How to Rent a Car and Driver in India

We’d like to share our experience, and a few of the stories we learned about renting a car and driver from our two week tour of Rajasthan. Like arranging other things in India, it is not always as simple or easy as you may first imagine.

There is no one solution to meet every individual’s needs, so we’ve outlined the main car rental options.  Here are some travel tips about hiring a driver and or car based on our recent trip.

Is it best to book my driving tour in advance of arriving in India?

It depends what your budget is and how long you plan to be with your driver. We think the lower your budget and the longer your trip the more it makes sense to meet your driver and negotiate the costs in India. There are no shortage of cars, drivers and companies offering this service in the major cities of India.

If your just spending seven days in India for the trip, and you’re not overly concerned about the cost, then booking in advance with a reputable company before your arrival is probably the most sensible option as this will save you time. We think paying the premium of booking with an established reputable tour operator is highly recommended for peace of mind in this situation.

Travel Planning Essentials: Decide on your India Driving Itinerary

Firstly, do your research and decide on how long you want your tour to last and where you want to visit by car. You can just do a quick tour of the main golden triangle cities, or decide to do this at a more leisurely pace over a week. You can quite easily visit the major cities of Rajasthan in 10-11 days by car, but this is quite intense and if for whatever reason you want to stay an extra couple of nights in certain places this doesn’t allow for much time.

We took a 14 day trip which allowed us to stay longer in places we  liked; you can see our Two Week Rajasthan Driving Itinerary here.  Once you’ve decided on the route for your road trip its best to get some quotations.

Is it worth hiring a car to drive to Varanasi?

If money and time are no issue then why not include Varanasi on your driving schedule.  Although we don’t really see the point as its relatively easy get to Varanasi by either flying, bus or train and think that driving their doesn’t represent much value. Varanasi itself is best explored on foot, cars not being able to access the central ghat areas.

A few Questions to ask when renting a car and driver in India?

• Does the hire charge include all parking fees, road toll fees, and fuel (this is usual)
• What happens if the car breaks down or my driver falls ill (how long to get a replacement car/driver)
• Does the tour include entrance fees to any particular sights (some companies offer “free” safaris, and entrance to places like the Taj Mahal)
• When do I have to pay? Some companies will ask for full payment upfront, we think it is best to pay part of this in instalments throughout the trip so if you are dissatisfied you’re more likely to be listened to.
• How long has the driver worked for the company and being driving? Experience counts.
• Does the fee include all the drivers food and accommodation (this is most common, just check as you don’t want to be worrying about your driver)
• Check insurance details are adequate
• Check the age and model of the car (they will all claim to be brand new, but this may not be the case in reality nor should it be if you are opting for the Ambassador)

Beware if a quote is too cheap, it probably isn’t good news. The person or company may have another plan for parting you from your cash!

Should I include hotel accommodation in my India driving tour package?

If you’re using a tour operator or company that specialises in driving tours then you will usually be asked if you want to include accommodation into the package. Theoretically, the tour operator should be able to negotiate good room rates with hotels and pass some of these savings on to you.

Again, if money is not an issue and you decide to book in advance, ask for the names of the hotels and check out the hotel reviews and prices on-line. If you’re not satisfied with the standard of accommodation or the price, get the company to change your itinerary before paying. Check the location also, as many of these hotels maybe located in isolated places where you are forced to use the restaurant and bars at exorbitant prices.

In our experience, we think it is best to select the hotel yourself on arriving at the destination. You can negotiate room rates in person and make some great savings. Equally important is your own ability to check out the facilities before check-in.   However, make it clear from the onset that you will be selecting all the hotels based on whatever your budget for accommodation is before selecting a driver. Your driver will expect and want you to stay at his recommended establishments, as he will receive a commission.

Where can I hire a car and driver to tour Rajasthan?

Most people start their tour from either New Delhi or Mumbai. Here you will find many companies offering India car and driver tour packages. Also enquire at the many travel offices located in these big cities, and hotel travel desks, do this independently after some research. Remember most things in India work on a commission basis, which is not always clear, and nothing is ever free in India. People will not hesitate in being able to offer you a package, but always negotiate on price, and seek recommendations from a reputable source.

Driving in India is chaotic, for that reason it’s probably best to hire an experienced driver that is used to the road conditions than attempting this yourself.

Which Car to Hire?

Based on our limited research we found modern cars to be much cheaper than hiring the older type ambassador cars.  However, after test driving a few around Delhi and being old romantics we went for the Ambassador,  we didn’t regret this choice one bit.  The car suffered two minor problems whilst on our tour, which were quickly rectified and did not inconvenience us. We would not hesitate hiring an ambassador to tour India again, as we were very impressed with the comfort levels for two passengers

For larger groups minibuses and people carriers can also be rented.

The most popular time for taking a tour by car is in winter, particularly over the Christmas period. As the temperatures do not get exceptionally high we think that windows provide ample ventilation and we didn’t use air-con once.

Things to consider before you hire a chauffeur in India

If you have time to interview drivers after you’ve made a short-list from the quotes you received. Ask several to do a half day tour of the city you are in, in the car you’ll be touring with. You can do three tours in a day and pick the best car and driver. It is very worthwhile taking a day or two to arrange this and will significantly increase the enjoyment of your trip.

Make sure you can communicate with your driver, in your chosen language. Before interviewing several drivers we were told they all spoke English, this just wasn’t the case, and communication is very important when you are spending a considerable amount of time with a person. I heard a story were one guy kept saying to his driver “too late…. too late” so the driver kept accelerating. In the end the client had an accident, he was actually saying to his driver “toilet” but he didn’t understand or had the ability to communicate this misunderstanding.

Ensure your driver doesn’t use his horn excessively; this could potentially send you mad and would suggest the driver doesn’t have that much road experience.

Trust your instincts, if you’re not comfortable with your driver, chances are things will only deteriorate as time goes on.

India Taxi Driver Scams

The word scam maybe a bit harsh as no real malice is intended, just a desire to get a bit of cash from ‘rich’ foreigners.  Here are some common practices employed by the drivers.

You will be taken to your driver’s home to meet his family, and share in a meal or get a henna tattoo, the variations are endless.  We refused, but our driver said he needed to pick up his laundry at 8am, and breakfast was waiting for us. All drivers do this, some people offer money for the meal, or give the family money to help with school fees, or enhance their tip as they have bonded with the driver’s family etc. Others view this as pure emotional blackmail and give nothing. Whatever your own view, there are many people who struggle for money in India, but the luxury chauffeur taxi drivers don’t fall into this category and the overwhelming majority are extremely affluent compared to many here.

Small alterations to your itinerary can lead to excessive charges by some unscrupulous drivers or companies. Check and agree prices before making any changes ideally agree these before the start of your trip.  A driver may suggest an extra destination or small detour, always ask the cost.

Clearly state when hiring a driver your accommodation requirements and that you will not be using his recommendations. Otherwise you will end up paying vastly inflated prices, with substandard food and service and high mark-ups. Drivers earn massive commission and it really isn’t good value as the hotels rely almost solely on customers brought to their doors by drivers.

Your driver will earn commission on everything, although this is not known by many tourists. If you ask your driver to take you for a massage it will be substandard. The obvious place is shopping.

Don’t go shopping with your driver, unless you are very kind or have deep pockets. Our experience was that the products were poor quality, offered at the most ridiculously inflated prices whether this be for jewellery, bedspreads, rugs, clothes, cushions, or whatever. The driver will usually get a few hundred ruppees just for taking you and then anything from 20-30% of what your spend.

Roadside refreshments and restaurants are again of a poor quality.  The driver will tell you he needs to eat and gets free food, the prices are again ridiculous by Indian standards, taxes, services charges, and everything else will be added. We refused to eat and drink in these places, but were happy for him to get his fill.  We did offer to buy him lunch but he said he would get food poisoning and told us some horror stories. We have not any food poisoning the whole time we have been in India. Don’t fall for it – it’s all about commission, and your driver has adequate allowance provided for. What they choose to spend their allowance on is up to them.

There is nothing some drivers won’t try to sell you (including themselves) just be careful!

Some more India travel tips from our tour

• Get a WiFi Internet sim card. It may be a hassle at first but access to the internet when looking for hotels or things to do from the back seat of the car during long journeys is very useful.
• Guides, most often they aren’t needed at the main tourist sights in Rajasthan. However, if a place is very large or complex such or your on an extremely time critical itinerary, clearly set your price before starting a tour and the price is for everybody in your group. Don’t buy tickets from guides.
• Keep your entrance tickets after visiting places. Never place in the box or return, or give to anybody, especially not children. These tickets are resold and remember the children are being exploited doing this work.
• A lot of hotels work on a 24hr room fee basis so if you check in at 3pm your room is paid for until 3pm the following day, no late checkout fees. So if you dont need the room for 24hours use this to negotiate a lower rate.
• Never discuss any plans in front of your driver about purchases, prices  or changes, it will give them time to scheme before you have finalised your plans!

Driving Around Rajasthan is a Great Experience

Having said all of the above, we didn’t get  ‘scammed’ by our driver, although it was sometimes tiresome thwarting his never ending quest for commission.  We became friends with him, as most do, when spending many days with their driver.   Many are oblivious to the workings of the drivers, and quite frankly don’t care.  However, if like us, if you have a very limited travel budget, some of the tips offered above should make for a smoother journey.

We would recommend this tour as a great, cost effective and efficient way to experience the undeniable delights of this part of India. Would we do it again, of course we would.

If you want to read about our Rajasthan car and driver hire experience have a look at these blogs.

Useful Travel Resources for Planning a Trip to India

India Mike is a comprehensive and useful forum about all things India.

The Lonely Planet has an active travel community with relevant information relating to planning a trip to Rajasthan.

I guess the first trigger was a trip John and I took back in 2000 to Israel – the year of the millennium bug end of the world scenarios. In a year of relative calm in this much troubled spot on the globe we had the fortune of having a friend who was living in Tel Aviv and invited us over to visit. We ummed and we ahhed – hitherto our travels had been confined to a package holiday and the safety and security of Uncle Thomas Cook or Aunty Air tours – but finally made the decision to go.

In the space of three weeks, as a new Millennium dawned we had experienced the joys of semi-independent travel for the first time (having the crutch of our much traveled friend at the end of a phone line in the same country made the risk/reward ratio so much easier to deal with) and planted into our memory some significant ticks on the things to do before you die. Highlights from memory include:-

• Understanding for the first time what Jerusalem is all about, its complexity, its tension and most of all its fragility, and that it in no way reflects your impressions from watching news or reading about it in print for the last 20 years
• Travelling on Egged buses with Israeli soldiers who look about 12, but whom you are obliged to respect because they all have M16’s tucked under their seats
• The desert rest stop on the Jerusalem/Eilat bus journey where for the first time in my life I saw what a truly magical sight a sky full of stars can be without the interference of man-made light
• Welcoming in the new Millennium on a Kibbutz, overlooking the Kinneret
• Floating in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on land on this globe we call home

The Homemaking Years

That was that and we came back having had a little taste of something very different, slightly frightening but at the same time invigorating. The next few years were a mix of domestic bliss, career building and financial planning, with a relocation from London back up north, and a decision to build a holiday home in France which meant that long distance travelling was put on hold for a while exploring France and Spain around our newly acquired European real estate.

In the latter half of the decade we went and did India Lite. A safe, less challenging introduction in the form of Goa and came back with a deep desire of wanting to see more – whenever we could find the time…

Then in 2009 we did a three-week flashpacking splurge around Asia taking in taster sessions of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bali and Thailand. Here we met people who gave up work and went traveling; and the idea of doing it for more than two or three weeks a year began to rekindle those thoughts of further more satisfying travel. I also started to write a blog for the first time on this trip which added a whole new dimension to our travels. It starts to make you look harder, appreciate more, and delve that little deeper into the soul and listen to the heartbeat of the strange unfamiliar place in which you find yourself.

Welcome Beelzebub

And so you find that a little devil (lets call him “Possibility“) has entered your head and then begins to make you question what you are doing, why you work so hard, worry about your investments and pensions and slowly but surely this little bugger starts to get you to look at many of those life’s ‘givens’ differently.

He makes you ask yourself why you are buying things that you don’t really need , why you are saving for products that you may feel are essential in the future, why you are working out how much you will have in pensions in twenty years time when you reach your retirement date. Only to allow you to afford the best Saga holidays, cruises, Zimmer frames, or the highest specification mobility scooter when you reach whatever retirement age the government has decided is fiscally prudent at that time.

Then ‘Possibility’ plants the next seed in your mind. What if you don’t get there intact to enjoy it? What if you do but your mental faculties mean you can’t remember how much you’ve got in the bank; or your dodgy knee/hip/heart means you can’t get up the airline steps onto the plane anymore? So then you start seriously thinking about the possibilities of actually doing it and lo and behold what do you find on the internet. That Possibility has been a very busy Devil indeed, and he has convinced many to actually do it; and no they are not all hippies/twenty somethings/gap year ganja dudes who have never held a proper job in their lives. You also find (ex/current) professionals, singles, couples, 30/40 year olds – some of whom tag their kids along too and then return refreshed and re-invigorated back to the lives they left months/years before.

Some go back to what they did, others find new work paths to tread and some decide just to keep on traveling and see what happens next. So you read all of these and get inspired then another Devil makes an appearance and nudges “Possibility” out of the limelight for a while (lets call her “Reality“). She then devises a whole list of questions and challenges for you to deal with

• You are going to ruin all those years of careful financial planning What about leaving your family, friends, your’e just being selfish
• Your’e giving up a nice car, a well paid job and a lovely home
• What about that new BMW you promised yourself when you were 45
• Who do you think you are having these crazy ideas at your age – you’re not 25 anymore
• What if you get ill while you’re in some godforsaken place
• What if you get mugged and lose your passport and all your money
• You’ll never get a job when you get back you know – not at your age
• Three weeks a year flash-packing is enough for anyone, stop being greedy
• Stop trying to run away from reality just because it got a bit tricky for a while

So you retire to bed with all Reality’s advice swimming around your head and you come to the conclusion that she is in fact right and what the hell were you thinking of. So you satisfy yourself that for a brief moment you had a dream, but it was fanciful and thank god Reality was there just in time to stop you doing something truly silly. You get back on the treadmill of work, eat, sleep, shop and you have the satisfaction that you at least thought about it for a while, well that’s brave enough isn’t it?

Then a few days later who should come knocking at your conscience but your old friend Possibility, and this time he’s angry and has brought with him his friend ‘Regret’ and these two little diablo’s do a double act on you. He hands the floor to Regret and he starts with a few questions and challenges of his own.

• Imagine all the amazing things you could see in a year in all those fantastic places
• You will never have the time to see all of those before you get really old; even with your generous leave allowance from work
• Imagine having the freedom, and time to get underneath the facade of the tourist trail in those places and see real life and real people, warts and all
• If you don’t do it now and you get ill in later life imagine how you will feel then that you missed your chance
• Imagine meeting fellow traveller’s who have the same outlook as you and finding out about their experiences, background and stories; both the ones that will become friends and those that you can’t wait to shake off
• Imagine having the time to think, to write, to feel life, not just go through the motions – who knows you may find something out about yourself you didn’t know

Then he goes in with the sucker punch and rattles off a few of those philosophical clever quotes by clever people, because he knows I am a mug for them, he starts with a sustained assault on the reality of travel, but knows that this will excite me

“Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off-balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.”
Cesare Pavese

Then goes in low with with his signature assault, tapping into the ‘what if you don’t’ dilemma

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

Then when I am down floundering on the ropes and he knows he has me, he goes in for the fatal blow

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” Mark Jenkins

It may seem a bit cheesy including these in this blog, but I think they succinctly encapsulate the reasons to do this crazy thing in which I have taken nearly 2000 words to stumble over my own agonising mental acrobatics towards the decision.

Decision Made

So the first part of the journey is already over, before even leaving the safety and security of my home comforts. My mind is already traveling even if my body is not yet on the road. We therefore end a number of weeks, months and years of procrastination, and by now you know who won. It is no longer a matter of if, just a decision of when. Reality really didn’t stand a chance against Possibility and Regret did she?

Postscript – I have listed a few of my favourites blogs at the end of this entry that over the last few weeks have helped to cement my decision to get up off my workaholic backside and actually get on with this, I have dipped in and out of many more, but these I have completed their whole journeys’ with them.

They have all inspired me in different ways that they will never know; showing the highs, the lows and the sheer excitement and opportunity that travel allows you to experience.

• http://www.yearinthelife.org/ – Steve was the first blog that I read and allowed me to begin to think seriously that we could do this
• http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/LivingTheDream/ – Ben is still going strong two years since setting off and has had his fair share of ups and downs
• http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog/byrnedm/thehoneymoon/tpod.html – This is one of my favourites, the blogger is witty, informative and gives a real insight into the realities and frustrations of long-term travel
• http://reasontowander.com/2006/11/no-2/ – Sloan and Amy’s trip blog is low on practical tips of travel but soooo makes up for it by capturing the pay offs and highs of what travel does for the soul. He’s a great photographer too and has a writing skill to envy.

We know that travellers wallets come in all shapes and sizes, the honeymooners wont give a hoot about costs and the backpackers will be counting every bean. Here our focus will be on the flashpacker budget. As flashpackers we make sure we are getting value for money and seek out the best deals on a sensible budget in any given location.

We were travelling in March and April 2015 and at that time we were getting around 45 – 48 Thai Baht to the pound (or around 30THB to the US dollar).

Ko Lipe is one of the most expensive islands we stayed on but given that everything you consume on the island has to arrive by boat (often on packed overladen longtails) you can expect to pay a premium for the additional transport costs.

Getting To and From Koh Lipe

Ko Lipe has no airport so its a sure bet that you will be arriving by speedboat or ferry from one of the more northern Thai Islands of Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta or from the south from the Malaysian Island of Langkawi

We arrived on Lipe from Ko Lanta taking the Satun Pakbara speedboat

This service collects passengers from the following destinations towards Ko Lipe

• Ko Lanta
• Ko Ngai
• Ko Muk
• Ko Kradang
• Ko Bulon

Our ferry tickets from Lanta to Lipe cost 1800 THB each. This is a little cheaper than the advertised rate online but was the best we could do haggling with the travel booth at Saladan pier. There was a slightly cheaper option on the slower ferry offered at 1500THB, before negotiation, but this would have made for a longer journey. The speedboat will get you from Lanta to Lipe in just three hours.

We left Lipe to Langkawi and managed to get this speedboat ticket for just 700THB which was around 100BHT cheaper than everywhere else we tried.

Food Costs on Koh Lipe

If you want snacks wander up Walking Street that links sunrise and pattaya beaches and you can grab a large slice of pizza, a filled roti or some barbecued chicken for 80 to 100 THB.

If you eat at one of the local restaurants and stick to single plate dishes of pad thai or fried rice or noodles or tom yam soup you can get tasty dishes for around 80 – 120 THB per plate. If you want to add a prawn dish or a curry you will pay 120 – 150 for these and add a bowl of sticky or boiled rice for 20 THB more.

On our last night stuck to the basic restaurants but went mad on the barbecue with a whole squid, two huge tiger prawns, a crayfish and three small crabs with a fried rice and two bottles of Chang beer and the whole bill came to just 780 THB. Not bad for fresh seafood cooked to order.

Western themed restaurants will serve you fresh pizza pasta, burgers and other home cooked meals, but you will pay around 200 – 300 THB per dish for these home European treats.

For breakfast you can get eggs and toast done to your liking with coffee and a fruit juice thrown in for around 120 THB

Koh Lipe Drinks Prices

Whether you like a cocktail or two, a refreshing beer, or want to get one of your five a day with a fruit juice you’ll have no problem finding a drink on Ko Lipe to satisfy your tastes and alcohol intake levels

Can of soft drink

Bar 40THB – 7-11 or local store 25THB

Small Can/Large Bottle beer

Bar 70/130 – 7-11 or local store 30/90

Fruit Shake

Bar/Restaurant 60THB – Street cart 30-40THB

Iced/Hot Coffee

Bar/Restaurant 60THB – Street cart 30-40THB

Cocktails

There is a goof little 100THB cocktail bar on walking street that will mix any of your favourite cocktails for, you guessed it, 100THB, they are not the strongest and are made with local spirits, but do the trick and are served in plastic glasses without too much fuss. The Tom Yam cocktail with vodka, lemongrass, ginger, chilli and kaffir leaves is a must.

Move to one of the more trendy bars on walking street and you will pay 150 – 200 for a cocktail in a fancy glass with garnish and some smooth tunes and a relaxed atmosphere. We liked Mellowmango the barman’s mixing is professional, his enthusiasm is infectious, he has a good playlist and also does happy hour from 6-8pm where you will get 20% off your drink bill.

For the budget traveller you can get a 750ml of local thai whisky (Hong Thong) for 290THB at the local supermarket (7-11 is more expensive) and a bag of ice for 20BHT take it down the beach and make your own drinks party on a budget.

Accommodation

If you want to stay on the best beach (Sunrise) you have a choice depending on your budget requirements and comfort levels.

We stayed at the Gipsy Resort in a bungalow with basic facilities (cold shower, toilet, fan and your own terrace overlooking the sea) for 950THB per night. More plush bungalows will set you back and extra 500THB per night (for this you will get aircon and more plush facilities). If you want all mod cons and a proper hotel room you will be looking at 2500 – 5000THB per night for the likes of the Wapi or Akira Resorts.

If you dont want to be on the beach just off walking street you will find comfortable rooms from 700THB per night.

Cigarette Prices

Cigarettte prices like everything else on Lipe are more expensive. In the 7-11 you will pay around 75THB for a 20 pack of Winston or L&M cigarettes. Buy from one of the local shops and you will likley pay 10BHT per pack more. If you smoke a particular brand and are fussy, bring lots with you as the local brands are all you will find, other than Marlboro’s. Cigarettes are more expensive than in the Bangkok where we were paying around 50THB for the same brands.

Trips and Taxi Charges

You can hire your own long tail boat and captain for the day for around 3000THB but you can pack in up to eight travellers, so this may work out cheaper if you are in a big group. Organised snorkelling trips will set you back around 550THB for a four island tour with a basic barbecue lunch thrown in.

The island is small and you will not need to use transport to get around except for when you arrive laden with your luggage.  Trips in the motorcycle and sidecar taxis are a fixed price of 50THB per passenger.

Massage on Koh Lipe

If your planning on visiting Malaysia, after Thailand, then take advantage of the comparable low spa and beauty treatments. While massage costs are a little higher in Koh Lipe than other places around Thailand, they are still relatively inexpensive. We had a combined Thai Massage, Pedicure and Manicure which took 2 hours for 500THB. One hour Thai massage will set you back 300THB.

Flashpacking Around Ko Lipe

In our next travel blog post you can find out what we thought about Koh Lipe and what we got up to on this wonderful little Thai Island.

Ko Lipe is not one of the cheapest Thai islands to visit, (we found Ko Lanta about 25% cheaper) , but its location, laid back atmosphere and sublime snorkelling more than make up for the slightly higher costs you’ll pay here.

Note that the island gets much busier at weekend when the Thais take their long weekend breaks here.

[See image gallery at flashpackatforty.com]

We knew that we mostly wanted a foodie experience on our first island of this trip so we located ourselves smack bang in Saladan, the islands main town. It is also host to some of the best restaurants and nothing is more idyllic than munching your way through the Thai restaurant’s menu and sipping a cocktail on one of the many pier restaurants on the top of the island. So that’s what we did for the first few days of our Lanta experience.

However, we soon had the urge to see more of the island and sample some of the beaches further away from the main town. It was coming to the end of the season and John managed to negotiate a fantastic deal on scooter hire from our hotel, the Lanta Residence. For 200 Baht (about £2/$3per bike) we managed to grab ourselves a scooter each for the day to set out and explore.

You can see our trip in condensed form in the video below or read on for our guide.

Manchester vs Liverpool

The hotel had an array of bikes to choose from but two stood out. Each was liveried in the colours and emblems of the football teams of Manchester United and Liverpool. With us being from those respective cities we asked for those two for our day trip. Alas it was not to be, the Liverpool one wasn’t working at the moment, bit like the team itself I thought, but kept it from myself lest I get John in a grump before we had even set off.

We hadn’t ridden scooters (or ATV’s) since our Santorini experience a couple of years back so we set off around the north end of the island first to get used to our bikes before setting off on the main roads

Kaw Kwang Cape and Beach

This area was a good fifteen to twenty minute walk from our hotel in town, but took us just a few minutes on the scooters. While not one of the biggest beaches on the island it is rather beautiful and you really get two beaches for the price of one each side of the strip of land that forms the cape. The Cape is blessed (or cursed depending on your point of view) with one of the upmarket hotels on the island – Crown Lanta resort and Spa. The beaches thankfully are free and certainly when we were there were both pretty deserted.

No doubt the Crown guests were sipping cocktails by the pool – lucky buggers. However, if you want a pretty deserted beach to yourselves close to the town this would be our pick.

Once we were confident on the scooters we headed back to Sala Dan town and joined the main road heading down to first Klong Dao beach.

Khlong Dao

The main roads around this long stretch of beach will give you plenty of choices to eat sleep and drink here they were packed along the whole stretch. Good place for the flashpacker and the budget crowd to congregate. The beach here was long (around two miles) and quite busy even through we were nudging into the low season.

Long Beach or Haad Phra Ae

As Khlong Dao recedes in your rear view mirrors you scooter around a small cape and enter the Long beach area of Lanta. Probably the most famous of Lanta’s beaches, probably because of its simplified name. Its official Thai title is Haad Phra Ae and its northern end is the most packed full of accommodation and restaurants, as you head further south the beach becomes more rocky and the establishments fewer and farther between giving the beach a feeling of peace despite the many places that line its shore.

We headed as far south as Khlong Khoang beach and Baan Phu stopping to take a peek at these smaller quiter beaches before heading across the island towards Lanta Old town. If however you continue further south you will discover more quieter and secluded placess to lay your towel.

Getting to Lanta Old Town

Its around 10 kilometres to Lanta Old Town of windy road through the centre of the Island after you leave the main beach road at Caipi. The roads are reasonably quiet, but there are some steep curvy bends to negotiate, so ease of the throttle for these ones. The scenery is pleasant and you pass through some small villages and lots of rainforest on your way to the east coast and south to Lanta Old town itself.

Beware of the monkeys though John nearly had an argument with a couple as they failed to use the Monkey green cross code when deciding to cross!

Lanta Old Town

The town itself is small and peppered with restaurants and a few hotels and cabins. The wooden houses that line the main road are built out into the sea, so you enter the small unassuming doorways and end up 100 meters over the water by the time you have sat down to take a drink or bite to eat.

The town was originally a Sea Gypsy settlement and later became and important port and commercial centre for the island inhabitants, years before the tourists arrived. The town sports a beautiful Buddhist temple and a useful pier which you can walk out on and view the stilted houses from afar.

You can park your scooter at the entrance and walk around by foot, the place is no more than 150 meters in length.

Scooter Safety in Ko Lanta

Apart from the monkeys there are only two other things to watch out for when biking round the island. Owners of big 4×4 trucks don’t deem it necessary to look behind them for scooters when they open the doors onto the road and we had one near miss until we learned to give them a wide berth. The final danger is the little scooters with a side-car attached that act as island tuk tuks. When the small engines are straining with the weight of the side-car contraption and a couple of fat European tourists and luggage in the side they cant get up much speed so get in your way quite a bit on uphill stretches.

All in all though we found it reasonably safe to scooter round the island. Though we rarely got above 30kph, its best that way you can take in more of the scenery.

Low Season Travel Around Koh Lanta

One of the advantages of travelling outside of peak season is that there just aren’t as many tourists around, which means you can easily find a table in the most popular of seafood restaurants without having to queue, or just rock up to an isolated piece of paradise on a beach.

What we didn’t realize was just how much cheaper everything is towards the end of the season, not only on hotel and accommodation offers, but things like scooter hire, trip bookings and even boat and coach deals for onward travel destinations, such as Krabi or Koh Lipe.

Some Disadvantages to Ko Lanta Off Peak Travel

The first has to be the weather.  We consider ourselves to be fairly well travelled and able to tackle most environments with a little planning and consideration. We are not great fans of air conditioning, a fan will usually suffice, but when temperatures are topping 40 degrees its a basic luxury until you’re acclimatized to the heat.

For our first day in Koh Lanta we decided to treat our pasty white skin to a bit of sun hanging around the hotel pool.  We coated our skin well in a high factor all day sun cream, before leaving our room, following the instructions to the letter.  We took shelter from the fierce midday sun, reapplying different sun creams when we thought necessary, so what could go wrong?

After a few hours of dipping in and out of the pool regularly to cool down we decided to be cautious and return to our room taking the slow approach tanning. Applying some aloe vera moisturiser the damage was evident.  Our skin began to resemble that of somebody who had boiling water poured over them. After many embarrassing musing over how this happened we are still not entirely sure.

Approximately two weeks later writing this on my notepad, my chest still stings resting my tablet on it, not forgetting the layers of skin we are still shedding around Thailand. It’s a bit like the Pringle crisp advert, once you start you just can’t stop.

This occurrence sort of spoilt our experience of Koh Lanta as we were restricted to mostly after dark activities, alas this did not include the infamous mong and monkey bars, and probably wouldn’t have happened if the sun had been so fierce as it is at this time of year.

Another thing to consider when travelling off peak is the frequency of transportation. Some peak time ferry services may not be in operation, or you may have to change your itinerary slightly depending on more extreme weather conditions. However, I don’t think this should outweigh the cost advantages unless you’re on a very tight schedule then more in depth travel planning may be required.

Why are all the bars in Koh Lanta empty?

One slightly annoying problem is that your favourite bar or restaurant just may not be open on any given night, if there just aren’t enough customers. While its great when traveling to experience many different places, its nice to try and establish some relationships with the locals. We do this by returning as regularly as possible to our favourite bar or restaurant once we’ve sampled the smörgåsbord of places on offer.

Our favourite place for cocktails in Koh Lanta was The Fat Pig, next door to Catfish. However, on four consecutive evenings the restaurant bar just didn’t open, no explanation, they’d  just shut up shop. It had been fairly busy the few times we drank there.

There were many quiet or closed well located waterfront venues around the island. Some of the locals said it had been a quiet/bad business season, and they thought this was related to Europe’s economic woes.  My cynicism likens this to some UK farmers, who by all accounts have never made a profit so I sceptically wonder why their family have farmed for generations and they wish for their own progeny to farm?

Although I suspect it has been a quiet season, based on Thailand’s general tourism figures, and possibly a little too much development for the tourist market.  Another reason for patronising the same venue, apart from forming relationships, is that things can get better value, such as bigger portion sizes, better quality ingredients, stronger cocktails, even free drinks.  After returning to one Koh Lanta eatery on more than a few occasions we  received a new menu, identical in every way, just much cheaper prices.  I suspect the two menu practice goes on in many places in Koh Lanta, as it does all around the world. So it can pay off to try and have a local bar and restaurant even when travelling, its just slightly more problematic when travelling off peak season.

Benefits of traveling to Koh lanta out of season

Your major overheads when travelling are accommodation, transportation costs, and excursions. (Food and drink costs can be met nearly anywhere in Thailand whatever your budget).  There is no need to book accommodation in advance, just grab a scooter taxi there are plenty to chose from including a large number of women taxi drivers, and checkout your short-list of places to stay. Just be prepared to barter hard Thai style, and if the price ain’t right, walk away.

We even managed to negotiate the price of the fast ferry down from advertised low season rates. Our biggest bargain was hiring automatic scooters for the day (automatic mopeds cost more to hire, according to some of the Thais we spoke to) for just 100 Thb each including fuel, helmets etc. That’s about £2 or 3 EUR.

Final flash-packing thoughts on Thailand’s Koh Lanta

Koh Lanta is a very family friendly island with pushchairs aplenty and caters exceptionally well for this market.  Although it does cater for the indie traveller with its reggae bars, full moon and speciality jungle parties for the more energetic.

Koh Lanta is undeniably beautiful and has enough to entertain most tastes.  However, your unique experiences inevitably inform your opinion of a place. May be the sun burn slightly overshadowed the islands charms.  We both liked Ko Lanta, and we would return for a day or two en route to somewhere else.  I guess Thailand just has too much to offer and this wasn’t the island for us.

If you want to travel to Koh Lanta and can be flexible and don’t want to experience the islands delights when its in full tourist mode, then consider visiting off peak, if you don’t mind the odd storm and power cut your budget will most definitely go further.

We had filled ourselves on Asian cuisine and got our minds in the rhythm of Asia time and our taste buds back into Asian spices and flavours. We even squeezed in a trip down the river and a spot of market dwelling in Chinatown. But now it was time for some sun and beach but first we had to get there.

Getting Ko Lanta

Ko Lanta is nestled in the Andaman sea and unlike its larger neighbour, Phuket, has no airport so your options for getting there from Bangkok will require at least two or three forms of transport.

You can get trains and buses from Bangkok that will get you to Krabi or one of the other nearby mainland ports from where you can catch a ferry, but given we only had a month on this trip we opted for a speedier flight into Krabi airport and then a minibus to take us the last fifty or so kilometres to the island.

If you want to know what to expect here is our video of the journey:-

There are plenty of flights from Bangkok to Krabi, but Air Asia and Nok Air both offered and all in fare which would not only get you to Krabi airport but also arrange for the minibus to get you over onto the two car ferries that will eventually get you to Lanta Yai. Air Asia’s offering was much cheaper though so we chose that.

We did the research before we left home and the extra cost that Air Asia quoted for the transfer to the island was pretty much what we had read it would cost if you took your chances and hoped to organise the minibus when you arrived. Given it was getting to the end of the season we weren’t sure that there would be many buses touting for trade and you may end up paying for a private transfer at a higher cost. So for £50 each (including luggage costs) we had a flight to Krabi and the connection to Sala Dan town in Lanta. We probably made the right decision as there were no other minibus traders looking for extra passengers when we arrived.

The Air Asia Bangkok to Ko Lanta Transfer Experience

The flight, as has always been the case with Air Asia, was on time with perfect service and landed on time just over an hour after we had left Bangkok Don Muang airport.

From here on in Air Asia’s wonderful customer service experience was left wanting. We had found a useful post from our fellow bloggers withhusbandintow which told us what to expect.

I am glad we found that or it all would have been a little confusing as to what was happening. We were greeted as we emerged from the luggage carousel by an Air Asia representative who crossed our names off the list, applied a non sticky sticker to our arms (which promptly fell off and flew into the wind)and then pointed in the direction of a door where we were greeted by a Thai bloke in shorts and a casual shirt. He turned out to be our driver and pointed us at his minibus.

Our luggage was hurled on the front seats and we joined eleven other travellers who were already aboard a van whose air conditioning was struggling to meet the cooling demands of its passengers. We waited in the van for a further half hour while other planes arrived where the driver was expecting (or hoping) to snag a final two passengers for the Island journey. They never arrived and we were thankful as we had the whole back four seats to ourselves. It would have been an even more sweaty and uncomfortable journey had they been found.

With no information forthcoming from the driver we set off from Krabi and made our way down to Hua Hin pier (which took around an hour) from where we catch the first of our two car ferries. We were on this one within about ten minutes of arriving at the pier and we were allowed out of the van to sit on the viewing platform have a fag and admire the view. Then it was back inside for the land trip across Lanta Noi for our second car ferry to Lanta Yai. The wait was a bit longer for this one and we stayed in the van for this crossing.

We were eventually deposited on the main road in Saladan (not Saladan Pier as advertised on the Air Asia tickets) while the driver earned a few extra Bhat ferrying other passengers direct to their hotels. In the end it didn’t matter to us as our hotel by chance was directly across the road from where we were dumped. But another couple of passengers released from the van were desperately trying to explain to their hotels where they had been left which was not easy when you just arrive n a new place. It would have been much easier if we had been dropped off where we were supposed to.

Flashpacking Thoughts on Air Asia Transfer

From landing in Krabi we arrived on Lanta at just before 4pm which made a total transfer time just short of three hours. I think we were lucky with the ferries and our minibus was almost full as we joined it so we had a much better experience than Amber and Eric had on their journey.

Despite the lack of information the all in package was a great deal and all Air Asia need to do is to either provide a little more information on the ticket as to how long the transfer will take, or get their representative at the airport to explain more and people I think would be much happier with the service.

You let us down a little this time Air Asia, but you are still our favourite airline.

A Taxi and Tuk Tuk free visit to Bangkok

This visit was a temple and taxi free trip, apart from our arrival and departure from Don Muang airport, it’s just quicker and easier in a cab comparing it to the other limited public transport alternatives from Don Muang.  It costs well under 300THB for a taxi from Don Muang airport in Central Bangkok depending on traffic, not including the tolls which you pay if you want to take the highway  (70 THB and 50THB) and you also need to pay 50THB additional fee if exiting from airport.

The other King

The taxi counter at the airport was very busy, and we had to listen to the crazed rantings from a group of drunk Russians shouting in English, the politest being, “The Russians Are Here!” such pride goes before a fall me thinks.

Patpong Night Market

Due to the location of our hotel it was inevitable that we’d encounter The Patpong Night Market aligned by “pussy shows” and hawkers offering you the opportunity of real sex shows every several metres.  We experienced a bit of a thunderstorm and took shelter in the partially covered outdoor market whilst the brief rains passed. The incessant badgering of two white older gents became a little tiresome, but was all very polite and business like, a bit like getting unsolicited phone calls for personal injury claims.

The market itself contains all the usual tourist fodder you’d expect, the majority of which is fake.  Things like watches, t-shirts, jewellery, underwear, electrical goods and trainers.  For the more adventurous there are a bewildering variety of sex toys available, but I wouldn’t go hammering any purchases as I guess they’re probably not fire safe.

I would modestly say that my bartering skills are pretty good, but you shouldn’t waste your time here.  Even if you did want something, the very professional vendors are not going to part with any goods unless you’re prepared to part with some serious wonga.  If you want this kind of stuff, best to head to the MBK centre, and find a vendor that speaks no or very little English, as they won’t be as accomplished in the dark art of sales.

There is also much more choice at MBK and you can quite easily see prices drop significantly when you find the right vendor.  Although it did seem that MBK traders on the huge amount of stalls are working in co-operation and had fixed what the lowest sales price would be to a tourist. Persistence and time do pay off, just remember to walk away if the price isn’t right, there is plenty to chose from.

MBK – Shopping Heaven

One great thing about the immediate area surrounding the Patpong night market are the street food vendors.  All the locals use these pavement eateries, from the market traders to those working in the bars and clubs, and you get some great cheap eats. The variety of Thai food on offer is fabulous and for those wanting something less spicy there are plenty of grilled meats on offer.   Just pull up a crate and eat away.

It was hot and sticky (35 degrees plus) and we thought a quick cruise down the river and a spot of lunch in Chinatown would make for a relaxing day, before once again hitting the bars that come alive after dark in Bangkok.

Getting to Chinatown in Bangkok

Taking the boat isn’t the quickest route, but it has to be the most pleasant.  The most efficient way is by metro going to Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

To catch the boat, our nearest pier was Sathorn.  So we caught the metro from Sala Daeng to Saphan Taksin,  just a few stops and around 24 baht for the ticket.  Its a very short walk from metro, just follow the signs to the pier.  When you get to the pier there are a few different boat options, as we didn’t want to do the touristy thing and go up and down the river with a guide, or go further up the river to visit a temple, we were able to just purchase a one way ticket to get the boat to Ratchawong Pier.

After exiting the pier you’ll come across the thriving little square festooned with shops, tuk tuk and food stalls.  Dont be tempted to much here further treats await in Chinatown proper.

From here the cramped, busy and bustling markets of chinatown are a short five to ten minute stroll along Ratchawong Road.

The narrow walkways of the markets are jam packed and as well as avoiding the hoardes of other shoppers you will need to watch out for the trolley loads of gear and boxes that get transported through the market oblivious of the pedestrians.  You can see what we mean in our video blog of this trip below.

What the market lacks in space it makes up for in terms of the choice goods on offer. You will see less of the tourist offerings here than at Patphong but loads of other stuff to tempt you, even giant cuddly teddy bears if you can squeeze one in your suitcase.

Once you have had your fill of shopping you can turn your attention to filling your belly. Our choice was dim sum and we found a packed restaurant full of locals on the main street.

So in we went and stuffed ourselves full of roast pork, duck and a variety of steamed dim sum washed down with some tea and a Chang to clear our palate at the end.

We were headed to the MBK centre after our lunch so instead of taking the river back we made the ten minute walk to Hua Lamphong metro station to get ourselves back on the transport system.

Our tip is make sure you include this trip in your Bangkok itinerary, it really is a good morning’s entertainment and you get to have a smashing lunch for around $20 too.  If you want to combine this with some temple visits head back to the river instead of the BTS and hop back on a river boat to get you to the nearby temples.

It was definitely quieter though; this could be simply because we are here at a different time of the year or maybe tourism is still struggling a little after last year’s demonstrations.  Anyway from our perspective there is no reason not to visit Thailand.

Hotel Sunflower Place

One thing that our travels have taught us is it is possible to get a good hotel at a decent price with all the amenities you want if you do your research.  That’s how we stumbled upon the Sunflower Place.

It is located right smack bang in the middle of Silom (on a side street off Soi 6).  We had a spacious, spotlessly clean room with air con, a massive fridge, laptop size safe, a decent shower and free water, tea and coffee 24 hrs a day.

The place sits in between the main roads Silom and Thanon Surawong so it remains reasonably quiet given its central location!  The MRT station is a five minute walk (Silom and Sala Daeng BTS Station ) Phatpong Market is even closer and you are within staggering distance from the gay areas of Soi 4 and Soi Twilight (Soi Pratuchai).

All this for £19 ($29) per night for both of us is a steal given the location.  It is run by the owner; a fierce looking granny who seemed at first a little frightening, but this hard exterior hides her businesslike management of the place.  We didn’t need much help from her, but she organised the receipt of our lost baggage without any fuss and even remembered to return our key deposit when we left as I had actually forgot.

There is also Citibank branch near the hotel which is the only bank in Thailand where you can avoid paying the 180 THB ATM withdrawal fee.

After Hours Restaurant

We tend to pick on street food during the day when we are in big Asian cities but we had a couple of meals at a restaurant just round the corner from the Sunflower Place. When we first arrived at the hotel I spotted a good mix of Asian and expats dining there so had my eye on it from that point. They do a happy hour between 6pm and 8pm so you will also save on your drinks bill if you eat at this time

The food proved to be up to the mark. As we’ll as tasting fantastic it was presented with just enough fuss to justify the few baht more you are paying to eat there.  You can also enjoy the added bonus of a pretty decent acoustic singing duo who ‘mostly’ didn’t murder western songs and even brought John to tears (of joy) at her rendition of an Ed Sheeran track.

We managed to munch our way through their tom yam soup (we asked for it a little spicy) and while it had a kick it didn’t blow your head off.  The Peneng curry was mild but beautifully flavoured and the pad thai large and fresh.

After Hours food Bangkok Soi 6

Our second visit we went for Pad Kha Proa, chicken with basil leaves, and was medium spicy, Papaya Salad which despite our asking for little spice this time came with a belt of Thai chilli spicing but tasted fresh and delicious.  The soured spare rib had an unusual taste, not unpleasant though, and was almost too spicy to eat, but we persevered and washed it down with a cool Chang.

We were happy to find these two budget gems in the heart of Silom in Bangkok and they made our stay there practical and enjoyable.

A Great Airport Hotel Experience

Before booking at the Tune Hotel, we did some online research on where to stay for our one night stopover in Kuala Lumpur.  We’ll be ending our month long trip in Malaysia, so we won’t be missing out on another visit to KL. Many of the cheaper budget options didn’t compare, by the time you incorporate taxi charges from and back to the airport.

Checkout our own video from our stay at the Tune Hotel in KL.

Those hotels offering free transfers didn’t seem very appealing, so we decided to treat ourselves at the start of our trip, and booked to stay at the Tune Hotel before our arrival.  We’re glad we did, as our luggage was delayed with KLM, the tune with its facilities and location allowed us to sort everything out as best we could under the circumstances.

Why we loved the Tune Hotel.

A super friendly and quick registration. A great room with everything you need including a lovely hot shower and comfy bed. The room was impeccably clean. First priority to get online and chase luggage, with the faultless WiFi.

We love 7 Elevens, and this hotel has it very own downstairs. A quick bit of shopping for emergency supplies, for some bits and pieces contained in our lost/delayed luggage.

A quick bite to eat and drink in the hotel, I love Malaysian food, yum yum!

Then a quick walk over to all the shops at terminal 2 for some fresh clothes for the morning.
Back to the hotel, a bit of TV and then off to a faultless nights sleep. The hotel even has its own Departure Boards in Reception and Air Asia check in kiosks which was perfect for our flight to Bangkok.
Thanks for everybody at the Tune for a great experience and excellent flashpacking value for money

Getting to the Tune Hotel KL from International Arrivals at KL

Having read about some not so great travel stories, from not necessarily the brightest of people, on how they found it difficult to transfer to the Tune Hotel from international arrivals at Kuala Lumpur airport, I thought I’d point out how simple it is.

No need to get a taxi as some people do, it is this easy.  Firstly, you need to get yourself to KLIA 2 (terminal 2). From the baggage claim, after exiting customs just follow signs to buses. Find a bus with KLIA 2 written on it, or just ask. It costs just 1RM, and takes about 5-10 mins. On arrival at terminal 2 follow signs to hotel, you need to take the elevator to the 3rd or 4th floor, its signposted hotel. Then take the covered walkway to the hotel, less than 5 mins walk. You can take a baggage trolley with you. They also have trolleys available at the hotel.

Back to Travel Blogging

For us travel blogging isn’t just about  documenting our travel experiences, although the old grey matter ain’t what it once was, as it can be fun to look back from time to time over the blog.  We try where possible to include information that other travellers may find useful.  We still receive emails and social media comments from people thanking us when researching their own trips, which is always great.

I follow many bloggers who inspire, amuse or just make me plain jealous when I’m working hard back in the UK.

Useful for this trip so far, to name but two other travel blogging couples, A @HusbandinTow and their Air Asia transfer experience to Koh Lanta (you can read about our transfer in a few posts time, which was good) and @nomadicboys for their Koh Lipe post which resulted in us including this island onto our itinerary. We value the commitment of other travel bloggers and big thanks for their work, otherwise research would be left to the sometimes murky world of professional marketers.