Thailand forum

Hi,
Regarding your 850 Baht taxi ride to Nai Harn. This sounds very reasonable for Phuket !!! Yes you are right, in Phuket transportation is a tourist trap (read rip off. Tuks Tuks drivers are just licensed thieves!) There are not nearly enough metered taxis. 5 years ago it cost 500 Baht from the airport to Kata, so I don't suppose the price you've been quoted is too bad.

You could try getting the airport bus to Phuket town (pay inside the airport terminal) for a couple of hundred Baht & then get a local bus to Nai Han, but local buses stop at 6pm and the Phuket bus station is now not near the local bus station, so all in all I'd go for the taxi!

Try Rawai beach for BBQ food.
Mike

Phuket-Lanta and Lanta- Krabi will be by road (taxi,minivan) with two short vehicle ferries from the mainland to Lanta which operate all day until 10pm. The longer seasonal ferry to/from Lanta only operates Nov-April.

Instead of Krabi town as a base for trips to Phi Phi and Railay, you might consider Ao Nang which is closer and has it's own beach, whereas Krabi town sits up a muddy river estuary.

hi,
Yes walking is safe, normal common sense rules apply as with any tourist destination. There have been incidents of drive by bag snatching but these are fairly small and opportunist and mostly centered around Patong. Just use your common sense.

With the exception (in my opinion and experience) of HCMC Asia is a very safe place!

@ Mike :
Thanks, I was more concerned with sideways than thefts, but still good to know.

@ MADMAC :
If we had to target a specific area and spend more time there, what would you recommend ?

Thanks again

Ridiculously fast itinery. You won't have much chance to do anything much apart from packing/unpacking.

"Except Nai Harn that we have chosen, we were also interested in Kata, Kamala and Surin beaches"

Why? they are just beaches, nothing much of interest.

Pick either Phuket or Krabi, but don't do both in a rushed way. If you don't want mega touristy pick Krabi.

The thing is with Phuket/Krabi it's the attractions that you visit on day tours that make it fun, not the actual areas close to the hotels.

"We've never been great wraps on Ao Nang. There is nothing particularly Thai about it, and the beach is pretty ordinary. The town is itself is full of tailor shops, travel agents, a scattering of girlie bars and really bad Italian restaurants. Sounds tempting"

Actually there's a good Italian restaurant there in the heart of town and it's a good base to explore Krabi. It's much quiter than the main beaches of Phuket. krabi Town has much better Thai food that's for sure but Ao Nang has much better hotels and closer access to beaches. Better off staying in Ao Nang and spending a day in Krabi Town. Only costs 50 baht 1 way via songthaew which runs down the main road and does pick ups - white utes and they honk the horn to let people know they are coming. There's a decent clothes shop in town plus a really good bag/leather shop towards the river and the local restaurants served good Thai food.

Taking a day trip to Koh Phi Phi is probably a waste of time. I've been twice, and both times the ferry was late and it trip is long enough that you don't have time to really enjoy the island before the last ferry leaves. That said, I have been twice, so the scenery is obviously beautiful. If you do get there, Anna's Restaurant has the best massaman curry I've had in Thailand.

Instead of the day trip to Phi Phi, I would recommend a day trip by longtail ride to Raily. There isn't much to do there, but the scenery is beautiful, and seeing as how your itinerary seems packed, a day of sitting on the beach might be a nice change of pace.

As should seem obvious because of "Ko", Lanta is an island, so you will have to get a ferry to get to Krabi. The trip that we took in the opposite direction took the entire day because we were transferred from transport to transport, with sometimes hours wait in between. Just be prepared to be very, very patient and brings lots of good things to read.

Final note: Phuket is my least favorite place in Thailand. I've only spent 4 months in the country, but Phuket is expensive, crowded, the hotels are dirty, and the beach is like any you could find in the world (read: packed with European and Australian tourists and people trying to sell you things). Even though you are not flexible with your accommodations, I would seriously reconsider spending so much time there.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!