dansound

Looking for a bit of advice and clarity, i know there are no certainties these days, but welcome any input.

Have managed to book some flights using British Airways Avios, from London to Bangkok. Leaving UK on the 27th December, arriving 28th December, leaving Bangkok on the 10th January, arrive in UK on the 11th of January.

IF, and i know this is a massive IF, things stay the same as they are, options are...
I can stay in a hotel in Bangkok - just in the room
I can do the sandbox to the eastern islands, like Koh Samui?
I can't do the Phuket sandbox, as i would have to get a connecting flight, and the flight in to Phuket needs to be direct in?

Think i might book 3 flights just now, as internal Thai flights
one straight from Bangkok to Phuket on the 28th
one from Phuket to Bangkok on the 2nd Jan, so we can spend some time in Bangkok, if things open up
one from Phuket to Bangkok on the 10th Jan, in case we can only stay in Phuket (again assuming that they start to allow transit through Bangkok)

and if Phuket gets closed down, then maybe Bangkok might be open...so have that...

any other bases i should look at?

many thanks!!!

SKT-DK

It sounds to me like Samui is your best option, as otherwise you would travel all the way to Bangkok only to be locked in a hotel room for two weeks and then go home?
Currently, for transit passengers, Samui is the most "open" option in terms of being allowed to move around outside. That is a no-go in Bangkok as well as e.g. on the East coast. You may find options with a balcony on the East coast but still, you would be confined to the room. And you are correct, Phuket currently has to be on a direct flight to the island from abroad.

There are increasing calls, and starting to be political intent as well, for re-opening the country to vaccinated tourists, so I think (and hope!) a lot can happen between now and December, The original plan (or rather promise) was to re-open by 1 October, so there is a fair amount of presure to do at least something. Opening up for transit flights to HKT would likely be one thing coming, if I am to look at my imaginary crystal ball.

If things open up (and again, a big "if"), and you do not want to tie up money with the airlines, I would suggest to drive East - the East Coast (Rayong and Trat provinces) have lots of nice beaches with crystal clear waters like the South. That said, I suspect transit flights to HKT for the Sandbox will be allowed before the state quarantine scheme is abolished.

EuropeanPete

With the current rules you can only get to Samui for the sandbox on transit flights on a single ticket from international - so that rules it out for Avios options. If you were to be flying in tomorrow, 15 days of Bangkok quarantine would be your only option.

That said, I think it's highly unlikley things will be the same in January. The mood music this week is that the people worried about the economy are in the ascendance. Things will start to gradually change in the next week or two, and I think we can expect changes on the tourism front within the next 6 weeks at the latest (potentially much faster).

Always Flyin

I agree with you in concept, but the real answer is, "Maybe."

Red '74 TR6

The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) says that due to the success of Phuket Sandbox, that Bangkok, Chiang Mai and others will reopen on Oct 1st. Here's the story.
Also read somewhere that BKK reopening is delayed until Nov 1st. Who knows what to believe...

mcgahat

October 1st was the original plan from some time back so looks like they are trying to stick with it. I think the process will need to work differently than the Phuket Sandbox to get any traction at all.

BinSabai

intentions, speculations...
Phuket and Samui are islands, Bangkok and Chiang Mai not...
but it's going into the right direction...

travelinmanS

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, their largest market for tourists has stopped issuing new passports to their citizens and still enforces up to a month of quarantine upon return. They will have to heavily pursue the European tourist market that they were turning up their nose at a few years ago to make this work!

tvhead

Does anyone want to give odds that we might see a 7 day quarantine (for vaccinated travelers) again before year's end?

BinSabai

probably not...
while sandbox, xy plus, charming xy, xy forward etc.etc. serves an economic purpose to bring in more foreign tourists, to shorten quarantine length would have the opposite effect, reduce revenues of the ASQ hotels...
the economic impact rules, not logic and health impact...

KingCanute

A hotel manager friend in Hua Hin has told me that the materials they have been sent so far suggest that international visitors will have to travel in a minivan from BKK to their hotel with GPS and a video camera inside to check they don't stop and get out at all en route. Bring a bottle springs to mind.

Given the curfew has been extended until "at least 30th September", a 1st October reopening seems keen.

ruby&carlos

This would have made sense six months ago when they were still aiming for zero covid and doing a decent job. Now, it's out of control with tens of thousands of cases a day. This is a pointless exercise and frankly ridiculous.

RustyC

I've been wanting to go to Bangkok for business reasons that I've been delaying for months. Would be nice if this actually comes to pass and in hindsight I prolly should have taken the 7-day ASQ the last time they had it, but what are the chances here realistically and what still needs to happen? I'm assuming lots of tests and dunno about any forced downtime at first. Obviously 2 weeks in the sandbox would beat 2 weeks in a hotel in Bangkok (and my problem is affording not doing much for 2 weeks).

(Am in the U.S. with 2 Pfizer shots since April, FWIW)

BinSabai

business should be possible under "sandbox condition"; you would have to spend your nights in a booked and dedicated hotel and during daytime, you are free to work, except your 3 tests during the 14 days....
but I would wait for the exact restrictions before you book

washeelers747

If they show that they don't freak out over covid cases and learn to live with it by welcoming vaccinated visitors without quarantines, Thailand will enjoy pent-up spending from westerners (assuming their countries don't require 14 day quarantine). I am one of them but waiting to see what's going to be published in book.

If they throw silly restrictions and rules, then it'll be like Phuket... hardcore folks such as people with strong ties to thailand such as expat, marriage, etc would only come. I hope Thailand realize that their vaccination rates are doing well and it's pointless to do quarantines when virus is circulating inside the country.