Hotels & Resorts
In Thailand the area decides the holiday and the hotel decides the week. That order round is the whole advice on this page. A beach town and the next bay along can be two completely different trips at the same price, and no listing will tell you which is which — the photographs look identical.
Pick the area first
In Bangkok the question is which train station you are near, because the traffic makes everything else irrelevant. On the islands it is which beach, since public transport barely exists and you will spend most of your time near where you sleep. In Pattaya it is how close you want to be to the noise. In every case the neighbourhood matters more than the star rating.
The two seasons
November to February is dry, cool and expensive nearly everywhere, and the good rooms go months ahead. But the Andaman coast and the Gulf islands run on different calendars — October and November are the wettest months on Samui and Phangan while Phuket is drying out. Check the coast you are going to, not the country.
What your money buys
Thailand's mid-range is unusually good and its budget end is genuinely usable — clean, well run and central, at prices that leave the money for everything else. The top end costs noticeably less than its equivalent elsewhere, which is why people who never book luxury sometimes book it here. The weakest value is the international chain in a mediocre location.
What to check before booking
- How far it actually is from the beach or the station, on a map rather than in the description
- Which way the room faces, anywhere near nightlife — it is the difference between sleeping and not
- Whether airport transfers are included, especially on Phuket, where the airport is a long way from the beaches
- Whether there is food on site, if you are staying somewhere remote
- Recent reviews rather than the photographs
Types of place
Resorts are destinations in themselves and make sense where there is little around them. Boutique hotels give you character and a location. Guesthouses and hostels are the social, inexpensive option and are far better here than the word suggests. Apartments suit longer stays and families who want a kitchen.
A note on the islands
On an island with no real public transport, the bay you book is where you will spend most of your time, and getting out of it costs either money or nerve on a scooter. That makes the choice more consequential than it is in a city, and it is worth spending twenty minutes on a map before spending a week in the wrong place.
Booking
Book ahead for the dry season and around Thai public holidays, and expect to pay a premium near a Full Moon date if you are going anywhere near Koh Phangan. Outside those windows you can often arrive and choose. Read the cancellation terms, and check whether the rate includes breakfast — bundled it is usually cheaper than bought.