Pha-ngan cheapest destination on TripAdvisor list of SE Asia holiday islands
Koh Pha-ngan is the most affordable island for a day out and an overnight stay for Thai travellers, according to "TripIndex Island Sun", an analysis by TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website.
And as a country, Thailand offers the most value for money for island holidays. Five Thai islands are on the TripIndex list of the 10 most affordable.
TripIndex Island Sun is the first ever cost comparison of a day out and overnight stay for two people in 20 key island destinations around Southeast Asia.
The TripIndex is based on the combined costs for two people of a one-night stay in a four-star hotel, a two-course meal with coconut juice, beers and massage, as well as rental of bicycles and snorkel equipment. Costs listed were accurate for the period of September 16 to October 3.
Koh Pha-ngan is the most affordable island with a total TripIndex cost of Bt7,322.50, while Koh Tao takes second place with Bt7,766.89.
At more than three times the cost, Singapore’s Sentosa Island tops the list as most expensive at Bt26,815.17, followed by Langkawi, Malaysia, which totals Bt17,447.09.
In light of the upcoming year-end holiday season, TripIndex Island Sun helps travellers identify where their money goes the furthest, said TripAdvisor spokeswoman Jean Ow-Yeong.
“The biggest driver of costs is the price of hotels, followed by a massage for two,” she said.
While the hotel stay is the most expensive of the TripIndex basket items, the biggest disparity in costs between the least and most expensive destinations lies with the rental of bicycles and snorkel equipment. At a cost of Bt 3,657.69 for the rental of bicycles, Singapore is 18 times as expensive as Thailand’s Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Phi Phi Don (Bt200). Snorkel-equipment rental is not available in Singapore, but the rental of two kayaks costs Bt4,108.64 and is 34 times the cost of the most affordable snorkel-equipment rental on Koh Phi Phi Don (Bt120).
The least expensive average hotel room is priced at Bt3,947.39 in Penang, Malaysia, while the most expensive, at nearly three times the cost, is Palawan in the Philippines at Bt10,649.43 per night.
Although Singapore’s Sentosa Island is the most expensive island in the region, coming out tops in all categories except hotel costs, Malaysia has four islands on the list of 10 most expensive island destinations within Southeast Asia.
