort. The real aim is to get most of the shopping out of the way in the first 3 days and then spend the rest lying on the beach. So....the questions is Patong or Karon?

Karon to Patong

Karon is a better choice.

Karon to Patong

Spend your first 3 days in Patong to get the shopping out of the way. You will pay 400BAHT for a taxi or tuk Tuk from Karon to Patong.

Karon is a lot slower than Patong, so you will be %26#39;commuting%26#39; everyday anyways to do your shopping.

The KhataThai is brilliant to relax at, and even if you get stuck, the shops at Kata Main Beach are OK for last minute stuff though you will struggle to get T-shirts for 150 baht, and will probably pay 180 (and extra AUS$1 !!!!!)

Cheers

Wayne

Thanks Wayne, that%26#39;s exactly what I needed to know. I figured if I was going to spend more money on travelling to and fro, I might as well stay where the ';action'; is.

What%26#39;s a good place to stay? I%26#39;ve been thinking of staying at the Holiday Inn - any suggestions?

Hi AustraliaJane,

We are planning the same thing as you!

We have planned 4 nights in Patong at the Mercure then 8 nights at the Katathani!

Our plan is to shop for the first few days, then go to the Katathani to relax, while at the Katathani we have booked a driver for a day so he can show us around the island and maybe do a little more shopping in Phuket town.

I am looking forward to relaxing at the Katathani but if we want to go back to Patong it is cheap and easy.

We are going June/July.

Thanks Gogo65, I%26#39;ll have a look at the Mercure and see what they are offering in August.

Jane.

Hi all... Please help! I need to take a cab from Patong to Krabi sometime in the evening after a diving day trip. Does anyone know if this is feasible. Would cab drivers accept orders so late (6ish 7ish?) in the day to head to another part of the bay?? Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Iljc82. Mr kam can help you on this. He owns 1 Toyota sedan (for 4), Toyota forerunner (for 5), van (for 8). His email kam197493@gmail.com

Christina

acne

hair tips

Arasia Luecha Park

has anybody heard of this hotel? apparently it%26#39;s 5 star and it%26#39;s going for very cheap during my travel period.

Arasia Luecha Park

Nice serviced apartment hotel. A bit far away from the Silom Rd or Sukhumvit nightlife areas, but you%26#39;re just a couple minutes walk from the Sanam Pao BTS station and anyway taxi%26#39;s are so cheap in Bangkok.

Arasia Luecha Park

wow, finally some info. i assume you%26#39;ve stayed there before? is it a new building? some sources indicate that it%26#39;s built in 2007.

also, i was under the impression that it%26#39;s within a residential area. is it? are there any roadside food stalls, 7-11s, etc in the vicinity?

I%26#39;m not sure how new it is. It is in a sort of residential area, but very close to Victory Monument so it%26#39;s not suburban by any means. It is also right down the road from Phrayathai hospital, which is one of the larger Bangkok hospitals. This means that everything you might need is close by and in my experience the food stalls close to the hospitals tend to be quite good. This is because they typically serve the doctors and nurses from the hospital. I haven%26#39;t stayed there so I can%26#39;t say for sure, but the price sure looks good. I think it is so cheap because it is in a Thai neighborhood and a bit far away from the tourist areas. I frequently stay on the other side of the river in Pinklao district and the hotels there are both cheap and good.

There are now a few reviews on Asiarooms.com.

wow thanks for the heads up. it seems that i made the right choice in booking 7 nights there, all the reviews are positive!

I have just come back from Bangkok, stayed in Arasia Luecha Park for 6 nights. I loved this hotel and would highly recommend it.

We booked in for 3 nights in a studio suite, great size very very clean. You get a flat screen tv,dvd player and all the mod cons in the kitchen. The bedroom is a good size with lots of wardrobe space and a sfae. Bathroom is fantastic,walk in shower.

The other 3 nights we stayed in a delux room, basically the same floor plan but heaps more space + bigger bed.

The staff at the hotel are amazig, so friendly including the restaurant staff.

They have an onside gym, restaurant and my fav a lovely pool along with sauna rooms. Location wise, right next to the sky train (well 5 min walk) which the hotel provide a little tuk tuk to drop you outside the sky train (they don%26#39;t bring you back).

It%26#39;s based in Sanam Pao, easy acess to everywhere, Siam Square,etc etc.

The staff have maps at the front desk if you want to plan your trips.

I couldn%26#39;t rate this highly enough.

I%26#39;ll upload my photos asap for all to see.

Enjoy.

i have actually booked a 2room deluxe with them for my nxt month trip, nice to hear the good review. btw, according to the email they send me, they had changed their name to ABLOOM instead.

I spent 4 nights in this apartment and it was indeed fabulous. The 3-bedroom apartment which I stayed was apparently newly renovated and we are first occupants of that apartment. We were blown away at the sight of the apartment. Can%26#39;t believe that we got such a good deal. The stay was so comfortable and the staff were indeed very friendly.

Although Sanam Pao BTS station is at the far end of the line, but we do not find it a trouble to get to town at all. It%26#39;s pretty convenient and fast.

A drinking session in the Saxophone Pub (http://www.saxophonepub.com/) located at Victory Monument station (one station away from Sanam Pao) would be recommended. Plenty of cocktails to choose from and a fantastic live band (although they sang in Thai and we do not understand Thai language, we like the music nonetheless) and crowd. Saw plenty of the locals over there. As the saying goes, if a place is frequented by the locals rather than tourists, then it must be a good place.

From our experience, if you are taking a cab back to the hotel, it is easier to tell the driver to send you to Sanam Pao station and from there, you can guide the driver to the apartment. But do note that Arasia Luecha Park has been renamed as Abloom Exclusive Serviced Apartments.

Enjoy your stay there! We will definitely stay there again for our next trip to Bangkok.

i have returned from a stay there too. something i found intriguing: quite a few, if not most of us in this thread who went there are singaporeans. when i was there, i actually saw quite a few singaporeans as well. why is that so?

anyway, yes it is an insane deal. 1650 baht a night for a serviced apt of this quality is just mad. only bad point was the location, which was a little tiring sometimes to return to. this would be the perfect deal if you are planning to rent a car there.

I just stayed there twice and I can second the recommendations. The apartment was brand new, it had free in-room wifi (router was on the ceiling), flat screen TV, DVD player, stereo system, very clean 25 meter pool, fitness room with all brand-new equipment. Very friendly place, generous breakfast.

The only negative was a fair amount of construction noise during the day as they%26#39;re renovating the main tower.

The BTS is a 5 to 10 minute walk away up the soi behind the block facing the main street, but during the day there%26#39;s a gate to the right of the hotel into a subsoi, direct to the BTS.

Unfortunately it%26#39;s locked at night. Sanam Pao is about 15 minutes from Siam by BTS. I personally don%26#39;t care much for Saxophone, but my favourite blues bar bar none, Ad Here the 13th in Banglamphoo, is a 60 baht taxi ride away. All drivers know the address of the Luecha Park by the way - Phahon Yothin soi saaam. Practise pronouncing it.

prescription glasses

Hi can anyone tell me the best place to get eyes tested plus buy prescription glasses in Bangkok?Any idea how many days before you can collect them?

prescription glasses

Wellington Optical, inside Silom Complex next to Sala Daeng skytrain station. There are a number of other places there too but Wellington are reliable and the lady owner speaks English.

Number of days depends on the prescription, what other things you want, like scratch proof, photochromatic etc. I think a basic prescrpition takes about 24 hours.

prescription glasses

I always use one of the many ';Top Charoen Optical'; that are around the city.

Depends on where you are staying.

Time does depend on what prescription you want.

vari focals

antiscratch

anti glare

hard coating

bi focals half moon or executive

up to 3 days not counting sat sun

Mine are varifocal with all the trimmings - normally 5 - 7 days.

I was told to check out Optromitists? in MBK centre.

We have twice used Waltz in Siam Paragon and have been very pleased with the service, quality and prices. Each time it has cost approx. 10,500B for eye test, multifocus lenses and frames. It takes three days for the spectacles to be made, and they will post them home for you if you don%26#39;t have that much time.

I%26#39;ve been a satisfied customer for years of Siam Optical, which is on Sukhumvit just after the Asoke BTS/Skytrain station or Sukhumvit MRT station. It%26#39;s a family-owned enterprise and I think I get more personal service and better prices than one of the chain places such as Top Charoen or Waltz. They sometimes take a couple of extra days because they use top quality Hoya lenses which have to be brought in from somewhere, but it%26#39;s worth waiting.

Sterling Exchange Near Cape Panwa?

We will be arriving at Cape Panwa on 5th April so can anyone tell me if we decide to take cash (sterling) if there is an exchange ';booth'; anywhere near or would we have to travel into Phuket? Also is there a small convenience shop for ';essentials'; eg drinks, snacks etc.? Any info please. Thanks

Elaine

Sterling Exchange Near Cape Panwa?

hi elaine

there is a cash mashine in cape panwa vilage but not sure about changing sterling into baht , better of using the atm mashine , you get a good rate and you dont need to take loads of sterling with you , its safer that way .

gary + phyllis

Sterling Exchange Near Cape Panwa?

Hi Gary and Phylis,

Bad news, we%26#39;ve just been told we cant go to Cape Panwa - no rooms!! Even though we%26#39;ve paid!! So looks like we wont get to meet after all. Now got to make new decisions (as if choosing CP didn%26#39;t take long enough lol). Now looking for something similiar - beautiful beach, view and close to a little shopping. They have offered us Indigo Pearl!!! Decisions. Anyway have a good holiday.

Elaine and Terry

Bang Tao Resorts

We are a couple who are going to Phuket in October and we are trying to decide on accommodation.

We have previously stayed at the Katathani which we liked and the Merlin Beach Resort, which we grew to hate. We love Surin and considered the Twin Palms which looked great when we went there for a look. However, the Twin Palms is expensive and considering we are going for a month, would like something a bit cheaper and also right on the beach. My partner would still like to stay for a week at the Katathani so that leaves us with three weeks. I have been looking at the Andaman Bang Tao Bay Resort and a beach house at the Bang Tao Lagoon Bungalows. The reviews for the ABT Resort are all positive but the reviews for the BTL Bungalows are mixed. I need advice as to which one is the best or are they both ok. Are they both within walking distance of Surin beach or if not how much does a taxi or tuk tuk cost.

We are looking for something away from hoards of screaming children and their unruly parents which was our last experience at the Merlin. Load of kids at the Katathani but all well behaved and if not we can move down on to the beach. Thanks in advance.

Michelle

Bang Tao Resorts

Andaman BangTao Bay is probably the better resort - at the moment. BangTao Lagoon Bungalows is slowly rebuilding and refurbishing - AND - also a lot of construction right next door for probably at least the next year.

Lots on Bang Tao Beach and Surin Beach areas here:

www.PhuketGoldCoast.com

Bang Tao Resorts

Hi Tedkarma,

I really appreciate your input, now I just have to hope that they have vacancies.

Regards

Michelle

My guess is that they will still have vacancies for October. But, I wouldn%26#39;t linger on making a reservation as they only have about 12 bungalows.

It is one of the few places on Phuket with bungalows absolute beachfront AND facing the sea. Out your front door to toes-in-the-water only about 20 meters at high tide.

Michellee, we are BangTao regulars always staying at the Dusit Laguna, within the LaguaPhuket complex.If you want a hotel right on the beach with a very long beach frontage it may be suitable for you.

You mentioned Twin Palms which is lovely but VERY expensive.BTW it isn%26#39;t right on the beach but has a beach club.

The Dusit is more expensive than the bungalows, but a lot cheaper than the Twin Palms. It is part of the 5 hotel Laguna complex and you have signing privileges in some 30 restaurants (expensive) as well as a lot of beach restaurants (reasonable or cheap).

The south end of BangTao (nearer to Surin) is becoming quite busy (although it may not be so in October).

You can read my review of the Dusit in TA.

Wherever you end up: enjoy it!

I%26#39;m thinking about staying at the BangTao Bay Beach Resort (pretty certain that I will be). I have sent them e-mails asking about the proximity of bungalows to the beach; however, I have not received any replies. They have three kinds of bungalows, and I really want to stay in one that is closest to the beach.

Does anyone know if they are all an equal distance away from the beach? Are some closer than others?

The bungalows are all in a line, roughly parallel to the beach. As there are only about 12 units in about six buildings the line is not very long.

If you have a choice, ask for something closer to the south end as the north end will have a small swimming pool between you and the sea and the very far north end will have the restaurant - the south end will have only a bit of grass before you hit the sand. But none of them are more than about 15-25 seconds to the water.

You will easily be able to see and hear the sea from all of the units.

ayutthaya day tour

where does one buy a day tour in ayutthaya for US$10 per person?

ayutthaya day tour

Never head of this. We did the bus and river cruise and it cost way more. You might be able to get the train there and back and hire a tuk-tuk to take you around if you are on a limited budget.

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