Thailand

[Sylvie]

Hi Steve

I’ve visited Thailand a few times. As everyone has advised you, the Andaman coast is better than the Golf of Siam in January.

Aside from looking for a direct flight to Bangkok, I suggest also looking into a direct charter flight to Phuket itself. You might even be able to find a cheap package deal for 5-7 nights, and extend your return flight or even get an open return ticket. I did this a few years back and it turned out to be cheaper than flying to Bangkok and getting a local flight to Phuket. Moreover, it was nice to have accommodation right away until I was acclimatised to the heat and over the yet lag. Hotel and dive centres are easy to find when you get there. Albeit it might be a good idea to practical your haggling skills first. Food is great just about everywhere, and aside from over crowded tourist areas such as Patong beach and the like, Phuket offers some beautiful spots. I prefer the neighbouring islands and coastal areas, as they are more pristine.

There is some good diving and snorkelling off of Kho Phi Phi islands (where they filmed the movie the beach) and Kho Lak, but the Similan islands North of Phuket are more popular for diving, especially on a live aboard.

Aside form the Similians, diving excursions to Richelieu Rock in the northern part of the Mergui Archipelago in the den Burma Banks are popular. Live aboard start from Phuket, Tab Lamuh, or Ranong near the Burmese (Myanmar) - Thai boarder.

The area is know for soft corals, silver tips and leopard sharks and even whale sharks (I’ve yet to see one). Perhaps, next time. I’m seriously considering going back there in early January myself.

I just discovered a site today which might help you in your search for hotels and dive packages. www.diving.phuket.com. It amazing how much info you can find via a simple google search.

Have fun planning your holiday.

Cheers

Sylvie

 

[Sylvie]

Hi again Steve

Your trip to Phuket certainly is bringing back memories and enticing me to return to Thailand. I’ve just remembered where I stayed. It was Marina Cottage, situated in a jungle like hilltop park on an inlet between Caron Beach (a.k.a. Karon Beach) and Kata Beach, overlooking both beaches. You actually see the inlet in a lot of postcards. As the name implies the accommodation is in cottages a.k.a. bungalows. What is memorable about the place is its gardens. You really feel secluded from the hustle and bustle of the beach activity there, even though it’s practically at your door step. Actually depending which bungalow you have it is at your doorstep. The vegetation is so lush you hardly see your neighbours. We stayed in a deluxe cottage overlooking Caron beach (looks exactly like in the photo on their web site www.marinaphuket.com). We also liked the newer jungle cottages at back because of the atmosphere. At the time (early 1997) our bungalow could have used a bit of renovation, particularly in the bathrooms. I’ve just checked out the web sight and it looks like the resort has been renovated. The interior photo doesn’t look anything like our room did, but then again it depicts a different category of bungalow. In any case, it’s the atmosphere that’s so special about the resort, as it contrasts the concrete hotels buildings in both Caron and Kata. Another good thing about the Marina is that since it’s between both beaches you can walk to both of them (better yet rent a scooter to explore more) and try out all the different restaurants. Food is cheap and plentiful. The only thing I remember eating at the resort was grilled fish once and iced coffee for breakfast everyday – it was great. As a diver, you’d appreciate that the resort has a 5 start PADI dive centre attached to it. Kata and Caron are not my favourite beach towns in Phuket, (I prefer more secluded beaches), but if you have to stay in the area Marina Cottage is a suggestion.

Now for the big question - how many stars does it have? Well, honesty I have no idea. The gardens are gorgeous, but the bungalows differ so much it’s hard to tell. I had the impression that the price is based on location as well as room standard. When I was there some of the bungalows looked quite nice, whereas others were pretty simple and basic, i.e. not too different from a standard packpackers bungalow. I know that the rates vary considerably too depending on how you book your room. The first time we booked there, it was very cheap. Unfortunately, I broke my toe two days before leaving so we had to cancel. When we rebooked for the same room category a year later via a different agent (we moved) it was a lot more expensive. That said I met someone who left from the same airport at roughly the same time and claims he paid less than half of what I did. Grr. That said, today’s officially listed prices seem pretty high. Best to ask your travel agent or shop around the net. I’m sure you can find a better deal. Perhaps you’ll even find something else that suits your fancy. If you’re on tight budget, I remember nice and clean bungalows just across the street. Much cheaper because they didn’t have direct beach access.

Have fun planning your holiday - I am. Just kidding.

Sylvie