Travel through Thailand - Planes, Trains, Ferries?
 

Hi all,
We (family of 5 - 2 adults, 3 kids aged 11, 11 and 8) are headed to Thailand from San Francisco for 2 weeks over the holidays (Dec 23-Jan 7) and while I have the basics of our itinerary sorted out, I'm struggling a bit with some of the transportation.

We will be in Bangkok Dec 23-27, then flying up to Chiang Mai where we will stay until 1/1/13. From CM we are headed south to Koh Lanta, but getting there seems to be more complicated than I thought. Per our hotel, we can fly either Chiang Mai -> Phuket, and then van/ferry over to Lanta (about 5 hours from Phuket), or we can fly CM to Bangkok to Krabi, and then ferry to Lanta from Krabi (2+ hours from Krabi). While I'm ok with either, arranging flights that work out time wise and still being able to catch the ferries is a bit concerning. We will be in Lanta until Jan 6 when we head (somehow?) back to Bangkok and fly out just after midnight that night.

My other idea is to rent a car in Phuket (suggested on some TripAdvisor forums) and make the 4-5 hour drive/car ferry to Lanta ourselves. Might be a fun adventure, but don't want to do this if its not a good idea!

Any suggestions/ideas/tour companies/etc on the above would be most appreciated. Thanks!
Emily

i always rent a car in phuket from pure car rentals and do the drive myself to krabi...

why not just stay at krabi (sheraton) oe go to khao lak to jw marriott??

the ferry connections always seem to be probablamatic

I agree. Why not go to Krabi or Khao Lak instead of trying to get to Koh Lanta, since it seems to be a problem. Is there a specific reason for selecting Lanta? There are oooooodles of other choices which would be easier.

"My other idea is to rent a car in Phuket (suggested on some TripAdvisor forums) and make the 4-5 hour drive/car ferry to Lanta ourselves. Might be a fun adventure, but don't want to do this if its not a good idea!"

*

Just keep in mind that in Thailand they drive on the other side of the road like the UK. Liability in accidents can be a pain in the butt and you might possibly be be asked to pay for any damages before you fly home and let insurance companies pay you back later. (Some Thais feel that if you fly home they may not be paid for any damage.) Maybe hire a Thai driver to do the driving along with the car.

If you are experienced driving in Asia - on the other side of the road - go for it!



Up to you.

Thanks all. We are staying in Lanta because we found a place we really liked for a good price (well, as good as prices can be in the Peak Season!) many months ago when I started planning this trip. Agree that Kao Lak would be easier - but kind of like the idea of the journey as well. My husband would be doing the driving, not me, and would probably be fine (native Boston driver). Learned to drive on the other side a couple years ago in Australia.
Thanks to all for your advice.

emily--are you still in boston area? come to our GTG weekend next week to learn tons more about thailand and driving there--its quite easy

of course i now see SF

Hi
If your husband know how to drive in Thailand, I think it's fine to rent a car from Phuket and then drive to Krabi(Koh Lanta),about 4 hours from Phuket to Lanta. it's fun to travel by car so you can travel/visit many places by easily.
If you fly to Phuket and take ferry from there to Lanta (via Phi Phi) it's fine aswell. :)

The rental agency might not require proof of an international driver's license but I highly recommend that you have one before renting a car here. Lots of police checkpoints and if you have an accident it is better to be properly licensed.