Since our next day was a travel day, we were up early and out the door, heading for Don Mueang airport.
Although we were only in Bangkok for two “half” nights (arrival after midnight and leaving hotel at 3:30 AM) I was sad to leave the Ibis Nana hotel. Last time I was in Bangkok, I stayed at the Mercure at the Skytrain Stadium stop. It was an extremely nice hotel that I booked thru Delta Perks, a site that offers us airline discounts with certain hotel chains. I absolutely loved this hotel and its location! This time, I decided to try another Accor hotel, the Ibis Nana. The Ibis offers clean, Scandinavian style rooms. Our price was around 30 dollars per night, more than half of the Mercure’s price. Since our stay was short, this seemed like a more reasonable choice.
What I liked most about this hotel is that there are lots of restaurants and bars in the area, so after a long day of sightseeing, you can go back to your room, freshen up and then you don’t have to go very far for a good meal or for nightlife.
Our flight from Bangkok to Surat Thani was booked with Nok Air. There are many discount airlines to choose from and most operate from Don Mueang airport which is closer to the city of Bangkok. Our flight was a steal at $67.
The good thing about booking a flight that departs at 6:10 AM is that there is no traffic at that time of the morning. Our cab driver was not happy when we had him turn on the meter…I suspect that he hoped to charge us a much higher fare than the 300 baht that was showing on the meter when we arrived.Nok Air does not allow you to carry on your rollaboards, however, they do not require you to pay to check your luggage. The excellent thing about this is that with hardly any luggage being brought on board, the boarding process takes hardly any time at all.
The plane was impeccable and the bathrooms were immaculately clean.
On this short flight (1 hour) the flight attendants served a small breakfast snack, did a coffee service and even sold Nok Air products. Grant it, we were not full, maybe 2/3, but they were amazingly quick and efficient.When we arrived, our bags were quickly delivered to the baggage claim.
We had booked the plane-bus-ferry option. It wasn’t long before we were loaded onto our bus and driving towards the Lomprayah ferry.At the Lomprayah ferry terminal, we purchased the transfer option (150 baht) to take us from the arrival ferry pier to our hotel. The ferry was very nice and there was s snack bar for purchasing food, drinks and food.
After our docking in Koh Samui, we were met by the Lomprayah agents and escorted to our bus. 30 minutes later, we arrived at our hotel, Montien House.
We were told that our rooms would be another hour, so we went off to have lunch. Before long, we were checked into our rooms. I had specifically requested a room near my friend’s and facing the beach side of the property however, neither request had been met. In addition, someone had spilled something all over one of the walls and the room generally did not seem clean.
I went downstairs and explained what had happened. Thankfully, they were able to move me to the room across from my friend’s room, although it wasn’t beach facing.
Although I was unsure about the hotel at first, it quickly grew on me and I came to love the staff. Every day, they wanted to know my plans and when I came in, they wanted to know how my day was. The room was always cleaned very well and if there was something I needed, it was quickly taken care of.
The hotel was conveniently located near many shops, restaurants and nightlife.On my last night, I went downstairs to go to the beach to release my lucky lantern. I was alone and the front desk was occupied by one of the young men who worked at the hotel. He saw my lantern and asked if I needed help with it. I asked him to show me what to do. He explained that it was easier if there were two people. I responded that my friends were not there to help me. What he said to me, was very touching, especially since I had had such a trying day. “The staff here can help you. We are your friends too!”
Maybe it wasn’t the most luxurious hotel, but little things like that mean so much to a customer!
Ibis Nana
www. accorhotels.com
Nok Air
www.nokair.com
Montien House
www.montienhouse.com