|
I've done
everything I can to assure the information here is
accurate and up-to-date, but things happen which are
out of my control that might cause you some headaches
when you try to book a room on Koh Jum. Some of the
resorts have online booking, but most don't. All of
the bungalow operations have cell phones, but the
numbers sometimes change. Phones get disconnected.
Bad connections are probably going to happen and your
message isn't going to get thru to the right people
on the first try. English is not the first language
for Koh Jumbians and that can be a difficult hurdle
to get over when you're trying to make reservations.
Don't get
frustrated. Keep trying. After all, this is Thailand
we're talking about and it's good to remember that
Koh Jum isn't Phuket, and for that we should be
grateful even if it's a little harder to get what
we're after.
Online
booking is probably going to be the easiest, but keep
in mind that you're going to pay a little more for
your room than you would if you walked up and
bargained for it at the resort. Assume the booker is going
to have the temerity to actually try to make a profit
from his services. Deal with it. The extra money you
spend is worth the cost because you won't be making
two or three long distance phone calls from Europe or
wherever and
the internet is free. Always ask for a confirmation
letter via email. Print out a copy and bring it with
you. It's good practice to re-confirm a couple
weeks before you show up, so keep the bookers email
handy. When you get ready to leave Krabi/PhiPhi/KLanta
and head out to Koh Jum slip into a travel agency and
pay them to call ahead to remind the resort that you
are going to be on the next boat. That one act will
save you a ton of headaches.
If you're
like me and travel with no fixed schedule or
timetable, then making reservations months in advance
is a waste. My advice is that when you get to Krabi,
KLanta or PhiPhi just walk into any travel agent and
ask them about what's available on Koh Jum. All of
them will have current information about the resorts
and will call the island and you can book a place
right then by phone. If you're concerned that you're
paying a little more per night that way then book one
night only and go to the island and see what else is
available. The upside is that you'll have a place for
the night and won't be sleeping on the beach, but the
downside is that in high season you might not find
anything else you like and when your one night is up
they'll ask you to surrender the room to someone else
who has already made a reservation. I have seen that
happen a couple times much to the dismay of the
farangs trying foolishly to save a few baht. If
you're only going to stay a few days anyway, what's
the point?
If you really like
KJum (and I'm betting you will) then you can make
arrangements with the resort or another place to stay
longtime. That's how I did it the first time I went
to Koh Jum. I went, I saw, I liked, then bargained
for a cheaper rate and got it.
Or you can
just show up, look around at a few resorts that are
in your price range and hope for the best. Keep in
mind that the resorts need to know you're coming so
they can send the longtails out to meet the
ferryboat, but in high season they go out anyway.
There are always people coming and going so you
probably won't have to ride the boat all the way to
Krabi or KLanta.
Or you could just
leap off the ferryboat with your backpack and swim
in. I haven't seen that one yet, but I would pay to
watch it.
|
