I booked through my friend Deepak Patel and Premium Plus Sports Travel in Chicago, IL. He arranged for an excellent and convenient hotel stay in Bangkok for my overnight to Phuket.
Deepak also knows an athletes requirements, i.e., he won't put a guy travelling with a bike on the third floor of a hotel when he could put you on the first.
If I recall correctly my total outlay for the trip was about $1500 US. That was pre-tsunami. I am not certain what impact the tsunami will have on the race next year.
Here is a link that includes Deepak's contacts at the bottom:
http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/thailand.shtml
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com