SIAMSMILES

Location Evergreen resort Chaweng beach, Koh Samui is a medium sized resort. There are rooms in the main building and bungalows near the swimming pool available. The resort is located at a soi just back from the main road in the centre of Chaweng. Because of the location it's just 2 minutes walking to central plaza shopping centre but very quiet. Rooms The rooms are clean and have a large balcony. The bed is a bid on the hard side but enough space for 2 persons. In the corner of the room is a big closet to store your clothes and suitcase. Opposite the bed is a small desk with facilities to make your own cup of coffee or tea and a fridge. A bottle of free drinking water is provided each day. There is also a small TV in the room.  The bathroom is good with enough space to get around and have a nice shower. To get to the beach you'll have to follow a narrow path via a connecting resort. It's about 200 meters through a beautiful garden. Price I

Location Almost opposite the 7-11 at the heart of Sairee beach you will find Simple life resort. It's a fairly large resort with good facilities. All rooms are located a bit from the main street so you will not be disturbed at night by the party people. But still the beach is just a few minutes away! Facilities The hotel has a large restaurant and bar located at the main street. From here you can enjoy your meal or drink while watching the business of the small island. A bit tucked away from the road is the reception area. I was welcomed with a big smile and checking only took a few minutes. Just behind the reception a lush garden hides the swimming pool and the building with rooms. Even though it's a rather big hotel it is quiet.  Rooms The rooms are large and nicely decorated. There is a large double bed, a desk with fridge and a large closet to tuck away your backpack and clothes. The closet had a safe to store v

Location The hotel is located within a two-minute walk to the two train stations - Asoke and Sukhumvit - that connect the BTS (aboveground) and MRT (underground) train systems.  Being in the business district makes it easily accessible for guests to get around the hotel.  Shopping centres such as Robinsons, Terminal 21 and the Emporium are within walking distance, placing shopping, food and entertainment at close vicinity. Venturing further out is made simple by using the BTS skytrain – Siam Central station, which is only four stops away, is linked by skybridges to the Siam Paragon, Siam Centre shopping malls and Siam Square. Just left to the hotel is a great place for food. It's a local restaurant which sells  street food but offer seating under a roof.  The rooms The 102 stylishly furbished guest rooms are spacious and equipped with comfortabel bed, tv and stereo set, minibar with coffee and tea and other amenities. The bed was perfect. It's large and the m

Crocs, crocs and crocs... Spending a few days in Bangkok is fun. The city has a lot to offer to tourist or frequent visitors. Beautiful temples, the royal palace, river cruise or biking around town, you have much choice how to spend your day. But one thing is sure you will be accompanied by a lot of other tourist. So if you want to avoid the mainstream spots and all the crowds try to make a trip over to the  crocodile farm  in Samut Prakarn. How to get there Samut Prakarn is on the outskirts of Bangkok, a bit below Suvarnabhumi airport. To reach the crocodile farm you can take a taxi anywhere in Bangkok. I guess a metered taxi will cost around 300 to 500 bht. A more convenient way is to take the BTS to Bearing station and from there take a taxi which will cost an additional 120 bht depending on traffic. Currently the BTS line is being extended so in the future the last part by taxi will be much shorter causing the trip to get there to be more easy. What to

If you say "diving" and "Thailand" Koh Tao is one of the places in Thailand to visit. Koh Tao is a small island in the gulf of Thailand and famous for its dive spots. Most of these spots are close to the island and in shallow waters so it's the perfect place to get you PADI and explore the ocean. The main beach of Koh Tao is Sairee beach. The place is packed with hostels and guesthouses and lots of places to eat and drink. Every accommodation can hook you up with a dive school so you can get an introduction to diving or enlist in a 4 day course to get your PADI.  Getting your PADI is cheap in Koh Tao. For around 8k to 10k bht you can join a 4 day course which teaches you the basics in diving. And you will explore the underwater world directly. Boats will bring you to diving spots around the island. Lots of coral and fish can be spotted and the water is clear so visibility is great. The below video shows white rock.From the surface y

Bangkok is famous for its nightlife. From high end clubs, sky bars for smaller or bigger wallets, to backpacker cafes and the infamous agogo bars, you can all find it in the city. Not so long ago the American branch of Hooters also opened in Bangkok and they now have two locations in the city. You can find one branch on Sukhumvit soi 4 just opposite of Nana Plaza. The other branch is on Sukhumvit soi 15 near Asoke. Each location has some pretty girls serving drinks and food and at certain times also perform a small group dance to entertain the clients.  The menu mainly list burgers and wings in different sizes and flavors but in general the food is of good quality. Several draft beers can be ordered and another number of bottled beers are available. Also liquor and shots are sold. Patong beach also has a Hooters branch. Last time I visited they had a charity event for homeless children. For a donation the Hooter girls will wash your bike which attrac