Hostels are rarely great value in south east asia, guesthouses and bungalows are often the way to go. Yes Christmas is busy but you should always be able to find accommodation, sometimes a case of looking a bit harder.....

A bit aside from my original question but how does one go about finding guesthouses & bungalows? Hostels (via hostelworld) was easy (and lazy) but meant finding accommodation did not take time from seeing/experiencing e.g. arrive at 6:00am go straight to pre-booked hostel and have the whole day to visit places rather than having to spend the morning searching round finding somewhere. Is there are "easy way" in advance. Is there some central place of do you wander around looking for signs (I don't speak any of the local languages ... but I'm sure I'll cope).

I'm particularly interested/keen on alternatives as I've noticed that many hostels have an "age policy" (they don't say what that "age policy" is just they have one). I'm mid-60's so would probably be impacted by such policies (though I generally go for private rooms so maybe it's only about older people in dorms?). Either way and whatever the policies are, alternatives are always a good plan.

Hi Karol
It is a long trip especially using the local buses but I have met many that have done it in one day. I have been living in Suchitoto since the late 90s and until 2016 owned one of the more popular backpacker hostals..El Gringo.
Hope this doesnt offend anyone from San Miguel but my mother from El Salvador called Sam Muguel "El Sobaco" the arm pit of the country this because of the heat and unexplained wealth seen in the area, so I would not plan to stay there. Now if you get from the boarder you will have tge option to take a bus from Santa Rosa de Lima all the way to San Martin where you can get the 129 to Suchitoto. The same option is available from the terminal in San Miguel. You might opt to spend a few dollars more than the chicken bus and take a special or super special which generally only stop to drop off and don't stop every 100 yards to pick up.
As layover options there are not too many
Some go to El Cuco beach( La Tortuga Verde) others stop in Berlin or Alegria all of which are off the main hwy.
If lodging in hostals you won't find much for Suchitoto unless you look on Facebook.
Search for Posada Blanca Luna, Hostal Los Sanchez and Hostal Raices de Mi pueblo. There are others anf now many AirBnBs as well.
Enjoy Suchitoto and if you need information for Suchitoto look me up at Gringo Tours.

I have always advised against backtracking, going into and out of Bangkok twice is just a waste of holiday time and money. I would transit straight away to Chiang Mai on arrival - flights are cheap. Save Bangkok to the end of your trip, it puts you in situ for your longhaul back home without any last minute rushing and makes the most efficient use of your time there.

Hostels are not good value in SEA. They are a western thing. In SEA there are cheap bungalows, hotels and guesthouses.

Very cheap flights in country so you can easily fly Bangkok to Chiang Mai after Ko Chang for a few days and then fly to Phuket or Surat Thani to hit up the islands.

I'm sure a bicycle is a great way to see the country, but it's possible to experience "less explored" Thailand without one as well. There are numerous pleasant towns in the country, off the main tourist track. My favourite region of Thailand is Chiang Rai Province. The provincial capital is busy and touristy (but still pleasant), but there are all kinds of great little bases in the province as a whole, and lots of hiking possiblities. Pick up a guidebook, or have a look through www.travelfish.org for some more tips.

I've never wild-camped in Thailand (guesthouses in the country are cheap, and often excellent value), but have hitchhiked many times. Thailand is one of the easiest countries to hitchhike in, in my experience, with very friendly, hospitable people. I've been offered free rides before while standing at a bus stop, waiting for a bus, and also had drivers go out of their way to drop me off specifically near my hotel. If you're away from Tourist Central, on quieter rural roads, hitchhiking should be easy.

Full moon naked swimming is, in my opinion, the sort of thing best avoided, unless you happen to be at a beach which is used to seeing lots and lots of culturally insensitive foreign tourists anyway.