A Royal (dis)HHonor: SilkAir Business Class Singapore to Koh Samui

What would you say is better silkair (Singapore airlines's regonial airline) or dragonair (cathay pacific's regonial airline)

@ Tony -- That's a great question as I haven't actually done Dragonair. My impression is that the SilkAir planes are a bit newer and service might be a bit better, though on their widebodies it seems like Dragonair has much more personal space.

Do you think booking a car through the hotel was needed or where cabs readily available?

@ adam -- The rate was 1500THB (~$50USD), which was actually not much more than a taxi, given that there's a "taxi mafia" of sorts in Koh Samui.

How cool!

"Taxi mafia"? Do you mean union? Prearranged, uniform rates?

Ben- What kind of car was it for $50?

@ John -- I believe it was a Toyota SUV. Quite nice, actually.

@ De -- Sure, you could call it that too, though there's no question it's price gouging.

There are nicer beaches in the Caribbean. Does the absence of international 1st class prevent you from going to the Caribbean? It's almost the same time-zone, friendly folks (not a dictatorship like Thailand), beautiful nature and not very far away.

Taxis are expensive in Koh Samui, but probably not because of a "mafia". It's supply and demand. And fuel can't be cheap on an island.

@EFG: Thai people, in general, are *extremely* friendly. I'm not sure what having a monarch has to do with friendliness.

One example of friendly: My family and I showed up on Koh Pha Ngan after a "grueling" multi-connection trip from the US (OK, most of it was in first class), then taking the bus to the Koh Samui pier, then a ferry to Koh Pha Ngan. We'd told our hotel when we were arriving, but assumed we'd take a tuk-tuk ... but there was a driver, waiting for us with a sign! One of the little things that make a great start to a vacation.

EFG- Thailand is a bargain compared to the Caribbean. You go to the Caribbean during the high season (i.e. the U.S. winter) you get gouged price wise for nice hotels and condos/homes. Further I've yet to discover a whole lot of culture worth going back to in the Caribbean. The last 4 islands I visited were overrun by cruise ship passengers. Yes, I agree there are some nice beaches in the Caribbean, though.

Yes, Koh Samui taxis do not use meters, and are tough negotiators. After several unsuccessful attempts to negotiate a fare, we ended up having to take a covered pickup truck from the LeMeridien to the Conrad Koh Samui. It was pouring rain, and our driver was unable to find the Conrad. When he eventually did stumble across it, he wanted to drop us off at the bottom of the hill. After further review, and perhaps a pang of guilt, he ended up driving us up the hill to the hotel. He was not happy.

@ EFG -- There are a few reasons I go to beaches in Asia over the Caribbean:

-- For me getting there is half the fun, so I *enjoy* the travel experience and also the one night stopovers I can have in cities along the way.
-- I write about the travel experience and maximizing miles and points, and I can demonstrate that much better by going to Asia than the Caribbean.
-- The service in Asia is almost consistently better than in the Caribbean, in my opinion.
-- There are lots more aspirational hotel properties for which points can be redeemed in Asia than in the Caribbean.

Just a few of the reasons...

The Caribbean has no culture of service even at 5* resorts like RC, StR, etc. It's a "no problem mon"/"manana" mentality everywhere. Try getting your room AC fixed in the Caribbean without following up 10 times.

SE Asia service is great for those of us looking to truly unplug and take a break from having to do much...

@Justin, Try Sandy lane in Barbados etc (sorry you'ld have to pay with hard earned money. The Fairmont is pretty decent, even kids free). Sure customer service is "better" in Asia. But you got 12h+ time-difference. You're wasting time just catching up with the time-zone. Tough to "unplug" when you only have a week of vacation, as most Americans have. I understand that "Here" it is more about the journey. Not so much the destination (beyond hotel).

I've not tried Sandy Lane, though I have always paid cash for several high end hotels down there ($400+/nt) and always come away disappointed with the food/service/etc.

I guess I'm a bit biased being self-employed. I have a slow season in January that is basically 2 free weeks off...

I guess I live on Miami beach and the beach is 2 blocks from my house, but I enjoy Ben's travel and products he tried. So keep it up kid.

By the way, Singapore airlines sure needs a new paint livery. It is dated!

For whatever its worth, I've flown Dragon Air many times between Hong Kong and Shanghai PVG and without a doubt the service is the best of any airline i have ever flown

@ Lee

Without listing what other airlines you are comparing it to, your statement doesn't really hold much weight.

"Dictatorship"??? That's a little harsh isn't it? After all, the trip report was about Thailand...not North Korea.

Always enjoy your reports, Lucky. Unfortunately, the SilkAir flight I took from SIN to Cebu last January made old NWA planes look amazing. The interior of this A320 was ancient (therefore no entertainment of any kind), dirty seats/carpet, and the crew wasn't SQ-like in any way (came through twice on 3-hour segment and food was inedible.) Wish I could post a pic here of the plane condition! 🙂

Tried to get reasonably priced taxi for brother and wife, from airport to Maenam. Two companies waiting for disembarking passengers.
1)Bht800
2)Bht700
Walked across street, guy with mini busses did it for Bht400.
Now i will always tell anybody to just walk past these rogues as you walk out, 100 mtrs across the road you can get a reasonable deal.

Are there business class check-in counters for Silk Air (for the flight back from Koh Samui to Singapore)?
Thank you!!

@Dani
There are business class check in counters at USM

Basically taxi pricing to and from hotels to airport is mostly preset and expensive, even if you are close. But expensive there is not really much... if you are staying somewhere close to the airport like Chewang or Bangrak then you are likely to pay around 400-500baht which is about AU $20. Over there it's a ripoff as most thai on the island make this much in a whole day. Anyhow that's how it is.

Getting a taxi anywhere else is usually a lot cheaper and contrary to popular belief most of them do have meters. It will say "taxi meter" on the car taxi light on top of the car so they are easily recognizable. Just always make sure they turn the meter on! lol And always confirm "taxi meter" with the driver first so they know you are onto it.

However, sometimes late at night they will refuse to turn it on so be careful... they will try to extort you so put you negotiating hat on and counter with 1/3 of their price then settle at half or start walking away. They always would rather have some business than none! You just need to play the game with these guys. Oh yeah and always count your change and agree on a price first (if there's no meter).

I love thailand and have been there many times but taxi drivers are pretty much at the lowest level of integrity over there so be vigilant, especially if you have been drinking. They will also try to sell you drugs (which are not drugs) so be careful!

I always hire a bike, problem solved!