advice re: locations for working trip with good wifi and beaches for snorkeling
Posted by CarlRabeler on 2/12/2019 at 22:01
Hi all,
I will be traveling to southeast Asia for a few months - I will be doing a bunch of writing that will require me to have good WiFi access for 5-6 hours a day (4-5 days a week), but I will be able to play, snorkel, dive, eat, listen to music the rest of the time. I am looking for recommendations for the Thailand and Malaysia areas (or other areas that you all might recommend).
Thanks,
Carl
#1 CarlRabeler has been a member since 2/10/2019. Posts: 1
Posted by antoniamitchell on 5/12/2019 at 01:03
In my experience (I've been travelling in the region since June), most places in Thailand, Malaysia and Bali now have decent wifi. Access can be spottier in Cambodia, Laos and the less developed parts of Indonesia.
For instance, I was on Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloen in CB a fortnight ago, and only some of the properties had working wifi in the rooms, and in some places the wifi was constantly going out. But even on the islands, I managed to find a few places with a decent signal (although those tended to be more expensive properties). So my advice would be, when you move on from place to place, try to avoid prebooking accommodation, and instead research which places have good wifi mentioned in the reviews, then turn up and check the signal strength in the room before you accept that room.
With respect to good places to snorkel, I had great snorkeling on this trip in Lang Tengah in Malaysia, Amed in Bali, and the islands around Komodo.
I had okay snorkeling on Tioman and Pulau Kapas in Malaysia, around Pemuteran and Menjangan in Bali, the Gilis and the secret Gilis on Lombok, Koh Rong in Cambodia, and Koh PhaNgan in Thailand.
The snokeling on Koh Rong Samloen in Cambodia was terrible (the reef I checked out was entirely dead and choked with sand), and snorkeling wasn't really possible in Tulamben in Bali as the sea was very rough and cloudy the whole time I was there (aparently the diving is better there, but even that can't have been good with the poor visibility). Weirdly, the sea was calm and clear at Amed just up the road.
FYI, I define great snorkeling as a healthy (mostly) and varied reef with plenty of variety of sea life. Okay snorkeling means there's enough to see (varied species of fish and critters, or healthy and varied coral) to make it worth strapping on your fins.
Hope that's helpful.
#2 antoniamitchell has been a member since 13/5/2012. Posts: 566
Posted by slimboytim on 14/3/2020 at 15:37
I would suggest somewhere like Koh Jum.
It's a beautiful island which has relatively low tourism, which gives a more local feel to the place. Everything is more relaxed, and cheaper than most of Thailand. Especially for an island.
Most of the accommodation is in beach huts right on the 'long beach'. There's enough to do, if you buy your own snorkel gear you can head down to the beaches in the morning, Phi Phi Islands are near enough that they can been seen from the beach, perfect distance for a trip over on a long boat while avoiding the madness there. There is also Lanta and Krabi nearby, so while it's remote enough to feel 'away from it' there are towns nearby.
Bikes can be rented for about 60 baht a day which is a great way to stay in shape while exploring the island, its a perfect size for cycling. You'll get across the island in around an hour. Or you can hike up Mount Pu.
Internet speeds are surprisingly fast, I had no struggles using wi-fi (web development work) but I always had my unlimited data plan with hotspot as a back-up! An honestly, the food there (at the Halal restaurant especially) is some of the best I've ever eaten in Thailand! That's after visiting the Kingdom on and off, regularly over the past 10 years.
Just my two-cents, but i'ts worth checking out in my opinion!
#3 slimboytim has been a member since 13/3/2020. Posts: 6
Posted by antoniamitchell on 14/3/2020 at 16:14
Hi Slimboytim,
Did you find any good snorkeling on Ko Jum? I love the island (I've been there twice) but always found the snorkeling quite poor (at least off the long beach, which is where I've stayed on the island). Did you find better elsewhere on the island?
Thanks
#4 antoniamitchell has been a member since 13/5/2012. Posts: 566
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