March '10 3 week trip :)

[Sideways]

Howdy! I posted in another thread (felt like I was hijacking it) so I thought I'd post a new one. Hoping some of you fine folks can offer some advice, tips, etc..

We're heading to Thailand March 11, 2010 for a 3 week extravaganza. We plan on 8 days in Patong, 6 in Krabi, and 6 in Koh Phi Phi. I've been researching the Liveaboards for the Similians when I'm in Patong. My first choice was the Scuba Queen, which was available a month ago ( I had to wait till now to book because of my GF's new schedule posting) and now it's booked :depressed: So now I'm trying too book the Mermaid II. I remember reading a thread from last year I believe that the Mermaid II had some issues (Recurring) with it's AC? Anyone have any insight or info about this?

Here's a couple questions that have been rattling around my noggin for awhile, maybe someone knows the answers..

1. Seeing we are hitting 3 areas, Im ASSUMING when traveling from Patong/Phucket to Krabi, and then again from Krabi to Phi Phi... we'll be able to do that by Ferry? (Complete with the luggage load...LOL) And the same in reverse to catch our flight home in Phucket. How long does the ferry take from A to B, then B to C?

2. Does anyone have a link to a ferry schedule?

3. Hotel reccomendations for any of the 3 destinations? We like as close too the beach as possible, and IF possible, not too crowded, (We'll live with the crowd if we have to...knowing in some areas it might be unavoidable)

Thanks!!!

Greg

 

[Quero]

Hey Sideways. If you haven't already booked your accommodations and paid for all your flights, I'd like to suggest an adjustment to your itinerary so that you just go one way, which would be more time-efficient and which might allow you some further flexibility in your LOB booking.

1) You could start out at Krabi instead of Phuket: Fly to Krabi from Bangkok and stay your desired number of days.

2) From Krabi, take a ferry to Phi Phi and stay your desired number of days there.

3) From Phi Phi take a ferry to Phuket. If you switch your timetable around, maybe you could get on a different QS trip, or if not, you could find a different boat in the same category.

4) If you must begin in Phuket, you will need to investigate different boats, but there are quite a number, and with a 6-day window there should be something that fits your needs.

5) Assuming you begin in Phuket, take a ferry to Phi Phi rather than to Krabi. The ferries travel Phuket-Phi Phi-Krabi, so you'll be passing by there anyway, and this will prevent you from having to backtrack to go to Phi Phi after Krabi.

6) From Phi Phi, you can get the continuation of the ferry to Krabi, and get a flight out from there. The ferries are HUGE, so you won't have any trouble taking your luggage aboard, though it can be a struggle to get the stuff to your hotel on Phi Phi since there are no cars on the island.

Hope this has given you some food for thought! Have a great time while you are here.

 

[Sideways]

Excellent info!! Thanks a bunch. I don't mind adjusting the Krabi/Phi Phi portion of the itinerary, it seems too make sense with the ferries My thinking on the Patong/Phucket week for a Liveaboard is, Im thinking the earlier in march the better because of the coming storm season..... am I wrong in thinking along these lines?

Thanks!

Greg

 

[Quero]

Greg, March is typically still within the flat-water months. When you get into the middle of April things may get a little windy (this happened last year), but generally our boats schedule trips up to (and sometimes into) May, so a little later would be fine. Plus, it's not like in the Caribbean where you have to worry about hurricanes, so it's not "storm season" as you might be imagining it. It's more like the prevailing winds shift direction and make the sea conditions choppy.

 

[Sideways]

Greg, March is typically still within the flat-water months. When you get into the middle of April things may get a little windy (this happened last year), but generally our boats schedule trips up to (and sometimes into) May, so a little later would be fine. Plus, it's not like in the Caribbean where you have to worry about hurricanes, so it's not "storm season" as you might be imagining it. It's more like the prevailing winds shift direction and make the sea conditions choppy.

I'm coming around to your idea of changing the itinerary Im still going to fly into Phucket though, $800 cheaper than the comparable Krabi flight:shocked2: We'll just get off the plane and catch the ferry to Krabi, then work our way back to Phucket through Phi Phi. I shot you an email Do you have a link, or info regarding the ferry or boat schedules from Phucket to Krabi?

Thanks

Greg

 

[Quero]

You're looking at the wrong airlines, then! Just book your longhaul flight into Bangkok and then go online to book a Thai Airways or an Air Asia or a Bangkok Airways flight to Krabi. It will certainly not cost $800! You can get a Thai ticket (one way) from BKK to Krabi for between $75 and $100 USD and still interline your luggage from your departure point. Or you can get a really cheap Air Asia ticket, but then you have to collect the bags in BKK and re-check them on the Air Asia flight. Either way, you certainly can do it all by air and not waste a whole extra day on a boring ferry ride!

I can look up ferry times once we know your flight arrival times, etc. If you don't arrive at Phuket in the early morning, you can not go to Phi Phi or Krabi on that day by ferry.

 

[Sideways]

You're looking at the wrong airlines, then! Just book your longhaul flight into Bangkok and then go online to book a Thai Airways or an Air Asia or a Bangkok Airways flight to Krabi. It will certainly not cost $800! You can get a Thai ticket (one way) from BKK to Krabi for between $75 and $100 USD and still interline your luggage from your departure point. Or you can get a really cheap Air Asia ticket, but then you have to collect the bags in BKK and re-check them on the Air Asia flight. Either way, you certainly can do it all by air and not waste a whole extra day on a boring ferry ride!

I can look up ferry times once we know your flight arrival times, etc. If you don't arrive at Phuket in the early morning, you can not go to Phi Phi or Krabi on that day by ferry.

Im Orbitzing as we speak. What I was looking at was LA to Phucket via 1 stop in Hong kong with very short layovers for $1100 per person. Now, doing this option I have LAX to Krabi, 2 short layovers and Phucket to LAX 1 stop... $1300 per person. I MIGHT be able to do that...I'll keep looking. Looking at direct to BKK from LAX, then doing a Thai airways flight is a hundred or so more.

 

[Quero]

There's your problem. There are not so many international flights into Krabi. The best prices will always have you transiting through BKK. Try that on Orbitz and once you get an idea of how that looks, check separately online at Thai or Air Asia for direct purchase of domestic tickets. I do this 3 to 4 times a year (Thailand to USA) and I always transit through BKK for the best value and greatest number of options.

 

[Sideways]

There's your problem. There are not so many international flights into Krabi. The best prices will always have you transiting through BKK. Try that on Orbitz and once you get an idea of how that looks, check separately online at Thai or Air Asia for direct purchase of domestic tickets. I do this 3 to 4 times a year (Thailand to USA) and I always transit through BKK for the best value and greatest number of options.

I see that. The price is about the same. What I get is an extra stop compared to the original flight to Phucket.

 

[katdiver]

Once you're in Krabi, you can visit all the dive sites of Phi Phi and Koh Haa Yai on our boats. Maybe you could settle for your stay in Krabi for your time. If you take one of our overnight trips, you'll get a taster of Phi Phi as we use Phi Phi hotels for the stop over. There is a good link on our facebook group for hotels and ferry links.