drpaul854

Feel Great - but downside is they break much easier - IMHO - never broke a latex but have broken two polys (yes they were lubed properly) too risky for me

I have never stayed at the Walkabout but visited there and it is in the heart of the action with several bars / discos a block or two away. Walking the block or two is OK - I found it to be quite busy with people and well lit. But I would not go too far off the main road (# 51 I think) the Walkabout is on - not at night anyway, use the always present mototaxis. BTW an excellent hotel - brand new and about a block away is The Flamingo - 2 nice bars, and a decent restaurant. Check the web for info - they have a site.

Just spent a few days at a place called The Flamingo - right in the heart of the action a short walk to many favorite places, close to the Central Market, Brand New, very well run and very guest friendly of course. Don't let the "unique" pink outside distract you - it is great place to stay, eat and drink http://www.flamingos.com.kh/

For 1000 - 1500 Baht try Soi SanSabai just off Bangla Road - but it is a surprisingly quiet dead end street with several nice places to stay and eat. Has a nice atmosphere and a short walk to the action (bars and discos). Orchid Residence and Summer Breeze are to right next to each other and there are several others whose names I forgot. Several of the places share a pool at the end of the street Stayed in the Summer Breeze on two trips American owners with a great Tahi manager - nice rooms (but beware - do not go with the cheapest rooms which are interior rooms with no outside win

I have used it a few times - cheap (can't remember the price) quick and easy.

Just at thought - you may want to consider moving a few minutes further down to Karin or Kata (sp?) beaches. Very little of the crazy Bangla Road type action and IMHO much nicer beaches. But I am not sure it will be cheaper than Phuket

Dennism has it all right - Phuket and the Similans are the place. Similans done on a live aboard is your best diving value for the buck but the live aboard cuts into other activities

Agree with the above - it is sort of the best of both worlds. If you stop on the way in and look over to the receptionist they will call over your girl for an ID, but if you walk in without eye contact and head to the elevator they will not stop you or your friend(s).

Summer prices seem to be high for all carriers from US to Bangkok - high vacation season. $1200 is not bad for that time of year and a non-stop to boot. You could always wait till September when the prices drop until the December high season kicks in.

That is right - it may be low season in LOS but it is high season for air travel in the USA. I was surprised by the price last year when I tried to buy air tickets for the end of August. Postponed the trip for a couple of weeks and the airfare was much lower. Also just saw an ad in Sunday's New York Times that Thai air will be starting non-stop service New York to Bangkok using Airbus A340-500 on May 1, 2005. Ad claims they have a special inaugural promotion and fare - not on website though - must call Thai Air or local travel agent. I have not yet called - worth a look.

Peachlover - you should try checking the Hotel section located on the top left of your screen (or from the home page of FLB website) or just do a search for sandy springs it has been well discussed on this forum. I'll go esy on you as a newbie - Bigmike should have added a on the end of his post. Have a great time

EVA IMHO is a great value and as others have mentioned it is well worth the relatively few extra bucks to upgrade to Evergreen Deluxe - bigger seats that recline with footrests, personal movie screen, more overhead storage space and seperate (shorter) check-in lines at the airports and you get to board the plane earlier. It is not quite business class - but way above coach class

For me at 6'1" the seat size and space are worth the extra cost alone. I also tend to watch a lot of movies and the individual screens and movie choices with Deluxe are just what I enjoy. Economy has the ceiling drop down screens - so no choice and possibly a poor view depenidng on your seat. But if you're not into movies and don't need the space - save the bucks for more important things

Monkeyman I do believe that you have to make your reservations through an EVA Air Reservation Office - phone numbers for the location near you can be found on their website HTH

You will love the e-tickets. In fact on my last two trips with EVA they did not even want to see the computer printout information - just needed your passport and the credit card used to purchase the ticket - and you only needed the credit card at the first leg check-in for the return trip home I just showed my passport. No paper ticket to lose or fumble with - for safety I forward a copy of the flights email confirmation to my travel email account - ready to access anywhere anytime.

When you purchase the ticket EVA warns you that Evergreen Deluxe may not be available on "such and such" leg of your flight You take your chances - and I have had it work both ways - once Evergreen deluxe was not available as planned for the short leg and once I was (without charge) given Evergreen deluxe on a leg of the trip sold as coach. They swap planes based on ticket sales I guess. IMHO still worth it for the long leg no matter what.

Stayed at the Inn House in September - the first room I was given faced the construction and was extremely noisy. Went to the front desk and was given a room on the other side of the hotel and it was acceptable, much quieter with only the occasional loud bang during the day and early in the morning. Switched to Sandy Springs a few days later as rooms became available - quieter there and slightly larger rooms and bed (if interested book early - we found they had no rooms available in mid September when we arrived - I never would have guessed)

I have used the Bose on 3 long flights and now I have own a pair of the Plane Quiet NC-5 for 5 months and have used them on 3 long flights and I am satisfied they are almost as good as the Bose at a much lower price. Though you don't get the great Bose carrying case. You do not have to order through Magellan - you can order direct from the manufacturer at: http://www.protravelgear.com They ship internationally. I just visited their site and see that they have released a new and improved model Plane Quiet the NC-6. Looks quite different and they have lowered the price to $69.00 (Ma

Unless you are 6' 3" or more you probably won't need the room - I am 6' 1" and can stretch out full or sit with my legs crossed ankle to knee without crowding length or width

Oh - one more thing...avoid the seats without seats directly in front of you. If you do your personal video monitor will be not be eye level (like those with seats directly in front of them) but will be attached to the arm of your seat forcing you to look down if you like to watch the movies/shows

Thumbs up on the Delux calss - seats are great in comfort, size and reclinability. Food is also good and plentiful. Plus the overhead compartments are huge - I always do carry-on (you don't need much for Thailand) and the EVA website has some drastic weight restrictions posted for carry-on but I have never had a problem- even thanked twice by the check-in attendants for having no check in bags. Seat selection go for the ones as close to the front as possible - many have no center seats making for extra wide isles. Plus this area of the plane in the most quiet (that is why they put first