i only spent 4 days in samui, but it seemed pretty busto, which in turn makes it cheaper if you are on a budget. Both islands are super touristy though, this is a + for some but it gets old pretty fast. If you arent into whores, but still wanna meet girls bangkok is a much better option of course.

A lot of the appeal of bangkok though is partying though which you care about that much. I dunno basically im rambling and dont know enough about what you want to make further suggestions, just that if it were me and i was living close to a beach i would choose phuket and it wouldnt be close, but after living there for a few months i was pretty bored and prefer bkk and chiang mai.

The beaches in Samui are just as nice as the beaches in Phuket. The only real thing they lack is a bit of surf, since Samui is in the South China Sea and doesn't get swells like Phuket which is in the Indian Ocean.

On the other hand Samui is much less crowded than Phuket, and in off-season you often have the beach to yourself. That's a major plus for a lot of people.

http://images.google.com.au/images?q...N&hl=en&tab=wi

Cliff notes:

Phuket: Much bigger and more developed, more services available, more expensive, beaches with waves. Easier to get to both by air and overland.

Samui: Quieter, less expensive, no surf, less major shopping centres etc. Harder to get to since only 2 airlines fly there and there is no causeway to the Island so you have to take a ferry if not going by air.

PokerSpiv maybe you know how good/expensive is internet in Samui ? Also any good website to rent condo there ?

thanks

to the guy who posted 2 pics (one facing the view and the other facing the pad) in samui, i believe you said it was $250 usd/month. how close was that to the beach and how crowded are those beaches during the high/low seasons?

it may have been in this thailand thread or chatter thread

Any the 2p2 guys do rock climbing?
also I'm on the lookout for a poker house, prefer phuket for beaches.

just a little FYI

when a lot of the guys mention girls on here they are talking about hookers/part time hookers/paid GFs(girls who u pay for stuff for them while they r ur gf). Part of this is because bargirls tend to speak some english whereas most thais don't and they are cheap. Oh and they definitely are a lot of fun, so don't take the above as me talking down on them.

from what I've noticed that unless you get lucky, dating a normal thai girl is really difficult unless you speak at least some thai.

Internet in Samui is no different to anywhere else. If you have a landline it's fine, wireless is usually ****ty.

I dont know about condo rental websites, i usually just walk in and ask the prices.

maybe anyone has a quick info..

which beach would you suggest to me in Pattaya?

is it easy to rent a motorbike (only have Austrian Driving License..) ?

what about to rent a jetski.. read of some stories where tourists had problems.. because of damage on the jetski etc..

The beach in Pattaya isn't that great compared to say Phuket. If your coming to Pattaya and the beach is your thing your probably better staying in Jomtiem, next door to Pattaya. Its still very close to the action in Pattaya (15 Mins) but better for chilling out when you are having quiet days.

I would recommend you to take the 20 baht ferry to an island outside Pattaya called Koh Lahn. The trip takes about 25 minutes and beaches there are MUCH more nicer than in Pattaya. You could also go by bike to military beach, I believe it is about 30 km from Pattaya, and the beach there is also nice.

You can rent motorbike even without driving license. You having a license is good tho, since it is enough for the police if you have been stopped. Meaning you dont have to pay the 300 baht ticket you would have gotten if you did not have one..

I have rented jetski without any problems myselfe, but just to make sure you dont get scammed do a check on the jetski before you rent it and inform the owner of any damages you can find.

how many weeks does the hep shot take before u can leave?

this and jomtien have decent beaches also, i wouldnt recommend motorbikes, imo the traffic is too crazy but then again im a pussy, ill take the 10bht taxi everywhere

the only solution i've found for AIDS is rawdogging a virgin, but I think i'm going to have to start wearing protection with non virgins again, b/c it's getting harder and harder to find undeflowered bitches to ditch the bug to. I know it sucks, but really, nothing is as important as my health.

One of the reasons I love thailand is because of the freedom you get when having a motorbike. (As long as you dont live in Bangkok) I love taking a ride in the sunshine and exploring places.

I would recommend anyone that knows how to ride a bike to rent one when visiting Thailand. Just drive carefully and watch on both sides of you when making a turn. Only passing on left or right hands side rule is non existing here.

what is it with thaivisa.com?
reading their forums they paint a much more sinister picture of thailand..

is there another big forum/site with a lot of "random" info about thailand
but less bitching, scaremongering?

i read thailandqa.com sometimes but its mainly to laugh at all the klauses and their bargirl problems, not sure how the real advice is. but if you ask specific questions and provide more details we can answer just about anything i would assume

I would recommend the opposite, especially in busy places like Pattaya. I have seen 2 farangs killed in motorbike accidents and countless others injured over the years. I doesn't matter how good a driver or how careful you are as the locals do not share those values. They also believe in reincarnation, so do not share our sense of personal safety.

If you must do it though make sure to wear a helmet, I never cease to be amazed at the number that don't.

-1.

i've been in my fair share of motorbike accidents and all have them have been because i was driving like an idiot. if you drive carefully, your chances of getting badly injured or killed are pretty damn low, even with the number of horror stories you hear about (mack trucks breaks don't work, people getting clipped by tuk tuks, etc). a small price to pay for the freedom having a motorbike allows.

If you avoid the general forum, its better. there are some other forums, but there is not much going on there. i guess thats why thaivisa is so bad, they have a monopoly of sorts. i am really annoyed by all the ads. Its their way of getting paying premium members (who doesnt get ads).

most people get grumpy in old age?


and if your total thailand experience consists of expat bars/restaurants and girl bars you'd probably have a unique outlook too.

plus only this thread will provide well kept secrets like the shower aids test!

from what ive seen the traffic is way more crazy and dangerous in pattaya (2nd road, 3rd, sukhumvit, and all the other roads that crosses these) than other places around thailand, and way more drinking and driving here,
im scared to take the motorbike taxis, just tried couple times but like i said before im a puz, but whatever up to u!

Yea, I think you are a little bit more nervous than most of us about this issue.

I agree with you that Sukhumvit should be avoided for a novis driver tho. But that is easily done if wanted.

i lived in phuket for 9 months and the driving there is pretty crazy - a lot of people in cars and on bikes treat the island like a race course. through in drunk falangs, steep windy hills, lots of traffic, and crazy young thais from phuket town and you get an idea of what phuket is like. i can't imagine pattaya is can get much more dangerous than that and i still think if you don't suck at driving, have a decent bike, and are careful, the odds of you getting seriously hurt are extremely low.

yea -1000

one of the best things about thailand is being able to drive around with motorbike. i dunno about pattaya but phuket's traffic is not that bad. sure it's different and much more dangerous than some western countries but after you get used to it it's ok