ASIA Travel Tips.com

(http://www.asiatraveltips.com)

When this page was first created, internet cafes in Bangkok and around Thailand were still relatively rare. There were a couple here, and a few more there, but then the internet became more and more popular, and internet cafes became almost as common as taxis, they were literally everywhere.

Over the past few years internet cafe's grew to an enormous number, not only in Bangkok, but across Thailand. Recently however, this number has started to decline, and this is due to the fact that now a lot of hotels, in addition to many restaurants and bars offer free, or at the very least, reasonably priced WiFi. Whether you are travelling to Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Krabi, Samui or even not so common tourist destinations like Nakhon Ratchasima etc you will be able to find an internet connection without too much trouble.

Many of the restaurants and bars will ask you to buy a drink if you wish to sit and use their internet connection, some may also charge a small fee, and you may have to ask for a password to be able to access the WiFi available. Generally the more modern the bar or restaurant, the more likely they are to have a user friendly internet policy. The better Irish Pubs, and the Mexican restaurant / bar chain Coyote are one such example where internet access is readily available. Now, no matter where you are in the country, you won't be too far from a connection of some kind.

Many of the hotels in Thailand also offer free internet, some just on WiFi, others on WiFi and LAN. Some hotels have strange and unusual restrictions, such as you can use the WiFi for free in the public areas of the hotel - like the restaurants and bars etc - but have to pay for internet access in your room. Sometimes it is the other way round. It is always worth checking with the hotel what they charge, how they charge and what restrictions if any apply, as this can vary quite substantially between the different hotels.

Some hotel chains such as Carlson, are a perfect example of what a modern hotel company should be doing with regards to internet connections and convenience for guests. They have a group wide policy that the internet is free in all their hotels, whether it be a five-star Regent, or a more mid-market Radisson, or Park Plaza etc. The recently opened Park Plaza Sukhumvit for example offers you free WiFi and LAN in the rooms, and then complimentary WiFi throughout the hotel, and that is in addition to the free soft drinks, tea and coffee you can enjoy in the lounge which is open, and free, to all hotel guests.

If you are working on confidential information, or entering passwords etc, then we do recommend you use your own laptop rather than a public PC. This is purely a precautionary measure, as while most internet cafe's are reliable, you never know what software has been installed on a public PC or whether they are as virus free as you would like.