Flying from Australia to Phuket & Best times to travel. Help

Hi There,

I am thinking of taking my wife to Phuket for our 1st wedding aniversary and just have a few questions for all of you knowledgeable advisors out there!!

1) Best airline/way to Phuket from Brisbane Australia. i.e most affordable.

2) Best time to travel there. i.e when is low season. I am thinking early March 07!!??

3) Can you recommend your favourite areas and hotels to stay in the Phuket areas?

4) Are visas and vaccinations required?

I thank you for your suggestions in advance!! : )

Flying from Australia to Phuket %26amp; Best times to travel. Help

Low season is always a great time better prices, quiter beaches, better service. Late March the weather is still great - but prices are dropping all the way until Oct/Nov when they start to rise again.

Flying from Australia to Phuket %26amp; Best times to travel. Help

Thanks Ted, but when exactly is low season?

In terms of most affordable ways to fly ...

Jetstar can be cheap if you get in early while the cheap seats are still there, or while they have a sale. I think they were about $300 cheaper than thai airways when we booked but it probably depends on what deal you can get, because our agent told us it is usually thai that is cheapest...

but that said none of the agents get commission thru jetstar so they don%26#39;t like to book thru them so i don%26#39;t know how true that is!!! If you were interested in Jetstar i would go to their website and look at prices/ availability before going to agent so you know they are telling the whole truth!

Overall thai airways and jetstar are the cheapest we found but depends on who has deals going

Hi Firebucket

I suggest you go to two different travel agents and ask for a package deal then compere the prices. Then jump on the internet and look up Jetstar and Thai airways to see what you can get airfares for, then have a look at sawadee.com and check out accomodation.

As for were to stay Patong is very busy then Karon and Kata are more quieter and laid back

No visas are required and vaccinations are up to you. Theres been a lenghty discussion on vaccinations on this site so you can do a search and read what others had to say about them.

Murf

Hey bucket,

We just came back from Phuket. We caught the end of low season and it was great. Prices were good and crowds were not large.

We flew Singapore airlines and did not have a problem. It included a free stopover in Singapore.

As for locations it all depends on what your after. We stayed at various places to get a feel for the whole island. Patong was good for a party. Karon was good for party but also nice for family and Surin Beach was peaceful honeymoon / luxury sort of deal.

I think a trip to Phi Phi for a overnight is a must. Hongs by Starlight is a must tour and although i didn%26#39;t get to it, Richards Friday night BBQ sounds not to be missed.

No visas or vax%26#39;s from Australia.

Thanks everyone for your valuable info!

Are you aware if any airlines fly direct from Brisbane into Phuket or is it always via Bangkok?

I have found some flights on the Jetstar website Brisbane/Phuket for about $1000 AUD return. Which sounds really cheap to me. Is it?

I would like to arrange the flight and accomodation myself using this website and direct with the hotels over the internet.

Would this be the best way to do it or is it just as cheap and more convenient to utilise a travel agent?

Thanks again legends!

Hi Firebucket,

first of all, low season in Thailand is April to oct. that is for accom.

Air fares vary, My wife ad I are flyinfgJetstar in May, from Bris to Bangkok. We got a cheap fare but have found out that the flight goes via Melbourne making it a long day. The flights to Phuket go via sydney so they are fairly long also.

It depends on whether you want to save money or have a quick flight.

We have been to Thailand 7 times and love it, Patong I think is the best place if you are into Bars, Shopping, beaches, and entertainment. It all depends on whether you want romance or excitement.

Hervey

The flight on jetstar is direct ot phuket, but you have to go via sydney! so sorta direct, well from Australia anyway!

The price sounds good...well cheeper than what we paid anyway, jetstar also have packages on their website that are sometimes good depending what they are offerring.

We booked thru a travel agent, but it was more for convience. I think it may have been cheaper to do it ourselves online...it would have def. been cheaper to organise our own transfers, but we just wanted it all done for us... but i think you can def. save money doing it online

Hi Firebucket

We are going 31st March 2007 for 3 weeks. We have booked most everything ourselves via web (first time I%26#39;ve done it this way). Although, we have found that some of the hotels we were interested in do not drop their prices until mid April, 20th April and a few not even until May 1st 2007.

The travel agents keep telling us the accom prices will come out ';soon'; or by 15th of November (originally we were told 15th Oct). According to them prices have gone up by about 8% on the prices quoted in the current brochures. However, they do offer stay 8/pay 5 night deals. I think the booking web sites also offer these, but there is not much available at present for April 2007.

If you are not in a hurry, you could do some searches on the web for the hotels you are interested in and then compare between web site and travel agent, when their prices come out ';soon';.

Hope this helps

Lee

We have just booked Thai Airways for my sister Brisbane- Phuket return for $969 (overnight in Bangkok).

Cathy