irishman

I'm not saying that such a place doesn't exist but there are a couple of deal breakers in there. First, I don't know of any hotels in that price range that have an in the room safe to hold a laptop. Most in room safes are much smaller even in the pricy hotels. Second, 24hour room service. Again, it can be found but not in that price range. I would suggest that he bring a hard sided suitcase and lock the laptop in there when he isn't using it. Or use a cable lock as is commonly available. And all the hotels have a refrigerator so just stock up on goodies when he arrives.

Hopefully for the bars, it will be a lot more crowded. Usually you hear about people on the board having trouble getting reservations at the hotels. In addition, there are sometimes extra charges for the period around Christmas and New Years. I would advise you to get your reservations in as soon as possible. Cheers

Flipper house cheaper and my favorite but lots of info available if you do a search. Cheers

Depending on the hotel that you will bw staying in, they often offer to have you picked up for 1200 - 1500 baht. Usually an OK deal. Cheers

It's not about facial hair, it's about MONEY! No money, no honey! Cheers

Try the Flippers on Soi 7 and 8 or the Eastiny on Soi 8. I think I like the Flipper house on Soi 7 the best. Cheers

bigmofo, You are forgetting about one thing. While you may get a better day rate walking in, you might not be able to get a monthly rate at that time because they may not have rooms availabe for the peak periods around the end of the year. The Christmas, New Years time fills up very fast and this forum is always full of punters looking for last minute rooms during those periods because they waited too long or like you, wanted to "get a better deal" by walking in. It's a bit like the ladies, the good ones go fast! Wait until the last minute and you do the long walk home alone. Ch

I like to play pool in the open air bar complex on Soi Buakhao. Have often left there between o200 and 0400 in the morning. Never felt unsafe! The Soi itself is fairly well lit at night. You might not want to wonder down some of the unlit side sois if you are worried though. Cheers

Count me in for USA. The cost was a bit of a suprise though. You mean we are paying LESS this year? Size L please. Cheers

God Larry, you have weird wet dreams! Have to introduce you something more interesting when we get together next! Cheers

Although you usually go to Phi Phi from Krabi or thereabouts, there were a few companies that actually left from the east coast of Phuket. Just ask around at your hotel. I'm sure they will be happy to hook you up. Might have to thake a speedboat instead of the ferry but they are usually better trips with more stops anyway. If you get a chance to look at the boats, try to go on a longer as opposed to a shorter boat. Otherwise the chop will kill you. BTW, the travel time is about the same. Cheers

Sorry RB, I may be mistaken about the ATMs. They may indeed be just cash machines or money changers. I remember using them on my 2nd trip to Thailand but ever since then I just make sure I leave with enough Baht to take care of my needs for a day or so when I get back. Since I usually arrive about midday, I had no trouble getting Baht from them. Cheers

When I was staying in the various hotels and trying to book over the internet, I can't say that I had much luck bargaining. I had one fellow write back and tell me to go someplace else. And even logic didn't work. It seemed that if I could stay at Flipper house for 628 baht a night on their 14 day special during the summer, I should be able to stay the rest of the month at that rate also. Not so. Rate increased to 700 baht a night for the rest of the month. Pissed me off for a while until I remembered: 1) TIT 2) We were haggling about less than $2 a night. Less than a bridg

If you are going to be there for 3 months, just spend a couple of days looking around an area that you like and see what you come up with. I've never been a big believer in buying or renting anything sight unseen. Cheers

I may be splitting hairs here but I thought the first time we had to show our passport was Immigration. I thought that we then go downstairs, pick up our luggage, and then go through Customs. There are several ATM machines in the same hall in which you pick up your luggage and before you go through Customs. Cheers

Bullshit yourself Larry, 25mg of Viagra does the trick nicely until I can get a little help to drop drawers! Cheers

I guess I am in the minority here but I never bring cash ot TC's any more. I have 3 ATM cards that I use exclusively and absolutely never have had a problem. For me it is the only way to go. I don't ever charge anything either. I maintain a small supply of cash in the safe for those last minute situations where there is a big rush on the ATM machines and just top it up if I have to use it. Cheers

Definitely stay in the Soi 7, Soi 8 area. I prefer the Flippers but like Eastiny also. Don't worry about getting around. The Baht bus routes cover the area there. Cheers

Don't know the answer to ypour question but there is another Kasikorn Bank on Pattaya Central between Second and Third roads. ( Closer to Second on the right hand side as you head away from the beach.) Cheers

All 3 are very close. Hard choice. When all else fails, go with the best deal which will probably be the Flipper house on Soi 7. If you are trying to make reservations from out of town, the two Flippers usually respond much better than the Eastiny but I kind of like the location of the Eastiny and the rooms are very nice for the coin. Cheers

Swiss Park Hotel on Sukhimvit Soi 11. Register for a double. This is a decent price but I didn't search further. http://www.hotelthailand.com/bangkok/swisspark/ If you do a Google search you will get lots of choices. Some may offer a better price. Cheers

You can't go wrong at the Flipper House on Soi 7. You can go north to the Big C area quickly by baht bus. You can go quickly to Walking street the same way. Tops is close for cheap grub, and stuff including 2 ATM's. It has a nice pool. It is close to the action on Soi & and 8. You can walk to any place if you have the time and energy. Has an internet cafe in house. IMHO, is the best base of operations if you don't know what you want or for a newbie. But BTW, I live in Jomtien! Cheers

Try doing a search for the Expat's hotel. Your budget is a bit slim for Phuket but you never know. Cheers

Never had a problem with a hotel safe and never talked to anyone who did. If there are no safes in the rooms but they do have the lockboxes at the reception desk, I just use my suitcase with a smal combination lock on it for safeguarding a small stash when having a new girl in the room. Nothing is perfect and you just don't want to have an obvious large amount of cash laying around. Cheers

You never have trouble when coming into the country and having the current visa expiring before your return plane ticket. I have done it a number of times and never had a problem. Never even have been asked about it. Cheers