Hi Travellers,

My friend and I (two girls aged 25)are flying from bangkok to a beach somewhere for three days, and cant decide which one! we are looking for something not too touristy or seedy, with beautiful scenery and beaches. We have narrowed it down to Krabi and Surat Thani but aren't sure which to choose. Any advice at all, including where is nice to stay, would be appreciated. Thankyou!

oi_kate

What time of year? Generally, when the weather is nice on one side, it's bad on the other side. Take a look at www.weatherbase,com for rainfall stats.

oops - www.weatherbase.com

Krabi is more beautiful I think. Surat Thani isn't much of a destination in an of itself, but is a jumping off point for Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh Phang Nga and others in the area. Samui is serviced by flights with Bangkok Air, or if you use other airlines, you have to get a boat from Surat Thani.

Time of year makes a huge difference, as Kathie has said.

it will be May, May 1st to May 4th. We've only got a few days there, so hoping for something that is close to the airport so we don't waste valuable beach time travelling! it would be either Krabi airport or Surat Thani airport.

Thanks for your replies so far, much appreciated....

Then it's easy. As Surat Thani airport isn't at any beach destination, Krabi wins out...land and you are there.

Does that mean Koh Samui isn't a good idea in June? Me and the wife were planning a late May-mid June trip to Koh Samui, and we've been to Phuket/Phiphi/Krabi and what we read was that the Andaman Sea coast is hit by monsoons in May-June while the Gulf of Thailand is much calmer. Am I making a mistake here?

The other issue that baffles me, why do Koh Samui hotels mark Apr-July as 'Low Season' or 'Off Season'? We are still planning the trip, any insights would be appreciated!

It means that flying to Surat Thani is a bad idea if your goal is a nice beach and you have a very short time to work with, as getting to the islands from Surat Thani airport involves more land transporation and a boat and then more land transportation, which eats up a lot of time...if the original poster chose that route, she'd eat up a day each way with travel, and be left with only a day to relax. So it's easy to choose Krabi, as the flight goes right there, and she can go right to her hotel and start her holiday time.

http://thailandforvisitors.com/south/phukvsam.html is a good weather comparison. Samui is fine in May/June. It's high season in Samui in August because many Europeans and expats living in Asia vacation there in August, allowing hotels to charge high season prices.

From your two choices Krabi is the clear winner. With regard to where to stay, what budget range and what do you like? Can make a few sudgestions if you indicate what sort of price you want to pay.

thanks for your help everyone.

We would like to stay somewhere that is right by the beach, preferably a nice quiet beach, somewhat secluded but with easy access to nightlife/restaurants if we choose to go there. A beach bungalow with air conditioning would be great. Budget of around 1,500THB-2,000THB per room.

Good place to start is the listings at www.sawadee.com. Plenty within your budget.

Take a look at Pakasai Resort in Krabi
http://www.krabi-hotels.com/aonangpakasai/index.htm
Good value, fits your budget and a relly nice hotel.

The problem is that in May, Krabi will be rainy (look at the link Kim provided). Another option would be the Hua Hin area, about a 2 hour drive from the Bangkok Airport.

May is the start of the monsoon season. You will be there 1st to 4th! Very unlikely that weather will be a problem. Even at the worst time of the monsoon season (Which doesn't apply to you), there are still 20 sunny days per month, of sunshine, and any rain is likely to be no more than a welcome late afternoon shower.
DO NOT let fears about weather in very early May, put you off Krabi. In fact I have had a great time in this area in June and July.

Koh Samui has it's own airport, served by Bangkok Airways, the only reason to go through Surat Thani Airport is if you are on a tight budget and you use a cheap flight to Surat Thani and then the bus/ferry combination. Some also use the train down to Surat Thani and then bus/ferry combination.