Thank you all very much for the replies! We are having a lot of fun looking at potential opportunities.
Update: We are considering moving the date back to early/mid-January because of work... and we'd save some buckage doing it a little later, as many of you have alluded to.
Originally Posted by
olisch
Then you better forget all the places you mentioned before, they are, with the exception of Rayong, all overcrowded by farangs at that time of the year
If you just want to stay with the locals stay at Bang Saen, Chantaburi, Bang Saphan, Kuiburi or Nakhon Si Thammarat. But theses places probably all lack your crystal clear water.
Maybe you should consider more to the south to Koh Ngai or Koh Jum. But theses are also rather places for (backpacker) tourist than thai people
Unrealistic. New year is the busiest travel time of the year in Thailand bacause not only farangs are on tour but also many thai people take some days off and go on vacation. Therefore you will get rooms for 2.000 THB (and maybe even cheaper) but definately nothing that comes close the "best room" in the hotel. But maybe you just expect a very low budget standard for your room, then you might be ok with the rates at that time
Yeah, I just listed those places as things I've come across off the top of my head. Thanks for the suggestions - among some other beaches I've looked up, Khanom Beach near Nakhon Si Thammarat seems particularly lovely.
I will
tentatively and respectfully disagree with the unrealistic price comment - I've found numerous air-conditioned seaside bungalows on Agoda that go anywhere from $40 - $60 USD per night during high season... these are in hotels where a standard room is $15 - $20 USD per night.
Originally Posted by
DJGMaster1
By "Romantic", do you mean a place to spend time with your significant other, or a place to find all manner of near-term "romance" opportunities? Either one of these could be well met by one of the various beach resorts in Thailand. But I can say with some level of confidence, that these are not the same places.
Good question.... probably just time to spend with her. Although, we don't want to be bored the whole time... it's a tricky balance.
Originally Posted by
BigE
Sounds awesome.
Maybe the wife and I will join you there once someone gives us the answer.
I'm hoping that such a place exists and the person who knows about it won't mind sharing. But here are the obvious difficulties: You're talking about ultra-high season in Thailand, so to stay in that price range I suppose you'd need someplace remote (difficult to get to) and as yet unappreciated. At a Thai oriented hotel, not speaking Thai might be an obstacle (though I think you'd be OK if you're patient). As for crystal-clear, calm waters, the best I can remember is around the Phi Phi islands (but not many hotels there and they will be super-expensive, out of your price range). Maybe you could settle for swimmable with a clean beach. The west coast of southern Thailand is nice that time of year (way better than Bali, in my opinion, especially given your criteria).
According to travelfish (travelfish.org/feature/43), "If you're tiring of hanging out in tourist ghettos, there's an ample supply of islands where tourism is but a small part of the local economy. Ko Yao Noi is an excellent choice, as is Ko Jum, Ko Libong and Ko Kut. Ko Kut in particular attracts a lot of Thai weekenders, so as a foreigner you'll often be in the minority -- a refreshing change from most Thai islands."
Be sure to write a review after your trip.
Please do consider joining us at some point! Would be great to commiserate with another FTer. Thanks for the suggestions - I'll look into them.
ThaiDai - thanks for the PM ^