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We started planning our trip well in advance.
The dream of visiting Thailand has matured for me for a very long time - after the first visit to this country in 2006. We decided to go on a trip on our own for 21 days.
I wanted to visit several large islands, it took a very long time to choose which ones.
As a result, we settled on Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Krabi, Phuket.
As a result, we booked 2 tickets to Phuket for 1.000 UAH.
The flight was as follows: Kyiv - Abu Dhabi - Bangkok - Phuket and back in the same sequence. Here we were very stupid, because the first island of our stay was Koh Samui, and we only had to book tickets to Bangkok, and from there we would fly directly to Koh Samui, but we got stupid and bought more Phuket-Samui tickets.
I will try to group my impressions for greater clarity.
So,
Flight.
UIA flew to Abu Dhabi - everything is as usual in Ukrainian airlines, a day flight, so no frills.
Abu Dhabi - Bangkok - Etihad Airways - excellent airlines, new planes, leather seats that fold out very strongly, a TV is mounted in the seat opposite, the passenger himself chooses what to watch (films in Russian are available), what to play, what to listen to. The food is very good (they give the menu and the passengers have a choice). Whiskey, rum, gin, Chilean wines and beer are also poured. In general, 6 hours passed unnoticed. Bangkok - Phuket - Samui - Bangkok Airlines - the most pleasant service meets immediately at the airport - there is a lounge area for passengers. That is, showing your boarding pass, you are let into a spacious room with sofas, free internet, Wi-fi, snacks, fruits, tea, coffee and juices. It is very nice to unwind on the couch after 11 hours of flight.
Visa.
Due to our ignorance, we faced another native problem - obtaining a visa.
We were so carried away by the choice of islands, beaches, hotels that we completely forgot about the visa, we only remembered that you can get it right at the airport and therefore did not take a steam bath.
And now, at the Bangkok airport, we were confronted with the fact that Ukrainian citizens can get a visa for only 14 days. We were shocked, because all hotels are booked for 21 days.
We learned several ways to solve this problem:
1. On the way back at the airport upon departure, pay a fine for overdue days - it turned out for 7 days for two 150 dollars.
2. Fly in 2 weeks on an excursion to Malaysia or another country, where they put a strain on departure and then, accordingly, reopen a visa to Thailand for another 2 weeks.
3. Go to Koh Samui or Phuket at the immigration office and pay for an additional 7 days. We did just that and paid $120 for two.
Samui.
And here we are on Koh Samui. We booked the hotel at home.
For a very long time we chose the beach on Koh Samui where we would like to stay, re-read a bunch of reviews, but in the end we chose Bo Phut for privacy and chose the Lawana Resort hotel. First line. 5 nights we got 12250 baht, which is about 367 dollars. For 400 baht we were met at the airport and brought to the hotel. We warned that we have Honey Moon? And so the hotel made a surprise for us - a bottle of Asti Martini champagne, flowers on the bed, in the bathroom, in the washbasin.
Hotel:
We booked the Garden Premier Bungalow. Our room was the first from the pool and the sea. The hotel is surrounded by greenery, very comfortable room, perfectly located. I can recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a quiet secluded holiday. The staff is incredibly friendly, constantly smiling. The room is always clean and well kept. There are umbrellas in the room. In the bathroom: washbasin, European toilet, bathroom.
Beach
The hotel has its own beach and its sunbeds - free of charge. There are very few people on the beach, there were even days when we were alone on the beach.
The South China Sea is very clear at Bo Phut, the entry is very comfortable, the depth comes gradually. The sea is clear and clean. No obvious tides were observed.
Weather
We arrived during the rainy season, it rained every day, but mostly in the evening or early in the morning, I can’t say that the rain ruined any of our plans. I remember only one day when it rained all day, but even then we went to renew our visa.
Hotel location and restaurants.
Separately located a bit away from the center of Bophut Fisherman Village. On the way there 1.1 km, and if along the beach - 10 minutes. Many restaurants, prices are slightly higher than in Phuket or Koh Tao. Pancakes can be tasted only after 4 hours.
We dined 2 times in the hotel restaurant. In the evening they set up tables right on the beach and we sat 2 steps from the sea. They cook very tasty food. Red Snapper (sea bass) - just a song, plus a free side dish and a salad bar. Drinking wine costs more. Glass - 140 baht.
Tours:
We took a trip to Ahtong National Marine Park. Bought for 3400 baht for two. (excursions on Koh Samui are more expensive than on Phuket), we rode a Speedboate, included lunch in a fishing village on the island, kayaking.
I liked the tour very much, at first we sailed for snorkeling, there weren’t many fish, we just had a pleasant swim in the purest emerald water. Then we went to the observation deck from where you can see the blue lagoon - it's worth it! Lunch was amazing - unlimited large fried prawns in batter, and much more. We walked around the fishing village itself and saw a monkey on a leash (like our dog, it guarded the house). Further independent kayaking and home. In general, the tour was from 9 am to 5 pm. I liked it very much. I recommend everyone to go there!
On the fourth day of our stay, we took a tour of Koh Samui. We wanted to rent a bike, but because
neither my husband nor I have the skills to drive motorbikes with mechanical gear shifting (and we only came across such ones), no one rented a motorbike to us ((.
I had to rent a car with a driver who drove us around the island for 1000 baht for 5 hours. We visited Big Buddha Temple, GranFather and Grandmother Rocks, Wat Leam Suwanaram, waterfalls, Monk Mummy. Interesting and educational!
I also visited the Spa Center, where for 2100 baht (instead of 3000) I had procedures in the Thai sauna, jacuzzi, peace massage, as well as massage and face masks. Feelings inexpressible, just great! The Spa itself is close to the hotel towards Fisherman Village on the other side of the road. All women must visit!
Another feature is that it is not necessary to pay at the hotel right away, you can write everything down to the room account, but when you leave the hotel.
On Koh Samui, we bought Big Boat tickets to Koh Tao - 1200 baht for two with a transfer from the hotel. We found out in other ag-wahs - the prices are the same.
At 12:30 a car pulled up to the pier for us. And we tearfully said goodbye to Koh Samui.
Koh Tao
The hotel was also booked from Kyiv on booking. com. com. Coral Grand Resort - 5 nights 12.600 baht ($382). The hotel is more expensive, but we had a standard room - Sailor Cottage.
On the ship we sailed for 3.5 hours through Koh Phangan. The waves were not felt at all, because the ship was very large. Everything was well organized - no way to get lost.
We were very afraid that after Lawana we would not like anything, so we even agreed with Lawana that we could return to them.
Even from Koh Samui, we contacted Coral Grand Resort to meet us, agreed for 200 baht.
Hotel.
The hotel itself is located in the most party place of Koh Tao Sairee Beach. The hotel is a diving center, so it is inhabited mainly by divers, but diving was not the purpose of our trip. They brought us to a bungalow - it was a small (compared to Koh Samui) house with two rooms, a European toilet, a shower.
The house had a fairly large veranda with a table and 2 wooden benches. Very cozy. Cleaned always clean, always changed shampoo, soap, hats.
Beach
From the room to the sea - 50 m. The beach is very wide, white sand. On the beach during the day - no one, because all the divers went to the sea. The sea itself is gentle and childish, because it is shallow. The corals are 200 meters from the shore, and only practically at the corals the water reaches the neck. But swimming in such a sea was just magical! The low tides at night were very clear, sometimes the sea went almost to the corals, but by 8-9 in the morning it returned to its place. The nature is wonderful - there are boulders on the field, which makes the picture very picturesque!
Weather
There were occasional rains.
Restaurants
A huge number of restaurants along the coastline. Mostly young people everywhere. And in general, 80% of the island were young tourists.
We dined in many restaurants - very tasty.
We dined most often in the restaurant at the hotel - huge portions, good prices.
Excursions
We took one excursion - around Koh Tao by boat with a stop at Nang Yuan Island. Awesome trip! Be sure to take it.
We were brought to 5 or 6 bays, everywhere we snorkeled or just swam. The water is dark blue, but clear and warm. And then we were taken to the island of Nang Yuan - it is very beautiful there and you definitely need to climb up the sheer stones to look at this island from a bird's eye view.
Take some money with you - they make amazing cocktails at the bar!
Regarding Ko Tao, there is one comment - it is extremely inconvenient and unprofitable to change money there. You can’t find an exchanger in the daytime with fire, and the exchange rate is very bad. So take care of the currency exchange in advance. At ATMs (all over Thailand), 150 baht is withdrawn for each transaction (regardless of the withdrawal amount).
The next place of our deployment was the province of Krabi.
On Koh Tao we bought a transfer to Krabi. We paid 650 baht per person for it. We had to sail with Koh Tao on a high-speed catamaran to Surrat Thani, and from Surat Thani by bus to come to Krabi.
At this time, the wind just picked up and oxen were observed. But how good these waves felt on a high-speed catamaran - this is a huge Speed Boat, in which I got seasick for the first time in my life, well, thank God I didn’t feel bad at all, because we went upstairs in time and sat in the Vip Room (and it's there)
We sailed to Surratani and transferred to a bus that took us to some kind of bus station, we did not understand, we had to wait there for about an hour and then we transferred to a regular bus that took Thais from Surratani to Krabi. Since the bus is scheduled, he bowed to each post, as a result, we arrived in Krabi around 8-30 in the evening. We contacted the hotel in Krabi and we were supposed to meet.
And then a minibus came for us, which took us to the pier in Krabi, then we changed to a long tail and drove to our hotel at night.
It was located on the Railay Bay beach and can only be reached by water. Riding at night in a boat is both scary and fascinating at the same time! Huge rocks stick out of the water, like frozen dragons. For some reason, I was very afraid of sharks at night. So I went and prayed.
At this time, there are big ebb tides on Railay at night, so when we arrived we were met by a tractor on huge wheels with a trailer, which we climbed into, but already at the hotel itself we were taken in a small golf car. Bottom line: in one day we changed 7 modes of transport)))
Krabi
Railay Bay Resort & Spa
The hotel, like all the previous ones, we booked from Kyiv on booking. com. com. 5 nights cost us 7900 Baht Garden View Bungalow.
Hotel
The hotel itself is located between two banks - East and West.
It is generally impossible to swim on the East Side - boats moor there, there are huge low tides, dirty muddy water and generally bad. But on the West - very beautiful - high cliffs frame the sea, the water is dark green, but not transparent, perhaps due to the fact that there were always waves. The hotel has a very large area, where there is an ATM, a supermarket.
First, we were settled in a bungalow near the East Side, having spent the night there for one night, we asked to change to a room, as a result, having paid 1200 baht for the remaining 3 days, we moved to a room that was very close to the sea - literally 200 meters. The room was huge , they cleaned it very regularly, in the room there is a large room with a large wardrobe, a dressing table, in the bathroom there is a European toilet, bath, shower, washbasin. Everything is new and nice.
Laundry in the hotel is very expensive, we found 60 baht for 1 kg - if you walk along the West Side - there will be a walking street with shops, here in one of these shops.
Beach
The beach is not very neat, littered with branches. There are no sunbeds on the beach itself, there are only sunbeds near the pool, which are turned towards the sea. For such a large hotel, there are very few sunbeds. Therefore, everyone played the game - whoever got up first and slippers. We occupied sunbeds from 7 in the morning.
Weather
The weather was mostly rainy and overcast, probably the worst weather during our stay in Thailand.
Tours
We took one excursion to the Phi Phi Islands. We bought the tour at the hotel, because we didn’t leave the hotel because of the rain (but it’s better to buy on the East Side)
It was a very extreme excursion. We almost got into a storm, the bow of the boat rose vertically relative to the ground, we were thrown up so much that I hurt my back (then I restored it with a Thai massage). But if you omit all this, then the beauty is indescribable.
True, we did not get to Maya Bay - due to strong waves, our guide did not dare to pass between two rocks, so we did not see this Phi-Phi raisin. But other sea and landscape beauties were enough for us. Phi-Phi - must see.
Frightened by such a strong storm and with sore backs, we no longer dared to go out to sea to sunbathe on the nearby islands, so we did not manage to see all this beauty.
But we walked along our beach, went into the cave - Viking Cave - and looked at the bats.
Restaurants.
We ate all the time in the hotel restaurant. Delicious, reasonable prices.
We bought a transfer to Phuket from a travel agency on the East Side. There were different options - on the Speed Boate, but we were afraid and bought a transfer by minibus. It cost us 350 baht for two.
The downside was that we had to go to the boat on our own. We hired a boy from the hotel and he brought us luggage for 50 batya T. when it was good, then we had to walk to the boat.
My husband threw our rather big bag on his back, and we walked knee-deep in muddy dirty water for about 500 m to the boat. Brrr. Not the most pleasant memories… We were also dropped off not at the pier itself, but also in a dirty slurry and went to the pier, dragging a bag on our backs. It was the worst transfer ever. Well, then everything was very simple - we were put in a minibus and we went to Phuket. We were taken to the hotel.
Phuket.
Patong Bay Garden Resort. For 7 nights we paid 12.000 baht. For this hotel the money was withdrawn immediately from the card.
On the last island, we wanted to get into a party place and therefore chose Patong, because we had enough privacy in the previous places.
Hotel
The hotel, of course, was strikingly different from the previous places of our stay. No bungalows for you, everything is modest and gray. Very small area. When we were taken to our room, there were not even words - low ceilings, a small room, a bathroom with a shower.
In general, everything is very small, and even the windows overlook the wall for some reason.
But the hotel has a huge plus, which crosses out all its shortcomings - this is the location: On the very seashore (because mostly hotels in Patong are even the first line across the road), the pool of this hotel goes almost to the sea. And also the hotel is located in a 2-minute walk from the main party street Bangla Road. So we lived in the thick of passions. After a couple of days, I stopped noticing the flaws of the room at all, and I just never curtained the window - I didn’t come to sit near the window.
Beach
Large coastline, beach of average cleanliness. True, the sea did not like it at all. Big waves, a lot of huge jellyfish, not much pleasant. I only took a dip a couple of times in 7 days. I didn't like the sea.
Lie down - yes, but you won’t relax too much: the merchants are so annoying, they offer something every second, and God forbid, if you hold your eyes for more than a second, they won’t lag behind. Feeling like you are on the Yalta embankment. In general, there is nothing to do in Patong. The last time I was in Phuket, I was at Kata Beach, I had to go there again. Patong is a big minus, although I knew what awaited me.
Restaurants, entertainment.
But we visited a bunch of restaurants, tasted the unrealistic size of Phuket lobsters and huge red crabs. We found almost the only hookah in Thailand (neither on Koh Samui, nor on Koh Tao, this was not the case. In Krabi - a pitiful likeness - such a small, almost home-made one). We smoked in the Indian restaurant Tantra not far from the hotel opposite the Russian restaurant. There was no desire to go there at all.
We got to a ping-pong show (a pip-show in a different way) I was disgusted, the men seemed to like it)) Striptease, I confess, was very beautiful, but an old scary woman with a hole for balls - well, no ...
Tours:
Classics of the genre - James Bond. As always very beautiful)
I discovered Raya Island - just Paradise on earth, next time in Thailand I will definitely stay on this island for at least 4 days. I have never seen such a beautiful sea and white as sand flour. As in the photo from the Maldives. There are only 3 or 4 hotels on the island. But it's worth it. Here is a true place for relaxation, meditation and just admiring nature. There are many places for diving and snorkeling near the island. The place is hooked. Highly!
If we talk about hotels in general, then we can say that breakfasts are ordinary and the same everywhere.
Most of our places of residence I liked Koh Samui and Koh Tao, but I really want to live on Raya Island.
Our entire trip (flight and accommodation) cost us a little more than $ 3.500. Of course, we spent a lot of extra money there, but still Honey Moon and we did not deny ourselves anything!
Traveling by yourself without a tour operator is much more interesting than with one. Yes, it's risky, but it's worth it!
The dream of visiting Thailand has matured for me for a very long time - after the first visit to this country in 2006. We decided to go on a trip on our own for 21 days.
I wanted to visit several large islands, it took a very long time to choose which ones.
As a result, we settled on Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Krabi, Phuket.
As a result, we booked 2 tickets to Phuket for 1.000 UAH.
The flight was as follows: Kyiv - Abu Dhabi - Bangkok - Phuket and back in the same sequence. Here we were very stupid, because the first island of our stay was Koh Samui, and we only had to book tickets to Bangkok, and from there we would fly directly to Koh Samui, but we got stupid and bought more Phuket-Samui tickets.
I will try to group my impressions for greater clarity.
So,
Flight.
UIA flew to Abu Dhabi - everything is as usual in Ukrainian airlines, a day flight, so no frills.
Abu Dhabi - Bangkok - Etihad Airways - excellent airlines, new planes, leather seats that fold out very strongly, a TV is mounted in the seat opposite, the passenger himself chooses what to watch (films in Russian are available), what to play, what to listen to. The food is very good (they give the menu and the passengers have a choice). Whiskey, rum, gin, Chilean wines and beer are also poured. In general, 6 hours passed unnoticed. Bangkok - Phuket - Samui - Bangkok Airlines - the most pleasant service meets immediately at the airport - there is a lounge area for passengers. That is, showing your boarding pass, you are let into a spacious room with sofas, free internet, Wi-fi, snacks, fruits, tea, coffee and juices. It is very nice to unwind on the couch after 11 hours of flight.
Visa.
Due to our ignorance, we faced another native problem - obtaining a visa.
We were so carried away by the choice of islands, beaches, hotels that we completely forgot about the visa, we only remembered that you can get it right at the airport and therefore did not take a steam bath.
And now, at the Bangkok airport, we were confronted with the fact that Ukrainian citizens can get a visa for only 14 days. We were shocked, because all hotels are booked for 21 days.
We learned several ways to solve this problem:
1. On the way back at the airport upon departure, pay a fine for overdue days - it turned out for 7 days for two 150 dollars.
2. Fly in 2 weeks on an excursion to Malaysia or another country, where they put a strain on departure and then, accordingly, reopen a visa to Thailand for another 2 weeks.
3. Go to Koh Samui or Phuket at the immigration office and pay for an additional 7 days. We did just that and paid $120 for two.
Samui.
And here we are on Koh Samui. We booked the hotel at home.
For a very long time we chose the beach on Koh Samui where we would like to stay, re-read a bunch of reviews, but in the end we chose Bo Phut for privacy and chose the Lawana Resort hotel. First line. 5 nights we got 12250 baht, which is about 367 dollars. For 400 baht we were met at the airport and brought to the hotel. We warned that we have Honey Moon? And so the hotel made a surprise for us - a bottle of Asti Martini champagne, flowers on the bed, in the bathroom, in the washbasin.
Hotel:
We booked the Garden Premier Bungalow. Our room was the first from the pool and the sea. The hotel is surrounded by greenery, very comfortable room, perfectly located. I can recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a quiet secluded holiday. The staff is incredibly friendly, constantly smiling. The room is always clean and well kept. There are umbrellas in the room. In the bathroom: washbasin, European toilet, bathroom.
Beach
The hotel has its own beach and its sunbeds - free of charge. There are very few people on the beach, there were even days when we were alone on the beach.
The South China Sea is very clear at Bo Phut, the entry is very comfortable, the depth comes gradually. The sea is clear and clean. No obvious tides were observed.
Weather
We arrived during the rainy season, it rained every day, but mostly in the evening or early in the morning, I can’t say that the rain ruined any of our plans. I remember only one day when it rained all day, but even then we went to renew our visa.
Hotel location and restaurants.
Separately located a bit away from the center of Bophut Fisherman Village. On the way there 1.1 km, and if along the beach - 10 minutes. Many restaurants, prices are slightly higher than in Phuket or Koh Tao. Pancakes can be tasted only after 4 hours.
We dined 2 times in the hotel restaurant. In the evening they set up tables right on the beach and we sat 2 steps from the sea. They cook very tasty food. Red Snapper (sea bass) - just a song, plus a free side dish and a salad bar. Drinking wine costs more. Glass - 140 baht.
Tours:
We took a trip to Ahtong National Marine Park. Bought for 3400 baht for two. (excursions on Koh Samui are more expensive than on Phuket), we rode a Speedboate, included lunch in a fishing village on the island, kayaking.
I liked the tour very much, at first we sailed for snorkeling, there weren’t many fish, we just had a pleasant swim in the purest emerald water. Then we went to the observation deck from where you can see the blue lagoon - it's worth it! Lunch was amazing - unlimited large fried prawns in batter, and much more. We walked around the fishing village itself and saw a monkey on a leash (like our dog, it guarded the house). Further independent kayaking and home. In general, the tour was from 9 am to 5 pm. I liked it very much. I recommend everyone to go there!
On the fourth day of our stay, we took a tour of Koh Samui. We wanted to rent a bike, but because
neither my husband nor I have the skills to drive motorbikes with mechanical gear shifting (and we only came across such ones), no one rented a motorbike to us ((.
I had to rent a car with a driver who drove us around the island for 1000 baht for 5 hours. We visited Big Buddha Temple, GranFather and Grandmother Rocks, Wat Leam Suwanaram, waterfalls, Monk Mummy. Interesting and educational!
I also visited the Spa Center, where for 2100 baht (instead of 3000) I had procedures in the Thai sauna, jacuzzi, peace massage, as well as massage and face masks. Feelings inexpressible, just great! The Spa itself is close to the hotel towards Fisherman Village on the other side of the road. All women must visit!
Another feature is that it is not necessary to pay at the hotel right away, you can write everything down to the room account, but when you leave the hotel.
On Koh Samui, we bought Big Boat tickets to Koh Tao - 1200 baht for two with a transfer from the hotel. We found out in other ag-wahs - the prices are the same.
At 12:30 a car pulled up to the pier for us. And we tearfully said goodbye to Koh Samui.
Koh Tao
The hotel was also booked from Kyiv on booking. com. com. Coral Grand Resort - 5 nights 12.600 baht ($382). The hotel is more expensive, but we had a standard room - Sailor Cottage.
On the ship we sailed for 3.5 hours through Koh Phangan. The waves were not felt at all, because the ship was very large. Everything was well organized - no way to get lost.
We were very afraid that after Lawana we would not like anything, so we even agreed with Lawana that we could return to them.
Even from Koh Samui, we contacted Coral Grand Resort to meet us, agreed for 200 baht.
Hotel.
The hotel itself is located in the most party place of Koh Tao Sairee Beach. The hotel is a diving center, so it is inhabited mainly by divers, but diving was not the purpose of our trip. They brought us to a bungalow - it was a small (compared to Koh Samui) house with two rooms, a European toilet, a shower.
The house had a fairly large veranda with a table and 2 wooden benches. Very cozy. Cleaned always clean, always changed shampoo, soap, hats.
Beach
From the room to the sea - 50 m. The beach is very wide, white sand. On the beach during the day - no one, because all the divers went to the sea. The sea itself is gentle and childish, because it is shallow. The corals are 200 meters from the shore, and only practically at the corals the water reaches the neck. But swimming in such a sea was just magical! The low tides at night were very clear, sometimes the sea went almost to the corals, but by 8-9 in the morning it returned to its place. The nature is wonderful - there are boulders on the field, which makes the picture very picturesque!
Weather
There were occasional rains.
Restaurants
A huge number of restaurants along the coastline. Mostly young people everywhere. And in general, 80% of the island were young tourists.
We dined in many restaurants - very tasty.
We dined most often in the restaurant at the hotel - huge portions, good prices.
Excursions
We took one excursion - around Koh Tao by boat with a stop at Nang Yuan Island. Awesome trip! Be sure to take it.
We were brought to 5 or 6 bays, everywhere we snorkeled or just swam. The water is dark blue, but clear and warm. And then we were taken to the island of Nang Yuan - it is very beautiful there and you definitely need to climb up the sheer stones to look at this island from a bird's eye view.
Take some money with you - they make amazing cocktails at the bar!
Regarding Ko Tao, there is one comment - it is extremely inconvenient and unprofitable to change money there. You can’t find an exchanger in the daytime with fire, and the exchange rate is very bad. So take care of the currency exchange in advance. At ATMs (all over Thailand), 150 baht is withdrawn for each transaction (regardless of the withdrawal amount).
The next place of our deployment was the province of Krabi.
On Koh Tao we bought a transfer to Krabi. We paid 650 baht per person for it. We had to sail with Koh Tao on a high-speed catamaran to Surrat Thani, and from Surat Thani by bus to come to Krabi.
At this time, the wind just picked up and oxen were observed. But how good these waves felt on a high-speed catamaran - this is a huge Speed Boat, in which I got seasick for the first time in my life, well, thank God I didn’t feel bad at all, because we went upstairs in time and sat in the Vip Room (and it's there)
We sailed to Surratani and transferred to a bus that took us to some kind of bus station, we did not understand, we had to wait there for about an hour and then we transferred to a regular bus that took Thais from Surratani to Krabi. Since the bus is scheduled, he bowed to each post, as a result, we arrived in Krabi around 8-30 in the evening. We contacted the hotel in Krabi and we were supposed to meet.
And then a minibus came for us, which took us to the pier in Krabi, then we changed to a long tail and drove to our hotel at night.
It was located on the Railay Bay beach and can only be reached by water. Riding at night in a boat is both scary and fascinating at the same time! Huge rocks stick out of the water, like frozen dragons. For some reason, I was very afraid of sharks at night. So I went and prayed.
At this time, there are big ebb tides on Railay at night, so when we arrived we were met by a tractor on huge wheels with a trailer, which we climbed into, but already at the hotel itself we were taken in a small golf car. Bottom line: in one day we changed 7 modes of transport)))
Krabi
Railay Bay Resort & Spa
The hotel, like all the previous ones, we booked from Kyiv on booking. com. com. 5 nights cost us 7900 Baht Garden View Bungalow.
Hotel
The hotel itself is located between two banks - East and West.
It is generally impossible to swim on the East Side - boats moor there, there are huge low tides, dirty muddy water and generally bad. But on the West - very beautiful - high cliffs frame the sea, the water is dark green, but not transparent, perhaps due to the fact that there were always waves. The hotel has a very large area, where there is an ATM, a supermarket.
First, we were settled in a bungalow near the East Side, having spent the night there for one night, we asked to change to a room, as a result, having paid 1200 baht for the remaining 3 days, we moved to a room that was very close to the sea - literally 200 meters. The room was huge , they cleaned it very regularly, in the room there is a large room with a large wardrobe, a dressing table, in the bathroom there is a European toilet, bath, shower, washbasin. Everything is new and nice.
Laundry in the hotel is very expensive, we found 60 baht for 1 kg - if you walk along the West Side - there will be a walking street with shops, here in one of these shops.
Beach
The beach is not very neat, littered with branches. There are no sunbeds on the beach itself, there are only sunbeds near the pool, which are turned towards the sea. For such a large hotel, there are very few sunbeds. Therefore, everyone played the game - whoever got up first and slippers. We occupied sunbeds from 7 in the morning.
Weather
The weather was mostly rainy and overcast, probably the worst weather during our stay in Thailand.
Tours
We took one excursion to the Phi Phi Islands. We bought the tour at the hotel, because we didn’t leave the hotel because of the rain (but it’s better to buy on the East Side)
It was a very extreme excursion. We almost got into a storm, the bow of the boat rose vertically relative to the ground, we were thrown up so much that I hurt my back (then I restored it with a Thai massage). But if you omit all this, then the beauty is indescribable.
True, we did not get to Maya Bay - due to strong waves, our guide did not dare to pass between two rocks, so we did not see this Phi-Phi raisin. But other sea and landscape beauties were enough for us. Phi-Phi - must see.
Frightened by such a strong storm and with sore backs, we no longer dared to go out to sea to sunbathe on the nearby islands, so we did not manage to see all this beauty.
But we walked along our beach, went into the cave - Viking Cave - and looked at the bats.
Restaurants.
We ate all the time in the hotel restaurant. Delicious, reasonable prices.
We bought a transfer to Phuket from a travel agency on the East Side. There were different options - on the Speed Boate, but we were afraid and bought a transfer by minibus. It cost us 350 baht for two.
The downside was that we had to go to the boat on our own. We hired a boy from the hotel and he brought us luggage for 50 batya T. when it was good, then we had to walk to the boat.
My husband threw our rather big bag on his back, and we walked knee-deep in muddy dirty water for about 500 m to the boat. Brrr. Not the most pleasant memories… We were also dropped off not at the pier itself, but also in a dirty slurry and went to the pier, dragging a bag on our backs. It was the worst transfer ever. Well, then everything was very simple - we were put in a minibus and we went to Phuket. We were taken to the hotel.
Phuket.
Patong Bay Garden Resort. For 7 nights we paid 12.000 baht. For this hotel the money was withdrawn immediately from the card.
On the last island, we wanted to get into a party place and therefore chose Patong, because we had enough privacy in the previous places.
Hotel
The hotel, of course, was strikingly different from the previous places of our stay. No bungalows for you, everything is modest and gray. Very small area. When we were taken to our room, there were not even words - low ceilings, a small room, a bathroom with a shower.
In general, everything is very small, and even the windows overlook the wall for some reason.
But the hotel has a huge plus, which crosses out all its shortcomings - this is the location: On the very seashore (because mostly hotels in Patong are even the first line across the road), the pool of this hotel goes almost to the sea. And also the hotel is located in a 2-minute walk from the main party street Bangla Road. So we lived in the thick of passions. After a couple of days, I stopped noticing the flaws of the room at all, and I just never curtained the window - I didn’t come to sit near the window.
Beach
Large coastline, beach of average cleanliness. True, the sea did not like it at all. Big waves, a lot of huge jellyfish, not much pleasant. I only took a dip a couple of times in 7 days. I didn't like the sea.
Lie down - yes, but you won’t relax too much: the merchants are so annoying, they offer something every second, and God forbid, if you hold your eyes for more than a second, they won’t lag behind. Feeling like you are on the Yalta embankment. In general, there is nothing to do in Patong. The last time I was in Phuket, I was at Kata Beach, I had to go there again. Patong is a big minus, although I knew what awaited me.
Restaurants, entertainment.
But we visited a bunch of restaurants, tasted the unrealistic size of Phuket lobsters and huge red crabs. We found almost the only hookah in Thailand (neither on Koh Samui, nor on Koh Tao, this was not the case. In Krabi - a pitiful likeness - such a small, almost home-made one). We smoked in the Indian restaurant Tantra not far from the hotel opposite the Russian restaurant. There was no desire to go there at all.
We got to a ping-pong show (a pip-show in a different way) I was disgusted, the men seemed to like it)) Striptease, I confess, was very beautiful, but an old scary woman with a hole for balls - well, no ...
Tours:
Classics of the genre - James Bond. As always very beautiful)
I discovered Raya Island - just Paradise on earth, next time in Thailand I will definitely stay on this island for at least 4 days. I have never seen such a beautiful sea and white as sand flour. As in the photo from the Maldives. There are only 3 or 4 hotels on the island. But it's worth it. Here is a true place for relaxation, meditation and just admiring nature. There are many places for diving and snorkeling near the island. The place is hooked. Highly!
If we talk about hotels in general, then we can say that breakfasts are ordinary and the same everywhere.
Most of our places of residence I liked Koh Samui and Koh Tao, but I really want to live on Raya Island.
Our entire trip (flight and accommodation) cost us a little more than $ 3.500. Of course, we spent a lot of extra money there, but still Honey Moon and we did not deny ourselves anything!
Traveling by yourself without a tour operator is much more interesting than with one. Yes, it's risky, but it's worth it!
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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OTHER REVIEWS ABOUT THE HOTEL
- Good three
- Great holiday on Koh Samui
- Honey Moon: Thailand: Samui - Koh Tao - Krabi - Phuket
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