Where to stay in SG/which Thai island?
Discussion
Yes, another thread from me!
I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
It's been a while since I've been to that part of the world but...
With Singapore, it really doesn't matter where you stay, public transport is excellent. I'd recommend getting a better hotel than a better location as hotels can be quite expensive and end up with a shoebox.
The islands on the Phuket side are often quite small and are really just for day trips (or an overnighter) Phi Phi in particular (unless it's really been developed in the last 5 odd years). A lot of Aussies were talking up Krabi Near Phuket on the mainland, still on the Andaman side) a few years back so that may still be an option. That might be a bit less crowded than Phuket itself.
With Singapore, it really doesn't matter where you stay, public transport is excellent. I'd recommend getting a better hotel than a better location as hotels can be quite expensive and end up with a shoebox.
The islands on the Phuket side are often quite small and are really just for day trips (or an overnighter) Phi Phi in particular (unless it's really been developed in the last 5 odd years). A lot of Aussies were talking up Krabi Near Phuket on the mainland, still on the Andaman side) a few years back so that may still be an option. That might be a bit less crowded than Phuket itself.
I went Ko Tao a few years ago. We loved it but I suppose it is what you are after. I scuba dive and this is what the island is heavily based on. It was a very chilled out place and lots of backpackers. There is nightlife but we were more than happy go to a restaurant on the beach and maybe a few beers.
We found out it is a “mafia ran island” and watched some not so nice documentaries on it when we returned. But we never saw any trouble and would not of dreamed it if we weren’t told.
We found out it is a “mafia ran island” and watched some not so nice documentaries on it when we returned. But we never saw any trouble and would not of dreamed it if we weren’t told.
carreauchompeur said:
Yes, another thread from me!
I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
Agree with the above, totally pointless staying at an airport hotel in singapore, I guess if you're just there for the 1 night it wont make much difference, but I'd rather stay somewhere nice to see out the trip.I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
Phi Phi will be full of loud partying backpackers right now. Your best bet is probably staying in phuket itself. Plenty of areas there that are a nice mix of quiet but with some bars around.
HotJambalaya said:
carreauchompeur said:
Yes, another thread from me!
I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
Agree with the above, totally pointless staying at an airport hotel in singapore, I guess if you're just there for the 1 night it wont make much difference, but I'd rather stay somewhere nice to see out the trip.I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
Phi Phi will be full of loud partying backpackers right now. Your best bet is probably staying in phuket itself. Plenty of areas there that are a nice mix of quiet but with some bars around.
That looks lovely, thanks!
Shame about the islands, kind of suspected tourism would have sent them downhill. I hesitated before going for Thailand but my partner hasn’t done much adventure travel so I thought it would be a good intro. Always tend to have fun when I go too, if only for people watching the sex tourists!
Shame about the islands, kind of suspected tourism would have sent them downhill. I hesitated before going for Thailand but my partner hasn’t done much adventure travel so I thought it would be a good intro. Always tend to have fun when I go too, if only for people watching the sex tourists!
carreauchompeur said:
That looks lovely, thanks!
Shame about the islands, kind of suspected tourism would have sent them downhill. I hesitated before going for Thailand but my partner hasn’t done much adventure travel so I thought it would be a good intro. Always tend to have fun when I go too, if only for people watching the sex tourists!
Ha Ha, on one of our boat trips a group of "Lady Boys" put on a show, it was hilarious. Shame about the islands, kind of suspected tourism would have sent them downhill. I hesitated before going for Thailand but my partner hasn’t done much adventure travel so I thought it would be a good intro. Always tend to have fun when I go too, if only for people watching the sex tourists!
All the island trips are very popular with tourists. Some islands are uninhabited, you just explore the caves and stuff in canoes, or go for a swim.
Coconut Island was lovely, just the right amount of tourists. The one to avoid is James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay, the boats queue up to doc, just a mass of goody stalls, horrible
.
The canoe trips are fascinating.
Edited by Old Merc on Wednesday 12th October 16:27
Old Merc said:
Consider Cape Panwa on Phuket, the main Cape Panwa Hotel is excellent, we loved it, highly recommended.
I agree its rather nice down there - although perhaps a little 'remote' (in comparison with west coast beach resorts) so having some form of transport will really help. Also a lot of the beaches are quite shallow so at low tide your idyllic sandy beach is replaced with mud flats, Don't worry too much about that as the tide comes back in and its all pretty again!HotJambalaya said:
carreauchompeur said:
Yes, another thread from me!
I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
Agree with the above, totally pointless staying at an airport hotel in singapore, I guess if you're just there for the 1 night it wont make much difference, but I'd rather stay somewhere nice to see out the trip.I’ve now finally booked some flights for me and him… 1st Feb out to BKK, fly BKK to SIN on the 15th then fly home on 18th with Singapore airways. Ended up with a fairly decent deal.
I think we’ll probably do 2-3 nights in Bangkok on the way out, and we’ve booked into the Changi Crowne Plaza for the final night as we’ve got a morning flight home.
What areas in general would one stay in Singapore, preferably easy locations for eating/drinking/nice parks?
Also, need to decide on a Thai island. I’ve done Samui and Lanta before, OH is keen on Phi Phi… is it worth it? Any of the small islands on the Phuket side worth staying? Just want chilled, beach, bit of bar life but not resorts.
Cheers!
Phi Phi will be full of loud partying backpackers right now. Your best bet is probably staying in phuket itself. Plenty of areas there that are a nice mix of quiet but with some bars around.
If you go to Phi Phi look up Viking beach nature resort. Mate stayed there recently and it looks and is by all accounts, away from the madenning crowds. Looks stunning. The "main beach" in phi phi is fairly tacky now with nightly scripted fire shows in one bar after another , well, on the beach. However, with the lack of Chinese tourists that will probably have changed that since 2019 when I was last there.
The trip the Maya bay "The Beach" for snorkelling is most definitely worth it. Never bothered going on the beach iteslf but the view and the snorkelling with the fishes is stunning.
If you want the real Thai chilled island experience PM me and I'll name an island within long-tail "ferry" reach from Phi Phi. Or a real ferry from Krabi. Just don't want ot ruin it. I'm heading back there for xmas :-)
I revisited what used to be paradise on North Phang nang and it was totally ruined by over-tourism (Russian) - Than Sadet beach. They've run a proper road to it now, which has ruined it. Thats the end of Phang gang for me now sadly :-( But there is still plenty of paradise lef to be had in Thailand, you just have to work a little to get to it ;-)
The trip the Maya bay "The Beach" for snorkelling is most definitely worth it. Never bothered going on the beach iteslf but the view and the snorkelling with the fishes is stunning.
If you want the real Thai chilled island experience PM me and I'll name an island within long-tail "ferry" reach from Phi Phi. Or a real ferry from Krabi. Just don't want ot ruin it. I'm heading back there for xmas :-)
I revisited what used to be paradise on North Phang nang and it was totally ruined by over-tourism (Russian) - Than Sadet beach. They've run a proper road to it now, which has ruined it. Thats the end of Phang gang for me now sadly :-( But there is still plenty of paradise lef to be had in Thailand, you just have to work a little to get to it ;-)
Edited by Griffith4ever on Thursday 13th October 09:56
If you want to stay in Singapore and make it a trip to remember then really only Raffles will do.
A few years back now I did a trip there where we started at Marina Bay Sands (very cool infinity pool but basically just a normal hotel) before moving to Raffles. The difference in "feeling" was night and day and though it's not the cheapest of places to stay it's well worth it.
Even if you don't stay there, the restaurant is lovely and their own-label champagne so nice that we took some bottles back with us to Dubai!
A few years back now I did a trip there where we started at Marina Bay Sands (very cool infinity pool but basically just a normal hotel) before moving to Raffles. The difference in "feeling" was night and day and though it's not the cheapest of places to stay it's well worth it.
Even if you don't stay there, the restaurant is lovely and their own-label champagne so nice that we took some bottles back with us to Dubai!
Mark V GTD said:
Old Merc said:
Consider Cape Panwa on Phuket, the main Cape Panwa Hotel is excellent, we loved it, highly recommended.
I agree its rather nice down there - although perhaps a little 'remote' (in comparison with west coast beach resorts) so having some form of transport will really help. Also a lot of the beaches are quite shallow so at low tide your idyllic sandy beach is replaced with mud flats, Don't worry too much about that as the tide comes back in and its all pretty again!There we were paddling around taking photos of fishes and stuff. oooo look at that lovely little black and white eel or whatever it is. Then someone said be careful !! That is a Banded Sea Krail, one of the most venomous sea snakes.
Griffith4ever said:
If you go to Phi Phi look up Viking beach nature resort. Mate stayed there recently and it looks and is by all accounts, away from the madenning crowds. Looks stunning. The "main beach" in phi phi is fairly tacky now with nightly scripted fire shows in one bar after another , well, on the beach. However, with the lack of Chinese tourists that will probably have changed that since 2019 when I was last there.
The trip the Maya bay "The Beach" for snorkelling is most definitely worth it. Never bothered going on the beach iteslf but the view and the snorkelling with the fishes is stunning.
If you want the real Thai chilled island experience PM me and I'll name an island within long-tail "ferry" reach from Phi Phi. Or a real ferry from Krabi. Just don't want ot ruin it. I'm heading back there for xmas :-)
I revisited what used to be paradise on North Phang nang and it was totally ruined by over-tourism (Russian) - Than Sadet beach. They've run a proper road to it now, which has ruined it. Thats the end of Phang gang for me now sadly :-( But there is still plenty of paradise lef to be had in Thailand, you just have to work a little to get to it ;-)
I would love to know that Thai island too if you wouldn’t mind? However, when I go onto your profile it says you don’t accept emails?The trip the Maya bay "The Beach" for snorkelling is most definitely worth it. Never bothered going on the beach iteslf but the view and the snorkelling with the fishes is stunning.
If you want the real Thai chilled island experience PM me and I'll name an island within long-tail "ferry" reach from Phi Phi. Or a real ferry from Krabi. Just don't want ot ruin it. I'm heading back there for xmas :-)
I revisited what used to be paradise on North Phang nang and it was totally ruined by over-tourism (Russian) - Than Sadet beach. They've run a proper road to it now, which has ruined it. Thats the end of Phang gang for me now sadly :-( But there is still plenty of paradise lef to be had in Thailand, you just have to work a little to get to it ;-)
Edited by Griffith4ever on Thursday 13th October 09:56
Sod it! Koh Jum - it's not going to become a sensation just from posting on here!
We discovered it a few years ago and have been going back ever since.
The beauty of it, for now... is they have no pier, and only a small shallow "harbour" on an estuary, which means ferries can't get to it, which means, no mass tourism!
You either catch a "big" longtail from Phi Phi, or you catch the Krabi-Koh Lanta ferry and "hop off" when it stops off the shore of Jum (2 stops). You need to have booked at least one night in one of the many beach bungalows and they'll send their own longtail out to meet the ferry. They send loads out so just grabbing any one would work too. They are a friendly bunch.
Below are the local accom longtails meeting the Lanta ferry. They throw your bags on and then take to in to the beach.
We've been back twice, and are going back this year again for two weeks over xmas, then more island hopping.
There are two main beaches with the 1st being fairly sparse and proper isolated. The 2nd is the main one and is two miles long. There are plenty of cheap bungalow places (tenner a night A/C bungalow with terrace) and also some proper "honymoon" type places at one end. We walk 1 mile to the end of the beach for breakfast, then back for lunch beers. It its totally unspoilt. There is one road running the length of the island and you are often on your own on your scooter - which most places will rent for as little as half a day.
You need to want quiet island life here - there is nothing going on in the way of party bars. Bloody idyllic.
We discovered it a few years ago and have been going back ever since.
The beauty of it, for now... is they have no pier, and only a small shallow "harbour" on an estuary, which means ferries can't get to it, which means, no mass tourism!
You either catch a "big" longtail from Phi Phi, or you catch the Krabi-Koh Lanta ferry and "hop off" when it stops off the shore of Jum (2 stops). You need to have booked at least one night in one of the many beach bungalows and they'll send their own longtail out to meet the ferry. They send loads out so just grabbing any one would work too. They are a friendly bunch.
Below are the local accom longtails meeting the Lanta ferry. They throw your bags on and then take to in to the beach.
We've been back twice, and are going back this year again for two weeks over xmas, then more island hopping.
There are two main beaches with the 1st being fairly sparse and proper isolated. The 2nd is the main one and is two miles long. There are plenty of cheap bungalow places (tenner a night A/C bungalow with terrace) and also some proper "honymoon" type places at one end. We walk 1 mile to the end of the beach for breakfast, then back for lunch beers. It its totally unspoilt. There is one road running the length of the island and you are often on your own on your scooter - which most places will rent for as little as half a day.
You need to want quiet island life here - there is nothing going on in the way of party bars. Bloody idyllic.
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