What is the best way of travelling between Hua Hin and Koh Samui?
You can hire a car in Hua Hin and return it car in Koh Samui, once you no longer need one.
Q: Our group of five plans to travel from Hua Hin to Koh Samui. Should we hire a car with a driver from a local tour operator? We'll spend 10 days in Koh then return to Hua Hin. by car with a driver who we will be booking locally. Could you suggest the best way of travelling between these two places? Thank you, Brown
A: It's easy to hire a car in Hua Hin without a driver, as there many car rental companies in town such as Budget, Avis as well as several local ones. You can hire a car in Hua Hin and return it car in Koh Samui, once you no longer need one. This is very straightforward as the renting procedure is the same anywhere in the world. A standard rental rate starts from Bt1,100 per day for a small car. In your case, you probably have to pay for a larger and more comfortable one at around Bt1,500 a day.
If you need a driver, then you need to look for a taxi service. For five passengers plus luggage, it's best to go for a minivan. If you hire one from Hua Hin to a pier in Chumphon, it takes about 3.5 hours and costs around Bt4,000 for a ride including driver and petrol. But if you need a ride to Donsak pier in Surat Thani, which takes about 5.5 hours, it will cost about Bt5,500-Bt6,000. But once you are dropped at the pier, you just have to take a ferry to Koh Samui. It's pointless to ask a taxi driver to drop you on the island, as all you do is sit on a ferry. There are also plenty of taxis on Koh Samui to take you to your hotel.
Alternatively, there are many tour operators in Hua Hin selling all-inclusive tickets from Hua Hin to Koh Samui at Bt1,400 per person (operated by Lomprayah). For day-time travel, you leave Hua Hin at 8.30am and get to Chumphon pier around 1.30pm then take a boat to Koh Samui from there via Koh Tao and Koh Pha-ngan. You will finally arrive in Koh Samui around 4.40pm. on the same day. Hope you find the information useful.
Q: I am going to visit Thailand for the first time soon, and still considering about the best way to use money. Does Thailand have a lot of ATM card skimming problems? If you have any suggestions on using ATMs, it would be great if you can share with me. Thanks for your help! Robyn
A: ATM skimming is a major problem and it's increasing at many tourist hotspots all over the world. Problems have also been reported in Thailand. It's usually operated by multi-national gangs who install skimmer devices and spy cameras on ATMs to encrypt and copy the card data on magnetic strips and see the PIN numbers. That allows criminals to create new cards using the victim's account and withdraw money from ATMs.
The gangs operate at tourist areas, for example Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Chiang Mai and around Ratchadaphisek, Sukhumvit and Siam Square in Bangkok according to the report from Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
If you still want to use your ATM in Thailand, I think it's safe to cash your money at a machine inside the banks. There are many banks located in shopping malls and city centres and security guards are on duty during opening times. Some bank branches in the city centre these days are open seven days a week, so it is easy for you to use the service there.
If you have to use ATM on the street, it's best to find a machine located in a well-lit area with a security cameras installed. Avoid all stand-along machines and be alert for suspicious devices. If you notice some parts that are crooked or a card reader that is a different colour than the rest of the machine, this means something isn't right. You'd be better finding a different one.
If you have problem with using your ATM such as incomplete transaction or a card trapping incident, report it to the police straight away without leaving the machine.
