Plenty of trips to do from Khao Lak. The ones many do are to the Similan and Surin Islands but I guess you'll have that covered by your diving requirements. The end of April is in low season because the weather will be on the change. I gather the Similans close in May so check your dates don't clash with the closures.

Other trips include trips to Phang-Nga bay (try sea canoe to the hongs for example), trips to Phuket, various national parks.

As for when to stick Bangkok on to your trip...we place it at the end as we are well rested and adjusted to Thailand and so can cope with Bangkok better rather than see it in a jet lagged haze. It makes getting back easier, as its not such a wrench leaving a city. It also makes the logistics of getting back simpler and less tiring. If you were to leave Khao Lak and go straight home, its a long time travelling and waiting around in airports.

Hi Sunbear,

Thanks for your reply. We had thought the same re when to go to Bangkok and have decided on staying there following Khao Lak. Hopefully we wil be in Khao lak by the 15th April, is this in low season by then ? I am worried now that everything will be shut down and also that the dive centers will be closed

Hi Katie,
I don't dive so can't be of any real help there. However I did look up one of the dive centres I know of in Khao Lak - Sea Dragon - and they have a schedule of live aboards till the end of April, and talk of being open till May so I think you will be alright. Khao Lak when we first visited was a sleepy little place. we last visited in Jan 2010, and its now quite a developed resort area though nowhere near the scale of some of the Phuket resorts.

As for Bangkok hotel, the Lebua has modern rooms - although eating out there can cost an arm and a leg. We stay in serviced apartments when visiting - they offer all the facilities of an hotel with the benefit of more room space (and often more luxury).

I think you will have a great time in Khao Lak in April. Similan use to close the 15 of May so this wouldn't be a problem either.

take a look at the new siam group of hotels,they have a few around bangkok,we always find them ok

With Easter being late April next year you will be fine with the dive centres who will be commercially sensitive to the amount of bookings they would miss if they close early!

I'm not a big fan of KLM long-haul - have you checked out SAS as an alternative via Copenhagen - good connections from Bangkok to Aberdeen & vv?

My new favourite hotels in Bangkok are Ariyasomvilla - lovely small hotel with great food - or the Anantara Baan Rajprasong (sp?) which I stayed in last year - great value, and great, great location. Although next year i'll have new favourite hotels i'm sure!

Hi Sunbear,

Thanks for your reply. We had thought the same re when to go to Bangkok and have decided on staying there following Khao Lak. Hopefully we wil be in Khao lak by the 15th April, is this in low season by then ? I am worried now that everything will be shut down and also that the dive centers will be closed :yikes

We went in early May last year, stayed next door to La Flora at the Ramada (there were 7 people staying there for our week, more staff than guests, but immaculate hotel and service). Restaurants and massage places were all open, beaches were quiet.
The weather was great...one big storm, a few days with broken clouds, but plenty of sun as well....it's generally "one third" wetter than Phuket anyway and much more tropical just that bit further north.
Didn't try diving because the sea is starting to get rough so we didn't investigate. I think in Phuket...they still go in April but judge the weather on the day..and maybe not to the Similans which is a bit more exposed to sudden changes.

Hi Folks,

Many thanks for all your reply's.

We went ahead with our booking, going to Khao Lak on 16th April for 14 nights staying at La Flora, then stopping off for two nights at the Centara Grand at Central world in Bangkok (since our booking the Central world mall has burnt down, so i just hope it is open again before we go!).

Very much looking forward to trying out the various places to eat, aswell as the diving which is reckoned to be some of the best in the world.

Travelling Sam, We are going KLM as that was what H & J offered us so just went with it, have looked at their web site and read the reviews on here about them. Guess we will just have to wait and see!!

If anyone can recommend any of the dive centre's that would be fab, i have looked online and found two that appear to be really good. We dived with ProDivers in the Maldives last year so anyone else we dive with has got a lot to live up too!!!

Thanks again, Katie.