# Our trip to Phuket, Thailand



## Icarus (Apr 9, 2006)

Last year at some point, we decided we would go back to Phuket, this time for at least two weeks. Last time I was there, I didn't do any diving and I really felt that I missed out, so I wanted to do a bunch of diving around the Similan Islands, and the entire family loved Phuket.

Part 1: The Exchange

I own a 1BR OV at Marriott's Kauai Beach Club. Yes, I live in Hawaii and own a timeshare in the same state. (It was even worse when we also lived on Kauai.) At some point I'll do something about this, I suppose, since KBC maint. is pretty high, but for now, we've decided to try an exchange into Marriott's Phuket Beach Club.

With a 9 year old in school here, I wanted to make sure that most of the trip would overlap Sarah's break. So, we're trying for to get one of the last two weeks of March. Check-in day is not as important as the week, but we're hoping for a Friday or Saturday check-in.

So I get a week from Marriott (and the important 8xxxxxxxx conf. number), and  go off to intervalworld.com to put in for the exchange, pay the fee, etc. I'm using deposit first. So, I dutifully follow the instructions and put in the required dates (which are as clear as mud, by the way) and request the exchange.

Some time later, I get a confirmation for a checkin over the last weekend of March!!!  So I call and try to explain the problem with them, they put it back in using the correct dates. Some months later, we get a week starting Mar 17, which is perfect given the airline arrangements I've already made.

Meanwhile, I've requested a travel package award from Marriott for a week at a cat 5 hotel, plus air miles, and I already have enough points for a second week at the hotel. So I make award reservations for 2 rooms for the second week at the JW Marriott Phuket, which is the same property as the timeshare.

Even if the exchange didn't come through, we would have still done the trip, using SPG points for reservations at another Phuket property. But our first choice was the exchange into PBC since it's a great property.

Next: Part 2, the airline arrangements.


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## Icarus (Apr 10, 2006)

Part 2: Getting there.

I'm lucky to be a frequent flyer on United. I have a ton of miles, so we use our miles for 3 First class tickets and a business class ticket to Phuket. Vanessa, my 21 yo step daughter, gets the business class ticket.

Of course, there's no availability between Honolulu and Bangkok on United, but I am able to find award availability on Star Alliance carriers using this routing:

- Honolulu to Osaka on United
- Osaka to Bangkok on Thai Airlines
- Bangkok to Phuket on Thai Airlines

The connections are reasonable, and United's great International Awards desk is very helpful in booking the Star Alliance award tickets. They know that Thai will only show two award tix at a time, but when they book those 2, another one or two will usually show up.

So we're set. We're leaving March 15, arriving late on Mar 16 in Bangkok and then flying the next afternoon to Phuket. We're leaving Phuket on Saturday April 1, and flying out of Bangkok on Sunday morning April 2, arriving into Honolulu also on Sunday morning, April 2. (That pesky international date line.)

Several months later, I notice TG (Thai Airways) starts new non-stop service between Bangkok and LAX, thus throwing a monkey wrench into our FF tix. The Osaka flight was part of the LAX-KIX-BKK flight, now replaced by a non-stop on the new Airbus A345, which no longer stops in Osaka. They replace the Osaka - BKK service with every other day service, and I notice that we have a huge layover on the way out, and on the way back, our flight from BKK arrives into KIX after our United leaves. And there's no easy workaround to fix this.

Believe it or not, this creates a good opportunity with United, since TG uses older equipment between KIX and BKK, F and C class seating is not as good as UA's equipment on this route. The schedule changes allows the great United international awards desk to open up the seats we need on HNL-NRT and NRT-BKK, so we're now all set on HNL-NRT-BKK and then BKK-HKT (Phuket) the next day.

The only downside of the UA itinerary through Narita (Tokyo's airport) is that the Honolulu flight is the first in and the Bangkok flight is the last flight out, meaning long layovers in Narita, especially on the return.

Somewhere along the way, I get the necessary Aloha Air United partner awards for 5k miles each for the three of us that need the Maui - Honolulu add-ons.

Since the United Bangkok flight arrives around midnight and leaves at 7AM, we need to overnight in Bangkok on either end of the trip. So, I use Hyatt GP points for one award room and one paid room at my corporate rate at the Grand Hyatt Erawan.

So the schedule is set:

Mar 15: OGG - HNL on AQ
Mar 15: HNL-NRT-BKK (arrives late on Mar 16)
Mar 16: Overnight in BKK at the Hyatt Erawan
Mar 17: BKK - HKT on TG
Mar 17 - 24: Timeshare exchange

Mar 25 - Apr 1: 2 Marriott reward rooms at the property
Apr 1: HKT - BKK on TG
Apr 1: Overnight at the Hyatt Erawan
Apr 2: BKK-NRT-HNL (Arrives early on Apr 2)
Apr 2: HNL-OGG on AQ

So far there's minimal cost. Around $20 each for taxes on each FF ticket, a few dollars per AQ award ticket for the security fee and an internal Marriott exchange fee through II.

But there's a night missing you say? 

Next: Part 3: Diving Arrangements


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## taffy19 (Apr 15, 2006)

How was the rest of your trip and did you get better from whatever you caught over there? Did you see the Doctor finally?


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## Icarus (Apr 15, 2006)

I'll post more when I get a chance.

I finally went to the doctor on Tuesday. I'm getting better, but they also put me on blood pressure meds. Last few times I went to the doctor, my BP was high.

Thanks for asking.

-David


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## Cathyb (Apr 15, 2006)

David: We are getting our shots next week for both Fiji and Thailand. Do you feel your illness was because of something the shots didn't prevent?  What shots do you recommend for Thailand?


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## Icarus (Apr 15, 2006)

Not at all. I just got some sort of cold or virus after we got home. You can look at the state department or CDC websites to see what shots are recommended. Sarah and I both got the flu vaccine well before we left for vacation. If you haven't had a tetanus booster in 10 years, you might want to get that too.

-David


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## DebBrown (Apr 15, 2006)

David, we were at the Marriott the week after you.  I thought it was fantastic.  We've stayed at alot of the Marriott timeshares but I'd rank this one #1, probably due to the outstanding service.

Deb


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## Icarus (Apr 17, 2006)

Part 3. Diving Arrangements.

Teresa had been looking into diving arrangements for some time. She's the expert dive instructor.

Teresa wanted to do a liveaboard for a couple of nights, but I didn't really want to leave the kids by themselves. "Kids" is a misnomer, because Vanessa is 21 and Sarah is 9. I suppose it would have been ok, but I just didn't really want to do it.

There's a bunch of agencies listed on the internet that will book your dives. The dive operators pay pretty good commissions (some pay as much as 30%) and if you find a reputable agency, it's fine to book your dives with one of those companies.

Last time we stayed at PBC, they were fairly new and didn't have their own dive operation. They do have an onsite dive operator now, but we didn't book with them. Teresa did do a dive with them, and she liked them, but I decided we were going to use offsite companies.

Now, the good thing and bad thing about the Marriott is that it's located on the far north end of Phuket. That's good, because it's an isolated resort, and it's bad because it's an isolated resort. Most of the resorts and hotels on Phuket are located further south, and the dive operators cater to those hotels and lots of dives go out of ports toward the south end of the island. On the other hand, the best diving in the area are in the Similan Islands, which are about 60km west of Khao Lak, which is about an hour North of the Marriott. So, if you want to dive the Similan Islands, you generally get picked up at your hotel and drive to Khao Lak, and from there, you either get right on your dive boat for the long trip to the islands, or you take a speedboat and meet up with a larger boat that stays at the islands throughout the entire season (September - April.) Many of those larger boats are also liveaboards, so you can elect to do a daytrip or stay overnight for one or more nights on the liveaboard. It's much more cost effective to stay over at least one night.

Not all dive operators pick up at the Marriott or anywhere on Phuket for trips to the Similans. (seabees comes to mind as one that's well-regarded but won't pick up customer on Phuket.) 

Teresa got some quotes for several days of package day trips, but all those trips were leaving from the southern end of the island. That didn't really work for me since I wanted to dive the Similans mostly, but I did want to do a bit of  diving at other sites as well.

While searching, I came accross a company that does a Phi Phi island overnight trip. You leave from Au Chalong pier, on the southern part of Phuket, do several dives on your way to Phi Phi island, stay overnight at a bungalo hotel on Phi Phi, have breakfast in the morning at the hotel and then do several more dives on your way back to Phuket. Here's a link with more information about the dive trip:

http://www.sunrise-divers.com/phi_phi_special.htm

This seemed perfect because I wanted to take the kids with us on at least one dive, and they charge 50% for non-divers on this trip. Vanessa and Sarah were excited about this trip. And the overnight trip worked out perfectly since  the trip is overnight on Friday, returning on Saturday, that's where our extra night in Phuket would be spent .. on Phi Phi island. At least that was the plan. Teresa was sick and couldn't go, so I ended up needing a room at the hotel for her anyway. For me, the Phi Phi overnight was the highlight of the trip because the dives were great, great crew on the boat, great dive masters, and everybody on the boat seemed to bond. (It's hard not to when you come up from every dive with this stupid big grin on your face.)

I also ended up booking 3 days of daytrip diving to the Similan Islands. (Actually 2 days at the Similans and one day at Koh Bon, near the Similans.)

I ended up booking our dives with these guys:

http://www.divetheworldthailand.com/

which turned out to be a good thing, because Teresa got sick during the first week of our trip, and they were very helpful when I needed to keep rebooking our dives.

The first dive was at the Similan Is. Not sure what was going on, but the conditions were terrible for being in-season (non-monsoon season). There were lots of thermoclines and visibility around Koh Bon was terrible. After that Teresa got sick, I did one more dive without her, and then we reschuled the rest of the dives for the next week. The next week was like night and day. The boats were less crowded, the conditions were as I remembered them, and we had great dives. We even added a final day of diving on the last Friday we were there. If you dive the Similans, East of Eden is the best dive out there. There's tons of sites accross the seven islands that make up the sanctuary, but there's no better right now than East of Eden. All the other dives were great too, but .. well .. East of Eden will leave you speechless.

On the Phi Phi overnight, the first dive was the King Cruiser wreck. We hit that site just right. No current underwater, a mooring at the site so you can descend and ascend using the line, and very nice conditions overall. Several other sites, including the area near where that movie "The Beach" was filmed. All great diving. Not as clear or as good as the Similans, but still very good stuff.

Maybe next time we'll do at least on overnight on a Similan Is. liveaboard.

Next up, what to do at the Marriott?

-David


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## Icarus (Apr 17, 2006)

Somehow, I double posted part 3, so I'll use this to post a little more about the dive boats and what to expect.

The Thai crew consists of the Captain and all the helpers on the boat. These are the people that perpare and serve your meals, clean the boat, fill the tanks and help you in and out of the water.

The dive masters all seem to be foreigners. Lots of Germans, Aussies and Brits. They tend to work the season in Phuket (Sep - April) and then maybe go elsewhere during the monsoon season. One German dive master was also a steady-cam operator for some German TV shows in his off-season. Some went on to Egypt and other exotic dive locations. Dive masters don't do it for the money. It's a lifestyle choice. (So remember to tip your dive master if you had a good experience.)

We pretty much had the same driver every day we did the Similans. I loved that driver. He was fast and safe. Driving in Thailand is an art form.  It scares a lot of people, but I actually kind of like it. There's a controlled form that they use, that most people don't see. Lane markings are strictly advisory only in Thailand, but the people (being the gentle people they are) tend to give way to each other under all circumstances. Anyway, I liked our driver. Staying at the Marriott you are going to be the last ones picked up and the first ones dropped off and you don't have to do the other hour+ drive to the south side of the island.

Anyway, the food on the boats was great. They prepare fresh food daily, and I already miss all the curry I ate on the boats. There's always something to eat, soft drinks are free and plentiful, as is water. They have beer for sale, but if you have one, you are done diving for the day.

When I first got a look at the MV Greta, the boat used for the Phi Phi overnight, I wasn't impressed, but that soon faded as we got underway. The food was great, the boat itself was adequate, and I wouldn't hesitate diving on it again. I think my favorite part of that trip was the interesting mix of people we had from all over the world. My favorite was this young German girl, traveling by herself, who made pens at the Mont Blanc factory in Hamburg.

For our Similan and Koh Bon day trips, we dove on the South Siam 3. That company has two identical boats (the South Siam 3 and South Siam 4) that stay out in the Similans from September to April, so to get to them, you take a speedboat from Khao Lak. We used two different sized speedboats. The first week, when both boats were operating we used a speedboat with 3 200hp engines, and the speedboat held about 30 - 35 people, plus supplies for the liveaboards. The second week, when things were a bit slower, we used a smaller 20 - 25 person speedboat with 2 200's. In both cases, the trip from Khao Lak to the liveaboard takes around an hour to an hour and a half.

There weren't all that many Americans on these boats. There were Russians, Germans, a few Japanese, some Singaporeans, a few people from Canada and elsewhere. We were the only people picked up at the Marriott, except for the last day when we were joined by two other couples. On the last day, there was a Thai couple from Bangkok, with the biggest damn underwater camera I've ever seen. (She did the photography, and I think the camera was about 1/4 her size.)

-David


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## Icarus (Apr 17, 2006)

DebBrown said:
			
		

> David, we were at the Marriott the week after you.  I thought it was fantastic.  We've stayed at alot of the Marriott timeshares but I'd rank this one #1, probably due to the outstanding service.
> 
> Deb



Sorry we missed you.

Yeah, I love the property. It's very nice, though quite expensive. And yes, the service was great. Did you use the pool with the swim up bar?

To book the one extra room night I needed for Teresa, I wanted to use my points, but I was 6k short. I had 19k MR points left after getting the travel award and the extra week for the 2nd room on the hotel side, and I needed 25k for the one extra night. I could buy the 6k points, and the purchase price of those points was a lot cheaper than the room rate. The hotel worked with me on taking care of all that. At the end of the day, they had me close out my bill from the timeshare week and a couple of days of the hotel stay (also on points), and the incidental charges were enough to get me all the points I needed. They faxed the bill over to Marriott Rewards somewhere in Europe to get them credited immediately and took care of getting the award night credited back to them. They really did a nice job on that.

-David


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## ekw (Apr 30, 2006)

For curiosity sake - all the online booking and accounting systems for Marriott Thailand are administered from Cork, Ireland!


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