SOUTH THAILAND
We spent 2 days short of a month in Thailand's South ( 2 of those weeks however were spent in Phuket with Justin's sister.) We really have fallen in love with this country (okay, ill admit we fall in love with every country.) We came into Thailand with expectations of something similar to Bali in some ways we were right, it has obvious similarities to Bali, especially in Patong, but in just as many ways it has its own unique culture, food and people. Needless to say, it really blew our expectations out of the water, which, is all you can really ask for when visiting a country. |
IMPORTANT LINKS
Newly Nomads blog on our 29 day trip around South Thailand. Here you'll not only find our daily blog, but also places to stay, eat and visit around the island.
Jaide Photography's website, go here to view Justin's awesome snaps of our time in South Thailand. *All prices on this page are of AUD and are current from August 2014* |
the budget
Thailand is certainly budget friendly, overall for a couple we were spending $50 a day, here is a breakdown of what we were spending. You'll also find more information about life in Thailand's South as a backpacker on this page. View our planning guide here.
* Food/Drink: $10 - $15 A day. Thats right, this is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For us, breakfast consisted off milk and cereal (lucky enough to have a fridge) and for lunch/dinner we were either heading to a local restaurant and sharing a meal, or to the local markets where food will cost you as little as $1 for a Pad Thai.
* Accommodation: $15-$20 a night. We havn’t spend over $20 a night in accommodation whilst being here, however some places are a bit cheaper than others.
* Transportation: $10-$20 a day. We hired a motor bike nearly every day, except in Bangkok. Transportation can include anything from taxis, bus trips to tuk-tuks.
* Other: $10 a day. For your entrance fees, petrol and any other needs.
* Food/Drink: $10 - $15 A day. Thats right, this is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For us, breakfast consisted off milk and cereal (lucky enough to have a fridge) and for lunch/dinner we were either heading to a local restaurant and sharing a meal, or to the local markets where food will cost you as little as $1 for a Pad Thai.
* Accommodation: $15-$20 a night. We havn’t spend over $20 a night in accommodation whilst being here, however some places are a bit cheaper than others.
* Transportation: $10-$20 a day. We hired a motor bike nearly every day, except in Bangkok. Transportation can include anything from taxis, bus trips to tuk-tuks.
* Other: $10 a day. For your entrance fees, petrol and any other needs.
food/drinks
Ahh glorious Thai food. The amount of local food markets lining the Thai streets is astounding, there will always be cheap eats close by where ever you are.
For breakfast we usually would buy a couple of muffins, or some milk and cereal (try to buy this at a supermarket rather than 7-11 to cut down costs even more), this costing us no more then $6 . For lunch or dinner in a restaurant your meal can cost you $3-$10 depending on what you're after/what sort of restaurant you go to. Try to stick to the local restaurants, they are always the best. The portions are normally quiet big, meaning we could easily share. As I mentioned, street food will become your best friend in Thailand. Here you can pick up food for as little as $1 and no more then $4 (although you will rarely buy something that pricey!) |
If you are worried about eating from the street markets, don't be. Buy something which you know they are cooking fresh/cooking in front of you and go for a vegetarian option rather then the chicken and rice they have pre-packed in containers waiting to be bought. Although we ate in street stalls most days, neither of us became sick from any of the food we ate, which has to vouch a little for their sanitation standards.
Drinking in Thailand is pretty cheap. Beer at 7-11 stores will set you back $2-$3 a bottle. If you go to local bars, cocktails cost around $4 and are stronger than you first expect. Soft drinks are usually around $1. You can find more information on Thailand's food and drinks, as well as a list of places we ate at on our South Thailand Blog page. |
accomodationPhuket- Bamboo Beach Resort & Spa- $14 a night. Amazing value, catch a great deal for this Spa on booking.com. Located in Patong Beach, it is a little bit out of the way from the main drag, however, they have a free shuttle bus service several times a day, and hire bikes out extremely cheap (cheapest we found in Patong). For such a small price, you get a clean, air conditioned room with a balcony overlooking their awesome pool. The hot water in our room was a little temperamental - but hey, it was $14 a night. Ao Nang Beach - Ao Nang Phutawana Resort- $20 a night. Clean, spacious rooms, cold air-conditioning, really quiet surroundings, just a short bike ride away from the beach, meaning it is set amongst local life giving you perfect insight and separating you from tourists on the main strip. Really good restaurant across the road, and a cheap afternoon market 3 days a week right next door (although, it only really sells fresh produce, clothes/knick knacks and seafood.) Chumphon - Marokat Hotel- $20 a night. Really spacious room, good air-conditioning, comfortable bed & large bathroom. The hotel isn't too far from the sights in Chumphon, depending on how far you want to walk but for us it was worth renting a motorbike to cover more ground. |
The staff here don't speak much english and couldn't use the card machine, so make sure you take cash! Bangkok– Nasa Vegas Hotel– $13 a night. Insane value. Again, this hotel is out of the main 'tourist hot-spot' of Bangkok, which we were more than happy with. The A-Link Railway station is literally out the front, which links you to all the major train stations. Has a buffet breakfast to die for, only 140b if you pre-book it at reception (we did this every day and found we were no longer needing lunch because we were so full!) The hotel room itself is a little old and the bathroom is small, but compared to some other accommodation options in Bangkok, this ones pretty great value for money. And the air-con is crazy cold, perfect to escape Bangkok's weather.) - 48 Ville - $20 a night. We really wish this hotel was closer to Bangkok City. Its mainly used as a 'stop-over' hotel, for those with an early/late flight (which is why we stayed here - 4am wake up calls...) The room is spacious, really comfortable bed (too comfortable to wake up at 4am) and friendly staff who are more than happy to help you any way they can. You can find more information on South Thailand's accommodation and on our blog page of South Thailand. |
transport
Once in a town, our main transport was a motorbike (besides Bangkok - but ill get to that later) You can usually find a motorbike for $8 - $10, the longer you hire, the cheaper it becomes. Petrol in Thailand is more expensive than its neighbouring countries, but cheap for western standards, its around $1 per Litre. Try filling up at a petrol station rather than using the side stands with bottles of petrol. You'll find your petrol will last longer that way.
A motorbike is really not needed in Bangkok. There is a vast public transport system that is super easy to use. Trains will cost you .50cents - $1 per trip, depending on the distance. If you can't figure out what station you need to go to, just ask the information desk, they're used to foreigners using their system. You will find yourself booking long haul bus rides to get from town to town during your stay in South Thailand. Below I've outlined the bus trips we have used and their services. |
To book trips, just head to one of the many 'tourist information' aka private travel agent stands.
Phuket to Ao Nang - Mini Bus, about 5 hours. Roughly $17pp depending on where you book. This trip included 1 lunch stop, plus pick up/drop off from hotels. Ao Nang to Chumphon - 2 Mini Buses. The whole trip took us about 9 hours, including waiting time (they drop you off in another town where you will catch a mini bus with locals.) The whole trip set us back about $20pp. Chumphon to Bangkok - 1st class bus. This was by far the best value, the trip took about 10 hours. The seats are super comfortable, they also give you free water, snacks, refreshment towels and a blanket to use for the trip. They stop around half way for a delicious local dinner, which is included in the price of $21pp. |
tippingNot required, however it is appreciated.
Money denominationsNote denominations: Coin denominations:
1000 B 10 B 500 B 5 B 100 B 2 B 50 B 1 B 20 B 50 S |
moneyWe didn’t use any money changers, just ATMs, however always be careful of money exchanges offering high conversion rates, always check your money at the counter and watch them like a hawk. Just because a sign says 'Authorised Money Changer' does not mean they are safe, or authorised for that matter.
Also be careful with some ATM's, try to use ones with banks attached to it. If anything happens, take photos of the ATM and call your bank/the bank of the ATM. visa & departure tax30 day free visa into Thailand for Australian Passport holders, no departure tax.
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