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#1
05-11-2005, 23:51
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Hat Yai Visa Run.
Just had a look on the hat yai forum,info dates back to may.Has anyone been recently?,Can you just request a taxi from your hotel to the border etc?
Joseph. 
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#2
06-11-2005, 07:13
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I did a visa run from Phi Phi (top place love it but that's another story....) last year. took the ferry to Krabi then mini bus with several smelly annoying litlte backpackers (God I must be getting old...)...
Anyway it's a great trip, lovely countryside etc You get to Hat Yai and all the others bog off to some Kiwi style bus to Malaysia and I'm left standing like a spare priest at a wedding wondering what to do next when taxi man asks if i need a lift...ok i say how much to for a border run ? Turns out it's about a tenner (600baht). At the time I thought it was only a couple of miles, there & back in 10 mins....oh no...it's much further and also much better.... So taxi man shows up witha 1970's white Mercedes, leather seats & aircon....fanbloodytaxi....we're driving down to the border and you go thru the rubber plantations and man I felt like "Our man in Siam", something straight out of a Graham Greene type novel, 1930's film style stuff....what a blast....had a great trip....totally recommend it! Only downside is though is that you end up spending a night in Hat Yai which on a scale of 1 to 10 in shiteholes to stay in is probably closer to Baghdad than Swindon...careful with the massage places cos I walked out of one just managing to avoid getting 10 shades of the proverbial kicked out of me by the biggest Thai bloke I've seen.... So to conclude, yes you can get a taxi (1970's style recommended) but try to avoid Hat Yai
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#3
06-11-2005, 13:43
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Hat Yai in and around the Pink Lady area is a lot of night time fun..
__________________
Men have only 2 emotional states, hungry and horny.. So ladies, if you see me without an erection, make me a sandwich.
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#4
06-11-2005, 15:16
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Hat Yai is not Phuket but the nightlife is somewhat different but I had great fun there.
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#6
06-11-2005, 19:01
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Quote:
I dont believe that there are any flights to Had Yai anymore since Phuket Air pulled out.
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#7
08-11-2005, 15:35
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No flights
I used to do my Visa runs by flying into Hat Yai and then to the border in a taxi.Sadly all flights to Hat Yai have stopped and if you want to go there it is a nine hour bus journey.If you are still going to stay in Hat Yai most taxi drivers will take you to the border and through the system.If you want some taxis are licenced to go through the border and down to Penang where you can get a whole new Thai Visa.Taxi run from Hat Yai to Penang takes approximately 3 hours.
__________________
 If you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined up!!! 
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#9
12-05-2007, 01:25
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I recommend Sakura Grandview hotel, they have a very big massage place in-house, cheap and you get a private room with tv and aircon for just 240 baht/2 hour massage. The room rates used to be 980 baht. Hotels in 5-800 baht/range used to be very run down, so better spend the little extra.
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#11
13-05-2007, 19:08
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NOKAir daily flight starts 15May according to their site but not available to book online yet....so will they start?
Phuket - Hat Yai Availability Flight Depart Arrive Daily DD7624 14:05 14:45 Hat Yai - Phuket Availability Flight Depart Arrive Daily DD7625 15:15 15:55 Is it an option to stay overnight in Hat Yai...get a taxi in the morning to the border...cross over and turn round and come straight back and get the taxi to go to the airport? Last edited by landofsmiles : 13-05-2007 at 19:22.
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#12
13-05-2007, 19:37
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I did reverse, always when I arrived I took a taxi to the border and then back to Hat Yai and staying overnight. Also Sadao border is an entertainment town itself, you can stay at the border if you want. My first memory of Sadao is the discos in full swing in afternoon, and that was a different experience.
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#13
13-05-2007, 20:09
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I presume it's not far to walk between the Thai and Malaysian side?
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#14
14-05-2007, 00:06
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Taxi will go over
Quote:
If you take taxi from the airport to the border they will also drive you across to the Malaysian side and wait for you to be processed.  If you want to walk it is about 500 yards between each office. 
__________________
If you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined up!!!
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#15
22-05-2007, 14:20
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Probably going next week. Is there enough down there to warrant staying 2 nights in Hat Yai? Anything worth seeing if we hire bikes for a day?
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#16
26-05-2007, 11:54
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I am off on my run in the next hour, and I will tell you how it went when I get back. I picked this information up from ThaiVisa.com So I will see how accurate it is.
E Hat Yai: (Recommended trip!) Take airplane to Hat Yai, the air fare takes about 40 minutes and then you take a taxi to Sadao or Padang Besar (Malaysian border) and then back to Hat Yai town and stay one night at hotel. Airticket costs about 2000 baht (r/t), taxi 800 baht and good hotel 960 baht
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Farang: Why do you lie to me? BG: It's my job!
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#17
26-05-2007, 13:55
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That info is an exact quote from my thai visa page I wrote LONG TIME AGO including (Recommended trip) as it was my favourite visa run before
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#18
28-05-2007, 22:28
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Well i did the trip and I enjoyed it. I would change a couple of things but that comes with experience I think.
Flew over to Hat Yai, 40 minutes, took a taxi from airport to Sadao border - 1200 baht - couldnt get him any cheaper. He took me to all the places i needed to go, and it was very straight forward. Took about 1 hour from Airport to Sadao, 1 hour through immigration (both sides) and 1 hour or so to get back. Really easy and no hassles. Then stayed at Sakura Grandview Hotel discounted from 990 to 890. Massage 240 baht Thai... for 2 hours. Night life not far away. Can walk to Pink Lady area within 3 minutes. High Society has the women dancing clubs, soapy showers etc. Didn't really look for any extra curricular activities, but the hotel was swarming with young things and old chinese men I'll post some photos later if i can find them E
__________________
Farang: Why do you lie to me? BG: It's my job!
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#19
29-05-2007, 02:12
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Was the 1200 baht for the taxi to the border, waiting time and back to HatYai or did you ditch him at Sadao and get another taxi later?
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#20
29-05-2007, 16:48
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That was the airport to the border (although he said another border is less busy) and back to my hotel in Hat Yai.
It was a Mazda 323. so it is comfortable for 1 person E
__________________
Farang: Why do you lie to me? BG: It's my job!
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#21
29-05-2007, 17:18
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I actually had you in mind due to the bombs, did you see or hear anything?
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#22
30-05-2007, 01:31
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nothing at all, by the time i left there was nothing special happening.
I was wondering what may have happened if I did stay that extra night. Quite scary when you think about how innocent the place seems, then the day you leave 7 bombs go off. E ps thanks for thinking about me... love you too ;-)
__________________
Farang: Why do you lie to me? BG: It's my job!
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#24
01-08-2007, 10:57
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Quote:
depend on how many people are in your company. it's fairly easy to book a single room. like anywhere else in Thailand, the are places that have rooms but it might not be up to the standard that meets your needs. They are generally clean but old. If you're more of a suitcase traveller than a backpacker, book early via internet. you get better rates as well. note: this is for off peak season. peak season that coincides with Malaysian holidays (eg. Raya), you're better off getting everything booked to avoid any stress (cos you can still get rooms but probably have to hunt a bit)
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