Programs: Flying Blue - Platinum for life sinds 14-03-2007
Posts: 290
South West Thailand worth a visit?
I will be in Langkawi for work in September and I was wondering if it would be nice to hop over to Thailand with the ferry. Is it nice around the south west corner of Thailand. I will have my wife and 2 small kids with me. Don't mind to travel with kids but will not make it more complicated then needed. Any nice island beach areas we should visit?
I will be in Langkawi for work in September and I was wondering if it would be nice to hop over to Thailand with the ferry. Is it nice around the south west corner of Thailand. I will have my wife and 2 small kids with me. Don't mind to travel with kids but will not make it more complicated then needed. Any nice island beach areas we should visit?
I think you should consider Phuket or Krabi (and probably take the short flight there). The area of southern Thailand which borders Malaysia has been prone to disputes in recent years. however, if you are the adventurous type someone else here or on the Thailand forum might be able to advise you better than I can.
Programs: Flying Blue - Platinum for life sinds 14-03-2007
Posts: 290
South West Thailand worth a visit?
(also asked this question in the Asia forum but saw that Thailand has it's own forum)
I will be in Langkawi (malaysia) for work in September and I was wondering if it would be nice to hop over to Thailand with the ferry.
Is it nice around the south west corner of Thailand. I will have my wife and 2 small kids with me. Don't mind to travel with kids but will not make it more complicated then needed. Any nice island beach areas we should visit?
(also asked this question in the Asia forum but saw that Thailand has it's own forum)
I will be in Langkawi (malaysia) for work in September and I was wondering if it would be nice to hop over to Thailand with the ferry.
Is it nice around the south west corner of Thailand. I will have my wife and 2 small kids with me. Don't mind to travel with kids but will not make it more complicated then needed. Any nice island beach areas we should visit?
The beach at Songkhla, 20km from Hat Yai, is very nice. It's large and with white sand, palm trees at the back for shade and a nice promenade and many restaurants on the beach itself or nearby. It's quiet (mostly locals and Asian tourists) but if that's your thing then it might be good for small kids. Pavillion songkhla hotel is right on the beach but I found it ok but a little tired, reviews indicate Rajamangala Resort might be a better choice. The coastal scenery around Krabi is stunning but that's further away.
That part of Malaysia and the SW corner of Thailand is safe--the problem is in the SE corner (Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala provinces) which you need not get too close to.
However, I think that your ferry plan Langkawi-Thailand is iffy. September is the height of the monsoon season and due to rough water, ferry service will either be limited or stopped. If you do find a ferry, it's unlikely to be a comfortable trip. You should consider either flight off, or go back to Malaysian mainland and travel overland.
The entire Andaman coast is subject to rough water during the rainy season, and most unprotected beaches are not safe for swimming due to currents, undertows, and rip tides. Small kids are safest in swimming pools. This includes Phuket beaches. The good thing is that tourists are few and prices are lower during this time. May I suggest that if you want more reliable sunny beach weather, a better alternative plan would be to go to the other (east) coast. You might consider staying in Malaysia and going to Redang Island (Google it). Or if Thailand is a must, try the Gulf of Thailand side--Ko Samui. Samui's Chaweng Beach is pretty built-up but is gentler and safer for kids.
Satun province, where you'd be going, has very little in the way of violence -- or tourist infrastructure. Some nice beaches though. A messy but informative article on Wikitravel:
Programs: JetBlue TrueBlue Virgin America Elevate and Virgin Blue Velocity
Posts: 1,516
How will Langkawi and Penang be at the end of October early November? (weather-wise)
I'm going for a few days and haven't decided where to stay yet... but since the flights were free, and the taxes were about $1USD... I could easily fly out of there to visit a different part of Asia that may be more agreeable for a day or two.
I almost lost the lives of two of my kids and myself due to rip currents on a south Thailand beach a few years back. I won't go into a long speech about Thais, beaches, rip currents and the responsibility to inform the public about danger.......but read what is here about dangers to kids in rip currents......
I almost lost the lives of two of my kids and myself due to rip currents on a south Thailand beach a few years back. I won't go into a long speech about Thais, beaches, rip currents and the responsibility to inform the public about danger.......but read what is here about dangers to kids in rip currents......
I just found another option without having to fly through KL or SIN...
Firefly offers a 40 minute flight on a turboprop between the two islands for around 69MYR... not bad!
