Travel to Thailand!

Ton Sai Beach, Ko Phi-Phi Don, Krabi, Thailand




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Accommodation in Thailand is as variable as you can imagine. Here is our guide to the places that are available to you to lay down your head after a long day at the beach, or the temples, or shopping...

Hostels/Guesthouses
These are going to be your cheapest option, costing under 200 to 300 (7-10 US$) baht per night. This is the most basic type of room and in some cases you may be in a dorm with a shared bathroom.

Thai Hotels
The price for a hotel room will start at 400 baht and go up to around 800 baht(12-25 US$). The upper end of this range will be air-conditioned, the lower end will not. In a hotel room you will probably have a private bathroom. These room would be most comparable to motel rooms.

Tourist Hotels
These are the fancier hotel rooms that will generally start around 1000 baht (30 US$) per night and offer the basics for a beach vacation: swimming pool, room service and colour TV.

Boutique Hotels
From 2500 baht (75US$) and up these hotels usually have a smaller number of rooms (usually 10 or less) and a more personalized service. Rooms will be decorated very nicely and these hotels are generally well located.

Business and Luxury Hotels
At 4000 baht (125 US$) and up these hotels offer every modern amenity you can think of. Hotels in this price range will be indistinguishable from a modern hotel in any country.

Other Options
Other options include homestays with a local family or beach huts which can be a very affordable way to stay close to the beach. If you are planning a long stay, why not consider renting out an apartment for a couple weeks.



Our Picks:
As we travel through Thailand we will post our favorite places to stay. If you have any recommendations, let us know by leaving a post on our guestbook.

1st Pick: Hillside at Patong, Phuket. Great little place with a small but wonderful pool to take a dip in. The staff are excellent and the hotel is far enough away from the beach that it is nice and quiet but still close enough that you can walk to the water.

Address
257/2 Nanai Road, Patong Beach
Phuket 83150 Thailand
Tel: 66 76 512054
Fax: 66 76 512054
Email: info@patonghillside.com

2nd Pick: Furama Hotel in Bangkok. We got a great deal through Expedia and we were very happy with our choice. The free breakfast was very tasty and had a great variety. The staff was friendly and arranged a trip to the floating market for us.

3rd Pick: Aitsawarisa Resort in Chiang Mai A gorgeous little boutique hotel located near trendy Nimmanhaemin road. The pool is nestled in a lovely lush area and the entire hotel is beautiful and very tropical. It feels like you are away from it all even though there is an amazing selection of restaraunts and coffee shops just outside your door. Check out Smoothy Blues on the corner for an excellent breakfast.

A 30 day visa is available on arrival in Thailand for most nationalities. However they have recently changed this to 30 days if air arrival and 15 days for land arrival. A tourist visa is also available for 60 days but you must apply for the visa before you arrive in Thailand. The visa is valid for 90 days which means that after applying you need use your visa within 30 days in order to be able to take full advantage of the 60 days.

See the links below for more information and resources on Thai visas, including what nationalities can take advantage of the 30 day on arrival visa.

Make sure you check the visa regulations required for entrance into Thailand before you travel. Rules may change at any time.

Learning to speak a little Thai will be very appreciated by any local you talk to. Don't worry if you mangle the pronounciation, most will be used to hearing basic words and phrases said by westerners.

Hello (male speaker) - sawatdee krup
Hello (female speaker)- sawatdee kaa
Goodbye - la gon
Thank you - kop koon (krup/kaa)
Yes - chai
No - mai chai

Some Thai letters have no direct counterpart in English. There is no standardization when translating so the English written version of a word can vary. This may lead to problems when getting directions or telling a taxi driver where you want to go. It's a good idea to have your destination written down in Thai to make it easier to get where you're going.

Thai is a tonal language so it may be helpful to listen to some of the audio links provided below in order to get used to listening for the different tones.

Every country and culture has slightly different taboos and cultural norms. Here are a few pointers to get you started on Thailand do's and don'ts.

Do:
- Smile often
- Be polite and respectful
- Wear clothing with moderate coverage to temples - watch what others around you are wearing to get an idea of the norm

Don't:
- Touch people's heads (not that you normally would anyway)
- Point your feet at a statue of buddha or food or pass your feet over someone's belongings
- Lose your temper, you will almost never see a Thai lose their temper in public