samba share disconnection/dismount problem

I use xfce/thunar and I have no problem accessing them; but annoying thing is that they automatically dis-mount.

I access samba shares in two ways:

1) use smb:// address <- very unreliable, spontaneous disconnection/no response/file missing
2) use gvfs to mount them; access them from thunar and they're at /run/user/1000/gvfs

I rarely use 1); when using 2), I see that gvfs also does auto-dismounts.

What is the reliable way to use samba shares?