South Thailand Itinerary - any ideas??

Hi,

I'm heading to Southern thailand for 16 days, flying into Phuket on 2nd jan 2009.
I would like to do some snorkelling and have some beach time whilst there, maybe visit Ko Phi Phi/Ko Raya , and also see some less "touristy"off the beaten track kinda places.
Don't really want to travel around too much as this is the final leg before home so fancy some chill out time, maybe 3 or 4 stops, and I'll be on a tight budget of around 1000 Baht/day all-in.
Also would visiting Khao sok be too far away??

Don't know where to start so any advice would be great,

thanks
Katie

Hi Katie,

i ve been to Phuket twice...both times are the impressive moments..

If you go to Phuket that time, the city, P P island and so famous places will be a bit crowded so that would be easier if you can reserve accomodation. The budget about 1000 baht/day is not easy to do many activities as you mention alone. You might need to seek some companion to reduce some cost, transportation, for instance.

hope you have a good trip and good time in Phuket.

Katie,
I think you need to hit another island. Phuket is more expensive than your budget will allow. You are hitting it at peak high season. Take a look at Koh Jum or Koh Lanta. Another oprion is to use Krabi town as your base and day trip Ao Nang & Railay Beach. Railay is almost perfect. If you can find a place to stay in your budget range there, that would be great. Good Luck to you.

Hi, I'm going on the 9th and have been looking into where to go to. I am going to Khao Lak (which seems like it will be a really chilled out place to wind down) and from there i will do a 2 day trip to Khoa Sok national park then on to Krabi where I will do lots of day trips and island hopping and then down to Trang and the Trang Islands.

How about you go to Khoa Lak and base yourself there. From there you can go to the surin and similian islands as well as Koa Sok.

Candice

If you're on a tight budget then The Rock Backpackers in Koh Phi Phi is worth considering. I paid 250/200 baht per night when I was there last May, but I would guess that they'll probably be charging 300 baht per night at this time of year, but that's as cheap as you'll find at the moment. 1000 baht per day is doable if you're staying in one place, but if you're travelling around a bit then it might be best to try to have extra funds to cover your travelling costs as well if you can.

Koh Phi Phi is an excellent choice to visit though. The only places I've been in Southern Thailand are Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Samui, and I wasn't that keen on Koh Samui, but I love Phi Phi and Pha Ngan.

Also, it's Full Moon on 10th Jan so if you're into partying then Koh Pha Ngan is worth visiting as well over the Full Moon period.