Hey, how about this technology!! I am in the final stages of arranging our long summer holiday to go sailing in Phuket via Cebu and Bangkok, we leave this coming Monday and I still have heaps to do.
This trip is a bit different as I am going with Liz and our 2 children Kate and Maddy, unlike most of my previous travels which I have done either alone or with my brother and friends. So the arrangements have to be right, good quality accomodation (meaning expensive) and much flying (minimal bus travel) We are meeting Allan and Helen in Phuket (Liz's brother and friend from Australia) and they are sailing with us and staying until Koh Samui. We are also looking forward to meeting Louise in Thailand after not seeing her for 6 months.
I have done everything using the internet from our apartment in Taipei where we are based for 2 years, had a couple of problems trying to change airfares booked on budget airlines (Cebu Pacific has been impossible to change because I have been totally unable to contact them)
I have used the following airlines and found their internet booking page to be good, relatively easy to navigate round and very quick to confirm airfares booked and paid for:
Cebu Pacific, AirAsia, Eva Airlines, Jetstar, Qantas
Its taken hours of reading travellers comments and reviews to enable me to pick good hotels, lucky I have had plenty of time. I will let you know how we go, how the reality compares to the internet reviews but in my previous travels I have yet to be disappointed with my choice of a hotel or guest house. Again, my needs have been modest until now so it will be good to stay in more up-market accomodation. OK, so Big John's in Bangkok was not quite as good as I thought it might be but for the price was OK.
I have chartered a yacht from Elite Yacht Charters in Phuket, its a Bavariar 42, a few years old but looks good in the photos sent to me and has all the kit I need to safely spend 7 days cruising around the Andaman Sea. We pickup the yacht from their base in the Phuket Boat Lagoon Marina on June 15 and have to return it by 12 pm June 22. Open the link below and find bareboat charters
http://www.elite-sail-dive.com/
After that we are going to Krabi for a couple of days on our way to Koh Samui and back to stay with Tim at The Akwa Guesthouse. Have a look at the link below.
http://www.sawadee.com/hotel/TH_samui_akwa.html
After a week in Koh Samui we are meeting Lou in Bangkok, back to Samui, back to Bangkok, across to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia before Lou and Kate go back to OZ, Liz, Maddy and I are off to The Philippines; Boracay and Puerto Galera Sabang where Mad is going for her scuba diving licence.
I'm feeling tired thinking about it, but it will be worth it I hope.
Next story will be after arrival in Cebu and after we have found our way by taxi, bus and tricycle to The Beach House in Baybay Antipolo in the north of Cebu island.
