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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 hope
springs eternal.
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