StephenW

Does anyone happen to have an updated contact number for The Island View Restaurant? I personally tried and had the concierge try the mobile number listed on Tripadvisor tonight, with no luck. The concierge mentioned that the mobile number seems to be disconnected and offered to book a reservation for me at the Five Islands Restaurant. Needless to say, I passed on that given the transfer amount.

Tripadvisor link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran..._Province.html

frequentflier2014

with all the political turmoil going on in thailand, is it safe to make plans to visit this property?

Dcislander

RE political turmoil, I think that it's a function of how much risk one is willing to take. Personally, I work in Thailand and I think that the risk is relatively low. Bangkok is where the action is and Samui is a world away. Then again, the protests shut down the BKK airport a few years back and many were left stranded. Can that happen again, yes. Is it likely, probably not.

If you fly into BKK and then directly down to Samui I think you'll be fine, but you should make an informed decision based on how much risk you are willing to take.

Hope that helps a little. Good luck. Its an amazing and Beautiful place (the whole country).

Vacation time

I have been in bkk for past two days and leaving today for koh samui Conrad . We went to the malls where the protests are and you can only take the bts skyway to get there without walking through the crowds. there are lots and lots of people outside and the mall is empty. Cabs are also using this as a reason to charge more as they have refused to turn meters on. The situation has made seeing Bangkok much more difficult.

Thunderroad

+1 on all counts.

Though not an expert on Thailand, I've been there numerous times for work and vacations. If my wife and I had been planning a vacation there before the recent troubles started, we would still be pushing through with it. And to the extent that there is a risk, it's much more along the lines of travel being disrupted rather than it being unsafe due to the disruptions.

Having said that, one option to consider is to skip Bangkok entirely and to route through other Asian cities such as Hong Kong or Singapore to fly to Koh Samui.

StephenW

Staying at this property now and it is very far removed from the protests. Only mention I even hear/see of it is in the daily paper. The only issue you may run into is if BKK has issues (assuming you are connecting). Otherwise, I see absolutely no challenges with visiting this property.

lrluis

In reading the Thai papers, does it seem like the situation is going to get worse? I read that a bomb just went off today. I'm staying at the Conrad from Feb 11-15, and I fear that a shutdown of BKK is looming.

lrluis

Thanks for the recommendation of Samuiislandexplorer.com. Did your driver speak English well?

StephenW

Sorry, but nobody has a crystal ball. As I mentioned, Koh Samui is so far removed from the protests that you're not going to be affected unless your transit to USM through BKK is. If you truly want to play it safe and make a longer vacation of it, you can always book a direct flight to USM direct from HKG (or wherever else there are direct flights to USM).

koondog

Currently at the resort. Weather unseasonally cool. But what a resort. Can't really ask for much more. Got a room in the 300 level. Driving here was pretty straight forward. Got a dtac SIM card while in Bangkok and the google maps makes it a piece of cake. Took about 10 minutes to get used to driving on the other side.

Had dinner at green talay the first night, great food. Went to barracuda the 2nd night on the way back from the night market at fishy village. Another good spot. Will prob just end up eating at green talay the rest of the trip. It's so convenient. Night market was ok, only stayed about an hour. Just too crowded for our taste.

Took the boat trip today, not much to report. Didn't stay long.

As for Bangkok, was there for 4 days during the protest. Very safe during the day. More like a huge party atmosphere. But would avoid the spots in the evening, just to be safe. Should follow Richard barrow for live twitter updates. Otherwise the city is very quiet outside of protest areas

Sawadee ka

54austin

Our driver spoke English well enough. He wasn't fluent, but we were able to communicate just fine. To make arrangements, I emailed with Michelle, who was fluent (and very responsive). She emailed us a PDF confirmation of all details. If you want to stop at Tesco en route, just mention it when making arrangements.

FYI, we were picked up in a new, comfortable SUV.

ArizonaGuy

So who is here at the resort this late, rainy afternoon? I'm here until Saturday.

And yes, they do offer free roundtrip to Chaweng. Leave at 1330 or 1700, only one return at 1800.

Vacation time

Moved on to sunny Phuket koh was very overcast during my time

olisch

Can someone please point out the differences between

1 BEDROOM KING OCEAN VIEW POOL VILLA
1 BEDROOM WATER FRONT POOL VILLA
1 BEDROOM OCEANVIEW RETREAT POOL VILLA

Is it just the location within the resort or are there any differences in size or amenities?

TrAAveller

There's no real difference other than the location within the property (and those can be minor preferences at best) - they all have king beds, all have water from pools and all have spectacular unobstructed ocean views. The rooms (minus the 2-bedrooms and the residences) are all the identical setup. You can request a preferred room prior to arrival. I got my preferred room this week upon request. I'd personally recommend a 300 level on the south side (easy walk to breakfast without the buggy and perfect views of the Five Islands). It's amazing here.