we're planning a one-week beach holiday in thailand in mid september. target destinations could be koh chang, koh tao, koh pha ngan. is it true that there is not as much rain in gulf of thailand in that month than the andaman sea?

we're not really into water sports, but love relaxed travelling. we love to visit those islands before they are too exploited. are those destinations for us? any comments on whether to stay on just one island or split among two? anybody's heard about chumphon? is it any good?

ttt

Koh Phangan is ok if you keep away from Full Moon time ( fool Moon parties ), you can easily get to and from Koh Tao which is developing. Chumphon the beaches are not so great but it is a relaxed coastal area popular localy but not so popular with overseas visitors, Cabana is a small laid back place on the beach. The luxury Tusita is not on the beach but they take you down by buggy.
North of Chumphon is Bang Saphan, this is rural coastal Thailand. Some nice mid range resorts but well off the tourist trails.
The Sunrise Coast stretched down from Hua Hin to Chumphon as is one of our favorite areas. The main highway runs all along the coast and the rail line too, so easy to hop from one place to another. Not the glamerous beaches but more local and rural, farmlands and plantations. Don't expect great restaurants or shopping, expect though local villages, local temples and general an off the beaten track style

www.beachsiam.com/sunrise_coast.html

Koh Chang is nice, Barali is a mid range, Amari is good.

Rain much less in Gulf area in september than Andaman side.

watakeet, this map could be of interest, shows Koh tao and KPG and Chumphon in relation to Samui and journey times

http://www.lomprayah.com/E/route.htm

thanks for the comments and info.

settled for island hopping - 2 nights in chumphon (tusita), 2 in koh tao (charm churee) and 2 in koh phangngan (green papaya).

good reputable website for booking land transfer from bangkok to chumphon? some websites said the trip takes 6 hours, while some said 10! which one is true?

Lomprayah should sell you a Chumphon fare, that is a/c bus.

Another way is by train or the express buses from Southern terminal.

Can I give you a tip?
I am guessing as you have not mentioned Bangkok that you want to head straight down to Chumphon?
Depending on what time your flight arrives ( and if you are staying Tusita guess not on too tight a budget ) and remembering most hotels have check in/out around lunchtime perhaps if you are arriving into BKK after midday or afternoon to take a cab or limo from the airport to say Hua Hin, just stay in an average place (perhaps 1,500 / USD 38 range )and as soon as you arrive ask the porter etc to sort you a car for after breakfast down to the Tusita. Car with driver would probably cost about B 2,500, should take about 3 hrs from Hua Hin.
That is I think easier than getting into Chumphon say late night.
It all depends how to get there what time you arrive in BKK ? Otherwise you will be taxiing across BKK to Lomprayah or bus or rail station and also having to 'pre book', if you cab from BKK to HH for the night, either ask at hoel or just see the cars and drivers along the street near Sofitel/Hilton or up near the temples( 2 mins from there ) and take a leisurely drive down.
Tusita will sort your Koh Tao journey.
To save time on the return from KPG you could, if not on a budget boat to Samui and take a flight straight back to BKK.
Do note Tusita phone number as it is rather remote and drivers probably won't know location.
http://www.tusitaresort.com/contact.php


077- 579 151 / 077- 579 071

http://www.tusitaresort.com/location.php

We will be arriving BKK at about 20:20, so we're considering whether we should take the night bus, say at 22:00, or stay for a night in BKK for the 09:00 bus to Chumphon.

We've gone for the luxury resorts because we've saved on the flight tickets to BKK by redemption tickets.

And yes, we plan to end our trip by taking a boat from Koh Phangnan to Samui and then take a plane to BKK.

You certainly would not make that 2200 bus. So I would overnight in BKK and take the 0900.

thanks JamesA. But really how long do you think it takes for the bus trip? would it be much faster if i hire a private car for the trip?

I would not suggest for a moment to take a taxi from BKK airport, it's around 550 km and you 'don't' want to do that journey by taxi thru the night.
If you stayed overnight in BKK a taxi/car+driver would considor a Chumphon trip to be an absolute long haul which they would not be at all interested in except for a 'huge' price, it's a hassle for them, 1,100 km + round trip, probably have to overnight, not interesting for them unless mega bucks.

Hence the HH idea, if you get a taxi ( about 1,800-2,000 ) or much better limo ( about 2,850 ) from BKK airport at that time of night you would be in HH even allowing baggage reclaim etc by about 11.30 pm, so not too bad, stay at a nice a/c 3 star sort of plavce ( perhaps 1,200-1,500 range ), have a good sleep, breakfast, and then wander outside to the vans/station wagons etc and say 'How much Chumphon ?' for HH cars this is a pleasant drive down the coast a few hours ( 3 hrs I would allow ), fare should be around 2,500, pick a nice comfy station wagon ( most in fact 'are' Isuzu Station wagons with great legroom ( far better than BKK taxis ), make an arrangement for say 10 am, relax, check out and enjoy a leisurely drive. Give the driver Tusita's number an he will call to get exact directions, I would sawy that makes a nice relaxing and stress free journey, just 2.5 hrs down to HH, relax, breakfast and 3 hrs along the coast, stop for a drink on the way or if you feel so inclined and extra 500 and they will take you thru Sam Roi Yot National Park area, that get's you to Tusita for lunch.
That is honestly how I would do it, there are nice hotels around the HH Sofitel/Hilton area, perhaps the Thipurai City Hotel ( about 1,200 ) opposite Hilton, nothing lux but a/c, shower and breakfast but quite clean, modern and adequote just for sleeping for the night, under 2 mins stroll to where the s/wagons line up.

Thipurai City is USD 33/38, very close to Hilton

http://www.r24.org/huahin.20m.com/hu...icity/details/

Hua Hin Suites opposte Sofitel from B 1,200

I don't know exact for the bus from BKK but it probably would be about 8 hrs, also note that bus will get you to 'Chumphon' and then from Chumphon you would have to get a taxi/car to take you down to the Tusita, so hotel to hotel you would be looking at around 10-12 hrs region.

Thanks JamesA for all the useful advice.

So Tusita is not really in the central part of Chumphon then? Taking 10-12 hours to reach Chumphon in one go will not be that pleasant then. We will probably take your advice and break the journey into two. Thanks as well for hotel recommendations. You're terrific!

Ah, and I thought I spent 4 hours from BKK to Huahin last time I visited (~2 yrs ago?!). It is even faster now?

4 hrs you must have caught a busy time, unless a friday night leaving BKK airport say 9 pm should be a breeze down to HH.

If you want to find some other local information try

http://thailand-search-swicki.eurekster.com/chumphon/

Tusita isn't in Chumphon town but outside along the coast.
I will try and find the report, I think it might have been MichaelBKK but not sure and top it.

It was by 'mlb', not that they take you by buggy to/from the beach about 500 meters from the resort itself.

help needed with regard to accommodation in koh phangan.

my online agent told me that green papaya resort asked for 5500 instead of 5100 bahts for my room as advertised, even though i have paid well before the reservation deadline, and my agent has negotiated with them for a week. even my agent thought that this resort is unprofessional in this regard and would not like to deal with them! it's not merely about that additional 400 bahts per night. this resort doesn't seem to have a customer-oriented attitude at all, so i thought i might just change my mind.

does anybody have any recommendations on accommodation in koh phangan which can meet our requirements as follows -

sunset view, beachfront, air-con, private bathroom with bath tub, road access (we only stay 2 nights, so we don't really want to be too secluded with boat transfer only).

blue hill resort seems a close enough choice - http://www.phangan.info/bluehill/. any comments?

Here's about a dozen KPG reviews for August so up to date

http://www.res24.com/review/posts.ht...=beachsiam.com

I looked at Papaya and they have big wording about refunds and that did not look like a pro active comment(!)

Bluehill reviews seemed ok