Tips and Tricks for Thailand (As of dates listed below)

Bangkok (2016):

Getting There – From the international airport terminal you can hire a taxi to Banglampu for 350-400 Baht.  The taxi stand on the lower level has a new system where you push a button, get a slip of paper for the number lane to get your taxi from.  All taxis should use the meter and you will pay a 50 surcharge and also about 75 Baht for tolls.

Staying – We stayed at our typical haunt, New Merry V for 380 Baht per night including wifi, an outlet and a bathroom inside the room.  High season limits the choices, we stayed somewhere new and it was a bust.  New Merry V is super basic but clean and safe.  A nice upgrage in the back of the building offers a more spacious room with a bit more comfort for 550 Baht.

Eating – As much as we love sitting off of Rambuttri to have a beer and people watch we have not been eating in the area.  We tend to choose a soi off Samsen and find a small little mom and pop type place, there are a bunch of places to choose from between Samsen soi 1 to soi 4 on the right side of the road if you are coming from Khao San/Rambuttri.  Mai Kadee behind Burger King at the end of Khoa San Road serves up delicious vegetarian options, though there are plenty of other places lining the same street we’ve yet to try.

Getting around – We tend to take the shuttle back to the airport for 100 Baht per person (book anywhere on Rambuttri), a taxi driver who uses their meter to get to Chatachuk should be around 100 Baht, and to get to the train station a taxi with meter will be about 70 Baht..  The local river ferry (13 B per person per trip no matter how far you go) or the MRT (varies by distance to destination) are fun ways to see the city as well and very affordable.

Chiang Mai (2016):

Getting There – A/C sleeper tickets to get to/from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, cost us 1572 Baht for both of us (the top bunk is slightly cheaper).  If you choose the fan sleeper (which we prefer) we paid 1062 Baht for both of us.  You can book train tickets 30 days out.  The top bunks are slightly cheaper as they are smaller and can be hot.

Staying – We have stayed at a few different places but always end up at Kavil 2.  Kavil 2 runs 350 B for a fan room with ensuite and hot water.  Libra House is another good option with the same ammenities for 400 B per night.  Green House is 300 B for the same but the quality of the room speaks to the lower price.

Eating – Blue Sky right by the food market off Moonmuang soi 6 has good food and huge portions for the money. The Thai woman running it is super nice and not a single meal was disappointing. Although Nice Café is a bit pricey, the breakfast is still really good. Another great spot if you’re looking for an authentic Thai omelet for breakie is just down from Blue Sky as you’re walking to Moonmuang is Addy’s Happy Smoothies. The fruit salad is HARD to beat! If you’re a veggie or vegan there is a little place, and we mean like 3 tables, called Bamboo Bee.  The woman that runs the tiny place is an incredible cook.  The dishes are a little pricy but worth every Baht since she makes all her own “meat” and the dishes are packed with veggies and soy protein.  Cooking classes are also offered.

Getting around – If you’re looking for a cheap way to get around and are comfortable on a motorbike, it’s the way to go! You can get a basic bike for 150-180 Baht per day and petrol is plenty cheap. Otherwise, just walking around Chiang Mai is amazing in itself.  The red songthaew will take you around the heart of Chiang Mai (including the bus and train station) for about 30 Baht each.

Sukhothai (2011):

Getting There – The bus station is really small and there isn’t much going on late at night. We arrived after 6pm and had to take a autorickshaw to our Guesthouse. You can take the blue public songthaew to the main road which will only cost you 10B each.

Staying – We very highly recommend T.R. Guesthouse, located on a small Soi by the bridge. The rooms are cheap, very clean and there is free wifi. The owner and his family are super nice and very informative.

Eating – There are a handful of restaurants that have an english menu but you will be paying Farang prices to eat there. If you are into sausages and mystery meat there are plenty of street food stalls.

Getting Around – Walking is the way to go around new Sukhothai. To get to the Historical Park take the blue public songtheaw again for 20B there and back. Renting a bike for the day is the easiest way to see the ruins.

Kanchanaburi (2011): 

Getting There – Grab some other travelers to cut costs and take a songtheaw to the main road with all the guesthouses.

Staying – We stayed at the Jolly Frog, which is right in the middle of everything and an easy walk to the bridge. Don’t expect luxury here, everything is basic but very reasonable. The restaurant has a huge menu with very cheap food and there is a large lawn area with hammocks and chairs overlooking the river. There are some other budget options for accomodation but most are small with no common area.

Eating – Along the main road are quite few restaurants and food carts, we stuck to the Jolly Frog for most meals do the the price.

Getting Around – Walking around town was easy to get to a few of the sites and museums. To get to Erawan falls you’ll need to catch an autorickshaw back to the bus station and take a bus for 50B to the falls and back (about an hour ride). We jumped off the bus early on the way back by the Burma-Thailand Railroad Musuem and walked back to our place.

Koh Phi Phi (2011):

Getting There – If you’re heading to Phi Phi in low season from Railay, you can find ferry tickets for 300 baht at the internet “café” just down the road from Yaya’s Resort. Everyone else was still selling them for 350.

Staying – If you’re looking for a cheap but clean place to stay, Oasis was just fine for us. The German lady running it was very nice and incredibly honest. She was a great source of information. Our double bed in a big room with a shared bath was only 300 baht per night. Again, prices in high season will be considerably higher, but there were a few other places where we could’ve gotten our own bathroom included for 400 baht.

Eating – The best bang for the buck we found was at Papaya. We got a HUGE serving of curry and 2 rices for 120 baht! We haven’t been this full in months and the flavor was great! Cosmo had pretty good food as well although it was a bit more expensive. The other good thing about Cosmo is that there’s a lot of turnover because it’s packed all the time.

Getting Around – The only transportation you need on Phi Phi is if you plan on visiting another island. The half day tours to Maya Bay are 250 baht per person. Full day tours were 400 but you’ll be on a huge boat completely PACKED with other tourists. If you try to hire your own long tail, they’ll be asking over 1,000 baht for the ride there and back.

Koh Lanta (2011):

Getting There – There weren’t too many people on our ferry with it being low season, and this is why only one company runs a ferry this time a year and it’s at 11:30 am. If you’re leaving Phi Phi, you can find tickets for 300 baht even though you’ll see prices as high as 400.

Staying – Lanta New Beach was a good place to stay at. The food and drinks are a bit expensive, but if you have a motorbike there’s a 7 eleven right down the road to grab drinks and a minimart right on the corner in walking distance to get cheap water and snacks if you like. Not one person we talked to was paying the same price for a room, but we were able to snag a huge room with a double bed and a single bed, TV with cable, a fridge, a private bathroom and a balcony for 300 baht a night…not to mention 2 pools for use.

Eating – We weren’t too adventurous here, but found a nice little place right on the dirt road as you turn off the main road to get to Lanta New Beach Resort. The lady running Nemoland cooks your food completely fresh, including picking fresh basil from right outside of her house. We paid 150 baht for 3 servings of rice and 2 masaman vegetable curries.

Getting Around – Almost everywhere you look you can rent a motorbike on Koh Lanta. An automatic will set you back 200 baht per day. If you can find a manual (we only found one after checking 4 places), you’re looking at 150 baht for the day. Unless you’re planning on staying at your guesthouse the entire time, you’re going to need one.

Koh Pha Ngan (2011):

Getting There – If you’re headed to Koh Pha Ngan from Koh Tao, it’s pretty easy to find tickets just about everywhere you look. After asking a bunch of places in town, the cheapest we found ferry tickets for was 300 baht a piece. You may be able to get them cheaper at the pier, but then you’ll also have to pay for a taxi to get you there.

Staying – If you have the opportunity (and you want to be able to get away from the noise and party at times), we HIGHLY recommend staying at Boom’s Café. The owner, Noc, is incredibly nice and we only paid 400 baht a night for a fan room with a bathroom and balcony 2 days before the full moon party. Even in low season though, it can actually be a little tough to find a place to stay. It’s probably best if you pre-book a place just to play it safe. If you’re trying to stay close to Haad Rin, where the party is at, you’ll probably end up paying at least 700 baht for a basic room. In high season, it’s pretty much a necessity to pre-book a room.

Eating – There aren’t too many options here other than looking around for a cheap restaurant. If you stay at Boom’s, definitely try the curry if you can. There are some cheaper options by Haad Rin, but it’s a crazy ride up and down the steep hills to get there. We did get to eat some Pad Thai for 40 baht each at a market by the Tesco near the pier one night though.

Getting Around – You can rent a motorbike from just about anywhere for 150 baht a day for a manual, 200 baht a day for an automatic. It’s a good idea to take a picture of your bike before setting off so you can’t get charged for a scratch or any damage you didn’t cause. However, this is one place you definitely need to be on your toes with tons of crazy westerners flying around, half of whom are either drunk, wreck less, or forget that in Thailand you drive on the left side of the road.

Krabi (2011):

Getting There – From Koh Pha Ngan, ferry tickets within 5 days of the full moon party are a little higher than usual, so you’ll pay 600 baht each plus another 20 baht each to get into the main part of town. You’ll also end up paying 100 baht per person from Ban Thai Beach to the ferry port (or more from Haad Rin), and there’s no negotiating on this unfortunately.

Staying – We stayed at KR Mansion, where we got a fan room with a bathroom for 250 baht. It’s pretty easy to find cheap accommodation here.

Eating – There’s a night market down by the water where you can find cheap, fresh made food, including Pad Thai for around 40 baht. We also ate some instant noodle bowls from 7 eleven, which believe it or not, are pretty tasty and only cost about 13 baht a piece. It can be a little tough eating hot soup when you’re already dripping with sweat, but if you want to save some money on food, this is a good option.

Getting Around –  No need for transportation to get around Krabi. It’s easily navigated on foot unless you want to head out to the mall by the airport. In which case you can rent a motorbike here for 150 baht per day.

Railay (2011):

Getting There – If you stop in Krabi first, all you have to do is grab a songthaew taxi for 100 baht to Ao Nang where you’ll stop at the ticket office by the water (just down from Burger King) and pay 80 baht a piece to take a ride on a long tail boat, which drops you off right on the west beach.

Staying – Railay surprisingly has quite a few high end resorts and spas to stay at. You can find places to stay during low season for about 300 baht, but for the extra 50 baht (350 total), we stayed at Yaya Resort on the East beach and got a nice fan room with private bath. Keep in mind that these prices can EASILY double in high season…you may want to head for Ton Sai beach at that time.

Eating – There’s a great place right down the road from Ya Ya’s Resort that serves up some really good curry and some of the best Pad Thai we’ve had in Thailand. Prices are pretty reasonable compared to most of the other options where you’ll easily spend more than 100 baht per person on just about anything you order. Also, the cheapest beer in Railay is on the east beach down by “The Last Bar.”

Getting Around – This is another place where you can easily walk to wherever you want to go. The walking street will get you from East beach to West in less than 10 minutes and a little path on the end of East beach will take you to Tham Phra Nang…best beach by FAR! Not to mention, there are hardly any motorized vehicles here anyways.

Koh Tao (2011):

Getting There – We decided to book our overnight bus/ferry ticket combo to Koh Tao right at the main Lompraya office parallel to Khao San Rd for 700 Baht per person. You may be able to find a better deal somewhere, but there are MANY different travel agents around this area offering “better” deals that aren’t always the way to go and we heard many stories of people getting robbed or lied to about what kind of bus/boat they would be on.

Staying – Finding a dive shop with accommodation was key for us, many offer it. We stayed at a place called SBC our last night and for 350 baht it was a deal.

Eating – There isn’t much in the line of street food but if you head to the main road and turn right you will come to a few places that aren’t exactly restaurants or street food stalls….that is where we would eat for the next few nights. Not only was the lady who ran the place super sweet but free bananas for all as well.

Getting Around – Our time in Koh Tao was spent underwater most of the time but you can rent a motorbike easily to explore the island or take on Sairee and the main town by foot.

 Chiang Rai (2016):

Getting There – (Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai) At the bus terminal, take a number from the dispenser for the Green Bus to buy your ticket, 3 hours and 144 B per person

Staying – We stayed at Baan Bua and paid 250 Baht for a small room with wifi. There are also larger, nicer rooms for 450 Baht we chose the second time around.

Eating – You can find plenty of food at the night market in town as well as proper coffee shops along the same road as Baan Bua. There are also plenty of bars if you’re looking to tie one on but beware if you’re a single guy and not looking for any special “company” as the prostitutes are sure to be on the prowl!

Trat (2016):

Getting There- Bus tickets ran 236 Baht per person to Trat from Bangkok.  A cab ride to the bus terminal in Bangkok cost 130 Baht.

Staying- Pop’s served it’s purpose as a one night, fairly comfortable place to crash for 350 Baht per night.

Koh Kut (2016):

Getting There- The ferry from Trat cost 350 Baht including transportation once on Koh Kut to your choice destination.

Staying- Ta Yai is a place we can’t wait to visit again, run my very friendly locals.  During low season we spent 700 Baht for a bungalow and 450 Baht for a room directly next to the owner.

Eating- Mangrove serves up good food directly next door to Ta Yai.  We have to admit, we weren’t the biggest fans of Chiang Mai food and preferred a locally run mom and pop shop located near the pharmacy on the island.