Visiting Koh Samui

Koh Samui is 700 kms to the south of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand and 50 kms from Surat Thani. Regular flights are the most comfortable way to reach the island. For those looking to save money, trains, buses and boats can be used. If you have car or motorcycle, there are car ferries.

Via Air

Koh Samui's little open airport has both domestic and international flights from Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. There are hourly flights from Bangkok's Suvunarbhumi International Airport between 6 am to 9 pm for Koh Samui everyday. There are hourly Bangkok Airways flights and Thai airways has 2-3 flights per day. These flights cost 2200 - 3500 baht for Bangkok Airways and can go up to 7400 baht for Thai Airways. The duration of the flight is about 1.15 hours.

Bangkok Airways also conducts daily flights to Koh Samui from Phuket, Chiang Mai and Pattaya and twice a week flights between Krabi and Koh Samui. For economical flights, opt for Air Asia's flights from Bangkok, costing 600 - 900 baht. These flights take you to Surat Thani, from where you can take local shuttles or cabs to Donsak Pier or Samui Ferry Pier and then continue further to the island.

For international tourists, Bangkok Airways conducts direct flights from Hong Kong on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Berjaya Air has 2 flights per week on Thursday and Sunday from Kuala Lumpur.

Via Train and Ferry

You have to buy train & ferry tickets separately. So you have to take local transport from the train station to the dock, where you can buy ferry tickets. To prevent any delay, find out about ferry timings in advance. However avoid online booking of trains from Bangkok to Surat Thani by using your credit card to prevent addition of handling fees to the ticket costs. You may also have to face the risk of waiting for a boat to Koh Samui or being overcharged for local transport to the dock. So it advisable to buy a combined train/shuttle/ferry ticket from one of the numerous travel agencies in Bangkok. There are 2 trains departing from Bangkok's Hualamphong station everyday and arrive at Surat Thani in 8 hours. When you take a combined ticket, you are escorted and taken to the ferry, from where you can arrive at Koh Samui in 1.5 hours. The costs starts from just more than 1000 - 1700 baht, based on the type of train seat selected for the journey.

Via Bus (or coach) and Ferry

For cost conscious, bus and ferry trip is the best option. Air-conditioned overnight buses depart from Bangkok's southern bus station everyday. These buses leave at late afternoon and early evening. On reaching Surat Thani, buses are transported to Koh Samui. Bus fares start from 300 to 400 baht based on the class of service selected and travel time is about 14 hours. Ferry fares lie below 50 baht. Private companies operate coaches and pick up people from numerous spots in Bangkok. They usually let travelers buy a combined coach/ferry tickets from local travel agencies. This journey takes around 13 hours. The cost lies between 350 - 650 baht based on the type of the service. There are daily bus services from Hat Yai, Phuket and Krabi. However this trip is meant for the toughest travelers. Unscheduled local buses halt at any spot to pick up anybody looking to board the bus. The trip may take longer than the overnight buses and coaches

Via boat

Express catamaran service to Koh Samui departs from adjacent Koh Tao and mainland ports of Chumphon and Surat Thani. There are also usual ferry service and smaller boat services available. Long-tail boat service operates planned trips to and from Koh Phangan.

Via car or motorcycle

There is a ferry service departing every hour from 06:00 - 18:00 from both Donsak Pier and Samui Ferry Pier. The time taken is about 1.5 hours.

You are welcome to publish the article along with the hyperlinked URL: Samui Hotel

By Jack Dan

Navigating Suvarnabhumi Airport

Suvarnabhumi is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world and I will show you how to get through it with a minimum of effort.

I have been traveling to Thailand since 1973 and I am currently retired here. I have gone through the new airport numerous times, both international and domestic, since it opened in 2006. Follow these tips and you will breeze through Bangkok's International Airport.

The first steps take place prior to landing while you are still on the airplane. Hopefully you are close to the front of the airplane or you will have to outrace hundreds of other passengers to Immigration.

Ensure that you use the bathroom just prior to landing and have properly filled out the embarkation card that the flight attendant gave you. Stick the card in your passport and keep it handy. Listen to the pre-landing announcement as the flight attendant may announce which carousel your luggage will be on.

Upon landing, once the seat belt sign goes off, get up and grab your carry-on bag and get ready to move.

When you leave the plane, look for the "Immigration" sign and speed walk in that direction. Do not stop for anything; no bathroom, no smoke break, and no currency exchange.

Walk as fast as you can and pass as many other passengers as possible. Remember you will be competing to be first in line at Immigration with your fellow passengers and any other planes that landed at approximately the same time.

Once you reach Immigration find the shortest line and have your passport and embarkation card ready to show. The Immigration officer will check your passport and any visa you may have, staple your embarkation card to your passport, and stamp you in to the country.

Immediately after you get your passport stamped, check the display board to see which carousel your luggage is on. This is very important as there are about 50 carousels. Again, speed walk to the carousel.

If you have a lot of luggage, grab one of the free carts that are located by every carousel.

Once you have your luggage, head for the "Nothing to Declare" exit and ignore the girls that are trying to get you a taxi.

Once you depart the luggage area, look to see what numbered section you are in. The numbers are large and displayed on the walls. You want to head for Area 3, better known as Meeting Place 3. If you need to exchange some currency, now is the time to do it. Walk through the gauntlet of people and, again, ignore those trying to get you a taxi.

Take the down escalator and this will bring you outside and to the official airport taxi area. There are about 8 lines you can get in to get your taxi. Tell the girl where you are going and get in your taxi to your hotel. This service costs an extra 50 baht (about $1.50 USD) but gives you a bit more security than just getting a taxi that just dropped off a departing tourist. This will also ensure that the driver uses his meter.

Tell the taxi driver you want to take the tollway. This will cost you an additional 65 baht (about $2.00 USD) and most of the time the driver pays it and you reimburse when you get to the hotel. Do not forget to add the toll and the 50 baht service charge to whatever is on the meter.

These tips should get you through the airport from landing to taxi in less than 30 minutes as long as your luggage is not delayed. Hopefully this makes your arrival in Thailand after a long flight a little easier.

Larry Westfall is a retired expat living in Thailand and enjoying the Pattaya Beaches.

By Larry Westfall

Thailand Check-In - Important Checklist You Need to Know Before Departing to Thailand

A Thailand checklist is a guide for any travelers to prepare themselves before landing in Thailand, the land of smiles.

Getting There

There are several ways to arrive to this country depending on where you come from.

By air: The main airport of Thailand is in Bangkok called Suvarnabhumi International Airport. However, there are many other airports in every region around Thailand in order for travelers to connect to all parts of the country such as in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui and Krabi. A little trick is that as there is a high competition in domestic flight market, travelers should compare the air fares from more than one source before booking. Also, be careful with the initial price offered as there could be a large amount of extra taxes and surcharges applied in the further booking steps. So, make sure, you continue the booking process until the final total price is shown. The popular airlines for domestic flights are Thailand Airways, Bangkok Air, Bangkok Airways, Nok Air and Air Asia.

By train: If tourists travel from Malaysia, a train is another option to enter Thailand. Moreover, as the railway connects to every part of the country, if tourists do not mind spending a little more time on transportation, this is another option to travel around the country and enjoy scenery of Thailand.

By ship: This way is becoming more popular nowadays. There is the cruise line heading to South East Asia route, including visiting Thailand. The recommended 5-star service cruise is Costa Cruises.

Checklist before Thailand check in

1. Seek for some basic information
After choosing the transportation to enter the country, learning some basic information is always a wise idea to do before your arrival. Tourism Authority of Thailand or TAT is always a trusted and valuable source to seek for any information about the country. The main channel to connect to TAT is through its website. In addition, even when you have arrived to the country there are many branches of TAT around Thailand to serve tourists, starting from the one at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

2. Vaccinations preparation
In term of health preparation, vaccinations for hepatitis A and B, polio, rabies, typhoid and tuberculosis are advised but not necessary. If you plan to get into jungles around the border areas (connected to Cambodia, Burma and Lao), Malaria vaccination is also recommended.

3. Entry document check for Thailand Check in
For Visa, the regulations for visa can be changed without notice so when planning to visit Thailand, make sure to re-check with the Thai embassy before departing. For passport, it must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive Thailand.

4. Prepare some money and know its currency
About currency, currency used in Thailand is Thai Baht. Its money includes both coins and notes, starting from "satang" coins, 100 satangs equal to 1 baht, 1 baht, 2 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht coins. For bank notes are 1,000 baht, 500 baht, 100 baht, 50 baht and 20 baht notes. One recommendation is that do not keep the large-denomination bank notes such as 1,000 or 500 notes or try change them to the smaller ones as street vendors or taxis don't usually have large amount of changes. Exchange counters are also scattered around the country especially in tourist places. It is highly recommended to exchange your money at these bank counters rather than at hotels as the rate from the latter one would be more expensive. Besides cash, it is also a wise idea to bring cards with you as ATM machines are widely available everywhere around Thailand. Credit card is also accepted in many places however make sure you keep an eye on who handling your cards to avoid any cheating practices such as copying your card codes.

5. Clothes to match with the climate
The usual weather in Thailand is hot. There is a Thai joke that Thailand has 3 seasons: hot, hotter and hottest. As a result, clothes to be used in this country should be something light with short sleeves. However, trousers or a long skirt are something you should also bring at least one as some tourist attractions such as temples will not allow people with shorts or singlet to get in. Some winter clothes may be needed only if you plan to go up the hills in the northern part or north eastern part of the country during winter time, otherwise, they will be quite useless for your trip. To make sure with this, it is highly recommend travelers to check the weather forecast again before their departure.

6. Baggage check
To make your Thailand check in smoother, check the allowance of your baggage properly and make sure your bags are not overloaded. The baggage allowance is up to the airline policy so check this in your booking that issued by the airline.

After all the lists have been checked, you will be quite ready for checking in to Thailand. The final suggestion is that always find the promotional prices in advance for any services you are going to use in Thailand such as accommodations, transportation, limousines, spas or other activities. Many services are often offered great deals for advance booking.

You may check further information or promotions for any destinations in Thailand here.

By Bernie Chan