News Forum - Phuket Sandbox order revises rules to cancel or modify

[EdwardV]

2 hours ago, Naja said:

Going there is 200 times easier than what they put you through to get to Phuket.  Thailand needs to wise up if they want the tourist money.

Well said. I’m headed to Europe next month instead of Phuket for many of the reasons you point out. I love Thailand and can’t wait to go back. However the fact is it’s just so much easier to go somewhere else. 

[Faz]

4 hours ago, PapayaBokBok said:

7+7=15 thai logic

If I recall the original entry requirements, it was 14 (full days) and 15 nights.
The day you arrive at your hotel is not included in the count.

[RickO]

As someone who has been in the sandbox for just under two weeks, I'd like to share my experience.

The biggest hassle for me was the hoops required to jump through to get the COE.  Shipping my passport off to Ottawa (I'm Canadian), waiting for it to process, then resubmitting for the COE.  The ironic thing is that the documentation from the COE and the VISA are the same, (and I'm positive its the same guy that does both), so you would think that the Visa and the COE could be done at the same time, but no.  On the positive side, the COE got done the next day after application.

Upon arrival at the Phuket airport, the process was a bit slow but well organized.  Everyone sat in chairs in the arrivals hall while staff members checked over everyone's paperwork to make sure all was in order before you went up to see the agent at immigration.  It blew my mind how many people showed up without the right documents.  By the time you have done all the necessary work for the visa and COE, you are practically an expert on the process.  Yet some show up with no paperwork at all (I'm looking at you two guys who sat beside me). It's these bright sparks that hold things up for everyone else while the staff run back and forth to the office looking up paperwork and printing it out.  That said, after about 45 minutes of waiting, it was a quick process through immigration and a quick covid test on the way out the door and straight into the taxi arranged by my SHA hotel.

We're staying at Laguna in Bang Tao, and couldn't be happier with the location. Pretty much everything in the area is open.  Our 1 bedroom condo that we are renting costs a whopping $600 for 14 nights.  Golf at the Laguna Phuket is 1800 baht (including cart and caddie).  We're golfing during the day, and hitting a different restaurant every evening for dinner.  Shabu shabu, hot pot, Thai, Indian.  There is lots of choice.  The fact that you can't get a beer in a restaurant or bar is a bit much, but not a deal breaker for me.  (Sidenote: was thrilled to stumble on The Thaiger offices while having morning coffee at Bake) 

Phuket Town is still open for business.  Central Festival is the only mall open, and its not too busy.  But tons of shops and restaurants throughout the town are open.  All the massage/spa places are open.  We've been frequenting Kim's on Yaowarat Rd.  3 one hour treatments (scrub, oil massage, foot massage) for 990 baht.  Amazing.

We took an all-day catamaran cruise to Koh Racha for some scuba diving, then to the beach at Coral Island (Koh He) for $45.  The beaches here are practically empty.  You are seeing Phuket the way it hasn't been seen in years.

The point I'm getting at is that aside from the bar scene/night life that parts of Thailand are known for, there are lots of touristy things to do that are comparable to vacation destinations elsewhere in the world.  

I'm hoping that by the time I look to return for my next trip, the visa/COE process wont be quite so onerous.  That for me was the worst part of it all.  But for those looking to try out the sandbox, hotels are cheap, golf is cheap, excursions are cheap, restaurants are cheap, everything is cheap.  And the place isn't heaving with tourists.

 

[King Cotton]

11 minutes ago, RickO said:

As someone who has been in the sandbox for just under two weeks, I'd like to share my experience.

The biggest hassle for me was the hoops required to jump through to get the COE.  Shipping my passport off to Ottawa (I'm Canadian), waiting for it to process, then resubmitting for the COE.  The ironic thing is that the documentation from the COE and the VISA are the same, (and I'm positive its the same guy that does both), so you would think that the Visa and the COE could be done at the same time, but no.  On the positive side, the COE got done the next day after application.

Upon arrival at the Phuket airport, the process was a bit slow but well organized.  Everyone sat in chairs in the arrivals hall while staff members checked over everyone's paperwork to make sure all was in order before you went up to see the agent at immigration.  It blew my mind how many people showed up without the right documents.  By the time you have done all the necessary work for the visa and COE, you are practically an expert on the process.  Yet some show up with no paperwork at all (I'm looking at you two guys who sat beside me). It's these bright sparks that hold things up for everyone else while the staff run back and forth to the office looking up paperwork and printing it out.  That said, after about 45 minutes of waiting, it was a quick process through immigration and a quick covid test on the way out the door and straight into the taxi arranged by my SHA hotel.

We're staying at Laguna in Bang Tao, and couldn't be happier with the location. Pretty much everything in the area is open.  Our 1 bedroom condo that we are renting costs a whopping $600 for 14 nights.  Golf at the Laguna Phuket is 1800 baht (including cart and caddie).  We're golfing during the day, and hitting a different restaurant every evening for dinner.  Shabu shabu, hot pot, Thai, Indian.  There is lots of choice.  The fact that you can't get a beer in a restaurant or bar is a bit much, but not a deal breaker for me.  (Sidenote: was thrilled to stumble on The Thaiger offices while having morning coffee at Bake) 

Phuket Town is still open for business.  Central Festival is the only mall open, and its not too busy.  But tons of shops and restaurants throughout the town are open.  All the massage/spa places are open.  We've been frequenting Kim's on Yaowarat Rd.  3 one hour treatments (scrub, oil massage, foot massage) for 990 baht.  Amazing.

We took an all-day catamaran cruise to Koh Racha for some scuba diving, then to the beach at Coral Island (Koh He) for $45.  The beaches here are practically empty.  You are seeing Phuket the way it hasn't been seen in years.

The point I'm getting at is that aside from the bar scene/night life that parts of Thailand are known for, there are lots of touristy things to do that are comparable to vacation destinations elsewhere in the world.  

I'm hoping that by the time I look to return for my next trip, the visa/COE process wont be quite so onerous.  That for me was the worst part of it all.  But for those looking to try out the sandbox, hotels are cheap, golf is cheap, excursions are cheap, restaurants are cheap, everything is cheap.  And the place isn't heaving with tourists.

Wow, what an excellent Sandbox feedback! And your debut post, too . . . thanks for that!

Hello, RickO and welcome to Thaiger Talk

Please feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in 'Introductions'. It's good to pick-up on those sometimes differing regional or geographical perspectives.

And check-out the Guidelines, too, when you get a free minute. They're there to help us all enjoy our time here.

Happy posting

King Cotton

[Faz]

37 minutes ago, RickO said:

The biggest hassle for me was the hoops required to jump through to get the COE.  Shipping my passport off to Ottawa (I'm Canadian), waiting for it to process, then resubmitting for the COE.  The ironic thing is that the documentation from the COE and the VISA are the same, (and I'm positive its the same guy that does both), so you would think that the Visa and the COE could be done at the same time, but no.  On the positive side, the COE got done the next day after application.

Hi Rick, and welcome to the forum.

Out of curiosity, which Visa did you apply for and how long do you intend to stay?

[Brian5555]

11 hours ago, JamesE said:

Full disclosure: I've been through ASQ in Bangkok and am planning to Sandbox it on my next trip in October.

Here's my take. The Sandbox and its ilk are a experiments to answer the question: What is the new normal? This is the reason that The Phuket Sandbox and Samui+ are not the same. But, because people hate - absolutely hate - change, that's the part that can't be said out loud. So, if the government were to come out and say: "Look, things are going to be different so let's try some things to see how to make it work," people will stop listening at "things are going to be different" and start running around with their hair on fire. This denial results in comments like "Why would I want to go on vacation anywhere if they told me I couldn't drink with dinner???!!!"

IMO, the thing we as visitors and residents need to do is at the very least quit complaining and at the very most be part of the experiment. The new normal is going to be different for a while and less like the old normal in places where a robust local health care system doesn't exist. So plan on coming. Plan on putting up with the new rules (and the constant changes to them). And plan on it being a different experience than you're used to, and roll with it. That's where the fun is. You're adaptable, right?

But also take into account your expectations. We all have our limits, after all. If your vacation plans/lifestyle won't let you get through your cheeseburger without a bucket of Leos then maybe Thailand isn't the right place for you right now. But eventually it will be.

This is perfectly said and I couldn’t agree more. It’s sums the situation up to a tee. Well done for saying this so eloquently. 

[William]

Q. When internal flights from Phuket start operating again, will it be possible to go to other parts of the country? I’m thinking of Chiang Mai in particular.

[King Cotton]

23 minutes ago, William said:

Q. When internal flights from Phuket start operating again, will it be possible to go to other parts of the country? I’m thinking of Chiang Mai in particular.

Sorry, William, I'm no expert here but one of my colleagues, @Faz, certainly is and he will probably pick-up on this mention, as may other knowledgeable posters.

[Skyzokim]

I'm amazed how negative people are about the sandbox initiative.  The sandbox program is an initiative of local Phuketians submitted to the government as a pilot program to spark and relaunch the economy. 

The Phuket sandbox program has inspired many nations, even Hawaii (USA) is looking to do a similar program. 

The program has a slow start but it's a beginning and is contributing to a circular economy, bringing in jobs back to island. 

How many of the commenter have actually talked with people flying in under the phuket sandbox program? 

I can confidently say that the majority are really having an amazing time apart from the missing of night life and alcohol ban. 

Wishing that more and more can support instead of complaining. 

With ✌ peace

[King Cotton]

37 minutes ago, Skyzokim said:

I'm amazed how negative people are about the sandbox initiative.  The sandbox program is an initiative of local Phuketians submitted to the government as a pilot program to spark and relaunch the economy. 

The Phuket sandbox program has inspired many nations, even Hawaii (USA) is looking to do a similar program. 

The program has a slow start but it's a beginning and is contributing to a circular economy, bringing in jobs back to island. 

How many of the commenter have actually talked with people flying in under the phuket sandbox program? 

I can confidently say that the majority are really having an amazing time apart from the missing of night life and alcohol ban. 

Wishing that more and more can support instead of complaining. 

With ✌ peace

What an interesting Sandbox review - and your debut post, too . . . thanks for that!

Hello, Skyzokim and welcome to Thaiger Talk

Please feel free to tell us a bit about yourself in 'Introductions'. It's good to pick-up on those sometimes differing regional or geographical perspectives.

And check-out the Guidelines, too, when you get a free minute. They're there to help us all enjoy our time here.

Happy posting

King Cotton

 

[JamesR]

16 hours ago, Naja said:

Well, I spent 2 weeks in the Sandbox in July.  My reason for going was not tourism but to attend an auction in BKK which got postponed after I started my trip.  So I cut a few days off and came home from BKK a little early.  But the thing that really pissed me off is the constant changing of things.  Lockdowns of malls to "clean" from the infected they found, all domestic flights canceled so you had to pony up over $100US to suffer in a van for up to 12 hours to get to BKK, stopping alcohol sales (I am not a big drinker so that did not bother me much), and other stupid things.  You either open up or not.  But of course, they can't lose face by closing the Sandbox so they change the wording to hide all the infections on Phuket instead of following the original guidelines.  That should never happen.  All these new huge numbers of infections on Phuket are what I predicted before I left Thailand last week because they used Sinocrap to vaccinate the people there.  What did they expect was going to happen?  It's useless against the Delta strain.  One saving grace is that the number of Sandboxers showing infection is quite small considering, and they can't say if they got it on a layover or maybe from some resident of Phuket or hotel or restaurant employee.  One of the turnoffs for many people using the Sandbox is having to pay for 3 tests when you have been fully vaccinated (yeah, I know there are those that are going to spout their expertise about being able to get COVID if you are vaccinated), costly insurance that won't pay if you happen to sit within 40 rows of someone on the plane that turns up infected, wearing a mask outdoors (you don't need it unless you are in a large group of people outside, and even then it's really not necessary), having to pay for hotel, etc in advance of ever knowing if the embassy will approve your COE.  Why don't they have the process where you tell them where you want to stay, your flight plans and get approved subject to submitting evidence of payment?  Then you can rest easy knowing when you fork out the money you will be quickly approved because they basically already told you it's a done deal.  So while the sandbox has some advantages, most of the people using it are not "tourists" in the true sense.  They are people returning to family and avoiding the BKK prison for the 14 nights.  I am off to Greece at the end of the month for a nice cruise around the Greek islands and a few days exploring Athens.  Going there is 200 times easier than what they put you through to get to Phuket.  Thailand needs to wise up if they want the tourist money.  Nobody will want to come to Thailand if, after they leave Phuket to go elsewhere, they may encounter everything locked down like it pretty much was in BKK when I was there.  That's my 2 baht!!

That is why the rest of us are not returning to Phuket or the rest of Thailand at the moment as anything can happen, but it even more unsure at the moment in Thailand as they have no vaccines to cure the problem.

This not only applies to Thailand re changes, no country in the world has said things might not change and lockdowns might happen again if the situation changes.

Anybody wishing to go to Thailand should know this and thus they are taking a risk by going, the risk of course is for them to decide before going there. 

Thailand is no different to any other country and can not predict what will happen next, I don't know why people think they can.

Edited August 22, 2021 by JamesR
typo

[JamesR]

5 hours ago, Skyzokim said:

I'm amazed how negative people are about the sandbox initiative.  The sandbox program is an initiative of local Phuketians submitted to the government as a pilot program to spark and relaunch the economy. 

The Phuket sandbox program has inspired many nations, even Hawaii (USA) is looking to do a similar program. 

The program has a slow start but it's a beginning and is contributing to a circular economy, bringing in jobs back to island. 

How many of the commenter have actually talked with people flying in under the phuket sandbox program? 

I can confidently say that the majority are really having an amazing time apart from the missing of night life and alcohol ban. 

Wishing that more and more can support instead of complaining. 

With ✌ peace

One persons 'negative' is another persons 'reality'.

I was in Phuket for seven months last year and every week there would be a different rule to follow, areas which you could not enter etc, for the good of the country I know and understand but they could not predict how things would be then and they can still not do that now as to how things will be next week as all other countries can not so why take the risk?

Plus why would someone want to go from a full open country like the UK to a prison island?

[RickO]

12 hours ago, Faz said:

Hi Rick, and welcome to the forum.

Out of curiosity, which Visa did you apply for and how long do you intend to stay?

I applied for the STV but I received a TR visa when I got my passport back.

[RickO]

12 hours ago, Faz said:

Hi Rick, and welcome to the forum.

Out of curiosity, which Visa did you apply for and how long do you intend to stay?

I was intending to stay 4 weeks but had to rebook my flights as my visa and COE was not going to be completed in time, so I'll end up staying three weeks 

Edited August 22, 2021 by RickO

[Faz]

11 minutes ago, RickO said:

I was intending to stay 4 weeks but had to rebook my flights as my visa and COE was not going to be completed in time, so I'll end up staying three weeks 

You could have entered Visa exempt and saved yourself applying for a Visa of any kind for that length of stay.

[Faz]

15 minutes ago, RickO said:

I applied for the STV but I received a TR visa when I got my passport back.

I'm surprised they were still offering the STV on their website.
They were withdrawn a while ago in the UK.

[chouse]

Couple of questions please..

1) On average how long are the COE taking to be approved?

2) Why is there actually an alcohol ban? 

[PapayaBokBok]

22 hours ago, Naja said:

Well, I spent 2 weeks in the Sandbox in July.  My reason for going was not tourism but to attend an auction in BKK which got postponed after I started my trip.  So I cut a few days off and came home from BKK a little early.  But the thing that really pissed me off is the constant changing of things.  Lockdowns of malls to "clean" from the infected they found, all domestic flights canceled so you had to pony up over $100US to suffer in a van for up to 12 hours to get to BKK, stopping alcohol sales (I am not a big drinker so that did not bother me much), and other stupid things.  You either open up or not.  But of course, they can't lose face by closing the Sandbox so they change the wording to hide all the infections on Phuket instead of following the original guidelines.  That should never happen.  All these new huge numbers of infections on Phuket are what I predicted before I left Thailand last week because they used Sinocrap to vaccinate the people there.  What did they expect was going to happen?  It's useless against the Delta strain.  One saving grace is that the number of Sandboxers showing infection is quite small considering, and they can't say if they got it on a layover or maybe from some resident of Phuket or hotel or restaurant employee.  One of the turnoffs for many people using the Sandbox is having to pay for 3 tests when you have been fully vaccinated (yeah, I know there are those that are going to spout their expertise about being able to get COVID if you are vaccinated), costly insurance that won't pay if you happen to sit within 40 rows of someone on the plane that turns up infected, wearing a mask outdoors (you don't need it unless you are in a large group of people outside, and even then it's really not necessary), having to pay for hotel, etc in advance of ever knowing if the embassy will approve your COE.  Why don't they have the process where you tell them where you want to stay, your flight plans and get approved subject to submitting evidence of payment?  Then you can rest easy knowing when you fork out the money you will be quickly approved because they basically already told you it's a done deal.  So while the sandbox has some advantages, most of the people using it are not "tourists" in the true sense.  They are people returning to family and avoiding the BKK prison for the 14 nights.  I am off to Greece at the end of the month for a nice cruise around the Greek islands and a few days exploring Athens.  Going there is 200 times easier than what they put you through to get to Phuket.  Thailand needs to wise up if they want the tourist money.  Nobody will want to come to Thailand if, after they leave Phuket to go elsewhere, they may encounter everything locked down like it pretty much was in BKK when I was there.  That's my 2 baht!!

Short version=THIS!!!!!   exactly why I wont do the sandbox as Ive lived in LOS long enough to know the fickle Thais will change the plans in a new york minute, which they have and Im not the least bit surprised.

[PapayaBokBok]

5 hours ago, Faz said:

You could have entered Visa exempt and saved yourself applying for a Visa of any kind for that length of stay.

Yep Ive been going to LOS yearly since 2008 and have NEVER gone with a visa...why give up the free 30 days?

then extend another 30, then i go to Burma from CNX (5 hrs) cross for another 30 and extend again=4 mths

4 months is usually enough for me of thais asking where im from or if I want a damn massage--1000 cuts...

[JamesE]

6 hours ago, JamesR said:

Plus why would someone want to go from a full open country like the UK to a prison island?

Palm trees? Warmth? Cold beer? Edible food? I'm sure I could find some more. Actually, the UK, itself, is really not much more than a very large prison island from whence you are able to fly to Phuket.

 

1 hour ago, chouse said:

Couple of questions please..

1) On average how long are the COE taking to be approved?

2) Why is there actually an alcohol ban? 

1) My S.O. got hers in 3 days, had to change that when her flight got moved and got it reissued overnight. Make sure you have all your paperwork in order.

2) To keep large, loud groups from forming in public places and sharing their festering exhalations. There is no personal alcohol ban, just in public spaces. "Oh, thank heaven for 7-11."

[RickO]

22 hours ago, Faz said:

You could have entered Visa exempt and saved yourself applying for a Visa of any kind for that length of stay.

Yeah I wasn't sure how that worked.  The COE was all online and you could not complete the application without attaching a photo of the visa, so I applied for a visa.  Seems a bit unnecessary to me but I was unable to get anyone at the Thai embassy in Ottawa to answer the phone (and the voicemailbox was full....)