What’s the best tropical island to go to? Let’s say for a month. Purely for vacation and reasonably priced. Anywhere in the world.
I just want to kick back, drink, smoke, and enjoy. I don’t want some place that’s too dirty where the people I’d meet aren’t all jerks.
Bohol Philipines; great food too. Do you scuba dive? Some great travel sights too: Chocolate Hills, Tarsier monkeys, etc
cheapy cheap
Hmm. And very close, too.
No, I don’t scuba dive.
Well, if you’re into doing it, it’s cheap there too. Like any place in the PI, it’s a bit of a hassle to get to, but once you’re there, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, 
Been a while since you last posted here, j99l88e77. Is Korea getting to be too much fun?
(I stand corrected)
How about Taiwan? Sorry, bad joke. One of the Thai islands - there are still unspoilt ones I think…
parts of Phuket (thailand). big enough to hide out in, or to find some adventure that’s different.
Koh Phi Phi (thailand): much of its overinfrastructure was washed away two years ago, so it should be much better now. it was in danger of disappearing under the concrete and neon for a while there. (much prettier in 1989)
Bora Bora (Fiji) actually not cheap in some resorts, but i am sure you can sleep under a palm tree somewhere…
[quote=“jdsmith”]Bohol Philipines; great food too. Do you scuba dive? Some great travel sights too: Chocolate Hills, Tarsier monkeys, etc
cheapy cheap[/quote]
Dang it Mr. Jdsmith! Why did you have to go and do that? Argh! After your little reccomendation, I hopped on over to google and typed in Bohol. In return i get this beauty of a website: Bohol, Paradise within arms reach of Taiwan. Take a look at any o the pictures on that site and you tell me if you don’t start feeling the same travel bug itch I’m feeling right this minute!
[quote=“Quarters”][quote=“jdsmith”]Bohol Philipines; great food too. Do you scuba dive? Some great travel sights too: Chocolate Hills, Tarsier monkeys, etc
cheapy cheap[/quote]
Dang it Mr. Jdsmith! Why did you have to go and do that? Argh! After your little reccomendation, I hopped on over to google and typed in Bohol. In return i get this beauty of a website: Bohol, Paradise within arms reach of Taiwan. Take a look at any o the pictures on that site and you tell me if you don’t start feeling the same travel bug itch I’m feeling right this minute![/quote]
I can just look at my photo album for last CNY. 
[quote=“Quarters”][quote=“jdsmith”]Bohol Philipines; great food too. Do you scuba dive? Some great travel sights too: Chocolate Hills, Tarsier monkeys, etc
cheapy cheap[/quote]
Dang it Mr. Jdsmith! Why did you have to go and do that? Argh! After your little reccomendation, I hopped on over to google and typed in Bohol. In return i get this beauty of a website: Bohol, Paradise within arms reach of Taiwan. Take a look at any o the pictures on that site and you tell me if you don’t start feeling the same travel bug itch I’m feeling right this minute![/quote]
I can just look at my photo album for last CNY.
[quote=“j99l88e77”]What’s the best tropical island to go to? Let’s say for a month. Purely for vacation and reasonably priced. Anywhere in the world.
I just want to kick back, drink, smoke, and enjoy. I don’t want some place that’s too dirty where the people I’d meet aren’t all jerks.[/quote]
I think you should find out which tropical island the local teachers (here) frequent. Then you can go there and continue to lord your salary over the rest of them. Buy them drinks, feel worldly. Talk about the good life in Korea. Southeastern Thailand is the place for you my man.
Unless my English has really gone downhill (entirely possible) you are saying that you want a clean place full of jerks? 
[quote=“MJB”][quote=“j99l88e77”]What’s the best tropical island to go to? Let’s say for a month. Purely for vacation and reasonably priced. Anywhere in the world.
[/quote]
Unless my English has really gone downhill (entirely possible) you are saying that you want a clean place full of jerks? 
[/quote]
Uhh, let me read that… don’t want = place…dirty (dirty place) + people = aren’t all jerks (not everybody is a jerk). Ahh, I see! “Aren’t all jerks” means that everyone isn’t a jerk. So, no. That’s just under the assumption that there are jerks everywhere, but I didn’t take philosophy. Hmm.
Anyway, wherever there’s a palm tree has got to be better than stinky old Korea with all the smelly kimchi farts.
[quote=“j99l88e77”]What’s the best tropical island to go to? Let’s say for a month. Purely for vacation and reasonably priced. Anywhere in the world.
I just want to kick back, drink, smoke, and enjoy. I don’t want some place that’s too dirty where the people I’d meet aren’t all jerks.[/quote]
I think the previous poster was refering to your use of a double negative.
For example:
There aint no chickens. = there are not no chickens = there are chickens.
Omit your double negative and it will make more sense.
I don’t want to go to some place that’s too dirty and to go where people are jerks.
the [color=blue]I don’t want [/color]carries over to >>> and [color=blue]to go where people are jerks[/color]
You have to remember that in a sentence like this what you say at the beginning also affects what you say at the end.
[quote=“Quarters”][quote=“j99l88e77”]What’s the best tropical island to go to? Let’s say for a month. Purely for vacation and reasonably priced. Anywhere in the world.
I just want to kick back, drink, smoke, and enjoy. I don’t want some place that’s too dirty where the people I’d meet aren’t all jerks.[/quote]
I think the previous poster was refering to your use of a double negative.
For example:
There aint no chickens. = there are not no chickens = there are chickens.
Omit your double negative and it will make more sense.
I don’t want to go to some place that’s too dirty and to go where people are jerks.
the [color=blue]I don’t want [/color]carries over to >>> and [color=blue]to go where people are jerks[/color]
You have to remember that in a sentence like this what you say at the beginning also affects what you say at the end.[/quote]
Does that mean I’m not going on vacation? Corky scared.
When we return from summer vacation in Europe, we fly via Bangkok, and the least couple of years we have been taking 4-6 days in Phuket “to adjust” before continuing to Taipei. The problem with Phuket is that the beach conditions are very unpredictable in July/August, due to monsoon season. So, this year we will consider other islands.
What islands or other beach resorts does have direct flight from BKK international airport:
-Phuket
-Ko Samui (I think…)
-others…??
We are not very mobile or flexible, as we have a lot of heavy suitcases, and are tired from the flight from Europe, so any transit should be as painless as possble.
As mentioned, we have experience from Phuket for this stopover - which have really painless transit.
Our experience from Phuket is Kata Beach Resort, Holiday Inn in Patong, Laguna Resort in Bao Tang(?) and Kamala Beach Resort.
Our favorite is Kata Beach Resort - nice hotel with pool, on the beach - restaurants, shops and some nightlife just out the door.
Holiday Inn was also great, but the traffic on the beach road seems to have increased pretty much since last time, so we will not go back.
Kamala Beach Resort was great when I visited a few weeks ago, but seemed totally desertet when I visited last summer.
Laguna Resorts in Bang Tao is not my cup of tea - too complicated to get out of the resort area, and not too attractive local nightlife/restaurants/shops outside.
Now, I have been thinking about Ko Samui, but also open for other places with direct flights and reasonably safe beaches in July/August.
From what I have read, Chaweng Beach is a “hustle and bustle” place - is it as crazy as Patong in Phuket, or is it more like the calmer Kata?
Lamai comes around as a calmer place, but still with some shops and nightlife - could Lamai be compared with Kata or Kamala on these terms, or is the nightlife only girlie-boy bars?
Other suggestions for a short stopover, with easy access/transit from BKK airport, with direct access to good and safe beach, somewhat developed town with nightlife/shopping?
[quote=“X3M”]When we return from summer vacation in Europe, we fly via Bangkok, and the least couple of years we have been taking 4-6 days in Phuket “to adjust” before continuing to Taipei. The problem with Phuket is that the beach conditions are very unpredictable in July/August, due to monsoon season. So, this year we will consider other islands.
What islands or other beach resorts does have direct flight from BKK international airport:
-Phuket
-Ko Samui (I think…)
-others…??[/quote]
Bangkok Airways bangkokair.com/ flies direct to Samui from BKK.
Both NokAir fly12go.com/en/main.shtml fly to Krabi from BKK. Krabi can be a good stopping point, or you can take a ferry to Phi Phi. I was in both places this past CNY.
With heavy suitcases, you can land in Krabi and take a taxi to Ao Nang beach. It’s too developed for my tastes, there are ATMs, mid-range hotels, etc. You can get away from the crowds on 4- or 5-island snorkeling day trips, take a 10-minute water taxi trip to the more secluded beach of West Hat Rai Leh, rent a sea kayak, scuba diving.
Of course it’s southern Thailand in July/August, so the unpredictability of the monsoon season is always there. But my LP says that it rains more there in September than in July/August, so at least there’s a silver lining.
Hope this helps.
Thanks a lot. I will look into Krabi and the surrounding areas.
We are lazy tourists (beach, pool, drinking, eating), so we actually prefer a bit development and convenience, but a place like Patong Beach in Phuket is a tad too much for us.
Other ideas?
Koh Chang, south of Thailand - 5 hours bus (from Bkk) + 1 hour ferry = inexpensive bliss.
You can choose from 200bt bungalows (ours was 10 metres from the sea) to ultra-resorts, from 1000bt up/night.
Bikes for rent at 150bt/day, as you get off the ferry. All sorts of things to do - sleep, eat, shag, drink, play pool, elephant trek, trekking (minus the elephant), waterfalls, loads of eateries (couple of awesome German bakeries).
And pretty much sleaze-free too…
[quote=“X3M”]Thanks a lot. I will look into Krabi and the surrounding areas.
We are lazy tourists (beach, pool, drinking, eating), so we actually prefer a bit development and convenience, but a place like Patong Beach in Phuket is a tad too much for us.
Other ideas?[/quote]
Ao Nang is pretty comparable to Kata now. If you really like the beach Rai Lay is beautiful but it’s pretty much beach and only beach with bungalows packed wall to wall between the two beaches. Not quite my cup of tea.
The last time I went to Samui Chaweng and Lamai had gotten really packed. I wouldn’t compare it to Phuket. Everything is packed into a much smaller space if that’s possible, without the infrastructure to handle it it seemed. Some of the quieter beaches on Samui, or Koh Phangan or Tao are nicer. Staying at Bophut or Big Buddha on Samui can be nice.
Hua Hin is nice and not far from Bangkok. Beach is not Krabi amazing but nice enough. Town is quiet, little in way of nightlife but enough shopping and eating for a few days. Easier to find a nice resort with a pool than on the quiet Samui beaches.