I can also book my hotel online. Before I book, I make sure that I check the hotel's web site and check the price and compare it to a site that offers many hotels. Most of the time, the multi-hotel site can beat the direct booking price ...
Thailand Beaches
Thailand's beaches are well established, have warm water and weather,friendly relaxed people, comfortable accommodation and they're cheap Around $30/£20 a day should get you an excellent double room with aircon, breakfast and maybe even a swimming pool- incredibly cheap when compared to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean or Pacific island paradises.
These beaches do have a clear best/worst time to visit - see Thailand Beaches Information to help you there. They also have less apparent regional flaws that you can see exposed in the different sections of the Beach Pictures gallery.
However, Thailand's roads are generally excellent and transport is comfortable and reliable, so a flight to Bangkok - and anyone with a grain of world curiosity has to see this wacky city - followed by a bus/minibus to the beach of your choice is no hardship.
