Blogs from South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 3

Koh Tao was not on our radar for this trip. From Ko Samui we had expected to return to the mainland and head south. We knew of Koh Tao because our good friends Andrea and Mark from Happy Days Travel Blog were supposed to go there to look after a hotel for a few months but Covid-19 got in the way and it never happened. We hadn't realised how close Koh Tao was to Ko Samui so we got in touch with Frank and Ai-mon at Sairee View Resort and they had a room available. That led to a quick change of plans and another booking with Lomprayah ferries. The catamaran called in at Ko Pha Ngan on the way but soon enough we were introducing ourselves to our new hosts as they collected us from ... read more

Khao Sok National Park was the reason we visited South West Thailand on this trip. It did not disappoint, although the weather could have been kinder! We decided on a private transfer from Patong to the town of Khlong Sok which took a little over two hours whereas a minubus would have taken four. Money well spent in our eyes. Then we found ourselves in a beautiful riverside cottage-style room at url=https://www.google.com/travel/hotels/Khao%20Sok%20National%20Park%2C%2062%20Khlong%20Sok/entity/CgoI8JH2nIK84NNwEAE?q=river%20and%20jungle%20khao%20sok&g2lb=2502548%2C2503771%2C2503781%2C2504095%2C4258168%2C4270442%2C4284970%2C4291517%2C4306835%2C4597339%2C4718358%2C4723331%2C4757164%2C4814050%2C4816093%2C4816094%2C4816977%2C4826689%2C4842756%2C4849799%2C4850737%2C4852066%2C4856937%2C4860391%2C4861687%2C4862180&hl=en-TH&gl=th&ssta=1&ts=CAESABogCgIaABIaEhQKBwjmDxAKGBESBwjmDxAKGBIYATICEAAqC... read more

Phuket (careful with that pronunciation now - POOKET) was never a place we really wanted to go due to its popularity with foreign tourists, but as numbers are so low at the moment we grabbed the opportunity. Our stay on the island began with three nights at the Memory at On On Hotelwhich, Wi-Fi problems aside, was a great hotel. Located in the heart of the old town, it is the oldest hotel in town having been established by a Chinese migrant in 1927. It certainly has a lot of charm, and the free tea, coffee and biscuits during the day on the first floor veranda is a really nice touch. The hotel featured in the 2000 film "The Beach" and was renovated in 2012 when new owners took charge. It's fair to say we didn't ... read more

It's astonishing to realise just how much I missed all that is learnt from travelling the world. It's one thing to immerse yourself in a book, but nothing compares to the life experience and knowledge gained from travel, where there is the opportunity to interact daily with so many fascinating people living in this wonderful world we share. Actually It doesn't take too long to get back in to the swing of a traveller's life, even after an extended break. At the conclusion of a wonderful time in Koh Samui I decided to branch out for a bit of island hopping in the region, and the boat journey is just thirty minutes on the fast ferry - akin to a speedboat, before an effortless arrival in Koh Phangan. This legendary island is home to the full ... read more

Although I didn't want to leave Langkawi or the boat in the shipyard, we were forced to leave to renew our visas as we haven't left Langkawi island for 2 years during Covid lock downs and restrictions. Anyway, I set off with Brent and Doni and we were off to Phuket for a couple of weeks. It started with PCR test at the doctors on the island before flights, tests on arrival at Phuket Airport, we were entering on 'The Sandbox'. We had to wait on test results before we were allowed to leave hotel but they came through pretty rapid, then it was time to head out to play. It's been a while since I was in Phuket and actually I've never stayed over in Patong as it's the busiest but not now which is ... read more