|
Surat Thani
|
|
|
Uninspiring
SURAT THANI
, often shortened to Surat, 54km south of Wat Suan Mokh, is of use only for its long-distance transport connections and as the main jumping-off point for trips to Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan. Most
buses
to Surat Thani arrive at Thanon Taladmai in the centre of town, either at Talat Kaset I on the north side of the road (local buses) or opposite at Talat Kaset II (long-distance buses). Buses from Bangkok and Hua Hin arrive at a terminal 2km southwest of the centre. The
train station
is at Phunphin, 13km to the west, from where buses run every ten minutes between 6am and 7pm and share taxis leave when full (B40 per person or B100 to charter the whole car). You can buy boat tickets to Ko Samui and Ko Pha Ngan from the train station, including a connecting bus to the relevant pier. A minibus (B70) connects Surat Thani airport with the town centre, or you can buy a combination express boat ticket (B280) to Ko Samui; minibuses to the airport leave from the Thai Airways office, south of the centre at 3/27-28 Thanon Karoonrat, off Thanon Chonkasem (tel 077/272610 or 273355), and the
Wangtai Hotel,
at 1 Thanon Taladmai.
In central Surat, train
tickets
can be booked through Phantip Travel, in front of Talat Kaset I at 293/6-8 Thanon Taladmai (tel 077/272230). Boat tickets are available from Songserm Travel, opposite the night-boat pier on Thanon Ban Don (tel 077/285124-6), and from Samui Tour at 326/12 Thanon Taladmai (tel 077/282352).
TAT
(daily 8am-4pm; tel 077/288818-9) and the
tourist police
(tel 077/281300) are at the western end of town at 5 Thanon Taladmai. If you want a
hotel
in Surat, try the inexpensive, pokey rooms at
Surat Hotel
at 496 Thanon Namuang (tel 077/272243; under $5), or the better ones at
Ban Don Hotel,
above a restaurant at 268/1 Thanon Namuang (tel 077/272167; under $5). The
night market
sets up between Si Chaiya and Ban Don roads and at Ban Don pier. There is an
Internet
place on Thanon Taladmai, near the bus terminal. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Thailand,
|