Has anyone done the Phuket Sandbox? What were your experiences?

[faranglaw]

Hi all,

I entered Thailand along with Dear Husband on November 30th as part of Test and Go, planning to stay until February.  Unfortunately, due to a death in the family, I had to fly to Boston, where I am now staying.  

I would like to return to Thailand for more time.  Since Test and Go is now suspended, I was considering the Phuket Sandbox as I would be free to roam, rather than being compelled to stay cooped up in a hotel for the seven days.  Has anyone here done the Sandbox?  Any thoughts on good SHA hotels there?

thx...

[Boy69]

See details on this thread 

 

 

[Guest]

If you want to read about the Phuket Sandbox, it might just be time to check out the Thailand Reopening group on Fakebook.   A massive amount of filtering is needed and if wanting to check regulations, search for the original Thai source.  Not Fakebook members answers.

When I checked a few months back, the site did contain some useful reports of actual tourist experiences.

[10tazione]

I did Test&Go in Phuket. Technically, there is not much difference between the 2:

• 1 night hotel booking versus 7 nights
• 1 PCR test versus 2 PCR tests
• Release letter (to be allowed to leave the island) after 1 day versus 7 days (noone cared about this)
• Not sure about guests after night 1 in case of Sandbox

Booking for Phuket was a bit more complicated, since PCR tests have to be booked separately. Also there is probably a bit more correspondence with the hotel necessary, so that they issue the necessary papers (confirmation for prepaid hotel booking including airport pickup; also you probably still need a "SHABA ID", which you also get from the hotel). When I booked, there were no packages for Phuket on Agoda. So I booked the hotel on Adoda (because it had the best cancellation terms), booked the taxi by correspondance with the hotel, asked them for Shaba Id; for the PCR-tests there is a special website. And for the Thailand pass I had to put all 3 things back together to one jpeg (picture).

After I got the negative test result, I didn't care about Covid too much anymore. Now in case of the Sandbox with a second test on day 6/7 (?) I would change my behaviour drastically to ensure the 2nd test will be negative, so no boys in 1st week, only eating outdoor etc.

If they didnt change it, the first test is at the airport, and for the second test you can choose between different locations. You might need an international flight into Phuket, flying in via BKK is (probably still) not allowed.

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, 10tazione said:

 

 so no boys in 1st week, only eating outdoor etc.

 

Then why go ? , sun shines closer to home for sure

[10tazione]

18 hours ago, vinapu said:

Then why go ? , sun shines closer to home for sure

Because there is also week 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ...

[Midguy1]

I went to Phuket in December as a domestic tourist after completing test and go in Bangkok.  If I wanted to return to Thailand and the 7 day Phuket sandbox was the only option available to return then I would do that, even for just a 2 week stay as there were enough things to do to keep occupied and still have the option of a visit to Bangkok or Pattaya - although of course we are all different and want different things.

Regarding good SHA + hotels there is a wide selection, depends on budget, location etc.  In the hotel I stayed there didn't seem to be any segregation between different types of guests. I think there are some reports on the net regarding the sandbox services offered by the hotels (transportation, tests etc.) found with a few searches maybe best homed in after finding a hotel that is liked. Also having just looked at the Thailand reopening Facebook group recommended by @z909 earlier in the thread, that looks a mine of information too.

 

[faranglaw]

Thanks everyone!

So I have booked a flight tomorrow from Boston to Phuket, actually three flights, the second of which, NY to Singapore, is said to be the longest flight scheduled in the world, at 18 hours and 40 minutes.  Economy Premium so it might be bearable as long as the pilots don’t nod off somewhere over the Arctic.

The process turned out to be complicated and anxiety producing. For some reason both the hotel and the testing company would only take something called OTP which I think means One Time Password. They wanted me to have a local phone number to send passwords to, which I didn't have. Without that local contact, neither my American nor Canadian credit cards worked for payment.  Aaargh!  But Dear Husband is still in Bangkok, and he was able to go into the woods and shake fairy dust on the sleeping leprechaun, or whatever one does, and miraculously produce for me proof of my hotel stay and my COVID test schedule, both of which I need to board the plane.  I don’t know how I would have navigated all this without a Thai contact within Thailand. But then, there’s a reason he is Dear Husband.

So I leave on Monday and arrive on Wednesday.  Hotel staff assure me that once the first test comes back negative, I am free to roam the island.  Dear Husband arrives on Thursday with my summer wear and speedos.  

See you soon! It’s 4:11pm here, which means it’s 4:11am there.

 

 

[vaughn]

That is a long time in the air, I hope for your sake you can sleep better on planes than I do.

Please let us know how the process goes for you on the ground, I am still holding onto plans for April and might need to use the sandbox as well.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, faranglaw said:

 

So I have booked a flight tomorrow from Boston to Phuket,..............

 

 

have a nice trip and report how it worked for you

[Guest]

7 hours ago, faranglaw said:

NY to Singapore, is said to be the longest flight scheduled in the world, at 18 hours and 40 minutes. 

Well done for getting on with it !

Good luck and remember to wear FFP3/N99 masks on the trip.  Quite uncomfortable, but worth it for the reduced quarantine risk.

[Boy69]

9 hours ago, faranglaw said:

The process turned out to be complicated and anxiety producing. For some reason both the hotel and the testing company would only take something called OTP which I think means One Time Password. They wanted me to have a local phone number to send passwords to, which I didn't have. Without that local contact, neither my American nor Canadian credit cards worked for payment.  Aaargh!  But Dear Husband is still in Bangkok, and he was able to go into the woods and shake fairy dust on the sleeping leprechaun, or whatever one does, and miraculously produce for me proof of my hotel stay and my COVID test schedule, both of which I need to board the plane.  I don’t know how I would have navigated all this without a Thai contact within Thailand. But then, there’s a reason he is Dear Husband.

It's a wired process from what you said it's almost impossible to enter Thailand these days and if you don't have a local person who can help you with this process. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Guest]

Several board members have arrived in the last couple of months.

Now it's sandbox or quarantine only, but I'm sure it's all very feasible for anyone who is organised. 

[gerefan]

3 hours ago, Boy69 said:It's a wired process from what you said it's almost impossible to enter Thailand these days and if you don't have a local person who can help you with this process. Correct me if I am wrong.

I can recommend this website if you are having trouble getting the Thai Pass.

https://asq.in.th/thailand-pass?tpOpen=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxJSPBhAoEiwAeO_fP94310FknK00kKtMzJ3vg0Q6khdKBKDEk1c227Y5Js5Ds72xLIolNhoCvUcQAvD_BwE

They managed to get mine issued in less than an hour. I had been waiting for about five days and the flight was due to leave a few days later.

it cost 6500 baht because of the short notice but was well worth it.

Dont ask how they did it. I tried phoning email etc..nothing

Probably best not to ask!
TIT

[orson]

For us peasants, would it be free on the normal channels? 

1 hour ago, gerefan said:

I can recommend this website if you are having trouble getting the Thai Pass.

https://asq.in.th/thailand-pass?tpOpen=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxJSPBhAoEiwAeO_fP94310FknK00kKtMzJ3vg0Q6khdKBKDEk1c227Y5Js5Ds72xLIolNhoCvUcQAvD_BwE

They managed to get mine issued in less than an hour. I had been waiting for about five days and the flight was due to leave a few days later.

it cost 6500 baht because of the short notice but was well worth it.

Dont ask how they did it. I tried phoning email etc..nothing

Probably best not to ask!
TIT

 

[billyhouston]

14 hours ago, faranglaw said:

 I don’t know how I would have navigated all this without a Thai contact within Thailand.

 

 

 

This is a situation where dual SIM phones really come in useful and enable both a Thai and a UK SIM to be in the phone . Both my banks in UK and my Thai bank use OTPs. Receiving an SMS is without charge wherever you are and the abilty to get an OTP from all  my banks, whichever country I am in, makes life a lot easier.

[reader]

15 hours ago, faranglaw said:

So I have booked a flight tomorrow from Boston to Phuket, actually three flights, the second of which, NY to Singapore, is said to be the longest flight scheduled in the world, at 18 hours and 40 minutes.  Economy Premium so it might be bearable as long as the pilots don’t nod off somewhere over the Arctic.

Per-covid, I flew that non-stop from JFK to SIN four times. There's no getting around that it's a marathon passage. I'd be sure to get up and walk around every few hours (if you're not sleeping). The good news is that I found Singapore's customer service (in the air and on the ground) to be the best in the sky. The entertainment package will keep you occupied with a huge variety of movies and TV series. The rest rooms on board are continually cleaned.

The aircraft used is the Airbus 350-900 in the ultra long range configuration, with only two classes of service (business and premium economy). The prevailing winds aloft determine the precise course you'll take. Twice the route tracked across the northern Atlantic, Europe and a host of other nations on its way into Changi, an enormous but efficient airport.

Hope you enjoy thee ride. Some of the views are truly unforgettable regardless of the route actually flown.

[gerefan]

2 hours ago, orson said:

For us peasants, would it be free on the normal channels? 

 

I’m not sure what you mean.

The Thai Pass is free. This service is something different and costs money.

The site I’m recommending is for people who are having problems such as Queries or a flight in the next few days. They will somehow expedite the issue of your Thai Pass.

They are NOT the same people who issue the Pass.

It worked for me as I had only a few days left before I was due to fly and no end of phone calls or emails to the people who issue the pass helped.

I hope that answers your question.

[reader]

2 hours ago, reader said:

Per-covid, I flew that non-stop from JFK to SIN four times.

I meant to say EWR (Newark) to SIN. Singapore has since shifted the flight to JFK.

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, orson said:

For us peasants, would it be free on the normal channels? 

 

Thai Pass was free, somebody already answered , I did not notice

[faranglaw]

2 hours ago, reader said:

Per-covid, I flew that non-stop from JFK to SIN four times. There's no getting around that it's a marathon passage. I'd be sure to get up and walk around every few hours (if you're not sleeping). The good news is that I found Singapore's customer service (in the air and on the ground) to be the best in the sky. The entertainment package will keep you occupied with a huge variety of movies and TV series. The rest rooms on board are continually cleaned.

The aircraft used is the Airbus 350-900 in the ultra long range configuration, with only two classes of service (business and premium economy). The prevailing winds aloft determine the precise course you'll take. Twice the route tracked across the northern Atlantic, Europe and a host of other nations on its way into Changi, an enormous but efficient airport.

Hope you enjoy thee ride. Some of the views are truly unforgettable regardless of the route actually flown.

Thanks Reader for the info and encouragement. I fly out today. I think it will be fine.