To Sunsets4us - Update on accomodation

Hi Lee,

Thanks for your accomodation suggestions. We didn%26#39;t end up with the places you mentioned (they weren%26#39;t offered by the wholesaler our travel agent was using and they had already done HEAPS of work for our big group so we didn%26#39;t really want to take the business away from them), but all this talk about people going in April certainly has made me get organized. We are staying 2 nights in Singapore on the way through. Mostly to avoid that high accomodation price for 31st March. Craig and I have done Singapore a few years ago, but we thought why not show the kids. The zoo IS great and anyway I%26#39;m sure I can force down another Singapore Sling or two!

Anyway, we arrive on 2nd April and are staying at the karona in Karon for 8 nights - this is our ';why not find a cheapish place and stay 3 weeks instead of 2'; hotel. We thought we had the Horizon at Karon, as we had had the quote, but when they put the booking through it was already full. I was a bit disappointed at first, but I%26#39;m sure the Karona will suit us well. After that, we will go up to the Khao Lak Merlin for 3 days to try to do some activities up there (or at least Craig will). it looks so beautiful, that I will probably be happy to spend my time around the pool. From there we travel down to the Patong Merlin for a week. The Merlin Beach did look lovely, But I think after a few remote days in Khao lak, our 16 year old girls will need a bit of shopping right outside the door! None of this is set in stone yet, as we can make changes to our booking over the next week if we want, but I%26#39;m pretty happy with what we have and the price is reasonable.

Have you made all your bookings? Let me know how your plans are going at the moment.

By the way, we have added 3 more to our group, and we are now 29!

Beth

To Sunsets4us - Update on accomodation

Hi Beth

That%26#39;s a really big group. My girlfriend and I stayed at the Amari in Oct 1990 and during brekky one morning, said we%26#39;d come here for our honeymoons. She got married Nov 1991and went to Bali for honeymoon (they are planning 4th trip to Bali as family in 2007). Unfortunately for me I attracted ';toads';, not frogs or princes and didn%26#39;t get married till 2005. Considering my ';good luck'; we started planning our honeymoon for you guessed ';Phuket'; to hear about the Tsanami. I probably would have still pushed to go to Phuket, but at that point we ended up delaying wedding etc for 6-7 months and decided to stay in Oz for stepkids. Hence this is almost my real honeymoon! we are spending our first night in Phuket at the Amari and then fly to Samui next day.

My youngest stepchild (son) is 18 on the 18th this month and I wish he had the maturity to be coming with us is some ways, however I have enough trouble trying to work out where to stay and what to do for just us two old fogies, let alone adding a knowledgeable teenager to the equation. I totally understand where you are coming from with trying to choose the right accommodation to suit everyone.

I%26#39;m hoping we can get up to Khao Lak for the day, still may even try and squeeze an overnight, but not sure if doing justice to that area.

Lee

To Sunsets4us - Update on accomodation

Hi Lee,

I%26#39;m looking forward to meeting you, and hey, even if you don%26#39;t get to Khao lak this time, there%26#39;s always next time! I would like to go to Koh Samuii, but you can%26#39;t do everything in one trip, or your%26#39;e always packing up and moving, which just isn%26#39;t so relaxing. So perhaps that will be a ';next time'; thing for us. Phuket does seem to be one of the least expensive O/S trips you can do from Australia now, especially when you live in Adelaide and the airline departures are limited.

Anyway, I%26#39;m sure it will be fantastic, no matter what we do. I%26#39;m just glad it looks like our accomodation is sorted out. Time to concentrate on other stuff now.

Cheers, Beth