[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I assume this will be a mix of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot. From what I remember, your BLR-SIN-BLR route will be SIA, SIN-Phuket will be SilkAir and Krabi-SIN must be Scoot.

Ah!!! good point. Rechecked and looks like from Krabi there's no SilkAir/SIA service. So only scoot. Guess I will have to come back to Phuket to board return flight in that case. Don't want to get into hassle of multiple airlines

Originally Posted by vb-san

When I travelled last time VOA was 2000 THB per person. Carrying 10-15K THB in hand is not an issue, infact its better that way.

Oh, I was reading its 1000 THB per head. Anyways will recheck. How's taxi charges? As in from Airport to Hotel and between Phuket<>Krabi?

[Eddy]

We did a nine day trip to Bangkok, Phuket & Koh Samui last month. We were 3 couples and 3 kids of 6-7 years.

We carried most of our money in a prepaid card, which was a bad decision. Thailand is a cash country and unless you want to pay transaction charges of 3-4% or a hefty ATM withdrawal fees, I suggest you carry as much cash as possible.

VOA fees is 2000 TB for the regular queue and 2200 TB for a quicker VIP queue. The line builds up quickly as soon as a flight arrives so it is advisable to fill up all forms etc beforehand and reach the counter as soon as you de-board. VOA fees is payable only in cash.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Ah!!! good point. Rechecked and looks like from Krabi there's no SilkAir/SIA service. So only scoot. Guess I will have to come back to Phuket to board return flight in that case. Don't want to get into hassle of multiple airlines

I feel your initial plan of doing Thai Airways is a better one. Or do round trip in Scoot via SG

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Oh, I was reading its 1000 THB per head. Anyways will recheck. How's taxi charges? As in from Airport to Hotel and between Phuket<>Krabi?

It was THB 1000 for years, then they increased into THB 2000, and then reduced to THB 1000 for a short duration. And it’s worth going for the Express Queue with THB 200 extra.

And as Eddy mentioned, its better to carry cash as many establishments, including the VoA counter goes by cash payments only.

[Eddy]

Taxi charge from the Airport to Hotels is anywhere between 800 and 1700 baht depending on the time and distance. These figures are for a 10 seater van with a boot big enough to swallow 8-9 checked in baggage bags.

All of us personally found Koh Samui a much better place for the family to enjoy compared to Phuket.

[SoumenD]

Thanks everyone for the information. Last query.

About day-tours(phi-phi, 4 islands, FantaSea show etc) bookings. Is it possible to pre-book them from India in INR? Only option I see is by paying in THB. Appreciate some lead on that front.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Thanks everyone for the information. Last query.

About day-tours(phi-phi, 4 islands, FantaSea show etc) bookings. Is it possible to pre-book them from India in INR? Only option I see is by paying in THB. Appreciate some lead on that front.

Don't even think about pre booking. Bargain HARD when in Thailand. Typically they close at about 50-70% of the price quoted, depending on the tour and no of people. Also, take multiple quotes from the various travel agents. And the travel agents are present every 10m so don't worry about locating a good one. And I was surprised by the fact that the entire thing is so well coordinated between tour operators & travel agents so any agent is a good agent.

Regarding Fantasea - this will be the most expensive of the lot. You can put in a booking request online and they will respond with the best price. This the deal we got. This was our first day and the situation was such that we could not bargain so maybe you can something better.

Dear Customer
Thank you for your reply and phone call.
Following your request as below :
Program name : Phuket Fanta Sea Show
Show only. Cost is 1,800 THB/Adult, 1,800 THB/Child.
Show and Transfer . Cost is 2,150 THB/Adult, 2,100 THB/Child.
Show , Dinner and Transfer. Cost is 2,300 THB/Adult, 2,200 THB/Child
Show , Dinner , Gold Seat and Transfer. Cost is 2,500 THB/Adult, 2,300 THB/Child
Discount 10% off.
Pick up time : 17.20 PM. At the lobby

Whether you should invest in Fantasea is a different question altogether. I personally found it to be expensive, overhyped and nothing to write home about. The food buffet (we did not pay additional for the sea food buffet) is lavish and I quite liked it but that's about it.

Please also note that the prices above do not include any activities which are charged extra per head (elephant ride, target shooting....).

The kids loved the animal in the show etc but the adults came out thoroughly disappointed. If you do for it, please do not fall for buying any upgrades like Gold seats etc).

[sachinayak]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Thanks everyone for the information. Last query.

About day-tours(phi-phi, 4 islands, FantaSea show etc) bookings. Is it possible to pre-book them from India in INR? Only option I see is by paying in THB. Appreciate some lead on that front.

My 2c on this. You may want to use Klook for booking day-tours and tickets for certain attractions.

In case of the 4 island or phi-phi island tour, they work out slightly more expensive. But in comparison to other operators, we our speedboat had low passenger density and thus more comfortable. Plus we started earlier than others (also aided by fewer passengers) and got some private time on each of the overcrowded islands (as compared to other operators). BTW, this was in the peak Christmas vacation season. If you do not mind a little extra cost, in my honest opinion we found it totally worth it. Much better overall experience.

In Bangkok, for the Seaworld, booking on Klook saved us 2.5 hours of wait time for tickets and got us a 40% discount. Double benefit.

You can pay in INR too, so do check out this option. We found it totally worth it.

EDIT: forgot to add a point on Thai Visa
If you have time at hand, try to get a VISA in India. Is 50% cheaper (costs 2000 Rs v/s 2000 THB for Visa on Arrival). Secondly, if you are opting for Visa on arrival, try to download all forms and have them ready. The line swells is no time as almost all flights from India arrive around the same time. If you are slow, then keep a sizeable time at hand for the visa process. For us, our arrival time was 6 AM (local) while hotel check-in time was 11 AM, so it wasn't an issue for us, but I know someone who missed his flight as it took longer than expected.

[Eddy]

Ok, I just checked Klook. It does look marginally cheaper for these (~10% less)

https://www.klook.com/activity/357-s...world-bangkok/

https://www.klook.com/activity/365-s...world-bangkok/

The island tours are definitely more expensive.

[govigov]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

TWe can do check-in and check-out from different cities in same country right?
3. And how much cash is sufficient for VOA formalities, as in they would need to see if we have sufficient funds? Are we allowed to carry 10-15k baht from India in cash?

Yes, In and Out can be different airports, so that should not be an issue.

VOA should be 2000THB per person and about 20,000 THB per family. Photo's et al and other documents required can be found here -

http://www.suvarnabhumiairport.com/e...isa-on-arrival

[airbus]

Originally Posted by sachinayak

In Bangkok, for the Seaworld, booking on Klook saved us 2.5 hours of wait time for tickets and got us a 40% discount. Double benefit.

Even buying tickets from hotel/local travel agent may be cheaper and you can bargain. We booked attraction tickets from the hotel travel desk and it was significantly cheaper in Bangkok.

[smrtdvl]

Am leaving to Krabi in a fortnight and would like to know if I should get my forex done here or can it be done at Krabi? I need to pay the agent at the airport before boarding the taxi for all the activites that I have booked with them.

Thanks.

[hillsnrains]

Originally Posted by smrtdvl

Am leaving to Krabi in a fortnight and would like to know if I should get my forex done here or can it be done at Krabi? ...

My advice is to carry USD from India and convert to THB after landing. Also remember you get much better conversion rates outside the airport.
Just convert little amount for taxi fare + SIM card in airport and rest you convert after getting out of airport. Believe me there is huge benefit in doing so.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by smrtdvl

Am leaving to Krabi in a fortnight and would like to know if I should get my forex done here or can it be done at Krabi? I need to pay the agent at the airport before boarding the taxi for all the activites that I have booked with them.

Thanks.

Cheapest forex conversion will be in India. The airport rates are abysmal.

As I have adviced before, carry as much cash as possible. Thailand is a cash nation and card usage can be 3-4% more expensive, acceptance is about 50-60% and ATM withdrawals are expensive.

[PPS]

Is the month of May a good time to visit Bangkok,Krabi & Phuket? Planning to go with a friend who has a 2yr old kid. I assume its going to be very hot during that time.

[RM Motorsports]

Originally Posted by smrtdvl

Am leaving to Krabi in a fortnight and would like to know if I should get my forex done here or can it be done at Krabi? I need to pay the agent at the airport before boarding the taxi for all the activites that I have booked with them.

Thanks.

I visited Thailand last December. Actually I was only in Phuket for 8 days. I carried USD and used to get exchange done whenever needed. Exchange rates are more at the airport but you can find plenty of forex exchanges in the city. Taxi rates are high from Airport but if you do not have heavy luggage, you can take a bus to desired location. Buses are nice, airconditioned and cheap. Regarding tours and activities its much cheaper to book once you are at your destination. There are plenty of tour / activity operators and you can bargain hard. Same can be done for local transport.