screddy

I am going to Thailand in June and after a trip up North and looking forward to a relaxing 5-6 days in the South on a quiet beach. I have heard in June the weather on the East coast of Thailand is better, please advise. Many people speak of Ko Samoi. My girlfriend and I do not want something too touristy, looking for a hidden gem.

JamesA

Weatherwise East coast in June you are fine as far south as just past Surat Thani, Chumphon which is a few hours north of Surat Thani gives you some beach. local Thai town, plus also you 'can' get a ferry/boat to Koh Tao, Koh Phanghan and even Koh Samui if you find it too quiet. Unfortunately I can't think of any 'little gem', I know what you mean, but can't really say such a place exisits.
The other alternative is to head along the Eastern side of the Gulf past Rayong towards Koh Samet and Koh Chang.
Do appreciate that when you seek out remote places they 'are' remote, and you have to do without certain 'extras', not so easy to find English speakers etc etc, nothing wrong with going off the beaten track, quite the contrary, though I wouldn't go 'too far'...Chumphon as I said might be a nice balance. Also Bang Saphan is about 1.5 hrs north of Chumphon ( 2.5 hrs south of Hua hin )

http://www.chumphon.8k.com

JamesA

You could also try in the 'Undiscovered Thailand' section of the Kooloo Travel Forums for Thailand, go to kooloo.com and click on their travel forums, I know their 'Undiscovered Thailand' does aim to suggest 'little gems' that are not that well known.

blurry

Looking for something not too touristy in Thailand is difficult but there are some quiet places where the hordes don't descend. Try Ko Mak, off the coast of Southeast Thailand. You can take a boat from the city of Trat (another overlooked city in Thailand) or from Ko Chang (although I think that service sometimes stops for some reason). In Thailand, once an island starts becoming popular, like Ko Chang, it is the next island on that becomes the quiet little gem, like Ko Mak. Anyway, whatever beach or island you choose, you can usually find hidden gems, even on a hugely popular place like Phuket.

www.blurrytravel.com

Cicerone

I have not been to Koh Samui in many years, so can't really speak as to its present level of tourism, but it has been popular for at least 20 years so that should tell you something. In my experience in Asia (lived there 10 years), to find hidden gems you are going to have to look at places that cannot be reached by air, and are more than 3-4 hour drive from a major city like Bangkok. The more hassle and forms of transportation that are involved to get there, the less developed and fewer tourists there will be. A non-stop flight is a sure sign of trouble.

To really find a gem, you are probably talking about a place which can be reached by boat only, after a plane ride, and a bus or car ride of several hours. There are places like that. I can't speak for Thailand, but you recommend you consider the east coast of Malaysia which is really undeveloped and perfect weather in June. I am primarily speaking of offshore islands (other than Tioman which can be reached by plane and is very overdeloped), but the mainland coast above Kuantan is also undeveloped.

Islands to consider are:

Pulau Rawa
Pulau Besar
Pulau Sibu
Pulau Tinggi
Pulau Perhentian
Pulau Redang

For my money, the most beautiful beach in South East Asia is Rawa Island, on the east coast off Mersing. It is a small island (you can swim or canoe around it). It is without doubt one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: soft white sand and clear water that changes from blue, to green to purple depending on weather. There is one hotel on the island, and as it is small, the staff is very attentive. The hotel is about a 3-star, but the beach and surrounding islands make up for any lack of luxury. The diving is great, you can dive or snorkel right from the beach, or the hotel will arrange for a boat to take you to more remote islands/reefs/wrecks. The hotel is called Rawa Safaris. I would suggest you check their website: rawasfr.com. To reach Rawa, you could drive from Singapore (3 hours, you can charter a taxi) and then take a ferry for about 1 hour. You might also fly from KL to Kuantan and drive to Mersing (maybe 1 -2 hours), then take the ferry from Mersing.

My personal view is that Rawa Island is the most beautiful of all the islands in this part of the South China sea, and offers better snorkeling and diving, esp if you hire a boat for the day to go to outlying islands and reefs. Pulau Besar would be a close second to Rawa, and better in my view than Sibu. A good website is ttp://www.visitmalaysia.com/terenisle.htmyou can find information on Besar as well as Rawa, Sibu and other islands in the Malay archipelago. I think you will find fairly basic accommodations generally in these islands. These islands and most of the east coast of Malaysia aren't nearly as developed or heavily touristed as places like Koh Samui.

In my experience, most of the hotels on the islands off the east coast of Malaysia can't be classed as much above a basic hotel. After I found Rawa, I really was not interested in staying on other islands, other than on weekend boats trips where we lived on the boat, so I don't have a lot of recommendations for hotels on the islands. On Pulau Besar, I did once stay at the Hillside Island Chalet Resort, basic chalets but perfectly fine, good food as I recall; however that is more than 10 years ago so I can't say it is the same. I could not find a website for the Hillside Chalets, but did find the following:
Hillside Chalet Island Resort
Office Address: Gerai Majlis Daerah,
5B Jalan Abu Bakar, 86800,
Mersing, Johor.
Tel: 07-799 4831
Another option to consider is staying on the mainland, but going further up the coast from Mersing to areas nearer to the Thai border (areas south of the town of Kuala Terengganu, which is the largest town in the area, and has an airport to connect to KL and Singapore). One of the most beautiful fishing villages I have ever seen is Marang, which is near the seriously gorgeous beach at Rantu Abang. You might consider staying in that area, and hiring boats for day trips to desert islands with white powder sand and great snorkeling.

There are several homestays and other budget accommodation in the area, as well as more upmarket hotels, check the Lonely Planet guide for good budget suggestions. If you have a good hotel budget, consider staying at the Tanjong Jara Resort. This is a gorgeous 5-star resort, built of teak in Malaysia long-house style. They are part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, which gives you some idea the quality. They have a spectacular infinity pool. The beach is beautiful. The diving and snorkeling is the world-class, you can hire boats for the day to go out into the South China Sea where there is even better snorkeling and diving on deserted islands. The beaches in the area are one of the few remaining places where you can see giant sea turtle laying their eggs. The season is generally June-July. There are small Malay villages in the area and you can drive down the coast (car or rent a motorbike) past beautiful beaches or go inland to forests. Take a look at http://www.tanjongjararesort.com or the website for Small Luxury Hotels of the World at: slh.com.

If you are a diver, then Sipidan is a must. I can post more on that if you are interested. That is seriously a pain to get to, but with 6 days you should be able to do it.

kyoub

We found a little place about 38 km south of Hua Hin surrounded by Khoa Sam Roi Yot National Park, that we like very much.
It is called Sea View Bay Resort www.explorethailand.com

CFW

Cicerone, On another string on this site you had mentioned that your favorite resort on Koh Samui is the Meridien. We're planning a three week trip to Thailand at the end of January (our first trip to Thailand!) and are looking for an upscale somewhat elegant resort at the end of our trip with beautiful beach and grounds, lovely accommodations, good restaurants, and spa. We'd like something that's away from the hustle bustle, but still accessible to day trips (or other restaurants). In addition to the Meridien on Koh Samui, other resorts we're considering are the Tubkaak on Krabi and the Pimalai on Koh Lanta. What is it that you liked so much about the Meridien. So many lovely places... so hard to decide!

Cicerone

What I like about the Meridien is its dramatic hillside setting, the lovely large rooms, the views and the service. I can't compare it to other hotels on the island as I haven't been to any of the other hotels. I will say that I just looked at the website for the Meridien, and it appears that their spa will be closed through the end of February, it looks like they are redoing it. While they say all services will be available, this may mean they come to your room, which is not the same, plus is difficult to do wraps, etc, without a proper spa facility. You might want to get more details from them, as a spa seems to be pretty high on your list.

CFW

Cicerone, Thanks for the info. I checked again on their website & turns out it was Feb. 2004 that the spa was under construction. They have just announced its re-opening and it sounds fabulous, but probably very expensive. The rooms, views and surroundings look stunning! And the more I look into it, I think we might like the seclusion in such a lovely setting. Now, any tips on getting the best rates for Feb. 2005? The Meridien web-site lists the rack rate at that time as $300/night, which is a bit beyond our price range. I think our dates will be around February 6 for about three or four nights. Does that run into Chinese New Year or other lunar festival that may be higher-priced or hard to get reservations? Thanks for any help..

Kathie

Cicerone, I always enjoy your recommendations. After your rave review, I just had to look up Tanjong Jara Resort. I checked www.asiahotels.com, and they had rooms rates more than 20% off the rates listed on the resort's website, making the rooms with the terraces $160 a night including tax and service. A very good price for such a lovely place.

CFW, I'd suggest you check for prices at asiahotels.com.

CFW

Kathie, Thanks. They do not yet have rates posted for 2005, but the rate for last year in Jan/Feb was $190 (plus 18% tax) which is a pretty good rate if it is as lovely as it looks. Has anyone stayed there recently who can give me an idea about restaurant prices & if there are any good Thai restaurants nearby that might be more reasonable than the hotel?

Kathie

CFW, when asiahotels.com doesn't have rates listed yet, you can email them and they will contact the hotel for a price quote. I've this several times, and have gotten good quotes and made reservations before they had a price listed on their website.