Phuket, Patong Beach

B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi all,

Im thinking of go to Phuket,Patong Beach this May.I searched thru the net and liked Patong Bay Garden Resort. Any1 has experience pls share.
My idea is to rest n relax but able to shop too.
Will it be cheaper n less hassle if I book the air tickets n hotels myself?or better to book thru tour agency?
Appreciate ur comments
 


M

mango78

New Member
Hi,

Have been to phuket, patong beach resort 2 years ago. The service was good. Juz a short walk out of the resort, you will be able to see the beach and along the beach there, there are stalls selling handicrafts and others. Food was easy to search for. I went for a free and easy tour with Chan brothers whereby the package itself provided us with air tickets and transfer to and fro from airport to the resort, and accomendation with daily breakfast. Is abt $400+.

Hope you will be able to enjoy urself.
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi Yvonne,

May I know which hotel did u stay?Wat do u recommend for there eg sightseeing, sea sport etc?
 
S

steff

New Member
Hi Bonnygal,

Been to Phuket 3 times. 1st time, I stayed at Holiday Inn, Palm Reosrt on my 2nd visit & Laguna Phuket - Allamanda Resort, on my 3rd.

Can try Palm Resort but must specify that u want a room at the new wing. It's right smack in the Patong Beach stretch. Newly renovated and nice clean room for a 3*.

If adventurous, rent a car/jeep and drive the whole island. It's relatively easy cos it's it's a coastal scenic drive to all the beaches in Phuket. We did that in a day's drive, even drove till the beaches next to the airport.

Hope this helps
 
M

makiyo

New Member
Hi Bonnygal,

I went to Phuket in Oct 2003. I stayed at Burasari Resort (4*). Initially, I wanted to book F&E package ($288) with Newly Tour but promo over. So in the end, booked F&E package ($328 incl. free 1 day Phi Phi Island tour) with Wingo Travel. Phi Phi Island is beautiful with clear blue water. I had a great time snorkelling there.
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi Steff & Makiyo,
thanx for the info.Which travel agency would u recommend?It's been a long while since I go for a holiday so i dunno which to go.
Do u thk it's a good time to go in May?That's the only where my husband can make it.
 
M

mango78

New Member
Hi bonnygal,

I stayed at patong beach resort.
More mainly for seasports. Sight seeing not that much. More for relaxing. But i still went for an elephant ride up the hill. Is quite exciting. I even booked a driver from the hotel itself to show us round the phuket.
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi makiyo,

I saw the photos of ur hotel.The room is so nice n romantic
happy.gif
Im attracted to it. But is it near to the beach,shopping centres etc??or some distance away?
 
M

makiyo

New Member
Hi bonnygal,

Burasari is located opposite Holiday Inn. About 5 mins walk to the beach & Ocean Departmental Store. But for real cheap & good shopping, u can check out Robinson's at Phuket Town. Food is fairly cheaper too at Phuket Town.
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi,

Any recommendation of travel agency??there r so many in the market n im afraid to have choose the 'black sheep'.
 
M

makiyo

New Member
Hi bonnygal,

Check out the travel agencies at People's Park Ctr especially Newly Tour well known for cheap Thailand packages.
 
C

crayonshinchan

New Member
hi bonnygal,
i went phuket for 4days in dec.. considered half F&E... the agency booked air tickets and hotel room for me and over there, there will be a so called guide to bring u to ur hotel and book tours for u upon request... i think most agencies work this way so it shd be quite safe to book at any agency lor..
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi,

Advice on travel agency pls - Misatravel at Upper Cross St, Best Travel at Katong Plaza, Sunny Holidays ay Bugis, Giamso at People's Park Centre, SA Tours at People's Park Complex and Chan Brothers at South Bridge Rd.

Im thinking of go to Natas Travel this wk.Many sd usually it will be cheaper n many promotions in such fairs.
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi,
I had booked my 4D3N Free & Easy Phuket at Natas Fair,it's about $370 each, staying at Banthai,flying by SilkAir.Any comments??
BTW i understand that the tap water is yellowish there,so is it safe to bath??Nd to buy mineral water for washing up, drinking etc??Oso heard the merchants r not so friendly as last time.Any comments or advise?
 
D

deviant

New Member
Hi,

I'll also be going to Phuket. But I booked the air tix and accomodation separately on my own. Think it'll be much cheaper this way...

We'll be there for 5D4N, staying at Andaman Cannacia Resort & Spa Honeymoon Suite (with private outdoor Jacuzzi). Each person costs $380.
 
B

bonnygal

New Member
Hi deviant,

thk can consider urs the next time, seem so relaxed n private
happy.gif


initally we wanted to book separately, but it was much expensive so we changed to book thru travel agency.

Did u book thru www.phuket.com ??where did u book ur air tickets from?How u arrange for the transportation, A/P-Hotel, Hotel-A/P etc??
 
D

deviant

New Member
hi dolphin & bonnygal,

I booked my resort thru Directrooms. The website:
http://directrooms-thailand.com

Not all their resorts' prices are the cheapest though, you still have to shop around the various websites. It just so happens that for Andaman Cannacia, they are having a promotion. Pay 2 nights, Free 2 nights; so that's why I'll be there for 4 nights. Airport transfer is arranged by the resort.

As for air tix, I booked directly through Silkair cos they are having a promotion now; $150 per pax for a Return tix.

Hope the info helps!
 
C

ckluv2travel

New Member
Hey,

I'm also going to Phuket in June. Have already book my air tix on Silkair. But haven't got my hotel yet? I'm thinking of booking either Burasari Resort or Club Bamboo. Burasari looks wonderful, but wonder if it's as good as it looks on the web. While Club Bamboo is cheaper and also a boutique resort, but it's abit further from Patong Beach than Burasari.
Can anyone give me advice? Wish to book within the next few days.
Thanks
 
B

brambles

New Member
hi deviant, can i check that ur $380 per person at Andaman is exclusive of air tics rite? sounds like a good deal
happy.gif
 
D

deviant

New Member
Hi brambles,

you can go to www.silkair.com to book the air tix. Promotion is til 30 June 2004 I think. But the only catch is that you must book 45 days before your departure date to enjoy the $150 fare. If it's 30 days before your departure date, it'll be $170.

Cheers!
 
D

deviant

New Member
I've booked a few of these kind of websites before, www.directrooms.com is one of them. Once paid, I'm issued a voucher which I can print online and I just bring that to the hotel.

So far no unpleasant encounters....
happy.gif
 
C

ckluv2travel

New Member
Great. Just needed some assurance. Coz never book thru internet like that before.

Have u ever stayed at Andaman Cannacia Resort? From the map seems very out of the way. But the price is really worth it. Pay 2 nites get 2 nites free.
 
D

deviant

New Member
No prob, glad to be of help.
happy.gif


Nope, I haven't stayed at Andaman Cannacia before. But my wife and I wanted somewhere away from the hustle & bustle of Patong and Phuket town cos both of us just like to laze around the beach, etc... Plus we love the outdoor Jacuzzi! hee hee...
 
B

brambles

New Member
hi deviant,i went to the website u mentioned but how do u secure the honeymoon suite. seems like there's only the villa spa option available for booking
happy.gif
 
D

deviant

New Member
hi brambles,

oh you have to email to ask them to quote the price of the Honeymoon suite. They have to check with the hotel directly. But it's not guaranteed that it'll always be available cos the whole resort only got ONE! So it's very exclusive...hee hee...

I'm quite lucky cos the dates which I'm going happened to have the Honeymoon suite available.

Hope it helps!
 
B

brambles

New Member
hi deviant, i see. yes, v helpful. thanks, will email them. hv to keep my fingers crossed n hope that it's available
happy.gif
 
B

brambles

New Member
deviant, thanks. hope so too. if u dun mind, maybe can come back here to update us on how ur trip went n how u like the resort
happy.gif
 
M

meagan

New Member
Hi all, my fiance and I will be going to Phuket this June 04. Any recommendations on what we can do there? It's a free and easy trip. I will be staying at the laguna area, so it is a bit off from the more busier patong beach.


Thanks!
 
M

metta

New Member
Hi Meagan,

I was at Phuket last year. We went for a one day snorkelling trip and also a half day trip for "white-water rafting" and elephant ride etc. U can decide what u want to do when u arrive at Phuket cos' the resort will be able to book for you. Every evening when we come back from an activity, we decide what to do the next day and book from the hotel and someone will come pick us in the morning. So it's really free and easy. The white water rafting trip turned out to be a full day trip even tho' we paid for half day cos' we were assigned to the full-day group. Saved some $ there!

U can go shopping at night and enjoy the food along the road or restaurants. And u can also visit the jewellery boutiques where the pearls are really cheap.
 
M

metta

New Member
And the last time I compared prices, it's cheaper to book the resort off the internet. No need to deal with unscrupulous tour agencies. I got ripped off when I booked my Phi Phi Island trip through a tour agency. They confirmed that my package was a deluxe room and gave me a standard room for the price of the deluxe. I had to top up $ to upgrade when I was there!
 
S

steff

New Member
Hi Meagan,

Yeah...Laguna Phuket at Bang Tao Bay...Lovely! So which of the five hotels are u staying at?

I stayed at the one-bedroom suite @ Allamanda for a week. Recommended to do list is as follows:

- Angsana Spa is a must if u r a spa person. I went there 2x during the week there. If u want to really pamer yourself, go Banyan Tree for the spa too.

- Canal Village (shopping for Laguna stayers). I like the shop Cocoon. Food there is also not bad.

- If u love seafood, take the resort ferry/shuttle svc to Laguna Beach Hotel, walk to the cafes at the beach. A-loma cafe serves good and reasonable seafood. Make friends with them and ask if they can arrange a fishing trip for u.

- Rent a car near the entrance of Canal Village and drive ard Phuket. It's a scenic coastal drive. You can visit all the beaches in a day.

Other than that, u can just go to the beaches and laze there the entire time u r there.

Hope the info helps
happy.gif
 
M

meagan

New Member
hi metta, thanks for the advice! I have already booked my accommodation, it is the day tours now. Not sure which one to take. The whitewater rafting trip and elephant trek sounds cool..will definitely consider it. I am also thinking of going to Phi Phi island. But not sure if i should book the tours through the internet now and to give my credit card details over the internet like that. Hmmm I think I will book the tours when I reach Phuket as you suggested.
happy.gif
BTW, where did you stay the other time?

hi stef, i am staying at Allamanda too! At the lagoon view 1-bedroom suite.
happy.gif
My problem now is transport cos it is not very convenient to travel to Patong or Phuket town from the Laguna area. Do you have problems getting around from Allamanda? Heard there are some unscrupulous taxi or tuk tuk drivers around. I think Allamanda has shuttle services to these places but at a cost. May I know how much does it cost to rent a car? Is it easy to drive in Phuket?

Thanks!
 
M

metta

New Member
Hi Meagan,

there are many day tours to Phi Phi Island. U can choose any one from the little booths at Patong. The hotel should provide some booking services too. If u wanna stay in Phi Phi, it's better to book in advance if it's peak season.

Can't remember where I stayed in Phuket. Remember it was a small hotel further from Patong. Had to walk abt 20mins before reaching Patong.

For the tuk tuk, u can agree on a price and destination before boarding. They will give u a lower rate if u are willing to spend some time visiting those shops where they can get a stamp for free petrol for every visitor they bring. We had time to spare one day, so we followed the driver around for an hr. No need to buy anything & the driver is happy too.
 
D

deviant

New Member
hi meagan,

I just came back from Phuket in early May. It was definitely fun!
happy.gif


I stayed at Andaman Cannacia Resort & Spa, Kata Beach. It was really heavenly! with our own private outdoor Jacuzzi....

Just to give u a rough estimate of the tuk tuk prices, from Kata to Phuket town is about 250-300 Baht. From Kata to Patong about 200-250 Baht. Metta is right, you can bargain for lesser actually by telling the tuk tuk driver that you are willing to go with him to the various jewellery/handicrafts/etc shops for him to collect more stamps. We did that too and saved quite a bit on tuk tuk transport.
happy.gif
 
D

deviant

New Member
Oh yah, another thing abt the weather...
when I was there early this month, it rained for the 1st 2 days we were there and the subsequent 2 days were hot and sunny.

but the showers only lasted for a few mins....so altho there r downpours, usually they would not last for more than 10 or 15 min.

hope it helps!
 
M

meagan

New Member
hi metta, thanks. Guess my first stop after check-in is to Patong Beach..to book the tours first!

hi deviant, thanks for the tuk tuk prices. So did you have any unpleasant experience with them? Cos i heard that it is not very safe to take tuk tuks - safer to take taxis. But me and fiance will see how lah. Yeah, heard that it wil be raining mid year cos of the monsoon. keeping fingers crossed.
 
D

deviant

New Member
hi meagan,

nope, we din have any unpleasant experiences with e tuk tuk drivers. i guess it's just a matter of heng-suay, even for taxi drivers.
 
M

miinttt

New Member
Hi,

can try to rent a jeep in phuket to cruise ard.
(forgot how much is it, but it's cheap)
u get to explore diff parts of phuket..haha..we even found a mini waterfall in phuket..n also went to their fish mkt(not frequent by tourist)..
juz cruise ard n c what u can find...
 
M

metta

New Member
Hi meagan,

we tried a taxi which promised aircon and comfort but turned out the aircon was blowing warmer air than outside! Taxi is more ex too. Driver will chat to u, so it depends on whether u are in a chatty mood that day! Agree with Deviant that it depends on heng suay. I didn't have problems with the Tuk tuk drivers. Have fun!
 
S

steff

New Member
Hi Meagan,

Since u r staying at Allamanda, there's shuttle ferry or tuk tuk within Laguna Phuket which consists of 5 hotels. U can hotel hop within the resort and there's plenty to do. See my recommended list again
happy.gif


Canal Village is a small shopping area for Laguna stayers. I rented a car just outside Canal Village and drove ard Phuket. We even went int o Patong to shop. It's easy. Just be armed with a map. There's only one car rental company.

Dun miss the seafood place that I recommended.
 
M

meagan

New Member
hi steff, will try out your recommendations. BTW, how was allamanda? Wanted to take banyan tree initially but it cost double the price even though it is a promo rate. So we just stuck to allamanda.

Yep, heard abt the shuttle service within the 5 hotels. But i think there is a cost for the shuttle to Patong. Not sure how much though
 


S

steff

New Member
Meagan,

In case you are unaware of the website, check this out under suites. You will have a rough idea of the layout of the room. It's nice & spacious. http://www.allamanda.phuket.com/

Overall, I like Laguna Phuket. Must also try out the food at Canal Village, esp the pizza place & ice-cream parlour.

Hubby & I hung out there for ice-cream everyday before moving off to our destinations. For dinner, it was the A-loma cafe that we ate most nites too.

I hope you enjoy as much as I did.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
Phuket>>>Bangkok
Replies
18
Views
2K
smelly_melly
S

Top