Koh Samui opens for bookings from vaccinated foreign tourists

[KaptainRob]

8 minutes ago, bushav8r said:

Just comparing taxi prices here....taxii  to downtown  is at  least $60 dollars here.  I f I get charged 10 bucks in Thailand I just tell the driver to get it up on two wheels and get me home quickly.

I understand your post and agree that when doing comparisons on things like taxi fares or a box of beer it's easily half the cost of say Australia, but that doesnt mean one should be ripped off.  There's a lot of really lovely people driving taxis in Bangkok who go out of there way to assist, even returning bulging llost wallets to customers.  It's the rip-off merchants who spoil that image.  They can be reported on a hotline.

At Asiatique one time the heavens opened just as we were leaving to grab a taxi.  We joined a queue under semi-shelter and waited our turn.  Once inside a cab and moving away the driver asked 'where to' and my wife gave the hotel address.  Driver stopped and said he couldn't take us there.  Wife elicited the reason as being heavy traffic on that route and he wanted to head the other way.  I piped up with "call Transport Hotline and complain" ... and he immediately resumed the trip, meter in use.  No tip for him!

[JamesE]

Samui Plus hotels are now available to look at on asq.in.th. Many haven't posted prices yet but they are all well beyond my budget - even a place I stayed a few nights at back in February for about 4K a night (it was very nice) is now asking 10K for the same room. There's also Samui Extra Plus but I figure those are for the high, high rollers.

[Objectivance]

One would have to be extra, extra dumb to sign up for any of these sandbox schemes. 

[AussieBob]

1 hour ago, KaptainRob said:

I understand your post and agree that when doing comparisons on things like taxi fares or a box of beer it's easily half the cost of say Australia, but that doesnt mean one should be ripped off.  There's a lot of really lovely people driving taxis in Bangkok who go out of there way to assist, even returning bulging llost wallets to customers.  It's the rip-off merchants who spoil that image.  They can be reported on a hotline.

At Asiatique one time the heavens opened just as we were leaving to grab a taxi.  We joined a queue under semi-shelter and waited our turn.  Once inside a cab and moving away the driver asked 'where to' and my wife gave the hotel address.  Driver stopped and said he couldn't take us there.  Wife elicited the reason as being heavy traffic on that route and he wanted to head the other way.  I piped up with "call Transport Hotline and complain" ... and he immediately resumed the trip, meter in use.  No tip for him!

I hear you in that taxi.  When we were first getting around in Bangkok my Thai wife would stop the taxi and then talk to the driver. After a few drove away I asked what she was talking about. She said she was asking them if it was OK for them to take us to 'xyz'.  I was shocked - taxis cannot refuse a fare in Aust - but they sure do it in Thailand. 

Another first time experience was the taxi mafia in Chiang Mai.  Arrived at the airport first time with wife with a hotel booked for 6 weeks and plans to rent a place for about a year.  We went over to a girl behind the 'taxi desk' and told here where we were going to (exactly) - she then went to talk to a big fat Thai sitting back in a huge chair like a King, with gold chains and rings everywhere. He told her something and she came back and told us the price - way over the odds compared to Bangkok.  But - it was that or walk - and I could not see any other options - I later found out that there is none.  And that was the price to get a taxi back to the airport too, and a few trips around town in taxis was extremely expensive compared to Bangkok.  One of the first things done was to buy a cheap little car - and it was cheaper on our trips away to park our car at the airport and then use it when we got back.  

[AussieBob]

13 minutes ago, Objectivance said:

One would have to be extra, extra dumb to sign up for any of these sandbox schemes. 

Or as James said a 'high roller' - or extremely desperate. 

[gummy]

16 minutes ago, AussieBob said:

Or as James said a 'high roller' - or extremely desperate. 

or just a combination of all three

[uanmak]

9 hours ago, bushav8r said:

It is amazing how the cost can be so low. Again from a western perspective.  Its like when you get ripped off by a taxi driver and pay 10 bucks instead of 5.  Who cares.  Get me there safely, and I will even give you a tip.

for that route, 150$ is not cheap from an EU standpoint. maybe USA has other standards.

[gummy]

TAT should encourage visitors by running a competition to get people there. 1st prize could be 3 free nights and 2nd prize  7 free nights