Thailand July beach holiday ideas

[Yoollyball]

that isn't Koh Samui? We've booked flights to Bangkok (avios) with the intention of getting internal flights to a beach destination. All my research says the Koh Samui area is best in July but there seems to be a monopoly on the route now and the short hop is coming in nearly 1k.

I'm looking into it now and thinking about alternatives. Koh Samet has come up but wondering if this will be too small. Teen Dds want to snorkel. We have two weeks and may add in Chiang Mai ( return flights from BK are cheap). First time I've been to Thailand though DH been to Bangkok and travels a lot in Asia for work.

You can fly to Nakhon si Thammarat very cheaply from Bangkok then get the ferry to Koh Samui - it's an easy trip with bus links from the airport to ferry port. Or rent a car at the airport for loads less than on the island!

Oh interesting - would it not mean we lose a day travelling though I'm a bit concerned that we are quite tight with only two weeks already. We're also not wedded to Samui if there was somewhere else with a good beach vibe and snorkelling.

Would also onward fly to Vietnam if it wasn't to £££.

Depends on your flight times tbh - it is really lovely to arrive on Koh Samui by sea though!

We are going to Thailand next summer and also doing snorkelling. We are going on to Perhentians in Malaysia, there's turtles and baby sharks there - we are going with Air Asia, they have a sale on so some dates are cheap, flights are via Kuala Lumpur then on to Kota Bharu. The snorkelling looked better than time of year off the east coast of Malaysia than Thailand but is further.

Having the exact same dilemma- just saw that you could fly from Bangkok to Sidney for the same amount as to ko Samui
Thin we will just suck it up though as can't see anywhere much better weather wise other than Borneo where we have already been

I'm thinking about the beach resorts that hard accesable overland from Bangkok - they are the same sea so to speak. It is just such a lot of money on top of the long haul flights.

Can see that return to Bangkok to Bali is half the cost of ko Samui if that's something that would appeal to you?

Trang islands (flight is around 1 hr from BKK) - flights were around £30 when I went.

Surin islands (best for snorkeling etc)

Koh Tao & Koh Lanta also recommended

Thanks - i thought the west coast was out in July due to the rains/ sea swells

From my research Hua Hin is an option in the summer, it's meant to be better than Phuket/Khao Lak in July/August.

Yoolyball- what have you decided to do?
I still haven't booked the Koh Samoi flights as can't bring myself to accept the price!,,
Looks like hua hin might be an option?

Sorry just saw that had already been suggested !,

Hi OP I went to Thailand in Feb this year with DH, and DDs aged 5 and 6. We flew to Bangkok and then took an internal flight to Surat Thani which is miles cheaper than flying to Ko Samui. Its on the mainland and you can then get a transfer and ferry to Samui or Kophangan cheaply and easily.

Kohphangan is a lot cheaper than Samui and is not just a party Island. There are very quiet perfect beaches on parts of the island completely separate from any full moon party shenanigans.

We then took an overnight sleeper train back to Bangkok which although not much cheaper than a flight when booking first class you save by not spending money on accommodation that night and it was a great experience and very easy to organise.

I would thoroughly recommend Chiang Mai. It's beautiful and very different to the South of Thailand.

Ps Hua Hin has been suggested. I've also been there for a few days. You can get cheap resort style hotels with water slide and all sorts of things to keep the kids happy like foam parties and amazing play grounds but it's quite built up and the beaches are not very nice for swimming. If you're after a perfect beach and more authentic experience then I wouldn't recommend it.

We also visited Kanchanaburi and stayed in a jungle style resort, spent the day at an ethical elephant sanctuary (a proper one - no elephant riding or shows etc) which was amazing. We hired a private mini van to get there and back from Bangkok which my Thai friend assured me was the cheapest option.

Bear in mind Chiang Mai is also accessible by overnight sleeper train which may work out cheaper when factoring in bot paying for accommodation that night. The rooms are small but comfy, clean, private and functional.