sriceali

Which resort would you recommend for a 3 night stay in a garden bungalow? Which has nicer rooms and best beach location?

LeighTravelClub

We have stayed at both. Island Village once and Holiday Inn many times.
They are both excellent resorts, probably the two best on the island and each has it's own merits.
I.V. is in a spectacular setting and has a bigger range of room types, but as you have specified garden bungalow then there is little to choose between the two. I.V. provide in room t.v., H.I. don't. Other than that....rooms are very similar. Personally, I think the gardens at H.I. are more spectacular. Every time I visit I.V., I find it seems to sprawl out rather, and for me, it lacks character.
Both have a wonderful beach. But the easier access to some decent snorkelling gives H.I. the edge for me.
Whichever one you go for, there is a lovely coastal path between the two.....takes around half an hour at a lazy pace, so why not wander along and see the difference.
It's very much personal taste, but my advice is to go for H.I.

sriceali

Thank you. We're newbies to Thailand and it's so difficult to pick islands and the the resorts.....The reason I wrote garden bungalow is that we can't afford beachfront or hillside villas. We're looking for in-between, deluxe yet not sure about the superior rooms at I.V. (are they as small as they sound?)

Which rooms would you recommend at either? I know there are some newer rooms at the H.I.

It's so hard to decide these things. Hoping to make decision soon.

Also, one more question....is it worth it to stay at Amari Vogue in Krabi for a few days, then to the Layana on Ko Lanta, then lastly to Ko Phi Phi? Will there be different sites on all of these islands? Can't decide whether to stay put and do day trips or not? Probably would want a change of scenery.

Any help would be appreciated.

LeighTravelClub

All the rooms at both resorts are a decent size. Not huge but adequate. I doubt you'll spend much time in your room anyway.
The new rooms at H.I. are really nice.....but.....I'm not keen on their location, being right at the southern end of the bay, where the beach is rather rocky. The original bungalows, though old, are just fine.
You don't say how much time you have for Krabi, Lanta and Phi Phi, but at most I would do just two. Krabi and Phi Phi will be easiest.
Hope that helps.

sriceali

At this point we were going to have 8 or 9 days for the south. We're thinking of the following itinerary:

Bangkok - 3 nights
Chiang Rai - 3 nights
Krabi - 3 nights
Phi Phi - 3 nights
Ko Lanta - 3 nights
Bangkok - 2 nights

May be too much traveling. Is the scenery on Krabi very different than Phi Phi and Ko Lanta? I think we may just pick two islands but don't know which. Is Amari Vogue in a nice location? Or is it best to stay at Railay hotel?

Still planning for November trip and now kind of worrying about booking hotels.