Can someone "in the know" give me a brief breakdown of travel time and expense from Bangkok to each of these destinations: Ko Sumai, Pattaya, and Phuket?

I flew BKK to Koh Samui to Pattaya for $120.00 in June via Bangkok Air (note: Bangkok Air has a monopoly on Koh Samui so if your flying its your only choice).

Scooter

flights from BKK to Phuket on Thai Airways leave almost every hour. flight time is a little over one hour and should cost no more than $150US. once you are in Phuket, it takes about 45 minutes to get to Patong Beach (where the best action is). a private car from the airport to Patong Beach is 750 Baht (less than $20US).

haven't been to Pattaya or Ko Samui.

Yeh, thai airways has a good schedule every day from bkk to hkt.

I find going after 12 noon is best from bkk-hkt, end up in patong just about dinner time.

going back, I find the 11 am flight is pretty good, seems the domestic termianl in bkk is not too busy that time of day. and easy to get a car back to home/hotel/ect.

If you really want to make a day of it going to hkt, take a air cond car from the airport to phuket town, get "relaxed" at the pink lady massage place, and then ( on shakey leggs) to patong beach.

Geeze, this is making me yearn to get back there pronto.

I was allways able to get better deals through
"travel agents". Thai Airways has got the exclusive if you shop around alittle you may be able to find a round trip for less.

I suggest fly to Ko Samui, you will love it and the take the ferry to Suratani and bus or taxi van to Phuket. Make a package deal on all connections through an agent.

They are really all about the same.

d'Artagnan,
Can't add much to the comments already here, but I just got back from Phuket and flew Thai air from Bangkok (80 minute flight). From LAX, I got a "through" ticket that was priced roundtrip LAX to Phuket and back (same plane LAX to Tokyo to BKK, with a 1 hour stopover in Tokyo). You can stay one night in BKK at each end of the trip for no extra cost on the ticket. Get a business class seat if you can ... it's a miserably long trip to BKK and the extra cost for a business class seat is definitely worth it for this trip IMO (but I travel a lot for work and absolutely hate it worse than anything else in the world).
My taxi ride from the Phuket airport to Patong was 300 baht (about $7) using the airport transportation van (Club Andaman ... not a girl friendly place but a side entrance can get around this easily enough). The reverse trip on my way out was quoted at 550 baht ($12) both from the hotel and the private taxi drivers. Like everything else there, dirt cheap.
NCsnake

d' Arttagnan,

One time I couldn't get a flight to Samui. I rented a gorgeous nublile piece of ass from the Happy house for $30.00 per day. Traveled first class on the train for peanuts and fucked my little beauties brains out all the way to Suratani.

Then ferried to Samui, stayed a few days and ferried back over to Suratani and then shuttled to
Phuket. It's slower alot cheaper and it depends how much time you've got.

And oh yea having a hot traveling companion for a while doesn't hurt. Actually after a couple of days in Phuket I sent her back to Bangkok. Everybody was happy.

d' Arttagnan
Domestic airfares in Thailand are highly regulated so the cost is pretty much set. The cost for Bangkok to Phuket is 5140 baht($115us) for a return ticket if purchased outside of Thailand. If purchased within Thailand the cost drops to 4540 baht($100us). I'll be spending a week in Phuket in November with a lady I met in Pattaya last May.

Jrsx