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Hi mcbg1 -- Sorry it's taken me a few days to get on this.

I agree you will find Thailand very inexpensive compared to Europe or Australia. If you want to do things on the cheap, you can do them very, very cheap. And if you want to splurge, you will get incredible value for your money.

I was the one who recommended the serviced apartment hotel to Cliff and I'd probably stay there again in a heartbeat. The value is incredible. Besides everything else Cliff described, it should be noted that the kitchen is equipped with a full size stove and fridge, and a washer/dryer. There is a department store connected to the building, with a full supermarket in the basement, so it's very convenient to stock your room with snacks and drinks.

The place is called Centre Point Silom. If you are going to travel alone, you can probably do better in a cheap hotel, but if you are going with another person or two, do check out the Centre Point. They have different size rooms at different prices. I have stayed in most of them and even the smallest is still large compared to an average hotel room.

As for the timing, the later it gets, the hotter it will be. February would be better than March. Personally, I wouldn't want to go much later than that as it will be sweltering.

I've never spent much time in Phuket, and what I've seen of it has been so overdeveloped -- think of one hotel after another right down the beach. I'm sure there are more upscale resorts and areas, but I'm afraid I'm not familiar with them. If you want to do a little research, check out some of the other islands in the area as well, such as Ko Phi Phi, Ko Samui, etc. They will require a boat ride from Phuket, and they are also very touristy, but we found a quiet little place on the northeast shore of Phi Phi that we loved. Of course, if you want nightlife and markets, you will want to be closer to a town.

If you ever saw the film The Beach, it was filmed on Phi Phi Lay, which will give you a good idea of the beauty of these islands.

As you plan your trip, let me know if I can be of further help.

Since we stayed at Centre Point after our return from Angkor Wat, every article of clothing we had was filthy. It was great to do laundry at our convenience (although as I recall, those washer/dryer combos took FOREVER to do a full load). Centre Point also let us leave luggage there at no charge while we went off to the islands, and we picked it up on our way back through Bangkok before we flew home. They were just great.