Phuket Thailand - Phuket- Samui

aussie dollar · #1 24-01-2005, 15:07

Has Anyone Had Any Experince With The Bus Trip From
Phuket To Samui
Cant Deciede To Go By Air 1750 Baht Or Bus Beleive It Costs 700 Baht
Is The Bus Trip Scenic ?

ancientmariner · #2 24-01-2005, 15:58

500 baht here:

http://www.lookphuket.com/transport/...htm#bus_ticket

dizbuster · #3 24-01-2005, 22:46

Phuket to Samui !! If you go by bus, then you are in for a real treat !! 555555

I was in Phuket during May last year and myself and an Italian guy that I had met, took 2 girls each from a bar and went to Koh Samui for a couple of nights.

Strap yourself in, 'cos here we go...

We were picked up by the minibus at various points in Patong by one of those small 12 seater minibuses (including driver) that you see whizzing about all the time. A couple of points to note here, there's only one entrance/exit in the back, a sliding door that leads in to the back area and to 9 seats. If you are a little on the large side, you will not make it in to the back 2 rows, especially the back one !! I am just under 2metres tall (6foot5) and also a big lad, I had to be the last one in and had the seat by the sliding door. This was OK, but if you get 2 or 3 big people on the bus, then you will all be in this row and it will be very cramped. It is very very cramped anyway !! There are 3 seats in the front, the driver takes one and the other two are passengers. The tour company will sell all seats, so don't expect any extra room from unsold seats.

Once we were all "wedged in" to our seats, we set off on our journey. At first it wasn't too bad, we managed to get up and over the big hill just outside Patong and we were then off in the direction of the airport to take the bridge across to the mainland. This part of the journey took about 40 minutes and wasn't too bad, but once we had got to the bridge, the driver then just had one speed and put his foot down. Now, if the roads there (2 lanes on each side) were straight, it would not be a problem, but being crammed in to a minibus with nothing to hold on to, going round corners at high speed can get quite "friendly" and also quite scary !! We had 2 hours of this, 70-80mph fizzing down some empty dual carriageway, listening to a volkswagen engine that sounded like it was on it's last legs !!

Out of the blue, we came to a stop outside a small open air restaurant, which also had some restrooms to the side of the area. Thinking we might be near was a mistake. We were only at the halfway point and this was a 15 minute pitstop. Quick stretch of the legs, arms and then off to release back in to nature the beer I had "borrowed" from the previous evening. Purchase 2 bottles of water and then all cram back in to the minibus. 2 hours later we hit a bus garage at Surat Thani and it's "all change". This was a nice place and things were looking up a bit, modern and clean, lots of information on show, bus times etc, all in Thai and English - wow !! I was impressed. We had to wait here for around 30 minutes in order to get our bus, to the ferry, the minibus roared off, sounding even worse standing outside than it did when I was sitting inside. Sitting under a fan cooling off with a beer and a sandwich waiting for the next bus, my mind wandered to the delights of Koh Samui and whether it would be as good as it looked in the sales literature ??

A shout goes up, our bus is due in soon, so we all pick up our gear (small carryall with 2 nights clothes) and are led out on to the main road and told to wait for the bus to come along. Well....laugh I almost wet myself !! Chugging along the road came this old bus that you see on TV commercials in places like the "middle of South America" where the Western world hasn't really been yet !! A right old jalopy with a huge roofrack on top for luggage (and probably a few locals when the bus was full!). A small door at the front, where you have to clamber across the manifold and huge "hump" which is the covering of the gear box and then in to seats that are tiny. I filled one on my own, much to the vast amusement of the locals !! You also had to be wary of the fans that were circling overhead - or in my case, around should height. This bus was probably built in the 1930's and looked like it hadn't been cleaned inside or outside since !! Once onboard and sat down, off we chugged, this doesn't seem too bad after all, I remember thinking to myself. That was until we took a left turn off the main drag and starting going up another road, which after about 3 miles, turned in to a dirt track as the locals were still building the road from the bus garage to the ferry port. This old bus managed to get up to a speed of about 50-55mph and the driver again was not too keen on letting it slip when he managed to get there !! At this point, I should say that he was about 4 foot 6 tall, wearing a pair of flip-flops, had no teeth, although he liked to mutter in Thai to himself and smile a lot and then all of a sudden jump up out of his seat and start dancing with the steering wheel - obviously when we hit a downhill section.

This lasted about an hour and then we got to the ferry port, this was as expected and the trip accross was sheer joy compared to the bus rides, but it has to be said, that the boat is old, although very clean and be careful if sitting at the back, as you might get a couple of lungfulls of nasty smelling black smoke, that billows out of the hugh funnels on top of the ship. It was interesting as we went across the sea that the colour of the water changed dramatically, from green to a nice sparkling blue as we got closer to Koh Samui. I can't remember how long the boat took, but it wasn't long around 60-75 minutes I think, so not too bad. But once you add it all up, after leaving at Patong 8am, we were now arriving at Koh Samui, around 4,30pm. It had taken about 8 1/2 hours to get there, but once you get there it is worth all that aggro !! The place is an absolute gem and Patong is nothing compared to Koh Samui. We stayed in a resort called "Munchies" up on Chaweng beach, which is on the north-east part of the island.

A word of caution here, you are delivered to Koh Samui and that's it !! You then have to negotiate with the local lads driving buses etc to take you to wherever you want to go on the island and this costs more. The airport is very near Chaweng, but best to check it out yourself by looking at a map on the internet. It's a beautfiful place and well worth the visit, but there's still a few more things to tell. First, on the island, there is not much of a bar scene, you have search out the areas like this. I would recommend a visit to the Reggae Bar near Chawenf beach, it's a huge bar/disco with live music and around it are a couple of bar complexes and some nice relaxing bars. The women I saw weren't that great, but I did find one or two attractive ones - not that I was really looking, as I already had 2 ladies in tow !!

If you think Patong tuk-tuks are a rip-off, then they are pussycats compared to Koh Samui. I almost ended up having a fight on the first night. We had wandered down to the Reggae Bar area and split up, I was with my 2 girls and we decided it was time to go back to the resort for some fun and games. We had walked down there and it had only taken about 20 minutes when strolling, but after a few beers, we decided to catch a ride back. There is a "queue" of sorts in the middle of this area and we were pointed to the lead tuk-tuk. At first when he said "song loi baht" (200 baht) I thought he was joking and starting offering "ha sip baht" (50 baht), but he wouldn't even barter and just kept saying 200 baht !! I said "OK, I go with another tuk-tuk" and went along the line until I finally found one that would take us for 100 baht. I was a bit annoyed at this point, as the girls hadn't got involved at all and they kept very quiet, perhaps they knew something !! Of course, when we got there, he started shouting "200 baht !!" at me and although I am huge, I usually do nothing but laugh and smile in LOS. Still smiling, I tried to explain that we agreed "nung loi baht, no song loi baht" (100 not 200) and he got out of his seat and started to run round towards me. At this point I exploded, then I smashed my fist on to the bonnet of the tuk-tuk and started snarling at him. He now faced 300pounds of totally fecked-off farang !! Bear in mind that I had not exactly enjoyed by trip down and I was certainly not going to get ripped off like this !! He shot back in to his seat and before he drove off, I threw 100 baht in through the passenger window as I didn't want him coming back with his friends saying he hadn't been paid !! Fortunately that was the last I saw of him, even though I was down in the Reggae Bar area again the next night. If he was there, then there would have been no doubt that he would have reognised me, but couldn't remember what he looked like. However, that night I offered 100 baht and was accepted straight away by the first tuk-tuk, who took me back to the resort without a murmur - was I lucky, or had word got around ??

One quick thing that impressed whilst at Koh Samui - the sea !! It was nice and warm to go and paddle in, plus when I went out a bit and stood in it with it up to my nexk - I could still see my feet, it was so clear !! Fantastic place, the nearest I have been to paradise !!

(continued on next thread)

dizbuster · #4 24-01-2005, 22:47

The journey back was much the same as that coming down, but I had got my mind set so that I would accept it and "switched off" as much as possible. Once under way, there were 2 things that made me laugh so much, that it started to hurt. First was when we had done the ferry, taken the "Charabang bus" back to Surat Thani and were in the VW minibus driving back to Patong. We had been going for about 45 minutes and it had started to get dark and for some strange reason the windows started "misting up". It was quite cold in the minibus as the air-con was on, but when I wiped the window, nothing happened !! The mist was on the outside !! In all my life, I have never known the mist to be on the outside of the vehicle !! The driver had to put the windscreen wipers on to see where she was going !! I am not the sort of person that knows much about science, but I casn only assume that we had recreated the same effect yopu get when you take a cold beer out of the fridge in warm weather - we were sold cold inside that the minibus had condensation forming on the outside. That tickled me and I was chuckling for about 20 minutes, but then came the "piece de resistance" we were hurtling along at about 70mph and you have to remember that in Thailand, street lamps are a luxury and most of the roads were through "the middle of nowhere", so when all of a sudden we came to a stretch or raod that had street lights, I peered out of the windows to see why there were lights. About 1 1/2 miles later, the lights stopped and I had seen nothing else but lights - only in Thailand would you have a stretch of road that is lit up for about a 1 1/2 miles for no reason at all !! I was in stitches !! The others in the bus wanted to know why I was laughing, but I couldn't tell them as I was laughing so much.

All in all, I would say go and see Koh Samui, it is beautiful, but only go on the minibus if you fancy an adventure and are open to deal with all the things that I have mentioned, or you can't afford the airfare.

A couple more tips, at the bus station in Surat Thani, they try to sell you accomodation, beware this is a "tourist trap" and prices are higher than quoted direct on the island. I paid 1,800 baht a night (included breakfast) for 3 of us to have a chalet at Munchies, normal price is 1,500 baht a night for 2, so it wasn't too bad. My Italian friend went one better and had a chalet on the beach front (wish I had done that too !!) which he got for 2,200 baht a night, again inflated because there was 3 of them.

I didn't have chance to add in the best story of all, (BBBJ in bar from owner's wife, while my 2 ladies were playing pool !!) I just could'nt find the right place to fit it in.

If I do the Phuket to Koh Samui run again, I would have no doubt - by air !! However, as I said, if you are up for a laugh and can handle the adventure, then do the minibus, it's an experience you will never forget !!

Cheers
Diz

dizbuster · #5 24-01-2005, 23:01

A couple more things...

It cost 800baht a head for the minibus and ferry crossing, the we negotiated 200baht for the lads at Koh Samui to take us to Munchies.

Also, when coming back, they do not take you back to Patong beach !! You are taken back to their offices in Phuket Town and then they ask for another 100 baht each to drop you back off in Patong - apparently this is their way of making sure the driver "gets a nice tip" !!

Cheers
Diz

ancientmariner · #6 24-01-2005, 23:15

really enjoyed your field trip report, highly informative, many thanks! made me wanna go to Koh Samui right about now!

aussie dollar · #7 25-01-2005, 03:52

thought the bus trip might have been o/k to see a bit of the countryside
think by air might be go.
thanks for report great detail !

dizbuster · #8 25-01-2005, 04:05

Hopefully if I have done this right, there should be a picture of the ferry under this !!

If you are open-minded and are happy to relax and go the "Thai way" then the bus will be good fun, especially if you are travelling in a group, but I would not recommend it at all if you are on your own, or like travelling in a bit of comfort.

Cheers
Diz

ashley · #9 26-01-2005, 11:31

If traveling from Phuket to Koh Samui I would definitely fly over taking the bus and ferry. According to earlier posts it can cost around 100 baht for a one way trip by bus and ferry and takes upward of 8-10 hours. On the other hand you can fly there for about 1500 baht (approx) and be there in an hour. With check in and what not you will be from hotel to hotel in less than 3 hours. The only bad thing is that Koh Samui has a 400 baht departure tax when leaving the airport. I thought this was a bit of a rip off.
As for the tuk tuks in Koh Samui. I for one thought they were 10 times better than Patong. They go up and down the beach road from Chaweng to Lamai and charge only 10 or 20 baht per trip. I paid only 100 baht from the airport which is right near the ferry port. Of course they always try to rip you off but just smile and give them the 10 or 20 baht and walk off. Showing anger only makes the situation worsen.
Koh Samui is much nicer than Patong with better beaches and ocean. The nightlife is not as good for mongering but for clubs and partying it is just as good. There are not as many ladies and they are no where near as hot as Patong. Prices seem to be a bit higher for hotels in Samui, but for shopping for such items as DVDs CDs clothes etc it is WAY better than Patong.
Overall, two very different places with pros and cons for both. My advice is that if you will be in Thailand for a trip of 2 weeks or more than you should definitely go and visit. Fly and save yourself a day of travels.

Cheers.

Ashley

dizbuster · #10 26-01-2005, 17:44

Quote: