KMotts

I'm planning a 5 day vacation to Thailand to celebrate our 10 year anniversary in the second week of January. It's a side trip from a family visit to Korea so we can't spare more time than that. We're thinking 2 nights in Bangkok and 3 nights at the beach. I can't decide between Koh Tao and Railay. We like places that are not too loud or touristy but not too isolated. We're in our early 30s and will be traveling w/o kids. We enjoy snorkeling but are not serious divers. Below are some pros and concerns I can think of for both places. Any advice from travelers who have been to both places is very much appreciated!! Also, if you have an even better place in mind, do let me know. Thanks in advance.

Koh Tao
+ Pros - great snorkeling right off many beaches. quieter and relaxed compared to samui, phuket.
+ Concerns - Getting there from Bangkok takes longer even if you fly in to Samui. How nice are the sandy beaches in terms of scenery and for swimming?

Railay
+ Pros - gorgeous scenery. Easier and cheaper to get to from the airport. Resorts seem a better value for the same $ compared to those in Ko Tao.
+ Concerns - Overcrowding during peak season. Lack of good snorkeling spots nearby. I heard Phi Phi is awesome for snorkeling but how far is it from Railay?

Dr_Ralph

Why not consider Koh Nanguyan?

rhkkmk

with such a short time, why not just stay in bkk and pick a hotel with a fabulous pool.....its almost like being at the beach...the marriott resort and spa is one good choice for that as is the sheraton royal orchid...

you give up 3/4 of a day each way to travel between bkk and a beach essentially...

LeighTravelClub

rhkkmk, please my friend, let's have some realism around here.......

''with such a short time, why not just stay in bkk and pick a hotel with a fabulous pool.....its almost like being at the beach...the marriott resort and spa is one good choice for that as is the sheraton royal orchid..''

Who are you trying to kid!!

almost like being at the beach???

Having stayed at both establishments you mention.....and also having some little experience of Thai beaches....nowhere in Bangkok is REMOTELY like being at the beach!

Even your 3/4 of a day transfer statement is nonsense.

CLEARLY, Bob, you have very little experience of visiting Thai Islands and beaches.

KMotts, sorry about the rant which doesn't answer your post......but it had to be said. I'll post again shortly, with constructive responses to your questions.

JamesA

You are right on your pros and cons, Koh tao is not that easy to get to, either fly to samui and then boat, or, take the express bus/train and ferry combo via Chumphon. January is in fact not a good time for diving off Koh Tao. You have different weather patterns between Koh tao and krabi area. many areas of Koh tao are very rocky, it is really for diving or relaxing lauid back style more than for beach itself.

The 2nd week of January is right in peak season, these are those who visit over Christmas and New Year but there are also large number who head out early january, so wherever you stay is likely to be 'full' so in that aspect crowded, though choosing a more remote place might make some difference.

You can get to Phi Phi by flying into Phuket.

To get the best benefit without being 'rushed' I think you might want to think about some 'trade-offs', it also, in January come down to what you are thinking of paying.

You 'could' throw in some alternatives like Koh Samet, a few hours by cab or limo and then short boat ride over to the island, snorkeling that time will not be great but you would not have to think about airports, simply watch your baggage loaded into a cab in Bangkok, sit back and relax, no doubt you can boat and to your resort without touching your baggage and no tickets to book, etc etc.
Koh Samet in the better resorts ( Paradee rates are minimum $400 a jight ) but there are others a lot cheaper, it is 'very quiet though'.


If Krabi for something nice Centara might suit, comes down to how much you want to spend and how much travel you want to do for those few days.

JamesA

I will add that the 'snorkeling' aspect does make a lot of alternatives get crossed-off the list.
You have not mentioned type of accommodation, there are beaches close to Bangkok that won't offer the snorkeling but ease to get to/from but nice resorts and various options for activities, breakfast in Bangkok and lunch at the beach is do-able. Evason Pranburi Beach or their Six senses Hideaway Spa is pretty amazing, forget snorkeling, but for nature and surrounds is ideal quiet R&R about 3 hrs cab or limo BKK hotel to the resort. from there you can do a snorkel trip to Koh talu ( Talu not Tao ) which is about 1 hr 30 mins away, not that far when you think about it. Koh talu although ok for snorkeling, though not great, does have a/c ok accommodation that that is quieter than quiet, it's a BBQ prawns on the beach with some beers for evening entertainment sort of place if that makes sense. No shops or anything, but it's a day trip from Evason or elsewhere on that coastline.
Just how important the snorkeling side make a big difference.

KMotts

JamesA, thanks for the input. I will check out Koh Samet. Re: accomodations, I had $150-$200 in mind. There seem to be many suitable options in both Koh Tao and Railay.

LeighTravelClub, I agree 100% that a hotel pool is not to be confused with a beach. I look forward to reading your post.

MichaelBKK

I would definitely strike off Koh Tao, as it's probably not worth the trip for you, BUT, there are some great snorkeling spots around Samui itself. Do a search for Koh Taen. Despite a lot of development, there are spots on Samui that are still very quiet and relaxed.

Another option not yet mentioned is Koh Chang. There is supposed to be some good snorkeling around the southern end of the island, and it does have some quite lovely resorts.

samuiblogger

I vote for Railay. It's a much more diverse destination. You will be arriving at the end of the peak season, so not to worry so much even though there are still a good amount of people. For great snorkling, I recommend boat trips. There are many to choose from. Ko Tao and the nearby Nangyuan are really nice but are a bit limited.

afterall

I went to Ko Tao after Krabi and far far preferred the latter. Ko Tao seemed to be very much directed at the dive fraternity and the beaches were rocky. OTOH Phra Nang beach at Railey is stunning. However, the whole area has become a lot more popular in the nine years since I was there, so what I remember as REALLY quiet (few shops, restaurants) is now probably quite a-buzz.

I may be wrong but I also suspect that anywhere easy to get to will not have snorkelling that's up to much.

So maybe that is the trade off you need to make. Re Ko Samet (already mentioned) I was there a bit more recently (four years ago) and found it quite busy at the northern end (don't know about the south) but charming. All the restaurants put out tables on the sand for dinner with tea-lights. And there are some lovely sandy coves.

Of course it's all relative, especially when it comes to what "busy" might mean. I've never been to Ko Samui or Phuket and maybe those are the benchmark for busy-ness.

Hope you find somewhere nice.

crellston

Forget about Koh Tao, the snorkelling is pretty good but most of the beaches are not really suitable for swimming plus, it is simply takes too long to get there from BKK in the time you have available. I tried diving in Koh Samui and it was terrible - less than 5 metres vis.

At the risk of incurring the wrath of LeighTravelClub! I would agree with rhkkmk that IMO 3 days is too short a time to make atrip to teh beach worthwile but that is obviously your choice. Koh Chang has some good dive sites and I assume snorkelling. I drove there from BKK and seem to recall that it took 3/4 hours. There may now be flights so that could be your best option. The Amari Emerald Cove was nice for a chain hotel and there are lots of other smaller boutique type places (although it was getting a little over developed). There are some good Elephant rides in the jungel for a change of pace.
Finally, I think that there is a super luxury hotel on a small island nearby - can't rember the name but it may have been an Evason Hideaway , which would be a nice anniversary treat!

LeighTravelClub

Hey crellston,...no wrath from me in your direction !

Nor anyones actually.

Three nights at a beach can easily equate to four days if you are smart.

Second week in January, and looking for beach and snorkelling, I would forget the hotel in Bangkok (not so great snorkelling there), and head south.

Done it many times after business trips.

5 days in Thailand......easy to accomodate a good beach destination.

crellston

My main point is that on a short break it is very easy for the REAL travel time (travel to and from airports, hotels, airport waiting time etc.) to eat into your actual holiday time and reduce the proportion of holiday to travel time. Two locations in a short time serves only to exacerbate this problem. I agree, that if you smart (and with a bit of luck!), you can reduce this by choosing sensible flight times etc., but this is not always possible.

I do agree with your last point however, that it makes more sense to choose one destination rather than two, which was the point I was trying to make (upon re-reading my post, obviously not very clearly!).