Phuket advice needed - Photos added

[cyprus]

Hello boys and girls,

Me and the missus are looking to go to Thailand in February for two weeks. This will be our first visit so we're not too sure about the place! I've been doing lots of reading up on Trip Advisor and various other sites and have come to the following conclusions of which I hope you guys can help out with.

We're looking to stay in Pa Tong, Kammala or Karon (anyone know of any other secret paradises on the Andaman Sea coast?) with a budget of up to €800 for accomodation for 14 nights. From what I've seen this is enough for a decent 3 star hotel, I'm not doing this budget back-packers bollocks but I know €800 isn't a fortune either but I'd like to hear your recommendations of which hotels to stay at.

I'd like to try some scuba diving, maybe even try for a basic certificate. I read that Thailand is one of the cheapest places in the world you can acheive this.

Also is it recommended to rent a car/scooter or are the drivers over there completely nuts?

I definately want to visit Phang Nga bay but are there any other hidden gems in Phuket worth seeing?

I really appreciate your advice guys.


We recently got back from Santorini so if anyone would like any advice for visiting I'd be more than happy to help

[tigro]

I definately want to visit Phang Nga bay but are there any other hidden gems in Phuket worth seeing?

The brothels

[Detector]

check for adams apple before you mount the curb

[pheonixsingh]

lived in phuket for 4 months,

wouldnt recommend driving out there, had a scooter myself, 2 major things to note:
1) foreigners having serious accidents on scooters is very common and several end up in hospital every day.
2) some rental guys will shaft you for the full price of the scooter if you have an accident OR some even worse outfits put small gps trackers on the scooters and at night usually pick them up using a spare key and charge you the full amount for the scooter. Most places are decent BUT it does happen.

[WalterPill]

I've lived in Thailand for 4 years and I've travelled around it a fair bit. Don't stay in Patong. The beach isn't great and it's very much a sex tourist area. Kata has a nice beach but not much else. Karon is ok too but the hotels there are a little more on the expensive side.

If I were you, I'd look at flying into Phuket and then heading to Koh Phi Phi. Hotels etc are cheaper. The two beaches are nice and it's got a good vibe there with loads of nice bars and restaurants.

Alternatively you could go to Ao Nang which is a two hour drive from Phuket and go to Railay which is very very nice. You could do a PADI in Phi Phi certainly not sure about Railay because that's more a rock climbing island though I doubt that niche hasn't been filled by someone there. From Railay I think it's easy to get over to Phra Nang beach whish is the most stunning beach I've ever seen.

Phra-Nang3.jpg

One of the best places for skuba diving is Koh Tao though. They have some of the best diving areas in the world there.

Some ideas for you there. Just don't go to Patong. The smaller islands are cheaper, more beautiful and less sleazy.

[WalterPill]

Oh and 800 euros equates to just shy of 2500 Baht a night which will definitely get you somewhere more than decent wherever you go. You can find OK places for less than half that on the islands.

[tawny]

Alternatively you could go to Ao Nang which is a two hour drive from Phuket and go to Railay which is very very nice. You could do a PADI in Phi Phi certainly not sure about Railay because that's more a rock climbing island though I doubt that niche hasn't been filled by someone there. From Railay I think it's easy to get over to Phra Nang beach whish is the most stunning beach I've ever seen.

Phra-Nang3.jpg

+1 for this. Was here last year and have exactly the same feelings about it, the most beautiful place I've seen. I have almost exactly the same photo too ;-) I stayed in Ao Nang and took long boats out to different beaches. There is a organised snorkeling trip from Rayleigh, I'd highly recommend doing this in the afternoon/evening. You end up having a bbq on a private small island and then a night swim in the sea. The night swim is amazing as the plankton in the see reacts to your movement creating a phosphorous firework effect in the water all around you. It's incredible!

[cyprus]

Walterpill thank you for your post man. I appreciate the input, it's definately got us reconsidering our choice of staying in Phuket. I take it getting a ferry transfer to Kho Phi Phi from the aiport is the best way to get there?

Tawny, how did you transfer to Ao Nang?

Almost everyone I know that's been to Thailand has always returned. Looks like I know why now, so many places I want to be in at the same time!

Thanks for the responces guys.

[cyprus]

Walterpill thank you for your post man. I appreciate the input, it's definately got us reconsidering our choice of staying in Phuket. I take it getting a ferry transfer to Kho Phi Phi from the aiport is the best way to get there?

Tawny, how did you transfer to Ao Nang?

Almost everyone I know that's been to Thailand has always returned. Looks like I know why now, so many places I want to be in at the same time!

Thanks for the responces guys.

[WalterPill]

The ferry;s not too far from the airport. Not sure how keen you'll be on getting a boat after your flights though. Depends what time you get in and whether you flew directly or transferred in Bangkok. Ferry to Phi Phi is about 2 hours and it can be a nice trip or one that will make you sick if you don't have sea legs. Think the sea's better in February though.

Remember, if you go to Phi Phi and you fancy Ao Nang/Railay as well, then you can take another ferry from Phi Phi to mainland Krabi in 90 minutes or so. A lot of these places are pretty near each other so it's not like you'd have to limit yourself to one island/beach. I think you could do a few nights in Phuket before five or six days in Phi Phi and the same in Railay without too much hassle in travelling. These places are beautiful but once you've done the island hopping boat trips you can get quite bored. Well, I do anyway as I always get itchy feet after 4 days and that's not just the mosquitos.

Here's a map to illustrate:

http://www.krabi-tourism.com/krabi-map.htm

People always come back because the place is beautiful, inexpensive and accessible and you meet a lot of nice likeminded and interesting people that don't fancy the regular shitpits in Magaluf. You get a load of pretentious boring dreads on holiday bellends as well but nowhere is perfect.

You could actually forego Phuket altogether and fly to Krabi airport and do it that way round which would be better as Ao Nang/Railay aren't far from the airport and that would entail just one ferry round-trip to go to Phi Phi.

[tawny]

Tawny, how did you transfer to Ao Nang?

I did it by Ferry as Waterpill suggested. Really nice way of getting there. Ferry to Phi Phi then from there to Krabi. Ao Nang is a short taxi ride away from Krabi.

[cyprus]

Just a small update on this guys.

Thanks to Walterpill and Tawny we've really expanded our horizons. We're going to fly in to Phuket and spend 3 nights in Pa Tong as a base to explore Phuket, then we're ferrying over to Kho Phi Phi for 6 nights then spending the final 5 nights in Ao Nang and then flying back from Krabi.

You guys helped open my eyes to the possibilities of this place and I'm glad I came to DF with questions otherwise it would have been 2 weeks in the same place getting itchy feet!

Pa Tong and Ao Nang hotels have been booked so just Phi Phi to sort. I heard of people just showing up on the day and booking them selves in but I'm going for the more organized pre-booked approach as it is our first time.

The shortlist for Phi Phi island is Phi Phi Hotel and Palms Residence both costing around the same and recieving similar good reviews.

Just need to wait for the 22nd to get paid and book the flights!

[tawny]

You're welcome mate. If you haven't booked Phi Phi yet then my recommendation would be to spend more time in Ao Nang. There are more places to visit and you'll regret not being there longer like I did. Phi Phi is just one island and it's quite a party destination. Phi Phi is nice but I just think you'd benefit from more time in Ao Nang or a resort like Rayleigh.
Edit:
Here's the pics from my Phi Phi and Ao Nang visit...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1495256&type=1

[WalterPill]

However long you stay on Phi Phi I'd go with Palms Residence between those two. The other's on Tonsai which is where the ferry ports are and it's a further walk to a good beach. The island's not that big mind so you're never really far either way.

[cyprus]

Well, after 4 months wait the time has come! Flying out tomorrow lunch time! 4 nights Patong, 3 nights Phi Phi, 5 nights Ao Nang, 3 nights Bangkok.

Bring it on!

[cronus71]

Hey, I had missed this. At the airport (Phuket), it's perfectly OK to share a minibus taxi into Patong, so don't be freaked out by the people coming up to you offering this. I think the trip takes half an hour or so.
Since you are in Phuket, do not miss Bangla Road, even if you don't intend to use any of the other services available than drinks, it's worth seeing.
Don't rent a scooter, as there is a high risk of getting hurt. Tuk-tuks have a fixed price of 200 BHT from the hotels to Patong/Bangla, if you even need one. Keep change of 10BHT with you, as this is how much you pay for the toilet fees.

You should buy a bag, they are called Drytubes (<- link to image) get the 10L one, you are going to need it to keep your stuff dry when you are on the boats.

Patong beach is good, though the water is not clean.
In Phuket, when you walk on the streets, tailors will offer to shake your hand, do not shake, but ignore, otherwise you are stuck there with them, trying to get away from the situation and do not follow them if they say they have something to show you and "it will only take a minute" Haha, nothing weird, but they are really keen on making a sale that's all.

You are going to love Phi Phi, I envy you, though I was there just a few weeks back. Do not miss the Reggae Bar and the muay thai they have there. After the real pros have had their fights they usually come and shake hands with the customers, typically this is where you'd give them a small tip for putting up a great show.

If you are staying in Phi Phi hotel, then you've chosen the best hotel on the island in my opinion. Close to the harbor, and close to the beach
Make the trip to Maya Bay, though it's crowded, but don't agree to pay the full price they ask for. If you have time, take the speedboat trip to Khai Nai island as well, they stop at various locations where you can snorkel (worth buying a disposable underwater camera, cheap). If you do the snorkeling, bring a piece of bread with you, hold it in your hand just by the surface, the fish will come and there will be fucking hundreds of them, scary but awesome at the same time.

Enjoy your trip, and share pics once you are back!

[cyprus]

Thanks for the great post Cronus, I was drooling over your mobile pics in the other thread! Of course there'll be lots of pics, partly why I bought my Canon DSLR

EDIT: Just checked the address of my hotel in Patong...it's on Bangla.....bwahahahah, omg...

[cronus71]

Thanks for the great post Cronus, I was drooling over your mobile pics in the other thread! Of course there'll be lots of pics, partly why I bought my Canon DSLR

EDIT: Just checked the address of my hotel in Patong...it's on Bangla.....bwahahahah, omg...

Haha, you are in trouble, the bargirls will be grabbing your cock regardless of if your missus is standing next to you
The big place on Bangla road is the one with the massive white tigers decorating the facade, it's basically a big hangar with loads of bars inside, the toilets are all the way at the back from the entrance, so be prepared to be groped

Other option is to go across the road, to a covered street which also has a lot of bars, but the women are not so aggressive, just dancing on the bars etc.
I saw a Thai version of Shakira there, wow, she was dancing on the bar, playing with a nightstick, wearing black hot-pants and a white top (only half of it) which was lose at the bottom and it did not cover her tits completely. If you see her, you are not going to forget her, the only blonde there too

Btw on Phi Phi island, the bars close quite early. There's an Irish pub like 20 steps from the Reggae Bar, if you get there before closing time, they will serve you drinks till dawn.

[cronus71]

37 injured in toxic gas leak at Phuket resort
Updated 05:29 PM Feb 18, 2012PHUKET - A pregnant woman was among 37 people rushed to hospital today morning following a toxic gas leak at a Phuket hotel, said newspaper, the Phuket News.

The casualties were treated after being exposed to harmful chlorine gas at a Phuket resort.

Staff at the Phuket Orchid Resort and Spa in Karon reportedly noticed that chlorine levels in the hotel pool were a little low this morning.

Standard practice when adding granulated chlorine to a swimming pool is to mix the chemical with water to dilute it before adding it to the feeder. A staff member apparently bypassed this step this morning, according to police, instead adding the chlorine directly to the tank.

This caused pressure inside the tank to build, they said, causing the tank to crack and release harmful chlorine gas into the air. About 100 people were reportedly around the pool at the time.

But Mr Felix Zupecki, building manager at Paradise Pools, said the most likely scenario is that the staff member also added acid to the tank immediately after the chlorine.

"The only thing that would make chlorine explode like that would be to add acid to it," he said. "The pressure would definitely build if you add powder directly (without diluting it with water), but the only thing would make it explode like that is acid.

"Acid and chlorine do not mix together. You have to keep them completely separate."

Thirty-seven guests and staff members - 26 of whom were foreigners - were taken to Patong Hospital with skin irritation and respiratory problems after the chemical leak, before being rushed to various hospitals around Phuket Town. Several have since been released.

The most serious case is a woman who is seven months pregnant. Doctors said they are concerned for the health of the baby, and are currently conducting tests.

Low level exposure to chlorine in the air will cause eye, skin and airway irritation, as well as a sore throat and coughing. At higher levels of exposure, signs and symptoms may progress to chest tightness, wheezing, dyspnea, and bronchospasm.

Severe exposures may also result in noncardiogenic pulmonary edema (fluid accumulation in the lungs which can lead to respiratory failure), which may be delayed for several hours after exposure. AGENCIES


http://www.todayonline.com/World/EDC...-Phuket-resort

[cronus71]

I hope you are OK.