FLIGHT BANGKOK-SAMUI was carried out by Bangkok Airways - an excellent service that I have not encountered in any Russian airline. Thais smile at everyone (including Russians) as if their lives were saved. I have never met more hospitable people! For an hour of flight on a brand new "Airbus A-319" we were treated to refreshing napkins, drinks, and even feed!
Admiration arises even when you see the island from an airplane - the view is fully consistent with the pictures of tourist catalogs! Turquoise water, light sand, palm trees…!! ! Arriving at our hotel (First Bungalow Beach Resort), the Thai TEZ-tour guide himself talked with the hotel staff, we did not have to strain anything!
They gave us the keys to the room, showed it to us and... the great mood disappeared... The fact is, we booked a room in the de-luxe building (we were afraid of the presence of various insects in the bungalow). But from the experience of past trips, it was absolutely clear that this one was the most ordinary weak standard room: a small area of the room (14 meters), two beds (instead of one large ; -)), VERY loud air conditioning, a nasty rotten smell, an old TV, protruding wires, non-working switches, a disgusting view from the window, and at night the sewerage also broke through - I had to cope with the raging sewer element ourselves... I did not expect this...
On the one hand, the category of the room is not important on vacation, the sea is much more important, but, on the other hand, we paid for a superior room and we want to be in a pleasant environment during day and night sleep, and not in smelly thundering ruins... Without hesitation, we went back to the reception to "reclaim" our rights. The standard 10 dollars put in the passport did not change the situation. At first, the Thais blinked their eyes for a long time, pretending that they did not understand anything, as a result they reported that for an improved bungalow (why do we need a bungalow? ) You need to pay 1.500 baht per day (1125 rubles x 12 days = 13.500 rubles! ).
I had to call our Russian guide (again from TEZ-tour). The guide (Arsen) came and sorted everything out - we were moved without any additional payment to a completely different new building. The room met all our requirements: area - 28 meters, a large bed, many mirrors, a beautiful view from the balcony to the sea, clean, bright! From another guide, we heard that, unfortunately, they like to accommodate Russians in rooms of the lowest category... But this was the only dark spot in the memories of the Thais and their country.
WEATHER. When we checked in, we found umbrellas with the hotel logo in the locker. Looking at the scorching sun, I laughed at the presence of umbrellas, but in vain... Within an hour, the weather changed dramatically and heavy rain began, which did not stop until the evening. However, the rainy season has already passed. For two weeks, the weather was constantly changing: today it's sunny, tomorrow it's raining, and so on. In any case, during the day the air temperature did not fall below 28 degrees.
SEA. The water temperature is the same as the air temperature, except for the first three days of New Year - 26. But in any case, you can swim. Chaweng Beach - light sand (but not white, as they say in the reviews), a wonderful entrance to the sea. Umbrellas, deck chairs and towels are free, but old, falling apart... On hot days it was not easy to find a place in the shade - a lot of people. For several days in a row there was a “storm” (as the Thais called it) - wind and, accordingly, big waves. Red flags were set up on the shore, meaning a ban on swimming. But the tourists, including us, simply… ignored them ; -). Is it really possible to deny yourself the pleasure of riding the waves? Sunbathing on the beach, we watched two squirrels playing on a tree!
The road to the sea passes through a small river. It does not smell at all - this is complete nonsense. Perhaps, fortunately, we did not find the season when she emitted some kind of smell. On the contrary, the sight of moored fishing boats pleases the eye.
TRANSPORT. It is best to rent a motorbike for 200 baht per day. This is the most convenient means of transportation in terms of mobility, economy and ease of parking. It is better not to buy gasoline from motorcycle owners. They offer it for 45 baht/litre, and at gas stations it costs 33 baht. 1 baht = 0.75 rub.
You need to drive very carefully, getting used to the left-hand traffic. "Light" consequences of the races were observed on the beach - dressed bandaged people with crutches lying next to them "sunbathed" on sun loungers. We learned from the guide that the serious consequences were not visible to our eyes, but he visited daily Russian tourists with broken bones... Therefore, you need to remember to be careful!
EXCURSIONS. Be sure to take a speedboat to Marine Park National Park ($80 per person). Stunning paradise islands, untouched by civilization. On one of them we had lunch, on the other - we saw monkeys, on the third - the most beautiful emerald-colored lagoon, which is located inside the island.
You can also go on a jeep tour "Safari". The most unforgettable experiences are elephant riding and crocodile shows. Also attended the elephant show and the monkey show. This pleasure is worth $ 65 per person at the Tez-tour. You can also save. Agents of local excursion companies walk along the beaches, from which our operators buy places for our tourists. We bought a Safari tour from them and saved 1.100 baht (850 rubles) at the same time.
There was an international company in the jeep that drove us: Irish, Italians, Thais, Germans and us. The only negative is the English speaking Thai guide. But those who more or less studied English, at least at school, will understand it without difficulty. We also heard about an interesting excursion - fishing, but we ignored it, lying on the beach and just swimming in the warm, beautiful sea!
NUTRITION. ALL SHARP!! ! You tell the waiters “know spicy”, they bring everything spicy anyway. But a few days later, having tasted food in different restaurants, we found several of them, the ones we liked the most, in which we ate all the remaining days. They didn’t experiment anymore... Without expecting it, after a week they missed Russian cuisine. But the solution to this problem was the Russian restaurant "Mango" - tasty and inexpensive. For example, a dinner for two without alcohol (we don’t drink it), including fresh, costs 1200 baht (900 rubles).
As for the breakfasts in the hotel restaurant, they were quite monotonous, but this is not a minus, but rather a statement of fact, because. what was, is quite enough to eat to satiety.
Fruits can be bought at the market. Prices can vary up to 10 times!! ! For example, a huge peeled coconut in the Tesco Lotus hypermarket costs 7 rubles, and a smiling secret woman in the market tries to sell it to us for 150 rubles!! ! You need to bargain everywhere, knocking down half the cost or even more on the move. The more tanned you are, the less you will be quoted prices. The logic of the Thais is as follows: you have recently arrived and do not know the real prices.
We did not buy food on the beach, which was carried by numerous vendors (kebabs, salads, fruits, etc. ) and in vain! On the last day, we nevertheless took a chance and realized that we should not have ignored this food all the days of our vacation. Quite tasty and cheap! For example, a chicken skewers costs 10 rubles! You can eat two skewers. The fruits sold on the beach are not cheap. For example, mango (1 pc. ) - 40 rubles. On the market you can bargain and buy 1 kg (3 pieces) for 60 rubles.
In general, Koh Samui is the most beautiful island in Thailand (guides confirm) and, accordingly, the most expensive. In restaurants of a good class, prices can be compared with Moscow ones.
HOMECOMING.
All the same Bangkok Airlines got to Bangkok. At the Bangkok airport, unexpectedly, I spent almost 2 hours in duty free. Prices there are 20 percent lower than in Moscow duty free.
Checking in and weighing the luggage, Taika smiled sweetly and said that our luggage exceeds the norm by 7 kg and we need to pay an additional 120 dollars... At the check-in counter, the announcement indicates the allowable weight limit for luggage per person - 20 kg, and on the ticket - 30. But it was useless to argue and I didn’t want to spoil my mood, I had to pay.
The most interesting thing is that Bangkok Airways did not demand a single cent from us… Russian Transaero decided to earn extra money… Unfortunately, this is not the only negative impression from this airline. The flight attendants were unusually angry and incompetent. I got the impression that nondescript students were working, who were not paid salaries at all... The food was disgusting. To the flight attendants' question "omelet or meat? " we and our neighbors answered “meat”, to which the flight attendants slyly grinned and rudely said that the meat was over. There was no opportunity to watch TV, because the poor airline Transaero doesn't have headphones… There are many more similar examples, unfortunately.
When booking a tour, representatives of the travel agency offered us a choice of a regular Aeroflot flight and a Transaero charter. Knowing that there would be a Boeing 747 in Tarnsaero and trusting these airlines (in vain, as it turned out), we chose Transaero without hesitation, despite the fact that we are members of the Aeroflot Bonus program. But they learn from their mistakes… It took 9 hours to fly back. Luckily, we arrived on time, on schedule.
A few small comments on Boris' previous review (May 2006):
1. Prices have increased significantly.
2. There are no more tuk-tuks on Koh Samui, for some reason. This type of transport was seen by us in Bangkok.
3. As I already wrote, the river is not even "skunky" at all.
4. You can swim in the sea no longer at 50 m, but at 10 m. It is already quite deep there even with my height of 175 cm. Perhaps the depth depends on the season.
And in steel I completely agree. Very detailed and believable!
In general, it was the most unforgettable New Year, which we delightfully met in a paradise - in Thailand!
Admiration arises even when you see the island from an airplane - the view is fully consistent with the pictures of tourist catalogs! Turquoise water, light sand, palm trees…!! ! Arriving at our hotel (First Bungalow Beach Resort), the Thai TEZ-tour guide himself talked with the hotel staff, we did not have to strain anything!
They gave us the keys to the room, showed it to us and... the great mood disappeared... The fact is, we booked a room in the de-luxe building (we were afraid of the presence of various insects in the bungalow). But from the experience of past trips, it was absolutely clear that this one was the most ordinary weak standard room: a small area of the room (14 meters), two beds (instead of one large ; -)), VERY loud air conditioning, a nasty rotten smell, an old TV, protruding wires, non-working switches, a disgusting view from the window, and at night the sewerage also broke through - I had to cope with the raging sewer element ourselves... I did not expect this...
On the one hand, the category of the room is not important on vacation, the sea is much more important, but, on the other hand, we paid for a superior room and we want to be in a pleasant environment during day and night sleep, and not in smelly thundering ruins... Without hesitation, we went back to the reception to "reclaim" our rights. The standard 10 dollars put in the passport did not change the situation. At first, the Thais blinked their eyes for a long time, pretending that they did not understand anything, as a result they reported that for an improved bungalow (why do we need a bungalow? ) You need to pay 1.500 baht per day (1125 rubles x 12 days = 13.500 rubles! ).
I had to call our Russian guide (again from TEZ-tour). The guide (Arsen) came and sorted everything out - we were moved without any additional payment to a completely different new building. The room met all our requirements: area - 28 meters, a large bed, many mirrors, a beautiful view from the balcony to the sea, clean, bright! From another guide, we heard that, unfortunately, they like to accommodate Russians in rooms of the lowest category... But this was the only dark spot in the memories of the Thais and their country.
WEATHER. When we checked in, we found umbrellas with the hotel logo in the locker. Looking at the scorching sun, I laughed at the presence of umbrellas, but in vain... Within an hour, the weather changed dramatically and heavy rain began, which did not stop until the evening. However, the rainy season has already passed. For two weeks, the weather was constantly changing: today it's sunny, tomorrow it's raining, and so on. In any case, during the day the air temperature did not fall below 28 degrees.
SEA. The water temperature is the same as the air temperature, except for the first three days of New Year - 26. But in any case, you can swim. Chaweng Beach - light sand (but not white, as they say in the reviews), a wonderful entrance to the sea. Umbrellas, deck chairs and towels are free, but old, falling apart... On hot days it was not easy to find a place in the shade - a lot of people. For several days in a row there was a “storm” (as the Thais called it) - wind and, accordingly, big waves. Red flags were set up on the shore, meaning a ban on swimming. But the tourists, including us, simply… ignored them ; -). Is it really possible to deny yourself the pleasure of riding the waves? Sunbathing on the beach, we watched two squirrels playing on a tree!
The road to the sea passes through a small river. It does not smell at all - this is complete nonsense. Perhaps, fortunately, we did not find the season when she emitted some kind of smell. On the contrary, the sight of moored fishing boats pleases the eye.
TRANSPORT. It is best to rent a motorbike for 200 baht per day. This is the most convenient means of transportation in terms of mobility, economy and ease of parking. It is better not to buy gasoline from motorcycle owners. They offer it for 45 baht/litre, and at gas stations it costs 33 baht. 1 baht = 0.75 rub.
You need to drive very carefully, getting used to the left-hand traffic. "Light" consequences of the races were observed on the beach - dressed bandaged people with crutches lying next to them "sunbathed" on sun loungers. We learned from the guide that the serious consequences were not visible to our eyes, but he visited daily Russian tourists with broken bones... Therefore, you need to remember to be careful!
EXCURSIONS. Be sure to take a speedboat to Marine Park National Park ($80 per person). Stunning paradise islands, untouched by civilization. On one of them we had lunch, on the other - we saw monkeys, on the third - the most beautiful emerald-colored lagoon, which is located inside the island.
You can also go on a jeep tour "Safari". The most unforgettable experiences are elephant riding and crocodile shows. Also attended the elephant show and the monkey show. This pleasure is worth $ 65 per person at the Tez-tour. You can also save. Agents of local excursion companies walk along the beaches, from which our operators buy places for our tourists. We bought a Safari tour from them and saved 1.100 baht (850 rubles) at the same time.
There was an international company in the jeep that drove us: Irish, Italians, Thais, Germans and us. The only negative is the English speaking Thai guide. But those who more or less studied English, at least at school, will understand it without difficulty. We also heard about an interesting excursion - fishing, but we ignored it, lying on the beach and just swimming in the warm, beautiful sea!
NUTRITION. ALL SHARP!! ! You tell the waiters “know spicy”, they bring everything spicy anyway. But a few days later, having tasted food in different restaurants, we found several of them, the ones we liked the most, in which we ate all the remaining days. They didn’t experiment anymore... Without expecting it, after a week they missed Russian cuisine. But the solution to this problem was the Russian restaurant "Mango" - tasty and inexpensive. For example, a dinner for two without alcohol (we don’t drink it), including fresh, costs 1200 baht (900 rubles).
As for the breakfasts in the hotel restaurant, they were quite monotonous, but this is not a minus, but rather a statement of fact, because. what was, is quite enough to eat to satiety.
Fruits can be bought at the market. Prices can vary up to 10 times!! ! For example, a huge peeled coconut in the Tesco Lotus hypermarket costs 7 rubles, and a smiling secret woman in the market tries to sell it to us for 150 rubles!! ! You need to bargain everywhere, knocking down half the cost or even more on the move. The more tanned you are, the less you will be quoted prices. The logic of the Thais is as follows: you have recently arrived and do not know the real prices.
We did not buy food on the beach, which was carried by numerous vendors (kebabs, salads, fruits, etc. ) and in vain! On the last day, we nevertheless took a chance and realized that we should not have ignored this food all the days of our vacation. Quite tasty and cheap! For example, a chicken skewers costs 10 rubles! You can eat two skewers. The fruits sold on the beach are not cheap. For example, mango (1 pc. ) - 40 rubles. On the market you can bargain and buy 1 kg (3 pieces) for 60 rubles.
In general, Koh Samui is the most beautiful island in Thailand (guides confirm) and, accordingly, the most expensive. In restaurants of a good class, prices can be compared with Moscow ones.
HOMECOMING.
All the same Bangkok Airlines got to Bangkok. At the Bangkok airport, unexpectedly, I spent almost 2 hours in duty free. Prices there are 20 percent lower than in Moscow duty free.
Checking in and weighing the luggage, Taika smiled sweetly and said that our luggage exceeds the norm by 7 kg and we need to pay an additional 120 dollars... At the check-in counter, the announcement indicates the allowable weight limit for luggage per person - 20 kg, and on the ticket - 30. But it was useless to argue and I didn’t want to spoil my mood, I had to pay.
The most interesting thing is that Bangkok Airways did not demand a single cent from us… Russian Transaero decided to earn extra money… Unfortunately, this is not the only negative impression from this airline. The flight attendants were unusually angry and incompetent. I got the impression that nondescript students were working, who were not paid salaries at all... The food was disgusting. To the flight attendants' question "omelet or meat? " we and our neighbors answered “meat”, to which the flight attendants slyly grinned and rudely said that the meat was over. There was no opportunity to watch TV, because the poor airline Transaero doesn't have headphones… There are many more similar examples, unfortunately.
When booking a tour, representatives of the travel agency offered us a choice of a regular Aeroflot flight and a Transaero charter. Knowing that there would be a Boeing 747 in Tarnsaero and trusting these airlines (in vain, as it turned out), we chose Transaero without hesitation, despite the fact that we are members of the Aeroflot Bonus program. But they learn from their mistakes… It took 9 hours to fly back. Luckily, we arrived on time, on schedule.
A few small comments on Boris' previous review (May 2006):
1. Prices have increased significantly.
2. There are no more tuk-tuks on Koh Samui, for some reason. This type of transport was seen by us in Bangkok.
3. As I already wrote, the river is not even "skunky" at all.
4. You can swim in the sea no longer at 50 m, but at 10 m. It is already quite deep there even with my height of 175 cm. Perhaps the depth depends on the season.
And in steel I completely agree. Very detailed and believable!
In general, it was the most unforgettable New Year, which we delightfully met in a paradise - in Thailand!
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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