Hi kiva,
sorry for the late reply.
I was in
thailand, so I didn't check my emails.
The hotel that is 5 min from the airport is the "queen's garden hotel". When you arrive at the airport, a lot of people will propose you to take a taxi or hotels. You can choose others hotels if you want, closer to the city center, but i don't know them. Check them in asiarooms.com
Ask someone to help you finding the "queen's garden hotel" guy, I suppose someone from the hotel will be here. else, just put a coin in the phone, and phone them, they will pick you up FOR FREE.The hotel is clean, perhaps you will think it's noisy, because closed to the airport....
The price they will propose you is 1500 baths because you are a tourist. But you can ask for 1200 baths (I did it because I know asia, and everything can be discussed). Don't be ashamed with theses poor thai people, because after 5 days there, I can tell you that they will try to steel your money in a bad way (especially the taxi). I live in
shanghai for 6 months, and trying to get more money from a white guy is normal, but what I have seen in
Bangkok, that's unacceptable for me, and I m used to travel.
So, be carefull with the taxi. Always ask for the meter, and If you travel from the airport to
bangkok center for more than 200 baths, you know that the taxi is a bad guy (of course it will not be a big waste for you;-)).
The weather is better in the islands than in
bangkok most of the time i suppose (I don't have a huge experience of
thailand, but my journey : always raining in
bangkok, and always very good weather in
koh samet).
I have been in
koh samet, that was very
nice (expect the fee for entrance, very not fair...;-) for tourists), and people told me that it's better than koh larn. Then If you have time, perhaps the islands closed to puhket are better, I don't know.
Except the problems of the
Bangkok taxi, people are very
nice, and I guess you will enjoy your time. And whatever the taxi steel you, take it easy, that's hollidays...;-).In
thailand most of the people speak english, so it's THE easy asian country for tourists...Some of them even know some french words, that's not that much easy in China (or you speak chinese or you are lost...)
If you need some advises, contact me, pehaps I can help you.
Alex