Hi guys My girlfriend and I are travelling to phket in coming weeks we have been together for 8 years and it is our anversary whilst away.... I just have a fw questions for you.......

1st. does anyone no of an extremley romantic place to eat dinner can I arrange a sucluded beach. lol I no thats cheesey but i really want it to be special.

2nd We plan on buying alot of things for the renovations on our apartment so we will need to ship things back... (Forget eccess baggage charges) do we just post back or does some one recommend a shipping company to ship thing back to perth Western Australia

3rd I need to buy her a really nice pressie braclet ring or something I want it to be genuine gold but my budget is not massive any recommendations of were to buy and how much I will be looking

Thank you all in advance
Dave Missian

You might be battling to find a secluded beach, Phuket is heavily populated. I'd be inclined to reserve a secluded spot in a resort garden restaurant. Also there's a fair bit of rain about this time of year so that's to be considered too.
You'll see lots of companies around, especially in Phuket town and Patong beach, that specialize in shipping stuff back to Oz. Those guys are the pros and the ones to talk to. You can shop around and compare prices. Make sure you collect the stuff immediately after it's cleared in Perth or you'll have heavy storage fees to pay.
Gold shops are everywhere, once again check them out, have a look, see what your GF likes. Thai gold is very pure, soft bright yellow. Prices are sky high at the moment. I don't think there'll be much difference in the prices between gold shops, they're more or less standardised in prices.
If you want wine with your secluded dinner then bring a bott or 2 from Perth as wine is rather expensive here, often double or triple the prices in Perth.

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You're only young once, but you can stay immature forever.

Hi Dave,
Have a look at the website for Pla restaurant from the K hotel. It is at Surin Beach. I see from their website that they have extended and improved their outdoor area since I was there last October. I'm sure that they would set you up at a table on the beach for dinner as they appear to have these tables set up in the day time. You could ask for it to be away from the other diners, most of whom will probably sit in the main area just back from the sand. It is a beautiful spot and very romantic with the candle and lamp light. Great food from Pla and also have a look at the website for the Beach Club run by the Twin Palms Resort, also at Surin Beach. Where are you staying ? It's so nice to see a man wanting to be so romantic and thoughtful, most don't bother. The flowers are really cheap in Thailand, why don't you arrange an enormous bunch to be sent to the restaurant and present them to her during the night. Another idea is to arrange some flying lamps for you to let go into the sky from the beach. Have a look on Youtube under flying lamps Thailand. The Pla restaurant is owned by the same man who owns K Hotel in Patong, maybe you could call in to see him and make the arrangements with him. I think he is Austrian and he speaks perfect English. To find K Hotel walk down Bangla Road away from the beach and when you get to the end, turn left and it will be a minute or so walk further down on the left. You will enter through the garden area. if the owner is not there ask for Robert, the head Chef. Sorry I can't help with the jewellery. Have a look at Cathy & Gary's web pages, they may have some information on jewellery.
Regards
Michelle

Here's another suggestion, consider a couple of nights on Koh Mai Thon, a small island off Phuket's southern coastline: Here's a bit from their web site, it'll give you an indication of what this island's all about. You could certainly arrange a secluded and wonderful dinner on the beach of this island - about as close as you can get to having a private island (with full facilities) in Thailand.

Islands in the open sea with accommodation: Koh Mai Thon – beautiful and up-market

This is a full-service resort occupying its own island, a rare advantage in this area. The accommodations here are first class, and the beach and surrounding waters are idyllic. If you want something very comfortable, on its own island, with few people around, it’s hard to beat this. The island is small, and there are not many places to go, so this is for those who want a truly relaxing, do-little holiday.

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You're only young once, but you can stay immature forever.

I think it's a very beautiful thought that you want to give your girlfriend a nice present, and that's why I also hate to say that you have to be very care careful about how much you pay and especially where you are buying your gold.

Unfortunately Bangkok has a bad reputation about gem and gold scams - and not without a reason. You will probably meet a lot of 'friendly' Thai people who want to 'help' you find just 'the right' shop. So make sure you are buying at a serious serving gold shop.

The unit of gold weight in Thailand is measured in Baht just like the Thai money, but in this case it only refers to the gold weight. You may want to buy a 1 Baht gold bracelet which is a nice piece. The gold price in Thailand is at the moment about 15,000 (money) Baht for 1 (gold) Baht. But with the current inflation in Thailand the price may be changing.

I'm not saying all this to scare you, I really hope you will find a nice present for your girlfriend. But to be prepared do take a look at this link to see how the gem and gold scams are working:

2Bangkok.com - The Gem Scam