iPhone 5 in Thailand

The iPhone 5 isn’t even out yet in Thailand – it’s  due for official launch in Thailand at the end of October 2012. It’s already available in other major Asian cities like Hong Kong and Singapore. Unfortunately Apple products are rarely much cheaper in Thailand than elsewhere in the world – Apple keeps global control of its product prices.

The current price of a grey-market imported 64 gb iPhone 5 in MBK is around 41000 Baht – that’s an eye watering $1400 USD, but some Thais are willing to pay it just to be first. Even the Wall Street Journal picked up on this mania for having the iPhone 5 at any price.   That price will obviously drop like a stone when the official iPhone 5 launch happens in Thailand. 

Thailand uber-blogger Richard Barrow has the full rundown of what the official iPhone 5 prices will be in Thailand - 16GB 32,500 Baht, 32GB — 36,500 Baht, 64GB — 41,000 Baht – so that’s around $1000 USD for the 16 GB model. 

Can I Save Money On An iPhone 5 in Asia?

The one major difference about buying an iPhone 5 in Asia is the amount of Value Added Tax or Sales Tax imposed by a country. In the UK, for example, VAT is 20 per cent whereas in Hong Kong it’s zero. That’s obviously a big difference to the final price.

You can see the current iPhone 5 price for in Apple Store Hong Kong and Apple Store Singapore.  It will be available in the Apple Store Thailand eventually. Convert the currency by using XE.com/ucc or similar.

The caveat is that if you buy your iPhone 5 in Asia and it goes wrong when you get home, you may not be able to get it serviced and fixed under guarantee. Therefore you need to weigh the balance of potential cost savings versus peace of mind if you end up with a defective model.

Also if you live in the USA, it’s unlikely that you will see the iPhone 5 significantly cheaper anywhere overseas – the US is such a huge market that sheer volume of sales keep prices down.

Getting A Sim Card for Your iPhone 5 In Thailand

The iPhone 5 in Thailand should arrive unlocked as per the iPhone 4, meaning you can buy it here and use it with any compatible network around the world.

The main issue with the iPhone 5 for travellers is that Apple has changed the SIM card size again – it’s now a Nano Sim, even smaller than the micro Sim in the iPhone 4, and surprise surprise they are not compatible. Therefore buying local sim cards in Asia for your shiny iPhone 5 could be a bit of a problem. Thailand will get nano SIMs very quickly but you will probably be hard pressed to find them elsewhere, meaning that the vendor will need to chop a standard sized SIM card down to size to fit into the iPhone 5. Which could be fun.

Previous posts on how to get an iPhone sim card in other countries:

• How To Get An iPhone Sim Card in Thailand
• How To Get An iPhone Sim Card in Cambodia
• How To Get An iPhone Sim Card in Bali
• How To Get An iPhone Sim Card in Hong Kong
• How To Get An iPhone Sim Card in the Philippines

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: iPhone 5 in Thailand – How Much Does It Cost?

Today is my 40th birthday. To celebrate the fact I’m not dead yet, I’m giving away my recently published Kindle ebook Seven Reasons To Go Travelling Solo. If you’re interested in travelling alone, you should definitely get hold of it.

Where To Get It
You can get Seven Reasons To Go Travelling Solo for free at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk – but only for the next 24 hours. (UPDATE: the giveaway is now over – thanks to everyone who grabbed a copy)

If You’ve Got Time, Please Leave A Review
I hope you find time to download it – and actually read it! And if you want to do something to help me out in return, please leave a review on the Amazon.com page or the Amazon.co.uk page, however brief. That would be hugely appreciated.

But I Don’t Have A Kindle! How Can I Read It?
Remember you don’t need a Kindle device to actually read Kindle books – you can download free software from Amazon to read Kindle books on your PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Android device yadda yadda yadda. You can find the free Kindle software on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

If you want more info on what’s in the book, here’s the introduction I wrote to the Seven Reasons To Go Travelling Solo ebook:

“Solo travelling changed my life. I left England in December 2002 to backpack in Australia, thinking I would travel for six months, a year at most. That was 10 years ago. I never went home.

I ended up living in Thailand by accident and continuing to travel extensively across South East Asia, driven by a passion for scuba diving that I only discovered because of travelling. Along the way I created two websites, TravelHappy.info and DiveHappy.com about travelling and diving in Asia respectively. Quite early on I posted an article on TravelHappy called Seven Reasons To Go Travelling Solo. The ongoing response to that article has been huge, sparking hundreds of comments and emails from people wanting to travel alone. This ebook collects and updates the original Seven Reasons essay along with other useful and inspirational articles from TravelHappy to help and reassure those of you who want to travel solo. I’ve also included a previously Solo Travelling FAQ answering the most common solo travel questions posed by readers.

Solo travel may or may not change your life quite so radically as mine (and indeed, you may not want it to). But I can pretty much guarantee it will be a hugely enriching, exciting and enjoyable experience – also possibly aggravating, exhausting and frustrating too. As Kevin Kelly put it, travel is “a jolt to the soul”. You don’t need to travel for months at a time to experience travel’s magical effect – you can pack a lot into a week long trip that might turn out to be a turning point in your life.

You don’t know until you go.”

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Free Kindle Travel Ebook – Seven Reasons To Go Travelling Solo

iPhone 4 in Thailand - Just Get A Thai SIM Card

They may be expensive, but iPhones and iPads are a common sight amongst travelers in Thailand these days. Walk into any cafe around Khao San Road and you’ll see more Apple devices than guidebooks.

It’s straightforward to connect your iPhone or iPad to any wifi source – and there’s plenty of cafes in Bangkok with free wifi (and you can search for Bangkok hotels that have free wifi as well) – but what if you want have always-on internet on your iPhone just like at home? That’s quite easy too – you just need to buy a Thai SIM card for your iPhone.

Is Your iPhone Unlocked?
The only caveat is that your iPhone needs to be unlocked i.e. not restricted by your phone company from using another telecom company’s SIM card. If you’ve bought your iPhone in the USA or UK as part of a promotional deal where you have a contract for a fixed length of time, for example, it’s quite likely that your iPhone is not unlocked. You will need to check with wherever you got your iPhone from to be sure. You can “jailbreak” your iPhone to unlock it but that will invalidate the warranty and may well completely freeze the phone – “brick” it – next time you update the iOS software. Unless you know what you’re doing, I would avoid jailbreaking it.

Unlocked And Ready To Rock
If your phone is unlocked, then all you need to do is go to one of the three main Thai mobile telecoms companies – AIS, DTAC and True – and ask for a prepaid SIM card for your iPhone. It’s probably a good idea to do this at a telecoms shop branch that is used to dealing with tourists and where the staff can speak English.

Get A Thai SIM Card At Bangkok Airport
The easiest solution is to do it as soon as you arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. There are branches of all three telecoms companies – AIS, DTAC and True – in Bangkok Airport’s Arrivals Hall so you can get a SIM as soon as you arrive. Ask them to install and set up the SIM card for you, just in case any settings need to be changed. Ensure the data connection is working and you can access your emails, Facebook etc before you leave the shop. These shops stay open late so check them out even if you arrive in the small hours of the morning.

Getting A Thai SIM Card In Bangkok
If you don’t get your Thai SIM at the airport, you can find branches of all three mobile carriers in Siam Paragon, Bangkok’s ritziest mall where the staff speak English. The mall is located right next to Siam Square BTS Station – very easy to find.

There are numerous other branches dotted around the city for each carrier if you prefer to try there instead. See their respective websites for complete addresses of each of their outlets. ( DTAC Shop Locations – AIS Shop Locations – True Shop Locations (True’s page is – bafflingly – Thai language only, despite being linked from their English language site!))

Remember To Bring The Thing That Pops Open The iPhone SIM Slot

True, DTAC or AIS – Which One To Choose?
I personally use True, which has great coverage in Bangkok. but can be patchy elsewhere in the country. I don’t have much firsthand experience of the other two networks on iPhone but there does not seem to be much between them.

True claims to have 3G coverage in Bangkok, which is a very elastic use of the term 3G, but it’s pretty fast most of the time and certainly adequate for casual web browsing, email, Facebook and uploading photos.

AIS and DTAC both have excellent English language help over the phone – call AIS on 1175, DTAC on 1816 and True on 1331.

The iPhone 4 uses a microSIM and each of the telecoms company sell this smaller size now as standard, with an adapter for normal sized SIM slots (handy if you are bringing an iPhone 3G or older smartphone).

How Much Does Does It Cost?
Thai SIM cards and data usage for iPhones are remarkably cheap. All three carriers offer Unlimited packages, meaning you can use the net as much as you want within a set time for a fixed price. The prices are continually fluctuating with offers and promotions, but expect to pay somewhere around 600 Baht (around $18 USD) for unlimited data usage for 1 month, provided you have the right data package. You can get packages for just 1 week as well if you wish.

All You Can Eat – Local Phone Calls And SMSs Included
These packages usually also provide free phone calls and SMSs – within Thailand only, not internationally. Sending SMSs overseas is fairly cheap, expect to pay 10 to 15 baht per SMS depending on where you’re texting. This can also give you access to each telecoms company’s wifi networks too (which normally you need to pay to access). You will find True and DTAC wifi networks in every Starbucks in Thailand, for example.

For examples of current Thai SIM card with unlimited data usage prices, see the price pages for True iPhone SIM cards and DTAC’s Happy SIM cards. (True iPhone SIM price page – DTAC Happy iPhone SIM price page – AIS 12 Call SIM price page).

You should definitely ensure you have a package set up and operational on your Thai SIM before you leave the shop, otherwise you will burn through whatever credit you have on your SIM card very quickly.

Use Your iPhone As A Wifi Hotspot For Your Mac / PC / iPad
The other real bonus to getting a Thai SIM card for your iPhone is that, as at the time of writing (March 2012) all three Thai mobile telecoms companies let you use the Personal Hotspot functionality on your iPhone. Switch it on under Settings and any other wifi enabled device can connect to your iPhone – and so be connected to the internet as well. I regularly use my iPhone to connect my MacBook and my iPad to the net and the connection is zippy enough for web browsing and email.

If this functionality is important to you, I’d suggest you bring whatever device you need to connect to your phone to the shop when you buy your SIM card initially. That way the staff can help you set it up and connect it for the first time.

Personal Hotspot is a function that many other foreign mobile companies – e.g Vodafone and 02 in the UK – charge an extra fee for. This is pretty outrageous but it sets an unfortunate precedent which Thai telecoms carriers might follow in the future. For now though, the Personal Hotspot really makes get a Thai Sim card for your iPhone invaluable if you need continual internet access while you’re on the move.

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: How To Get A Thai SIM Card For Your iPhone

Storm Coming In Over Nai Yang Beach At Sunset, Phuket, Thailand

Most overnight stays in an airport hotel are fairly dreary. Usually the options are stay within the airport itself at some quite posh but also very expensive hotel – like Bangkok Airport’s Novotel Suvarnabhumi hotel or Singapore’s Crowne Plaza – or stay nearby in some cheaper but less salubrious abode, like the majority of hotels near Bangkok Airport.

Phuket, however, is different. A mere 10 minutes drive from Phuket international airport is Nai Yang beach, a picturesque if now somewhat overdeveloped sweep of sand that has plenty of seaview restaurants vying for your trade. There’s also a wide arrange of accommodation here, and a taxi ride which you can prebook from any hotel costs 200 Baht for the car (not per person). The same journey would cost you 50 Baht in Bangkok, but in Phuket, 200 Baht to get anywhere by taxi is pretty much a bargain.

Nai Yang Boutique Resort

After coming back from a Similan Islands dive trip, I stayed one night at Nai Yang Boutique Resort as we had an early start for our flight back to Bangkok the next day. As one of the cheaper options available in Nai Yang, I can definitely recommend it. The resort is built as a collection of bungalows, with 2 rooms to each bungalow, so you’re basically semi-detached. It’s all relatively new with high ceilings and glass sliding doors onto a small patio area overlooking a very well kept garden.

The garden is actually what probably makes this hotel – lots of other guests were sitting out on their patio enjoying the shade and the view. The room itself is clean with white walls and dark wood furniture along with a decent-sized, well maintained bathroom with shower and toilet. The minibar is surprisingly not outrageously overpriced and the large flat screen TV has a few western channels. The aircon unit is new and efficient. Wifi is allegedly available but not in all the rooms. For one night at 1000 baht, it was more than adequate, although we got lucky with a discounted price when we booked. Check current rates at Agoda. You can also see a useful map of Nai Yang with all accommodation options too.

Nai Yang beach is a 5 minute walk away, although you need to walk down a muddy, unpaved track outside the wall of the neighbouring, very posh Indigo Pearl resort to get there. Not so great when it’s dark after sunset and you want to walk back as it’s completely unlit, so bring a torch. You arrive on the road running parallel to the beach which has lots of restaurants, minimarts and the usual tourist flimflam. Walk through any restaurant to go directly onto the beach. There’s quite a few tables, sunloungers and umbrellas set up in the central section of the beach, but if you want some solitude you can wander either way following the beach around. All the restaurants are pretty similar in terms of the usual Thai dishes on offer, all priced around 150 to 200 baht, with a big bottle of beer a similar price.

Nai Yang is evidently a popular beach due to its close proximity to Phuket airport and appeals to the sun, sea and sand holiday crowd who want to convenience of not having to travel far. Even with the crowds and the inflated prices (by Thai standards), as a place for an airport overnight stopover, Nai Yang is hard to argue with.

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Phuket Airport Hotel Required? Head To Nai Yang Beach

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Wat Lan Khaud is somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for years. It got some coverage in the British press a while ago but has remained mysteriously absent from the To Do list of most Thailand tourists, probably because of its obscure location near Sisaket, deep in the Isaan region. On a recent visit to Ubon Ratchatani for a friend’s wedding, we hired a driver to take us the couple hours drive to the temple and see it for ourselves.

At The Gate of Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

I really wasn’t quite sure what to expect when we arrived at the gates of Wat Lan Khaud, an hour’s drive from Sisaket. Even though I’d seen photos of the temple before, I had no real sense of scale or the temple’s layout. I’d wondered if it was just one over-large spirit house that had been built with bottles rather than the actual temple itself. First impressions were – blimey, they really have covered everything, including the outside walls.

[To see the detail of each photo better, click any image for a bigger version]

The gateway into Wat Lan Khaud temple

The archway at the gates has a fringe of upended green Heineken bottles – along with domestic beers Chang and Singha, Heineken is found everywhere in Thailand, along with the equally ubiquitous small brown Red Bull bottles (also used in the temple construction)

Archway of Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Red Bull bottles were used to decorate the columns of the archway and also the cover the entire outside of one of the temple’s outbuildings by the entrance.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

The chedi outside the main temple is also covered in Red Bull bottles, using a cross hatching style, and then green beer bottles further up for contrast – quite beautiful.

Chedi at Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

But it’s when you see the temple itself it’s just unreal. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, it seemed so fantastical that it actually existed. Thai temple architecture in general is so gravity-defying in its gracefulness, but to manage to remain true to temple architectural protocols and do it with beer bottles – just spectacular.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

The temple sits overlooking its own purpose built pond which catches the temple’s reflection. Even the barrier around the pond is decorated with beer bottles.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

As the sun starts to go down over the temple, the sun catches not the thousands of beer bottles covering the exterior of the temple’s roof, walls and pillars.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Up close the rows of beer bottles decorating the walls become a mesmerising pattern of repetition.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

The bottles also fit around the doors and windows of the temple, which feature glass doors etched with images of the Buddha.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Suspended over the pond, the temple has walkways along either side back into the temple grounds.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Corners on the temple’s balustrade have a lovely feeling of flow thanks to the orientation of the bottles. Even the floor has beer bottles artistically bored in it.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Another look at the detail of the bottle wall – with the five o’clock sun, the glass caught the light so the whole wall was ablaze with colour. (Also, spot the broken one)

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Back around the front of the temple, on the other side from the western side where the sun sets, the entrance way into the temple interior uses the same motifs as the archway

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Even the temple interior features Red Bull decorated bottles and the same brown and green beer bottle walls

Temple Interior, Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Stand at the right point on the walkway outside and the perspectives of the bottles and walls start to feel like an MC Escher painting come to life.

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Standing to one side of the temple is this other structure, which is a crematorium. I couldn’t get a good shot as it was in shadow, but despite its sombre purpose it too is decorated in beer bottles.

Crematorium at Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

After an hour of glorious light, darkness comes incredibly quickly around 6pm, which also signals when the temple is closed to the public as the monks go about their evening meditation. I like this last, silhouette shot I took before we left, but I wish I could have seen the temple at sunrise as well to see the sun rise over this side of the temple too.

Night Falls at Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles, Wat Lan Khaud, Sisaket

The temple was originally created because the local abbott was tired of seeing the countryside littered with beer bottles. (Thailand has a bit of a drinking problem, ranking just after the UK for being one of the world’s worse binge-drinking nations). Apparently there is already 1.5 million bottles incorporated into the temple’s design.

Unfortunately when we were there the two or three monks we saw, while happy for us to take photos, were too busy with other tasks to chat, so I couldn’t learn anything particularly profound about the temple. There was literally no-one else there, except a Thai family that came briefly to pay their respects.

There’s a great account of a visit to the temple here, with a few more facts and photos about it – besides the temple, chedi and crematorium, even the monks’ living quarters are decorated with beer bottles. This mention in the Telegraph says that bottle collecting began in 1984. Construction is still going on, as evidenced by a 5 metre high Buddha statue that is currently being built at the temple’s entrance, so it looks like the Temple of a Million Beer Bottles could soon become the Temple of Two Million Beer Bottles.

Getting To The Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles

We hired a driver to visit the temple from Ubon Ratchatani, which took around 2 hours there and 1.5 hours back when it was dark. The temple is near the small village of Khun Han, and the nearest city to the temple is Sisaket.

From Bangkok flights are cheap and quick to Ubon – around 1000 Baht one way including tax. Alternatively you can get the train or bus. We stayed at the Sunee Grand Hotel in Ubon, which was a decent, business-styled hotel right next to a mall with supermarket and restaurants in the centre of Ubon.

It cost around 1500 Baht a day plus gas (around 700 Baht) for a car and driver from Chao Wattana, a locally well-known and reputable car/driver hire firm. Chao Wattana have a bureau at Ubon Ratchantani airport in the Arrivals section. You probably want to contact them before arrival just to be safe – contact details are here on the very good WeLoveUbon website which gives a rundown of other things to do around Ubon, a thriving city near the Laos border.

Of course, if you are just coming to see Wat Lan Chaud, you could catch the train direct from Bangkok to Sisaket or Buriram which are nearer. You’d need to organise your own transport once you’re there. The map below shows the location of the temple relative to Sisaket and Ubon Ratchatani. Also check out Baan Wine, a new wine bar in Ubon by the river recently opened by my friends Chris and Tuck.

• Angkor, Bagan, Sukhothai - The Legacy
  Part 1 - Sukhothai - Part 2: Angkor - Part 3: Bagan
• The Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles - Wat Lan Khaud
• Sukhothai: Thailand's Own Angkor Wat
• Essential Temples Of Sukhothai
• Essential Temples of Angkor
• Essential Temples of Bagan
• Angkor Wat - A Brief Guide
• Angkro Wat To Bangkok
• Beng Mealea - The Lost Temple Of Angkor
• Buddhist Temples Of Thailand - The Book

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Temple Of A Million Beer Bottles

Thailand has been suffering from flooding since the end of July as a series of tropical storms during monsoon season dropped more and more rainwater across the country. The culmative effect of all the rain is now putting pressure on Bangkok. Already the ancient city of Ayutthaya is flooded, some tourist attractions in the centre of the country are closed and some suburbs of Bangkok and those near the Chao Phraya river may be affected as the tides rise next week. If you’ve seen the photos on various news websites, it looks quite scary.

However, while the situation is very serious for many Thai families and businesses, much of the country is unaffected and the areas which tourists frequent are largely untouched. All the islands – Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Lanta etc – are unaffected by the monsoon so far, and all airports in the country are functioning normally. Central Bangkok is also largely unaffected too. I live in Ratchada, a couple of MRT stops away from central Sukhumvit, and apart from the usual gridlock of traffic that happens when it rains, the flooding that has occurred has drained away again within a few hours.

Therefore cancelling a holiday to Thailand at this point would be an over-reaction I think. It just requires some forethought and flexibility to avoid the fallout of the floods and plan around them.

The best source for information about the flooding which is continually updated is Richard Barrow’s Thai Flood News – if you have concerns you can post a comment and Richard will respond with advice (although please read previous comments to avoid asking the same question twice). There are separate articles on roads closed in Thailand by flooding and also the different districts in Bangkok that are best avoided.

You can also check Travelhappy’s Breaking Thailand News which has a feed of different English-language Thailand news sources which is constantly updated.

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Thailand and Bangkok Floods – Is It Safe For Tourists?

Phuket Boomerang Village Resort, Kata Beach, Phuket (image credit: Lily Evans)

[Ed Note: My Thailand is an occasional series on Travelhappy where friends of mine who live or have travelled in Thailand give their insight into what makes Thailand special to them. Here my friend Lily Evans gives a run down of a 4 week trip through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam with her boyfriend Brad that was mindful about money but big on comfort and convenience - flashpackers!]

Over to Lily:

At the grand old age of 39, my boyfriend and I decided that – while we were spending our 5-week sabbaticals from work in southeast Asia – we were a little bit too old to be sleeping in hostels and eating nothing but noodles and rice every day. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but (much as I hate the term) flashpacking was the way to go for us. We chose to spend a little bit more cash on 3-star hotels; eat in slightly nicer restaurants and travel via internal flights with Air Asia, Jetstar and Vietnam Airlines rather than long-distance buses. We came out to Asia with around £2,500 ($US 4,000) to spend for 31 days – and no idea if this was enough or far too little! So here’s how we got on while we were away…

Water lilies at Lamphu Tree House Hotel, Bangkok (image credit: Lily Evans)

Thailand
We started off in Bangkok – with no idea how much anything cost! – and soon found that Thailand is the most expensive of the three countries we visited. Including hotels, food and going out, we were spending around 4500 Bt (£90 or $US145) a day between the 2 of us.

(For the record 1000 Baht currently equals approx $US 33 and £20 – however, due to the world economic crisis, currencies fluctuate regularly so see the Thai Baht Currency Converter for latest rates).

Hotels In Thailand
We started off in the backpacker area of Banglamphu so we could get our bearings around the old part of Bangkok! The Lamphu Tree House Hotel is styled in traditional Thai teak, with a small pool, pretty garden and ok breakfast (just get there before 9am or all the food runs out!) The standard rooms are clean but basic (no TV, which was the exception) and cost 1450 Bt per night.

On our return to Bangkok, we spent two nights at Dream Bangkok on Sukhumvit Road Soi 15 – a complete contrast to the older, more backpacker-oriented Banglamphu. The Dream was a modern, beautifully styled crash pad, with rooftop pool, incredible breakfast and a luxe spa. The rooms were comfy and clean, with the softest beds in Asia! For a delicious night’s sleep, we paid $74 for a standard room.

In Phuket, we stayed away from the madness of Patong in Kata Beach at the Boomerang Village Resort. This was a real favourite – the village is so quiet and peaceful with gorgeous individual villas with antique Thai furnishings. Lovely people, a fantastic restaurant and peaceful pool made this a delight. Our standard villa was 1750 Baht a night.

Dream Hotel, Bangkok (image credit: Lily Evans)

Eating Out In Bangkok
Needless to say, there is a spectacular range of restaurants in BKK. We ate across the spectrum – from a canal-side bar in Banglamphu where delicious Thai grub was available for around 200 Bt a dish, to cocktails at Vertigo at 400 Bt a pop. We liked La Monita Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant, where a fantastic dinner for 2 cost 1000 Bt; and Kushi-Tei Of Tokyo, a yakitori place, where we spent 1200 Bt for 2 on an incredible all you can eat buffet and rather a lot of ice cold Japanese beer.

Blue Lime Hotel swimming pool, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia
A country of startling contrasts, Cambodia allows visitors the chance to witness a people who either have nothing – or everything. It’s similar in its range of choice for visitors – if you want five-star palaces, you can find them. There’s also a great range of boutique hotels and gorgeous restaurants catering for those not on a million-dollar budget. Including our 3-day pass to Siem Reap, we were spending around $130 (£78) a day between the two of us.

Hotels In Cambodia
Phnom Penh is so chaotic, hot and dusty, we looked for a hotel that would give us some respite from the madness! Tucked down an alley just behind the National Museum and Royal Palace, the Blue Lime is perfect for relaxing in after a hectic day. With a stunning pool, minimalist style and a decent breakfast cooked to order, we paid $40 a night for a standard room.

In Siem Reap, we chose to stay a little way out of the town centre on Wat Bo Road. Here we found the Frangipani Villa Hotel, which was clean, fresh and friendly, with a great pool and charming staff. Breakfast was a huge buffet and the cocktails from the poolside bar were second to none. For all this, we paid $35 a night for a standard room.

Frangipani, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Eating Out in Cambodia
There’s plenty of choice in Phnom Penh – we particularly liked Friends Restaurant, which trains Cambodian street kids in the hospitality industry (and has a great shop next door). For a 2-course meal and cocktails, we were paying around $20 for 2. (You can read more about Friends and Phnom Penh in general in Chris’ article Phnom Penh: The Ghost City Come Back To Life).

In Siem Reap, the choice is also vast – especially around ‘Pub Street’in the centre of town. We liked Soup Dragon here, which has a friendly vibe and makes a mean Amok Chicken Curry. Four or five dishes and beer for 2 people cost around $25.

On Wat Bo Road (5 minutes’walk from the Frangipani is Viroth’s – a Cambodian-style eaterie with a lovely garden and romantic atmosphere. 2 courses and cocktails cost $30 for 2 people.

Statues at Angkor Thom, Angkor, Cambodia (image credit: Lily Evans)

Angkor Wat
We chose to buy a 3-day pass to Angkor Wat, which cost $45 (£27) each. This gave us time to visit a number of sites, both close to Siem Reap and further afield. I’d definitely recommend a driver and/or guide while you’re visiting the temples; we paid a lovely tuk tuk driver $15 for a day of touring road the main temples. We then booked Mr Hak, a charming taxi driver (www.angkortaxidriver.com) who took us out to the more remote temples in his air-conditioned car. For 2 days of driving, we paid him $60. (See Angkor’s Essential Temples and Beng Mealea: The Lost Temple Of Angkor for more info on which temples to see).

Room interior at Hanoi Calypso hotel, Hanoi

Vietnam
Considering its closeness to Thailand and Cambodia, Vietnam is startling cheap in comparison to both countries. Staying in 3-4 star hotels, eating at some pretty good restaurants and doing a couple of trips, we were spending around 2 million dong (£60) a day between the two of us.

Hotels In Vietnam
We stayed a good spread of hotels in the three cities we visited in Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh, with its newly expanding backpacker area, competition is fierce for the tourist dollar. There are plenty of places for the ’boutique’traveller – we stayed at the small and charming Cat Huy Hotel. It’s located on an alley off Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1 and provides crisp clean rooms, big showers and a huge LCD TV. Breakfast is basic (pho or omelette with baguettes and coffee) but the friendly staff and the fact a standard room is just $30 / night makes up for it.

Hoi An was where we spent the most money on a place to stay while we were away. We chose the secluded Orchid Garden Homestay which is equidistant between the town and beach, because it had a pool and villas – ideal after the hustle and bustle of HCMC. For $74 a night, we had a huge family villa (which would easily sleep 4) with kitchen and sitting area, plus a rather glamorous outside bathroom. Breakfast – which was wonderful, packed with choice and flavour – was included, as was cycle hire so we could travel easily into Hoi An or our to Cui Dai beach.

Orchard Garden Homestay Villa, Hoi An, Vietnam

In Hanoi, we picked a hotel just on the edge of the Old Quarter, as we wanted somewhere central but not too close to the noise and chaos. The Hanoi Calypso Hotel is a brand-new boutique hotel five minutes’walk from the heart of the old city and about a 10-minute stroll to Hoan Kiem Lake. French colonial fittings, beautiful bathrooms and a filling breakfast will be yours for $40 for a standard room.

Eating Out In Vietnam
It’s easy to eat cheaply in the big cities – HCMC in particular was home to a dazzling array of cheap noodle restaurants and Vietnamese food joints, where you could enjoy authentic food for around 100,000 dong a head. We liked Kim’s in the backpacker district as the food was so good. Beer is also cheap – if you go for a local brew. ’333′ was our favourite and cost about 30,000 dong a can.

Hoi An is Vietnam’s gourmet paradise, so we splashed out a bit on dinners while we were here. A 2-course dinner for 2 at The Secret Garden in Hoi An – a gorgeous, Viet- fusion restaurant tucked down an alleyway – cost just under 1 million dong for two, including drinks. The Mango Rooms on the riverfront was around the same price, with lunch costing around 500,000 dong for 2. But for cheaper fare, head out of town towards Cui Dai beach; in Cu Cham village, there’s the Red Dragon restaurant. Fantastic food from a young chef – 2 courses and drinks for 2 will set you back 400,000 dong.

Hanoi is also ahead of the game with its gorgeous restaurants. We ate in The Green Mango in the Old Quarter, which is a French-inspired foodie’s dream. Two courses and drinks came to 700,000 dong. And check out the tapas-style Asian grub at Highway 4 in the Old Quarter too; 6 dishes and drinks came to 500,000 dong for 2. (Check Recommended Hanoi Restaurants if you want more suggestions).

Getting Around Between Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam
As we were only away for 5 weeks, we decided that travelling on Asia’s long-distance bus network just wasn’t going to be an option. We took one bus – for the 6-hour trip between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap – which cost $10 each. But after that, we flew everywhere with Asia’s low-cost carriers, Air Asia, Nok Air and Jetstar.

Air Asia were fantastic – nicer planes, on time all the time and a brilliant range of destinations. However, we paid more to travel with them than the less classy Jetstar which had older planes, unfriendly cabin crew and were delayed every time we got on board! Flying from Hanoi to Bangkok with Air Asia cost us around $90 each; Jetstar from Danang to Hanoi cost us around $55 each.

Our favourite airline, though, was Thailand’s Nok Air – charging us 1000 Bt for return flights to and from Bangkok-Phuket, we loved the sweet cabin crew, funky planes and free snack in its own brown paper lunchbag. A great way to fly!

Lily and Brad, somewhere down the Mekong

The Maths
Finally, here’s how our spending broke down across the 31 days we were away…

• Flights: £450 ($US 735) each with Oman Air
• Hotels and transfers for two: £1,095 (US$ 1790)
• Meals / drinks for two: £715 (US$ 1175
• Internal flights/transport for two: £600 (US$ 980)
• Trips for two : £180 (US$ 295)
• Total spent: £3,490 – or £80 ($US 130) a day for the two of us plus flights (the daily rate excluding our flights to and from Bangkok-London).

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Travel Costs For Four Weeks Backpacking (In Style) Across Thailand, Cambodia And Vietnam

[Ed Note: My Thailand is an occasional series on Travelhappy where friends of mine who live or have travelled in Thailand give their insight into what Thailand special to them. Here Mark Wiens, who runs Eating Thai Food and Migrationalogy, explains how it's still possible to travel Thailand super cheap.]

Over to Mark:

The surge of backpackers and travelers in Thailand has transformed a country that was once assumed to be a dirt cheap world destination to visit, into a country where money has potential to fly out of a bank account at a frightening speed. Entertainment galore and fun sounding activities are set up to entice and lure in the tourists that are willing to drop the cash. Comfy air conditioned accommodation and peaceful international restaurants serving comfort foods to weary travelers are inviting and many can’t resist.

Despite this giant tourism scene that “seems” to be taking over in Thailand, in reality, it makes up just a fraction of places to visit in the country. Though it can take some pre-planning, flexibility, and thinking differently from the majority of tourists, there are still boundless opportunities for taking advantage of traveling cheaply in Thailand!

Delicious 30 Baht (US$1) Noodles © Mark Wiens

Eating Cheap in Thailand
Though food in general is considered quite affordable in Thailand, start dining at international restaurants or places that are concentrated with tourists, and your bill will skyrocket. In order to eat cheap in Thailand it’s necessary to stick with local street food and not indulge in massive portions of meat.

Street carts that are located on the side of main roads (especially in bigger Thai cities) are often 5 – 10 THB ($0.17 – $0.33) more expensive per dish. Take a wander down a small street and discover neighborhood street food for the cheapest prices! This also goes for purchasing your own market produce and fruit – to save money, never buy on the sides of main streets!

A plate of stir fried vegetables (without meat) over rice should cost 25 – 30 THB ($0.83 – $1). Add chicken or pork to the mixture and it might increase to 35 – 40 THB ($1.16 – $1.32) for a plate. Cheapest bowls of Thai noodles can be eaten for 25 – 30 THB ($0.83 – $1) as well. I am a big eater, and when I first arrived in Thailand, I needed to eat 2 – 3 plates of food to get completely full. If you are a big eater, to save money, eat a few plates of rice with only a single dish.

Those delicious looking fruit carts with the pre-cut fruit on display usually charge 10 – 15 THB ($0.33 – $0.50) for a single mango throughout Thailand. Though it’s convenient, they do make money; I go to the local market and get an entire kilo of mangoes (usually 3 or 4) for around 15 THB ($0.50).

Also keep an eye out for local cafeteria style dining, places where locals eat. I used to eat lunch at the ONCB (Office of Narcotics Control Board) in Bangkok. They have a great cafeteria, where anyone is invited, and a big plate of rice with two delicious side dishes is a mere 25 THB ($0.83)!

[Ed note - see also Mark's excellent site Eating Thai Food and his comprehensive Thai Food eBook for more invaluable, practical information on the best Thai street food and exactly where to find it in Bangkok].

Finding the Cheapest Accommodation
This might seem obvious, but the cheapest way to stay in Thailand while traveling is to find free accommodation. It’s not always easy to do this, but there are a number of options in Thailand if you make a few plans ahead of time.

Couchsurfing is a website that brings together a tight knit community of travelers that seek to find free accommodation, but more importantly, interact and hang out with locals. It works like this: join Couchsurfing, search for a host in the area you are visiting, contact that host with a couchsurf request, and wait for a response. If all works out favorably and the host agrees for you to stay in their home, you have landed a free place to stay! Keep in mind that not everyone sits on the internet all day and responses are rarely immediate.

Buddhism is Thailand’s most widespread religion, making the country home to countless monasteries and temples. Many temples are places for monks and others to meditate and obtain relief from the fast pace of everyday life. You don’t need to be Buddhist to stay at a Thai monastery, and accommodation and food is usually free if you abide by their rules.

Prefer to stay cheaply at hostels and guest houses? Unlike other parts of the world, in Thailand it’s sometimes cheaper to stay in double or triple rooms (with friends) than in communal dorm rooms. If you are by yourself and need accommodation, about the cheapest dorm beds go for 100 – 200 THB ($3.30 – $6.60) per night. Double and triple rooms cost 200 – 300 THB ($6.60 – $9.91) per night on the cheapest side. Always choose the open-air fan rooms instead of the air conditioned rooms to get the cheapest prices. (see Best Cheap Hotels In Bangkok for more info on cheap hotels in Bangkok, and search Agoda.com and Hostelbookers.com to see cheapest accommodation including dorms for your chosen travel dates. It’s worth noting Agoda gives you 7 per cent of each booking back in reward points which you can use for discounts on future bookings, so if you make a number of hotel bookings with them you can save more money).

I believe the cheapest place to stay in Bangkok is The Overstay. Dorm beds are just 50 THB ($1.65) per night and many travelers choose to stay there and live for a while, as the name suggests. The benefit is that it is located outside of the city center, so food and other expenses are cheaper as well.

Riding the third class train in Thailand © Mark Wiens

Cheapest Thailand Transportation Travel Methods
If you are looking to travel very cheaply in Thailand, you will need to avoid booking transportation at any tourist oriented travel agency. Go directly to the transportation central office and buy your tickets form the source where no one will be making a commission from you.

Trains are probably the cheapest way to travel long distances in Thailand if you are flexible, patient, and have time to spare. I recently took the overnight 3rd class train from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani on the border of Laos (a 12 hour journey) for only 205 THB ($6.77). The price is 271 THB ($8.94) traveling from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on the 3rd class train.

Local buses are the next cheapest way to travel in Thailand, and they go to every corner of the country. Some of the local buses for the long journeys are even air-conditioned, but don’t expect too much leg room, or much room to move at all. Cheapest buses can cost in the range of 250 – 350 THB ($8.25 – $11.57) for an overnight journey.

Hitchhiking is possible throughout Thailand, just keep in mind that you might be in the back of a pick-up truck while cruising down a highway at frightening speeds. I’ve personally gotten a few rides for short distances, but not for long hauls.

Cheap Thailand Booze And Partying Tips
If you are on a tight budget but sill want to drink up and party, there are plenty of ways to do it on the cheap in Thailand. Forget about trendy bars and clubs in the center of town, to get the cheapest booze, look to the streets and in convenience stores. Luckily, most normal day to day bars don’t charge cover in Thailand.

Ya Dong is Thailand’s version of home-brewed moonshine liquor. Prices vary by location, but small flasks – often filled into empty Red Bull bottles can be purchased for 20 – 30 THB ($0.66 – $1) and 3/4 liter bottles can be bought for under 100 THB ($3.30). Look for a stall on the side of the road set up with big jars filled with brown liquid and ask for “ya dong!”

If you want to drink real brand name variations of whiskey, the cheapest 1 L bottles like 100 Pipers or Sangsom cost in the range of 200 – 400 THB ($6.60 – $13.21) at places like 7/11. Large bottles of beer (640 ml) are priced at 45 – 60 THB ($1.46 – $1.98) at convenience stores and usually cost 100 – 200 THB ($3.30 – $6.60) at real bars.

Notorious booze “buckets” are synonymous with partying in Thailand. A small bucket is filled with a flask of Thai whiskey and mixed with soda and additionally some Red Bull. Going to bars and clubs, this is probably the cheapest way to get a buzz for your money.

Wat Hua Lumphong © Mark Wiens

Making a Cheap Travel Plan for Thailand
The normal backpacker route dictates the necessity of club partying in Bangkok, island hopping in the South, and riding on elephants and petting tigers in the North. Follow this common route of activities and your “cheap” travel budget will plummet.

Thailand receives an enormous amount of tourism and therefore the places that are famous and concentrated with tourists are not the cheapest places to go. If you plan to visit all the attractions written in the guide book, and follow the normal backpacker route, you can easily spend $20 – $40 a day.

On the other hand, just being able to just see a new country, observe a different culture, and experience life in Thailand is what I consider the most valuable part of traveling – and it can be done on a very cheap budget. Sure you can spend 350 THB ($11.55) on entrance to the Grand Palace in Bangkok, but you can visit countless temples (like Wat Hua Lamphong) for free all over Bangkok. There’s nothing I enjoy more than just taking a walk through a local fresh market and absorbing all the sights and sounds. Bangkok is packed with exciting markets like Wang Lang, Khlong Toey, and Wang Wian Yai market.

In general, traveling through Southern Thailand which is characterized by pristine beaches and island hopping is more pricey than traveling to any other part of the country. Isolated islands have the ability to monopolize the price of common necessities and charge whatever they please. That being said, if you have the budget to visit the South of Thailand it is absolutely beautiful.

If you are looking to create a cheap travel strategy for Thailand, here are some ideas from around the country to get you started.

Tonsai Bay near Railay Beach © Mark Wiens

10 Cheap Places To Visit In Thailand

• Tonsai Bay, Railay Beach
• Krabi Town
• Sangkhlaburi
• Bangkok
• Mae Hong Son
• Chiang Rai
• Ubon Ratchathani
• Cha Am
• Loei
• Trang

The more time you have to travel, the less expensive (per day) your trip to Thailand will cost. The cheapest forms of transportation take initial time to organize, and because they are cheap, they take the longest amount of time. Be prepared that almost all budget transportation doesn’t abide by the exact schedule and there is a tendency to take longer than expected. Know this in advance, keep a positive attitude, and things will run much smoother. Having time to spare along with a rough travel plan, but not an exact itinerary, will help in keeping costs to a minimum.

Sample 14 day Thailand travel itinerary
Keep in mind that these are the bare minimum prices without taking too many variables into play.

Days 1 – 3: Bangkok, Thailand
As Thailand’s largest city and a giant melting pot of the entire country, Bangkok is a fascinating place to visit and usually the place where most visitors enter Thailand on international flights. You can find the cheapest flights to Thailand using a flight comparison site like Skyscanner. To avoid high prices, try to couchsurf, don’t pay entrance for places like the Grand Palace (instead visit free temples all over town), eat neighborhood street food, fill empty water bottles at water filter machines, and take local buses instead of taxis.

Budget in Bangkok: $5 – $10 per day

Days 3 – 7: Bangkok to Krabi / Tonsai Bay
Bangkok to Krabi town (bus) – 500 THB ($16.51), Krabi town to Ao Nang (back of truck – songthaew) – 50 THB ($1.65), Ao Nang to Tonsai Bay (boat) – 200 THB ($6.60)
Total transportation – 750 THB ($24.74)

In my opinion, much of the island hopping is great, but isn’t a must when contemplating a budget. For an amazing beach destination head to the province of Krabi and then on to the beach town of Ao Nang. From there you can take a boat to Tonsai Bay (200 THB, $6.60), the quieter side of the famous Railay Bay.

There are a number of places that offer very cheap bare-bones bungalows for around 150 – 200 THB ($4.95 – $6.60) per night for a double. The only option for food is to eat at the pricey restaurant guest house, so consider bringing some of you own food as well as your own bottle of alcohol. I normally travel with some oatmeal which is easy to cook, filling, and cheap!

Budget in Southern Thailand: $10 – $15 per day

Days 7 – 8: Krabi to Sangkhlaburi / Kanchanaburi

Tonsai Bay to Bangkok (opposite direction as above) – 750 THB ($24.74), Bangkok to Kanchanaburi (bus) – 100 THB ($3.30), Kanchanaburi to Sangkhlaburi (van) – 275 THB ($8.24)

Total transportation – 1,125 THB ($37.16)

Sangkhlaburi in particular is one of my favorite destinations to visit in Thailand. The tiny town is located on the edge of Burma, nestled in the hills and overlooking a beautiful lake. Sangkhlaburi is a superb place to relax, spend some time with friends, and avoid high costs. The morning market is stocked with all kinds of traditional cheap Thai and Burmese foods and an interesting array of local shoppers.

Budget in Kanchanaburi: $5 – $10 per day

Days 9 – 13: Sangkhlaburi to Chiang Mai / Chiang Rai / Northern Thailand

Sangkhlaburi to Bangkok (van and bus) – 375 THB ($12.38), Bangkok to Chiang Mai (train) – 271 THB ($8.94)

Total transportation – 646 THB ($21.33)

Thailand’s big Northern city is well known for its elephant riding and “traditional” trekking home-stay tours that are priced according to what tourists will pay. However, trekking through the mountainous region of Thailand doesn’t need to be so expensive. Get in touch with community based organizations, like Chiang Mai hiking, a group of volunteers who organize weekly hikes out of their love of hiking!

Budget in Northern Thailand: $5 – $ 10 per day

Day 14: Bangkok and flight out of Thailand

To catch an international flight, you’ll need to find your way back to Bangkok. Taking the 3rd class train for 271 THB ($8.94) is the cheapest option, if you have the time.

Sangkhlaburi © Mark Wiens

Travelling Cheaply In Thailand: Some General Tips To Remember
Here are a few general tips if you really want to travel the cheapest in Thailand:

• Eat all local Thai food (don’t eat international cuisine)
• Avoid areas that are congested with tourists
• Replace tourist famous attractions with local Thai attractions and community organized activities
• Travel long distances overnight to save on accommodation costs
• Find friends or partner up with others for guest house accommodation
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Wash laundry each day in a guest house sink
• Fill empty water bottles from water filter machines (mostly possible in Bangkok)

As Thailand continues to progress and develop as a premiere tourist destination, popular places adapt and prices quickly inflate. Luckily, there is a local side of Thailand, the side where real people live their lives, the side that seems forgotten on the normal travel route, and that’s the side of Thailand that remains affordable.

Doing some pre-trip planning, arranging accommodation beforehand, eating street food, and preparing a list of free activities (or just exploring), will ensure you enjoy the cheapest trip to Thailand!

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Cheap Travel In Thailand: A Quick Guide

Railay Bay Boat Tour

[Ed Note: My Thailand is an occasional series on Travelhappy where friends of mine who live or have travelled in Thailand give their insight into what makes Thailand special to them. Here Sapphira, who edits Bangkok guide Thonglor-Ekamai.com, explains why she loves Krabi's Railay Bay.]

Over to Sapphira:

When you go to Krabi in the south of Thailand you simply cannot go without visiting Railay Bay, even just for a day trip. There are 3 little longtail boat piers in Ao Nang, the bustling seaside town 40 minutes drive from Krabi airport, that will transport you to Railay for 100 baht/person (150 baht after 6pm).

Railay Bay

Your 15 minute long tail trip will open your eyes to stunning limestone caves and mountains. First-timers will literally have to pick up their jaws from the ground. Truly a beautiful sight.

Railay West is the better beach with white sand and sunset view. Note that during Low Season the tides come up pretty high and even higher on Railay East, making it very difficult to walk without getting wet (day or night). If you want to rock climb, trek to the scenic Viewpoint or free climb quite dangerously to the Lagoon, Railay East is where you’ll be.

There are an abundance of lovely hotels on Railay East. Party goers will follow the big thumping music to the end of Railay East for some reggae bars and the popular fire show bar at the end of the stretch suitably called “The Last Bar”.

Viewpoint showing Railay Bay East and West

On Railay West, one of the biggest and best located hotels is Railay Bay Resort and Spa (4 stars). They have different types of rooms starting at 2,000 baht ++ for a Deluxe Room to 4,5000++ for a Private Cottage to 5,5000++ for a Beachfront suite during Low Season.

Other popular and economical accommodations on Railay West are Sand Sea Resort (1,200 baht++/night during Low Season) and Railay Village Resort (2,900 baht++/night). The 3 hotels mentioned here are incredibly child/family friendly and romantic for couples and honeymooners.

The posh and strictly private hotel on Railay Bay is the 5 star Rayavadee Hotel (starting at 15,000++/night during Low Season (!)). The hotel spreads itself over from Railay East and West with some excellent hotel bars under a limestone cave. Everything else, you cannot see unless you are an actual guest!

There used to only be a handful of hotels on Railay Bay but it has obviously exploded with tourism and people’s love for Railay’s beauty and charm.

Sapphira rock climbing at Railay Bay

If you are a die-hard rock climbing fan, Tonsai Bay is one of the world’s most famous rock climbing spots, boasting a difficult climb of 8C. Tonsai Bay Resort is the plushest accommodation you will get on this bay (900++/night during Low Season ) as it is more meant for backpackers and rock climbers only. You can find rooms with no AC for 300 baht and will eat, sleep and breathe your rock climbing gear only.

As ever with the south of Thailand, get yourself on an island tour and you won’t regret it. Prices start at 700 baht from Railay Bay for a day trip commencing from 9am – 3pm. These prices and times will vary accordingly to the number of people on the boat and whether you’d like to go private or not. The beautiful blue-green waters surrounding Krabi has lots of opportunities to jump in and snorkel and/or dive.

Railay Bay

Other activities include kayaking day trips, elephant hiking, ATV tours, motorcycle rentals which start from the mainland of Krabi.

During High Season (end of November to end of May), the weather is generally cooler and sunny although you may still see some scattered showers and be warned of the overly crowded tourism.

Ao Nang is the popular Krabi town right next to a long stretch of beach which is a popular jumping off point for getting to Railay. You might want to stop off here before or after your trip to Railay Bay. When we were there during Low Season (June), restaurants along Ao Nang offered a 20% discount on their food and drinks.

Here you can find rooms starting at 500 baht depending on Low or High Season. We usually book through Agoda.com and searches for a well-known hotel chain like Best Western is under 800 baht/night during Low Season.

Krabi, and Railay Bay in particular, is a slice of paradise on earth for beach lovers and adventure seekers. Enjoy!

Originally posted at Travel Happy


Title: Railay Bay – Rock Climbing and Island Paradise