Mama Noodle Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Getting ready to pack up the truck and move to Phuket in 2-3 weeks and will be driving from Surin all the way to the southern end of the island. Rawai area. At the moment, what's the situation? Resturants/7-11/etc can sell alcohol? Beaches still open? Ive been scouring the internet for a definitive list/resource for driving FROM a low risk province THROUGH red zones (without stopping in them) and arriving to phuket by car and I can not for the life of me find anything definitive. Can anyone please assist with this? Everything im seeing is all over the place. All I really care about is getting there, if the beaches are open, if I can get beers at 7-11, and still get a takeaway pizza/foodpanda every so often. Couldn't care less about bars/nightlife. Also, If anyone reading this has any experience driving through red zones at all, do they require any documentation to pass through? Difficult to make out what the rules are when every province seems to be doing its own thing. Any input welcome, Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Beaches are all open. Last I looked bars and eateries are open. Booze available at shops. Downside many eateries closed but Rawai is mostly open. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Noodle Posted January 20, 2021 Author Share Posted January 20, 2021 14 minutes ago, LivinginKata said: Beaches are all open. Last I looked bars and eateries are open. Booze available at shops. Downside many eateries closed but Rawai is mostly open. I was there in October-November a few weeks ago, before this new outbreak, so is it about the same as then? Or even more closures since? Do you have any idea what is required of a person arriving by car from a yellow zone, but who drove through red zones to get to phuket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenBravo Posted January 20, 2021 Share Posted January 20, 2021 Relatively safe compared to the rest of the world. Only cases of Covid in Phuket are from people that visited Phuket from other places. No local cases for months now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) ONLY 3 cases in the past 8 months ( a biker that went to Koh Lanta for a party, came back and gave it to his 2 kids) Things might change Feb 1st as the rules regarding red areas was to end Jan 31st Beaches all open, Bang Tao, Patong, Karon, Kata devastated with 90% closures. lovely here, little traffic, malls all open . Food delivery services doing lots of business Think you need the Thai channa or Morchana apps showing where you have been.. and you might be stooped for temp checks on the way down Edited January 21, 2021 by zzzzz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briofoz Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 One thing you need to do is register on the https://www.gophuget.com/inout site. As mentioned the app as well. Schools reopened today so my guess is there will be more things relaxed as time passes with no new infections. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agusts Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 No alcohol after 12am midnight currently, so all entertainment establiments in the island close at that time ...., that's the difference from Oct/Nov and due to current rules... Is it possible to go to Krabi for a few days and back to Phuket with motorbike...!? Do I need all those apps and web registration hassle...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felt 35 Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 It was actually a program report about the checking practice at Tha Chat Chai on NBT TV today and as far as I understand and as said by another poster you need to register online on go.phuget.com. and/or eventually provide documentation showing necessity of your travel to Phuket, then you should be good to go! Felt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beechbum Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) On 1/21/2021 at 11:36 AM, Agusts said: No alcohol after 12am midnight currently, so all entertainment establiments in the island close at that time .... Almost all, might find a place at the Laguna complex in Rawai open after 12!! Edited January 23, 2021 by beechbum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffr2 Posted February 2, 2021 Share Posted February 2, 2021 What's the best place to go now? Rawai? I've been thinking of Kamala. Hopefully. We'll be there in a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beechbum Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 14 hours ago, Jeffr2 said: What's the best place to go now? Rawai? I've been thinking of Kamala. Hopefully. We'll be there in a few weeks. Rawai/NaiHarn. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) 17 hours ago, Jeffr2 said: What's the best place to go now? Rawai? I've been thinking of Kamala. Hopefully. We'll be there in a few weeks. much more open, more choice of accommodations, (some beach front with pools which Rawai does not have at all) better beach and beach front restaurants, bars and a even a high priced club in Kamala I ate in one of the beach side restaurants a few weeks ago, what a rip off, better food, better prices at Kaen Eang ???? But up to you Edited February 3, 2021 by zzzzz 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 fyi; my comment Quote ate in one of the beach side restaurants a few weeks ago, what a rip off, better food, better prices at Kaen Eang refereed to one of the numerous Rawai beach side seafood restaurants, NOT Kamala beach front sorry for not saying this 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermah Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Are the taxi drivers still behaving like aholes and holding out for 200 a trip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 32 minutes ago, Dermah said: Are the taxi drivers still behaving like aholes and holding out for 200 a trip? Don't see many TuK Tuks. Just no tourists to fleece. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermah Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Just now, LivinginKata said: Don't see many TuK Tuks. Just no tourists to fleece. Since I have limited mobility these guys were the reason I stopped visiting Phuket many years ago after 3/4 visits a year for over a decade. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffr2 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 8 minutes ago, Dermah said: Since I have limited mobility these guys were the reason I stopped visiting Phuket many years ago after 3/4 visits a year for over a decade. Same with me. They threatened us last time. Never went back. It's an ok time to visit. But it's a ghost town with most places closed in the more touristy areas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 its a wonderful time to visit as long as ur not into full on pre covid nighttime entertainment great deals on hotels, uncongested, light traffic and the beaches are clean note the center and northern parts of the island, one would not know that anything was any different from a low season. If u cant handle the tuk tuks, rent a car....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dermah Posted March 1, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 1, 2021 34 minutes ago, zzzzz said: If u cant handle the tuk tuks, rent a car....... Really good advice, except that, the last time we were there, we did. Drove down to Karon or Kata, can't remember which, and found nowhere to park. Seemed spaces were "controlled" by some thugs. Drove back to Patong and spotted a parking space on the right side of the road in between the endless tuk tuks. A gentleman came out of a shop and informed us in no uncertain terms we were not to park there, and if we did the car would be damaged on our return. We went back to our hotel, returned the car early, finished our stay locally, and never came back to Phuket. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffr2 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Dermah said: Really good advice, except that, the last time we were there, we did. Drove down to Karon or Kata, can't remember which, and found nowhere to park. Seemed spaces were "controlled" by some thugs. Drove back to Patong and spotted a parking space on the right side of the road in between the endless tuk tuks. A gentleman came out of a shop and informed us in no uncertain terms we were not to park there, and if we did the car would be damaged on our return. We went back to our hotel, returned the car early, finished our stay locally, and never came back to Phuket. My experience. 100%. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinginKata Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 2 hours ago, Dermah said: Really good advice, except that, the last time we were there, we did. Drove down to Karon or Kata, can't remember which, and found nowhere to park. Seemed spaces were "controlled" by some thugs. Drove back to Patong and spotted a parking space on the right side of the road in between the endless tuk tuks. A gentleman came out of a shop and informed us in no uncertain terms we were not to park there, and if we did the car would be damaged on our return. We went back to our hotel, returned the car early, finished our stay locally, and never came back to Phuket. Yes that can be a problem, but not now in these quiet times. In normal times is can be a challenge for a new tourist to find park place. Even as an oldie can take me a couple of tries to find a spot. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChasingTheSun Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 6 hours ago, Dermah said: Really good advice, except that, the last time we were there, we did. Drove down to Karon or Kata, can't remember which, and found nowhere to park. Seemed spaces were "controlled" by some thugs. Drove back to Patong and spotted a parking space on the right side of the road in between the endless tuk tuks. A gentleman came out of a shop and informed us in no uncertain terms we were not to park there, and if we did the car would be damaged on our return. We went back to our hotel, returned the car early, finished our stay locally, and never came back to Phuket. Have you tried using the Grab taxi app to arrange fixed price or taximeter Phuket? it is easy to use, very reliable, and no haggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dermah Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 2 hours ago, ChasingTheSun said: Have you tried using the Grab taxi app to arrange fixed price or taximeter Phuket? it is easy to use, very reliable, and no haggling. I gave up on Phuket years before Grab was invented. Loathed the attitude of the locals, but would like to visit again one day. Until then am very happy with Vietnam, and a shorter, and cheaper, flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffr2 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 6 hours ago, Dermah said: I gave up on Phuket years before Grab was invented. Loathed the attitude of the locals, but would like to visit again one day. Until then am very happy with Vietnam, and a shorter, and cheaper, flight. Flights to Phuket and Krabi are under 1,000 Baht right now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said: Flights to Phuket and Krabi are under 1,000 Baht right now. phuket -bangkok viet jet airlines 399 baht next week bangkok-phuket rerun next day 399 baht Cant get much cheaper than that, Of course a taxi from the airport to downtown kamala, Kata, Patong will set ya back another 6-800 baht 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DFPhuket Posted March 2, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 2, 2021 37 minutes ago, zzzzz said: phuket -bangkok viet jet airlines 399 baht next week bangkok-phuket rerun next day 399 baht Cant get much cheaper than that, Of course a taxi from the airport to downtown kamala, Kata, Patong will set ya back another 6-800 baht Be aware that VietJet Air is the only airline flying to Phuket that shows a price before and taxes or fees are added. They also routinely weigh your carry on bag, sometimes at the gate, and charge on the spot if you're over 7kg. For a VietJet 399 booking on March 18, here's the final cost: Fare: 399.00 THB, Optional Seat Assignment and 20kg Bag Charge: 699.00 THB, Tax: 69.86 THB, Credit Card Fee: 82.39 THB: Grand Total: 1,250.25 THB Thai Smile and Bangkok Airways (from BKK) show their final cost on the first screen. They both include free seat assignment, free 20kg baggage and no credit card fee. On March 18, Thai Smiles' total one way cost is 1,000 THB. Bangkok Airways (including lounge access) is 1,360 THB. AirAsia (adding seat assignment and baggage) is 1,589 THB It's always best to go all the way through the booking process to see the real final cost. Flights to Phuket are cheap, but sometimes the discount carriers are more expensive than full service carriers, especially if you're checking a bag. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) the thing is Air asia, Nok, thai smile earliest flight is 10:55 Voet jet 6:00, 7:15 flying up for the day 22nd at 7:15, back at 8 pm TOTAL including tax, no seat, no bags 1, 169 baht RETURN Departure Flight From: Phuket To: BangKok - Suvarnabhumi Departure Date: 22/03/2021 Mon 07:15 Fare: 299.00 THB Charge: 254.00 THBTax: 31.71 THBTotal: 584.71 THB Return Flight From: BangKok - Suvarnabhumi To: Phuket Return Date: 22/03/2021 Mon 20:00 Fare: 299.00 THB Charge: 254.00 THBTax: 31.71 THBTotal: 584.71 THB Grand Total: 1,169.42 THB same day air asia flight is at 14:25 for 1,390 baht an then i'd need stay the night and next day flight is 12:15 for 890 I'll stick with viet jet Edited March 2, 2021 by zzzzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Old Croc Posted March 3, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2021 The usual Phuket haters are out in force on this thread. The guy with the lie about air fares, patently proven wrong by many who checked. The whingers who visited once many years ago, had a bad experience probably through their own naivety, and bring it up like a bad curry every chance they get. Sad. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffr2 Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 11 hours ago, Old Croc said: The usual Phuket haters are out in force on this thread. The guy with the lie about air fares, patently proven wrong by many who checked. The whingers who visited once many years ago, had a bad experience probably through their own naivety, and bring it up like a bad curry every chance they get. Sad. BS. Phuket has a terrible reputation with regards to "public" transport. Many of us have experienced it first hand. And decided never to go back. Hardly naive. Remember when the mafia there pulled the bus driver out of the first run from the airport and beat him up? Right...probably naive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 For all the ones that visited over the past few years ( pre covid) and had a bad experience, most attributed it to do with the local transport, FYI: it was not the airport bus but the Patong-Karon bus Someday , when the officials wake up, they will get a handle on the tuk tuk/taxi mafia Wonder what you all will complain about than? The touts, price of lady drinks, jet skis, the dam hills one has to drive up and down.,.. BUT for every one that had a bad experience, there are thousands, tens of thousands, that had a great time and many return year in year out 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now