Thailand forum

Welcome to Travelfish kay_kay!

Ko chang in September is wet and I mean WET. that being the case, I'd suggest alternatives -- ko Samet is good, convenient to Bangkok with loads of resorts and good eating to choose from, though it has little in the way of waterfalls (none in fact) nor elephant riding. You can do a bit of walking, but it's nothing too exciting...

Where does spring to mind is Ko Pha Ngan. It's close enough to Samui that if time is tight you can fly to Samui and get the boat over, there's tons of places to stay -- from 50B a night shacks to 50,000B a night penthouses. There's loads of trekking opportunities and no shortage of places to eat. I'm pretty sure (though not positive) you can do some kinda elephant riding there...

Best of all, the weather won't be all that bad at all.

Hope that helps get the confusion under control ;-)

hey kay,

koh samet is one of my favorites and always a good getaway from bangkok, particularly mid week. but it is pretty thin on the cultural stuff you mentioned that you are looking for. there are a few good hikes to be had, and you can hire motor scooters to explore the island if you don't mind driving on what passes for roads there. the food is varied and excellent, with restaurants taking over the sand at night on the larger beaches. there are also a few daytime snorkeling trips that are worth a look.

check out the listings on the website to see if koh pha ngan has more of the things you are looking for and if the additional travel costs fit your budget. you can also fly into surat thani and catch the bus/ferry combo to the island. cheers.

Thanks for all the tips!

The info about Koh Chang was very useful! We don't want to be stuck in the rain for our vacation...

We will definately look into Koh Pha Ngan as that sounds quite nice. We were just a little reluctant about the travel time to southern Thailand because we are flying from Europe.

I have been to Koh Samui before and stayed on Lamai beach. I didn't really enjoy it there too much - esp when we went up to Chawang beach! I heard that Mae Nam is nice and I think we ventured up there but I would like to try a different island. Thanks for the advice though.

Thong Nai Pan Noi is one of the best in my opinion.

There is a resort that looks nice on Chao Phao Bay. Any comments on that part of the island?

Are there ferries leaving from Surat Thani pier that go direct to Koh Pha Ngnan? We really want to limit our travelling time and avoid the bus to Donsak if possible.

Thanks paulburus for the suggestion...unfortunately due to our teaching commitments, we can't go for vacation in October.

Thanks again to all!

Thanks Vlad for the suggestion.

We were planning on flying down from Bangkok though as we don't have much time so that's why I was asking about boats from Surat Thani.

Hey what about reconsider Phuket as well? You been to Phuket before? I did some elephant trekking and hiking there as well, also quite adventure. Maybe this site www.phuket-guide.com can help more :)

To Kay_kay: no problem, you are welcome :)

To Fangwantipa: I think it is not so good idea to go to Phuket at September because weather conditions not so comfortable.

Hey Vlad, oh yes thats bad time. So you been to Phuket before as well? How do you like it??? I been to Patong Beach so many times and I really love the place :-)

Fang

fangwantipa, I have been in Phuket in December, 2004 (leave it 2 week before tsunami) and in November 2005 in transit to Khao Lak. In general, I like Andaman sea :)
I stayed at Patong beach too, because it's a "center of life". I'd prefer not to drive when I take several beers :) Instead I'd prefer to ride on motorbike in the morning to quite paradise beach and return to Patong for the night party :) Or just go for daily diving.
In Khao Lak I stayed at NangThon beach (before going to Similans safari).

Hi kay_kay,
My husband and I are traveling to SE Asia for the first time in September. We're arriving in Bangkok on Sept. 2 and flying out on Sept. 30. We've only just purchased our tickets (we're traveling from NYC) so I'm only just now starting our research. It seems you've been gathering knowledge since December, so I just wondered if you'd share any tips with me?? We'd like to see a bit of Thailand, but also Cambodia and Vietnam too. One thing I definitely want to do is some snorkeling and relax on the beach for a few days... Advice? Tips? I think we'll try to stay on Ko Pha Ngan too, after reading the thread above.
Thanks!