# Phuket -- what things to do there?



## Cathyb (Aug 14, 2006)

We will be spending a week at Marriott Phuket in January 2007   and wondered what tours/boat trips might be suggested for us to visit.  We love culture and are not into watersports anymore -- too old.

Also if you have favorite restaurants in the area besides Marriott, that would be appreciated. :whoopie:  Thank you in advance!


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## Abaco-Bob (Aug 28, 2006)

Cathy,

We will be staying there a week in early December so should be able to give you some feed back closer to your departure time.  Did you get a hold of SAM in Chiang Mai??

Abaco-Bob


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## Cathyb (Aug 28, 2006)

Tried to reach SAM but so far no response.  Thanks for any input.


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## DebBrown (Aug 28, 2006)

We were at the Marriott Phuket in March.  It is a fantastic resot but quite isolated.  You will get a chance to try each restaurant there.   Make a reservation early if you want to eat at a popular time.  The drive into town is at least half an hour.  If you hire a cab, the driver will wait for you and return you to the resort.

The best tour we took was a combination tour that included an elephant trek, a boat trip and a number of other short items.  We learned how they trained elephants and also monkeys to pick coconuts.  There was a woman who taught us how to make curry.  It was a full day with a taste of everything - just enough to be interesting and not boring.

The absolute worst think you can do is to go to Fantasea.  It is a very strange show.  The Thais call it the Disneyland of Phuket but it is really bizarre.  In an odd way, it shows you what Thais think of American culture.  I can't do it justice.  My son bought the DVD so he could prove to his friends what it was like.

Deb


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## PhuketThailand (Sep 5, 2006)

*What to do in Phuket.*

Hello all, first I would like to preface this statement with We live in Phuket, have Phuket Beach Club weeks as well as RCI weeks.  

Currently the sun is shining as I sit here overlooking Chalong Bay in the southern part of the island.  

Oh yeah about Phuket FantaSea Show, well it is the most cultural thing the island offers so if you go skip the meal but the show is truly THAI!  We would be happy to assist anyone with questions about Phuket or Thailand if you would like to submit them. Otherwise,

See you on the beach.


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## Cathyb (Sep 5, 2006)

PhuketThailand: Have several questions: (1) Would it be to our advantage to hire a driver for 3-4 days we are there to show up at 10AM until 4PM to take us to the various towns, restaurants and beaches? If so, how would we get in contact with someone?  (2)  Are there large, open markets to visit nearby? (3) Good (and reasonable) massage place away from Marriott? (4) Your favorite Thai and seafood restaurants?  I could ask many more, but will restrain myself.  Thank you for offering this opportunity!


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## DebBrown (Sep 5, 2006)

CathyB, I'm not PhuketThailand but I can address a couple of your issues.

The Marriott arranged drivers for us and it was very reasonable.  As to massages, you can get a great massage on the beach for about $10US.  No need to look anywhere else!

Deb


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## Hoc (Sep 5, 2006)

Cathy--

The resort is pretty isolated, but you can lie around the pool, work out, go to the beach, get massages on the beach, and go to the resort restaurants pretty easily.  There is a shuttle into Phuket Town and Pattong, but they are relatively infrequent, and they can be at inconvenient times.  Driving in Thailand is on the left side of the road, so unless you are used to driving that way, it's probably better to hire a driver than to drive yourself.

Chiang Mai is an airplane trip away -- don't plan on driving, but I understand that it is quite an experience to bathe with the Elephants there.

Pattong town has the usual tourist stuff -- lots of Nepalese Tailors trying to sell you custom suits and clothes, lots of counterfeit DVDs, CDs, Watches, Jeans, etc. at pretty good prices.  Also about 4 massage parlors per block with all of the women out front yelling, "Massage!!??" at you.  Rates for massages on the beach (including the beach in front of the Marriott) and in the parlors are pretty good.  About $10 an hour.  At the Marriott, the massages are closer to $100 an hour, but no better, so don't get ripped off by going to the Marriott massage parlors.

There are some decent live music venues in Pattong, but they get going just about the time the last shuttle leaves back for the Marriott, so if you plan on staying for the music, don't plan on taking the shuttle.

There are some excursions you can book, such as a boat trip to James Bond island, the butterfly preserve, etc.  If you are looking for a "truly Thai" show, there is a barbecue at the Marriott on your last night where the food is good, and they have traditional Thai dances from all over the country.  Never went to Fantasea, but I didn't hear good things about it.

Marriott also has some decent activities every day, but you have to book way in advance for the more popular ones, like the Thai cooking class.  Sign up at the health club on your first day there, and you can get pretty much whatever you want as far as activities.  Marriott restaurants are quite good, so plan on eating there most of the time.

The Marriott shuttle ride into Phuket Town takes about 1/2 hour each way, and into Pattong is about 45 minutes to an hour each way.  Better to hire a driver, who's not that much more expensive.  Whether you want to do it on a per-trip basis or for the whole time depends on how much time you plan on travelling, and how much you plan on hanging around the resort.


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## PhuketThailand (Sep 6, 2006)

Hello and no problem replying to your Q's.  

Driver, yes I highly recommend getting a driver for here in Phuket it will make the entire journey much more relaxed and safe.  As a fellow american we are not use to driving on the opposite side of the road as well as having the steering wheel there too, so this safety measure is a load off your minds. Drivers that I have set up do a 10am pick and return you back to the resort safely on your own schedule.  If you would like to get into specifics please email me at holidayready4u@hotmail.com I will be happy to discuss rates with you there.  

Open Markets: well the only open market near the Marriott is in Nai Yang Wat (temple) and it is on Tues/Thur/Sat opens at 2pm.  Not one of the best but it is the closes.  As someone state you are very isolated at the Marriott so do need to go out in order to see some site.  However, as a former Sales Executive there the resort really is beautiful and offers some standard activities of course at resort rates.  Phuket's Night Bizarre was demolished but a new market was built in Phuket town and it is closer to Robinson's and a street/soi of many other shopping stores where you can negoitiate prices.  

Massages:  The best deal around the marriott is the ladies on the beach in front of the resort.  They are EXCELLENT and the price is untouchable by marriott.  Of course if you want ambiance then the resort spa is one of the best in All of Asia according to the some spa committee (not really sure of the source).

Favorite Restaurant(s):  I have had dinner in the new Thai restaurant on the resort and again ambiance is amazing so are prices the food and presentation is incredible.  However, as someone else said the 'Thai Cooking' class is a definite if you can get in and you will prepare the same meals you could have had in the new thai restaurant.  Outside the resort, yes my favorite Thai restaurant is called The Nature House or some drivers know it as Nature Restaurant.  It is in the heart of Phuket town.  There is also something that is really unique it is a a 'floating barge' restuarant.  Email me and I will pass on further details.  

If anyone else has questions about their upcoming Phuket vacation please feel free to contact us.


See you on the beach!


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## Cathyb (Sep 6, 2006)

Hoc: Many thanks


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## Cathyb (Sep 6, 2006)

Deb:  Did you have different drivers on different days?  And an embarrassing question:  What is the tipping protocol for drivers?


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## Cathyb (Sep 6, 2006)

Phuket: Thank you so much.  What is the tipping protocol there for both restaurants and drivers that you have for 4-6 hours?


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## PhuketThailand (Sep 7, 2006)

*Tipping Protocal Restaurants & Driver*

Tipping is something that is very personal here and everywhere, but with Thais and especially in Phuket tips I would say that a 5-10% is a safe and very appreciated tip.  I think that if the service is exceptional the 10% is very generous.  As for the drivers I have they are a set fee and you decide the time schedule.    

See you on the beach.


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## Retired TSO (Sep 20, 2006)

We  (three couples) will also be at the Marriott in Phuket in January for one week. My wife and I have been to the Marriott Phuket before but the others have not been there. Our main objective is to relax and may be go to the Phuket Town and patong a 2-3 times. We wil be in the timeshare so do plan to eat some meals there but would like to get out of the resort for a few Thai meals, I suspect mostly lunches. some questions:
1. Are there ANY restaurants near the resort. We are NOT looking for fancy.
2. I do not remeber how far is Phuket town from the Marriott. Would a taxi be better than getting a car with driver. In Chinag Mai, we got a car and a driver for between 800-1,500 Bhats per day depending upon where we wanted to go and for how long. How much should we expect to pay for a car with driver in Phuket?
3. Is it easy to get a car/taxi for six adults?
4. Is the Marriott shuttle still FREE to go to Patong?
5. I remeber doing some excellent fish/shrimp shopping in a 'wet' market. Any one know onenear Marriott or the closest one?

Thanks in advance.

p.s. My wife and I will also be spending a few nights at the Sheraton Grand Laguna. Any restaurant recommendations near the Laguna?


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## PhuketThailand (Sep 21, 2006)

*Vacationing Expenses in Phuket Thailand*

Sawadee Krup Khun Retired TSO,
January will be a wonderful time to visit us here in Paradise as you know you and your friends will have a great time.  As for accomplishing your 'objective' you should find many ways of Relaxing here on our island.  As for eating in your unit I would recommend a service that is an online grocery shopping and delivery service which can get you all of your basic needs at local prices not those nasty resort prices.  
Onto your Q's:
Q1. Are there ANY restaurants near the resort. We are NOT looking for fancy.
A1. Well not really.  Linda's seafood place was demolished when Marriott decided to erect the Renassance property.  So the next closest options for you would be near the airport in Nai Yang.  I highly recommend the Nai Yang SeaFood on the same road as the airport.  It is right before the turnoff going to the beach.  Don't really recommend any of the beach restaurants in Nai Yang.  Oh if you decide to go to Nai Yang Sea Food restaurant on Tue/Thurs or Saturday and plan to go after 2pm you can also hit the closes market to you at the Marriott (FYI). 

Q2. I do not remeber how far is Phuket town from the Marriott. Would a taxi be better than getting a car with driver. In Chinag Mai, we got a car and a driver for between 800-1,500 Bhats per day depending upon where we wanted to go and for how long. How much should we expect to pay for a car with driver in Phuket?
A2. I live here and find it much more relaxing to have my driver take me around town as I need business or personal.  As for driving here you need to remember that you are on vacation and in a foreign country and any accident will be your fault, so I highly recommend getting a driver which cost 1,800-2,000 t/b for an all day hire (10am-?).  On your 2 or 3 day excursions into Phuket (45 min drive) or Patong (55min) from Marriott.  FYI, there is definitely a economic difference between Chaing Mai and Phuket even though it is Thailand Phuket is not cheap.  

Q3. Is it easy to get a car/taxi for six adults?
A3. You can organize this before you arrive and it will be best.  Marriott offers transport at 1,200 t/b (resort prices) or you can find it for about 500 t/b.

Q4. Is the Marriott shuttle still FREE to go to Patong?
A4. Yes, but it is at their convinence.  See schedule when you arrive.

Q5. I remeber doing some excellent fish/shrimp shopping in a 'wet' market.
A5. See A1.

p.s. My wife and I will also be spending a few nights at the Sheraton Grand Laguna. Any restaurant recommendations near the Laguna?

In the Laguna area you are surrounded by so many choices.  For i.e. right outside the entrance of Laguna on the left hand side you have excellent Thai, Italian and other dining options.  This area is much more developed than over by the Marriott.  

Please if you have any other questions or friends coming this way please feel free to give them my contact detail to help them with their questions or send me more if you have any.

See you on the beach.


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## Retired TSO (Sep 21, 2006)

Thank you very much PhuketThailand for your quick and detailed response. Based on your response, I will definitely get a car/driver for at leat 3-4 days of our trip and just stay and enjoy the resort facilities for the other 3-4 days.  I think we will plan on leaving Marriott around 10:00 A.M. and spend the day visiting some nearby places (any recommendations other than Phuket Town and Patong Beach. We are all retired, so more along leisure and sightseeing type activities rather than adventure), doing some shopping including some grocery shopping and have lunch and return back to the Marriott around 5:00-6:00 P.M. for a leisure dinner. 
On the day of our arrival, we will be coming from Khao Lak by car (with driver) or a taxi. We will  plan on stopping on route to pick up some basic groceries for the first day.

I am not sure if I understood your comment *" you can also hit the closes market to you at the Marriott (FYI). *,. Did you mean that we can buy fresh seafood groceries there? If so, Great. 

I am sure I/we will have some more questions closer to the date and if so, will post them.
thanks again for your help.
Retired TSO


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## Cathyb (Sep 21, 2006)

PhuketThailand: What is your opinion on American's safety with the new developments in Bangkok.  What is the local sentiment about the military takeover?  Should we continue to plan our January trip thru Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Rai, Phuket)?


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## PhuketThailand (Sep 21, 2006)

*Phuket Vacations*

Hello Retired TSO & Cathyb,
About the market Nai Yang temple is the only real market in that area.  And it is on Tues/Thur/Sat open after 2pm.  
As for the situation Cathyb, I have tried to keep people posted on this site but apparently it is against board rules to speak about politics.  What I believe I can say is that today everything is going well.  I believe that things are going to be settled way before you arrive.  However, since I do live here and if you ever want to ask me a questions I would be happy to give you my observation of what is going on here.  You can email me at your questions here as well holidayready4u@hotmail.com 

See you all on the beach.


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## PLL (Sep 21, 2006)

PhuketThailand said:
			
		

> Oh yeah about Phuket FantaSea Show, well it is the most cultural thing the island offers so if you go skip the meal but the show is truly THAI!  We would be happy to assist anyone with questions about Phuket or Thailand if you would like to submit them. Otherwise,
> QUOTE]
> 
> I must say my family and I enjoyed the Phuket FantaSea Show as well.  But that was 2 yrs ago so I don't know if the show had changed.  It had magnificant traditional Thai costumes, dancing and it was, I believe,  a Thai legend put to dance and music.   It was done with alot of drama like a Las Vegas show and for the tourist audience although I would think Thais would be entertained as well.  The show, in my humble opinion, was a mix of modern with traditional.   The facade of the theatre is  very eye-catching as well.  The rest of the park was very mediocare as was the buffet although there was alot of food.


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## sage (Oct 22, 2006)

*Just got back from Phuket*

Just got back from Phuket, Thailand. We had a great time.
For Cathyb (or anyone else curious) I can answer some of your questions.

The Marriott is isolated. 
It is about 30-45 minutes by car from the main shopping centres (Big C; Central Festival & Tesco).
It’s just over an hour from Patong.
It faces a beautiful (& really clean) beach and happy hour watching the sunset was a daily ritual.

_Getting Around_
There is a shuttle from the Marriott to the shopping centres but I don’t know when or where it goes from.
We organised a driver who stayed with us for the week. He picked us up each day we wanted to be driven around and charged between 1000-1500 baht (AUD $30-50) per day 4-8 hours. It was worth every cent. He stayed with us and waited while we went shopping. We could leave our things in the van while we went looking at the sights. We offered to take our driver to lunch each day but most days he declined.

_The Resort_Absolutely beautiful!
Rooms were large and luxurious – a treat as we got it on flexchange about 3 weeks before we arrived. There are 3 pools; numerous restaurants and programmed activities.
The kids club had circus school; tamika car racing; ten pin bowling excursions for the teens and thai boxing lessons.
Happy hour (1/2 price drinks) are between 5.30 & 7pm.
There are NO BBQ’s available to guests – unless you want to by a BBQ dinner (very expensive) where a butler brings the meat, salads and BBQ to your room and cooks for you.

_Dining_
The beach restaurants that were there a couple of years ago are gone due to the tsunami. The resort restaurants can be quite pricey. We ordered groceries beforehand through holidayready4u@hotmail.com. Everything was delivered shortly after we arrived and was excellent quality. 
There are fast food outlets (KFC, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Subway & Auntie Ann’s Pretzels) in most shopping centres. 
The best deal we found was in Central Festival. Thailands solution to Starbucks is Black Canyon – a string of coffee shop restaurants. There were 5 of us traveling (5 adults). We bought around 7 dishes to eat there + drinks and 13 dishes to take home. The whole lot cost around AUD $50 (US$36). We had these for dinner the next two days.
Big C has a really good supermarket where you can buy just about anything and the most amazing array of tropical fruits.
At some of the temples there are vendors selling fruit or cooked foods (the corn was delicious!)

_Sightseeing_
We didn’t go on any tours to the islands as my mum-in-law is frightened of boats & can’t swim so we went shopping, hung around the resort and did the following:

A must do is taking a ride on an elephant. We did a 2 hour show. Our driver took us there and waited while we rode elephants; watched a monkey show; rice paddy demonstration and a baby elephant show. We also stopped at the Chalong Temple on the way home.

Patong is quite a drive but worth it for the experience. Be warned – the smell of sewerage prevails; it is very busy at the markets and crowded on the beach.
We went to the beach and went swimming. Not advisable! My daughter got an infection in a cut and ended up in hospital with a blood infection (one of the best & cleanest hospitals we’ve ever seen!). 
The beach was murky and quite smelly.
My teenagers liked the markets but couldn’t wait to get back to the resort due to its cleanliness.

Our relatives went to James Bond Island; Phi Phi Island and Fantasea.  The boat trips were by speedboat and a bit rough but they had an enjoyable day on each trip. My nieces and nephew said the Fantasea show was the highlight of their trip. It has just been revamped and the show and food were great.

_Shopping_
Central Festival is an upmarket, American style shopping centre while Big C is cheaper and catering for the locals. Big C has a better supermarket which is similar to Walmart. Downstairs is a level of electronics and gadgets. We got our eyes tested and had prescription glasses made up in an hour for about AUD$80 instead of $260 back home. Tesco is like Big C.
The market have some really great bargains especially in carved wood; silk cushion covers; runners and clothing.

Hope this gives you a better insight into Phuket.

Gillian


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