for over two years, many have been stuck at home, now, well its easy to get into Thailand, no quarantine.  but for many their local economy has seen them making cutbacks..  ARE YOU CUMING HERE? 🙂

 

one of the discussions we have had has been te lack of trip reports, or feet on the ground by BMs, which has led to more politics and less fun.  Anyone coming over should let us all know and maybe meet up

Agoda.com has plenty of affordable rooms here too

 

SO????

Probably Sept/Oct - as long as the Mask mandates, Covid insurance scam, and Thailand Pass, and all the other rubbish at the airport is gone.  Hopefully by then all the hotels will be running again and things will have settled down - we have a lot of ground to cover to catch up with everyone.  We wont be anywhere near Pattaya though.  

Here now, have been for the last 12 days, Bangkok, Ayutthaya and currently in Cha Am and Hua Hin. 

Then going back to Bangkok on Thursday, then fly to Krabi to do some Scuba on 15th, stay another 6 days there, then probably to Sattahip for the last week or so, head back to London end of June. 

Finding it very quiet, anywhere or hotel we've stayed it's been vast majority Thai, hardly any farang. 

I have a Trip Report going in VIP, apologies to anyone not In VIP but there are too many maniacs who frequent these forums, lifting pics and info to post elsewhere or use for nefarious reasons, and all sorts of other mind-boggling shite. There's pics of my family in the VIP TR.

Though with me being nearly 19 years clean and sober and happily married, it's not a drinking and shagging TR anyway. 

Still, really enjoying the trip, no hoards of locusts at the hotels, hoping diving off Krabi will be pristine, and have got some cracking deals on hotels. 

I'd recommend coming now if you can, though appreciate airfares can be extortionate. Process arriving at Swampy was seemless, from arrival to waiting on bags, under 30mins. Thai Pass was easy, and just used my normal insurance anyway. Masks rarely get worn outside of Bangkok from what i've seen, even then apart from BTS wasn't much. 

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Krapow

Maybe October or November or maybe not. Will know in the next few months. I have some things i need to take care of over the next month first. Such as my sisters wedding and other stuff. Will start looking into plans towards the end of July.

It also depends on how (remains of covid) rules are regarding flying and layover. My usual Lufthansa flight Billund - Frankfurt - Bangkok is no more possible, instead of Frankfurt I might have to go over München or Wien.

EDIT: I just noticed that 1 of my usual 2 hotels in Pattaya also seems to have gone. 247 boutique in soi Honey.

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Lirchenfeld

I’m booked up for august. Hoping the Thai pass and wearing of masks finished by then 

When China opens to tourists.

October and November, flights booked   ... have a plan , but not booking any internal flights or hotels yet 

When my my Thai drivers licences just expire. Don't want to have to go through the whole process again like last time leaving the licence expired longer than a year.

So probably in 2 years time.

Flight booked for July 21.

2 hours ago, Lirchenfeld said:

Maybe October or November or maybe not. Will know in the next few months. I have some things i need to take care of over the next month first. Such as my sisters wedding and other stuff. Will start looking into plans towards the end of July.

It also depends on how (remains of covid) rules are regarding flying and layover. My usual Lufthansa flight Billund - Frankfurt - Bangkok is no more possible, instead of Frankfurt I might have to go over München or Wien.

EDIT: I just noticed that 1 of my usual 2 hotels in Pattaya also seems to have gone. 247 boutique in soi Honey.

247 Boutique closed, but not gone. Thought at first they were open as I went into the reception area next door thinking it was the entrance for 247. Noob mistake as it was the reception area for Honey Massage. 

Probably September October depends on flights at the moment we can only fly wgtn sydney Singapore or kl with a 11 hour stopovers then bkk 30 -35 hour trip can't be arsed used to be flying Qantas Emirates 14 hours 1 stop in Sydney for 90 minutes and twice the price

I was thinking of July but now looking like early this September and then again in mid January 2023. Hoping by September that Pattaya will be fully reopened and nightlife back to 2am closing. Already looked at flights, and now checking out hotels.

It would be good to have a forum meet up each month when members start to return. Maybe @ Le Pub. 

Returned a few weeks ago from a 3 month stay.

Plan is to return in Ocober for 5 months. 

1 hour ago, Nickrock said:

Probably September October depends on flights at the moment we can only fly wgtn sydney Singapore or kl with a 11 hour stopovers then bkk 30 -35 hour trip can't be arsed used to be flying Qantas Emirates 14 hours 1 stop in Sydney for 90 minutes and twice the price

Qantas WLG-SYD and Thai SYD-BKK.  One change of 2.5 hours in Sydney.  Qantas entirely on the return leg even quicker.

4 hours ago, Lirchenfeld said:

Maybe October or November or maybe not. Will know in the next few months. I have some things i need to take care of over the next month first. Such as my sisters wedding and other stuff. Will start looking into plans towards the end of July.

It also depends on how (remains of covid) rules are regarding flying and layover. My usual Lufthansa flight Billund - Frankfurt - Bangkok is no more possible, instead of Frankfurt I might have to go over München or Wien.

EDIT: I just noticed that 1 of my usual 2 hotels in Pattaya also seems to have gone. 247 boutique in soi Honey.

 

Edited June 8, 20224 yr by Sherlock

2 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

247 Boutique closed, but not gone. Thought at first they were open as I went into the reception area next door thinking it was the entrance for 247. Noob mistake as it was the reception area for Honey Massage. 

 

Ahh, thats nice. So there are hopes 247 will reopen before I get there.

I also went through that door to the Honey Massage once. Not by mistake, but by choise. 2017 I was staying at 247, but had broken my shoulder the night before. I had already been to the hospital, and I had contacted my travel insurance, but I was waiting for a phone call from them. Now In the evening I had left my hotel room to get some food and water from the 7-11 a little further down soi Honey. Of course my phone rang. Couldn't hear what was being said in the other end, as the music was pumping from all the bars in the soi. Went through the door, found a nice and quiet corner so I could have the phone call. The girls at the reception made big eyes towards me, a wierd looking man with an arm tied to the belly and shopping bags around his legs, speaking a language that they couldn't understand. They didn't say anything. I just apoligised and left again. 🤣

Later that night I went to Metro and found a nice agogo girl, that ended up looking after me for the next few night before I could get home - but thats a different story.

Partner and I arrive 10th July for 30 days. It's been 26 months and we have been paying rent on our room all this time. Going to let it go now, send personal stuff back to RP. A casual monthly stay is the same rate, without the need to use it. 

I did the Thai pass for us both a few days ago, not very IT savvy but pretty quick and easy. Took about 15-20 minutes to complete, 4 documents to upload and the pass and QR in around 1 hour. 

One problem I will mention, may help others. I have a Huawei Y9, great phone. Kept getting 'network error' and no progress. Sought help on forums and then tried using GF I6 and it worked perfectly first time. 

End of July for a couple of weeks.

20 minutes ago, KWA said:

Qantas WLG-SYD and Thai SYD-BKK.  One change of 2.5 hours in Sydney.  Qantas entirely on the return leg even quicker.

Must be recently gone back in to service wasn't available mid march when the young fella had to go back for the conscription ballot ( didn't get picked so he got married .....fool )

4 hours ago, andycoll said:

Flight booked for July 21.

Me too.

Going 21 July but 1 night Bangkok and then up to Khon Kaen and Chiang Mai for 9 days, then 2 nights in Pattaya before 7 days Philippines and then back to Hua Hin and Koh Samui for another 20 days.

With family for about half of my trip.

Provisionally for September for almost a month, also booked a hotel already with refund option at less than half the rack rate through Agoda.

as @tommy dee said, Hotels are cheap at the moment, cheap enough to perhaps go some way to mitigate the higher flight prices we're paying. Although it's not ideal as we'd rather have both, it's better than having to pay through the nose for a Hotel as well.

Like many posters here, I echo the sentiments that July onwards will see a return to pre covid rules and hopefully a similar situation as it was prior to covid hitting.

I'm also at the point where it's cheaper for me to get a return Taxi to LHR and pick up / drop off to my house than it is to park and drive my bloody car there!.

 

Tickets bought for Sept,missus going a week before me,her first time since 2019(when she had 3 trips),mine since 2018.

I'm still organising things but looking to fly out at the end of this month, hotel in Patts for a few nights until I can find a decent apartment to rent out long term.

Really looking forward to coming back. Buggered if I'm going to sit through any more UK winters . . ☹️

I'm booked for early December, Cathay Pacific through HK, for two months but will probably extend to three months if things are going well - like everyone else, I am hoping that the remaining conditions/restrictions are done with by then.