Advice on coughet, Thailand

[Maca44]

I posted this in the Thailand section of FT a week or so and have had no response thus far, so thought I would copy/paste it here hoping for some advice because I think I would have been shortly.

I plan taking my 15old daughter and 14old son to coughet around June 29th 2009 for about 10 to 12 days. There are plenty of air fares on the web, and can organise those out of Sydney, but as I have never been to Thailand before I need some advice where to stay. On fares, Thai have some good fares, and although Jetstar fly direct Sydney-coughet I do not particularly want to fly with them having been stranded in Honolulu several years ago. I will also look at Cathay and Singapore as other options.

I want to stay in the Patong area, and several people have suggested the Holiday Inn as this apparently has good amentities and is close to beach, shops etc. However, I emailed the Holiday Inn to see if they could accommodate three adults I received this, "Thank you very much for your e-mail. Please be informed that we do not have triple room or extra bed so we would like to suggest two superior rooms with connecting door at cost 4,700 Baht per room per night including tax, service charge and daily breakfast." So much for the holiday Inn. Others have suggested the Patong Merlin as being very nice and family friendly. Any advise would be appreciated as, when I look at expert flyer, seats for the dates I want seem to be going fast, and this is a week before school holidays for private schools.

I note that a lot of info on coughet land content has not been loaded onto websites thus far for June/July 2009 so I might have a few weeks to consider my options. With three of us, and with their age now being adults, I would prefer a family suite, or triple. I have read through this entire thread but unable to find any info on that meets my needs.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kamchatsky]

I stayed in Holiday Inn coughet for 3 nights last year. It is very conveneint and quite kids friendly. But I have to say that Patong is very commericalised and in a way a bit seedy, and depending on your taste it may or may not be your cup of tea. If you like lots of excitements, noises then Patong is the place to go. Karon/Kuta Beach down south is quieter and you can still get the Patong on tuk tuk ...... Most of my trip in Thailand I stayed in Le Meridien Khao Lak which is another town (very quiet) but then my trip was for honeymoon .......

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Hi...

Firstly may I suggest you try the LonelyPlanet ThornTree travel Forum.. also a quick trip to your Library (or a TIP Borders as they have most NEW guide books and are happy for people to read) to browse through guide books such as Lonely Planet, Rough Guide etc..

It is great for questions such as yours.....and you can read back through threads.

Secondly I have been to Thailand many times with 3 kids. Last time they were 16,13 & 10.

Many hotels, but not all have triple rooms or will supply a third bed.
We mainly had two rooms, or two cabins, for our stays as places that can accommodate 5 are rare.


As the earlier posted said your choice of beach are on coughet is very built up and crowded one and is more an "adult" area.

Depending on the length of your stay you may wish to stay at a number of places.

I normally spend 3 or 4 nights and then move on.

Do you want only luxury ?? or are you happy to rough it a little?? There are some great beach huts in Thailand, but thse often do not have all the mod cons including AC.


A nice circuit is to fly in coughet..stay a few days...take a ferry to Ko Phi Phi (Think the move Te Beach)...the after a few days onto Ko Lanta.....then after a few days off to Krabi are....then loop back to coughet.

If you like other things besides beaches I recommend visiting the National park Khao Sok a few hours drive north of coughet...possibly staying at Khao Lak along the way.



Thailand is very easy and cheap country to travel around. For the five of us for overland trips I would normally rent a minivan with driver as this worked out as cheap as bus travel and was a lot quicker and allowed personalised sightseeing as you go.

If you were going in Feb I would highly recommend a live aboard snorkeling trip in the Ko Similans...but in June it would be out of season.


Also Thailand has lots of accommodation...so most times I just rock up and work it out when I am there or book about 4 days in advance with say Asia Rooms or similar.

Cheers.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

The JQ direct flight is the fastest/only direct/cheapest option from Sydney to coughet so you should consider this. This route is always very busy on JQ so I doubt you will be stranded unless civil unrest closes the HKT again. Return fares inc tax are just over $1000 each on JQ which is as good as you are going to get non sale period.

As the other posts have said, Patong is a seedy commercial (yes fun too) beach town. Think Bondi Beach in summer full of tourists but very seedy

The next beach along is Karon which is a lot more quiet, chilled, relaxed. I've stayed at the Ramada Resort (4 star) here and was very impressed with what you get for AU$60 per night!

Really depends if you want the action right on your door step or you would prefer to stay a 10 min tuk tuk drive away (these are pricey for Thai standards at about 400 baht per trip). A good site for hotel rates is Asia Rooms - I've used them many times no problem coughet Hotels Thailand, coughet Hotels Accommodation, coughet Hotels Discount, Cheap Hotels in coughet, Hotel in coughet

Note June/July is rainy season so be prepared for massive downpours out of nowhere during your time.

 

[JohnK]

Seedy? Patong? Far from it!

I would highly recommend Sunset Beach Resort. It is a really nice resort in North Patong and only a leisurely 20 minute walk from Patong centre and has 2 large swimming pools and the resort is very family friendly. I stayed in the junior suite in November 2003 and this will be more than adequate for 3 people. You may need a rollaway bed, at extra charge, but I was more than comfortable sleeping on the large couch in the lounge room.

The resort has a free minibus that runs to Patong centre during the day but you can also walk or take the Songthaew late at night. The lady that was organising tours was great and we did a few day tours. The one to Phi Phi Island and the limestone caves in the Andaman Sea is nice. There is also Elephant trekking in the jungle, jetskis and explore the rest of the beaches and even visit coughet Town.

 

[Evan]

I have stayed at i think it was the Hilton there, but its a bus ride into Patong. But not cheap usually i dont think.

JohnK, I have not been for some years but in 2004 i think it was when i was there Patong had some 'interesting' evening entertainment But then again so do a lot of other places but there is no way i think i would allo children to roam around in the evening... not that i felt its dangerous but maybe not what all parents would like there children to see.

There is some great food around the area though.

E

 

[JohnK]

JohnK, I have not been for some years but in 2004 i think it was when i was there Patong had some 'interesting' evening entertainment

Sure there is nightlife around that is not suitable for young children but in Patong that is mainly confined to Soi Bangla and Soi Sunset. There is a lot more to Patong than these 2 streets.

Thailand gets a bad reputation because of the type of nightlife available. But regular visitors to Thailand know that there is a lot more to Thailand than just the nightlife....

 

[docjames]

We stayed at Merlin Beach Resort in 2001.It is 5 minutes by road south of patong beach - the hotel offers a shuttle in/out which goes every couple of hours in both directions, and is free. Also, a tuktuk is quite cheap anyway. To us it offered the best of both worlds - easy to go in for some "action", easy to lounge around the three pools and private beach.

Note we we went there pre-tsunami.

Agree with others - trip to Phi-Phi is worthwhile. Sea cave canoeing was fantastic and well worth it, kids would love it, snorkling not too bad either.

We went Thai air via BKK - total pain and if i went again i'd definately go J* direct (even though i usually avoid J*).

Note there's another "merlin" on the main street of Patong - it seemed nowhere near as good and i'd avoid it. The "shuttle bus" runs between the two hotels.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Evan]

Sure there is nightlife around that is not suitable for young children but in Patong that is mainly confined to Soi Bangla and Soi Sunset. There is a lot more to Patong than these 2 streets.

Thailand gets a bad reputation because of the type of nightlife available. But regular visitors to Thailand know that there is a lot more to Thailand than just the nightlife....

Yes i take your point, there is a lot more to it than 2 streets... just somehow even with women in the group we end up in those 2 streets on my 2 trips there. And young children no... but if my children were 15 i think escorted it makes it educational.

If you really dont want crowds and like resorts then there is a few around that are great if yo only want to wander between a massge on the beach and the hotel pool

I seem to remember visiting some places that do cultured pearls and also the almond prcessing plant.. and riding on elephants... i can pull out my notes if anybody wants the info on a few things to see and do.

E

 

[SheRaz]

Maca44

My wife and I have stayed at the Holiday Inn about 8 years apart. Pre-Tsunami as a couple and earlier this year with 3 kids aged 2, 4, 6.

I travel a bit and this is one of the better hotel experiences I have had anywhere. Great location, excellent facilities and very reasonable prices at the hotel.

To answer another question, we booked adjoining rooms with the kids in one and us in the other with the door open the whole time. I had my reservations about it prior but it was a great idea and gave us plenty of room and some privacy at night with the security of knowing the kids were right there.

 

[Maca44]

Thank you, I will check them all out. Insofar as flights I am now thinking direct with J* Sydney-coughet, and then CX to HKG for two nights then home. As always, it depends on money.

 

[GCS]

I had a similar problem, and ended up staying at the Patong Paragon in August. It is not in the centre of town (about 10 minutes walk), but the rooms are large, with the extra bed put in a small alcove in the room.

 

[Alanslegal]

We stayed at the Thara Patong Resort - which is adjacent to the main road that runs parallel to Patong Beach.

Its literally on the doorstep from all the restaurants, bars that makes coughet famous for

Nice, comfortable place to stay, with friendly family resort facilities.

 

[Keith009]

I visited in 2006 and quite liked the HI, which was just refurbished then post-tsunami. A pity that they don't work out for you as the location is ideal; right in the Patong area and near lots of restaurants and bars. Hotel itself is v nice for a HI. Then again I was on an extra special THB1/night deal, which prompted the visit to coughet in the first place. I might hasten to add that was 100 times more than what other FTers were paying...

 

[JonnoP]

Maca,

I was there approx 2 months ago when the political protests took place and they closed the airport for 4 days.

Aside from the problems at the airport, no one realised that there were any issues going on whilst we were there. As for places to stay, check out the trip advisor forums..

We chose to stay a little bit further out from Patong and had a 2 bedroom apartment at the Chava resort at Surin Beach. It was not cheap but we liked it. I would advise that you rent a car from a reputable place such as Andaman Car Rent and drive around the island to check out some different places other than what is in the vicinity of Patong. Its relatively cheap approx $40 a day.

The Jungceylon shopping mall is huge and there are a lot of markets for the family to do shopping. Dining is great.. Im sure you will find exactly what you are looking for.

Sea Cave Canoes are a fantastic tour as well as Phi Phi Island, We also enjoyed the ATV tours also.

- Jonno

 

[ArseneV]

Hey Maca44,

I'm going to be brutally honest here.
Been to Thailand a few times. Theres some places I like and some I hate.

coughet is a dump, Koh Lanta is nice but will be screwed over by development in a few years and Phi Phi is a prime example of how a naturally beauitful island can be destroyed by tourism. I quite like Bangkok though, it's fun for 2 - 3 days max.

My question is, why Thailand?

Avoid the crowds, the sex tourists and all the lame first timers and go somewhere different. There is nothing interesting about Thailand anymore.

If it is close and in Asia that you want, try Indonesia, the Phillipines, Myanmar or Vietnam. Yes they all have the above but I feel not as much. Plus i think there are more 'off the beaten track' style areas in those places.

Good luck!:mrgreen:

 

[JohnK]

There is nothing interesting about Thailand anymore.

Are you serious? This must be a wind up....

 

[Maca44]

Hey Maca44,

I'm going to be brutally honest here.
Been to Thailand a few times. Theres some places I like and some I hate.

coughet is a dump, Koh Lanta is nice but will be screwed over by development in a few years and Phi Phi is a prime example of how a naturally beauitful island can be destroyed by tourism. I quite like Bangkok though, it's fun for 2 - 3 days max.

My question is, why Thailand?

Avoid the crowds, the sex tourists and all the lame first timers and go somewhere different. There is nothing interesting about Thailand anymore.

If it is close and in Asia that you want, try Indonesia, the Phillipines, Myanmar or Vietnam. Yes they all have the above but I feel not as much. Plus i think there are more 'off the beaten track' style areas in those places.

Good luck!:mrgreen:

As mentioned in the post I have not been anywhere in Thailand, and although the sex trade is everywhere I have heard that it is more so in other parts of Thailand, and that coughet (although crowded with tourist) is good for families. I will be there with my teenage kids, and I am looking for a resort as the kids will spend 90% of their time in the water. From my research on the web I think coughet will do okay, and the costs are reasonable also. I have been to the Phillipines and Indonesia (not Vietnam thus far) and want to see at least a small part of Thailand

 

[drron]

My time in coughet was some time ago.We stayed at the Novotel which was on a hill overlooking the town so should have survived the tsunami.It was very good and removed from the seediness.As a grey haired fellow it made me ashamed of some of my fellow men as it was assumed by most I was there for one thing only-even though I was holding my wifes hand.I really do not want to go back.
We spent half of our time at Khao Lak which was an amazing contrast.As has been said there is the National Park,elephants,caves,rubber plantations and the Similian islands.We stayed well before the tsunami but we heard a couple of months ago that the 2 women who had the restaurant we went to on the beach survived and now run the Survivors restaurant so we plan to return next year.
I am with JohnK.Thailand is a great place to visit.people are really friendly.We visited vietnam earlier this year and people have to be joking if they think it is a better place to visit than thailand.However I really like the north of Thailand and consider Laos.I will do a trip report on it in December.We only had a day trip into Laos a few years ago but it was fascinating.If the kids are looking for a beach obviously this isnt the way to go.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

As mentioned in the post I have not been anywhere in Thailand, and although the sex trade is everywhere I have heard that it is more so in other parts of Thailand, and that coughet

I have had half a dozen family holidays in Thailand....and mainly get away from the "bigger" places as I prefer more laid back and more natural locations.

If I can stay on or very near a beach I do so and with kids the closer the better. Also with kids the pool area is of strong interest.

Having said that I have also stayed inland at National Parks and went north the Chang Mia etc..


Now as to the sex trade comment....the best way to avoid too much of it is simply to not stay at those locations which attract Westerners there strongly for that purpose.

Now while there are worse places than Patong in Thailand...on coughet it is where the sex trade is more strongly located.

On coughet there are lots of other locations which ample restaurants, shops etc....

Now it is just not just the sex trad, Patong is also where adults tend to go more if they want to party....say your end of season football trip crowd.

Now if you want bars..then sure stay at Patong...

Patong is also busier and noisier than other locations...so it all depends what you like and what you are willing to trade off.

Me I like getting up early and going fora peaceful walk along the beach, or adjoining Forest if there is any.

But each to their own.


Back on beaches.....the beaches on coughet are ok.....but there are far far nicer beaches of some of the other nearby smaller Islands. And by nicer I not only mean the sand....but the setting.

For example on Ko Lanta..there is basically just one strip of accommodation along the beach...making for fewer people and a nicer and quieter setting.


At Ao Ang...you have beautiful beaches set against the Limestone Cliffs

Most coughet beaches are say like the Gold Coast with the built up area going say a km back at Patong. Now to some that is attractive, whereas to others like me I tend to avoid it.

So to me a good holiday would be a mix of say somewhere like Koron on coughet (with wider shopping choices and more restaurants), but also staying at some more scenic places too to "chill" out.