# So how would you react?



## MALC9990 (Feb 8, 2013)

We are at Phuket Beach Club in Thailand and have had a bit of an experience.

For the last couple of days we noticed that fruit left out in the fruit bowl oin the kitchen had been "got at" during the night - apples and been chewed on and so had a couple of bananas. My initial reaction was that there was a gecko (small lizard) somewhere in the unit - so we decided to put the fruit away.

However when we returned from dinner this evening we started to hear noises from the false ceiling above the kitchen area. So called "At Your Service" and explained what had been happening and that we had noises from the false ceiling space above the kitchen area.

Two maintenenance men were here in minutes with black plastic sacks. Up into the inspection hatch he went with a torch and removed - TWO RATS!

Now being British and a bit laid back my reaction was - well we are in the tropical jungle here and even at home we know you are never far from a rat or two but having them in the unit is a little disconcerting.

Anyway I will be having a little chat with the Resort Manager tomorrow to see what he has to say. 

The maintenance guys did not seem to regard the event as being unusual - indeed the noises seem to be caused by the fact that both rats were stuck to some sort of trap that had stuct to them and so I guess each unit has something like this in the false ceiling above the kitchen area.

Mrs Malc is not freaking out !!


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## FractionalTraveler (Feb 8, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> We are at Phuket Beach Club in Thailand and have had a bit of an experience.
> 
> For the last couple of days we noticed that fruit left out in the fruit bowl oin the kitchen had been "got at" during the night - apples and been chewed on and so had a couple of bananas. My initial reaction was that there was a gecko (small lizard) somewhere in the unit - so we decided to put the fruit away.
> 
> ...



Sounds like something I would like to forget and move on with my Holiday!


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## Saintsfanfl (Feb 8, 2013)

Why can't you just share with the native creatures and be happy?

:hysterical:


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## ronparise (Feb 8, 2013)

Unfortunately there is no magic barrier around a resort to make it immune from problems like this. And as good a job as the management and staff might do things can still happen

I live in South West Florida on a canal and I have a banana tree in the back yard.  (I recently learned that rats love bananas...who knew)  I keep poison in the attic and in corners of the garage and behind the kitchen appliances, and every once in a while have to dispose of a dead rat


so to answer your question:  So how would you react?...Id act pretty much like I was at home.


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## WalnutBaron (Feb 8, 2013)

The rats were stuck to glueboards that serve as a trap for unsuspecting rodents. It's good that maintenance came and got them out, because otherwise the rats would have died there and you would have noticed a pungent odor emanating through your villa unit within days.

I agree with the other respondents...it sounds like the management is doing the best they can.

I do, however, have one very important suggestion: if you're still in the unit in question, be sure to thoroughly sanitize all countertops and surfaces where food is prepared and consumed. Rats are notoriously filthy--and you could come down with severe food poisoning if your unit is not thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.


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## 1950bing (Feb 8, 2013)

Why in the world would the men go after a rat with a torch ?


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## Smooth Air (Feb 8, 2013)

I'd be asking Houskeeping to come in & do that sanitizing! ASAP

They may want to consider setting traps that don't actually kill the rats because, as somebody has mentioned, if they die in your villa the "after effect" will be disgusting.
Don't ask me what to do with them once they catch live rats! But, I am sure those accustomed to dealing with this problem have a solution. 

Also, are they checking to see how the rats got in there? I presume they did not walk in through the front door!  There must be an opening somewhere & that should be sealed up. If there are rats, there may be other unwelcome guests as well who will try to visit you.

Hope the rest of your vacation is wonderful! How's the weather?  

OB1


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## larryallen (Feb 8, 2013)

When I saw the title I was expecting to react like the above as most stuff doesn't bother me. However, in this instance I would want a new unit and a TON of MR points.  I believe resorts have an extra high duty to keep rodents at bay. No they can't be perfect but they should be taking extreme precautions to avoid this type of thing from happening. I would ask for enough MR points to come back for the same length of visit in the future.

Beyond that I am confused. If they were on the glue boards are you sure they are the ones that had gotten into your food?


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## amanda14 (Feb 8, 2013)

So there are no BBQs at that resort for the rats?  Darn.


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## gblotter (Feb 8, 2013)

1950bing said:


> Why in the world would the men go after a rat with a torch?


For Brits ... torch means flashlight.


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## Saintsfanfl (Feb 8, 2013)

gblotter said:


> For Brits ... torch means flashlight.



Haha! Or the other way around. They originated the English branch of language after all!


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## ricoba (Feb 8, 2013)

If I had seen the rats in the unit, I'd of freaked out!!!   I hate rats and mice and they are my main phobia in life! 

It sounds like the resort is aware of the problem and doing the best they can to alleviate the situation.  But I'd still ask for some sort of compensation for this, simply because this is something that I'd never want to experience in a first class (or any class) resort.


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## MommaBear (Feb 8, 2013)

Unlike some other creatures, rats carry a number of diseases such as the bubonic plague and hantavirus. (Yes the plague still exists) so I would be creeped out if they had been sharing my food and running in the counters. I would want an immediate cleaning and some medicinal alcohol as disease prevention. Wine would help!


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## Cmore (Feb 8, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> We are at Phuket Beach Club in Thailand and have had a bit of an experience.
> 
> For the last couple of days we noticed that fruit left out in the fruit bowl oin the kitchen had been "got at" during the night - apples and been chewed on and so had a couple of bananas. My initial reaction was that there was a gecko (small lizard) somewhere in the unit - so we decided to put the fruit away.
> 
> ...



Malc,
Personally, I wouldn't "hold them up".  I think they should cover a thorough room cleaning at a minimum, and possibly a nice dinner as well.  I wouldn't ask for the dinner, but would expect a well run customer focused property to offer it.   I wouldn't hesitate to ask/demand the thorough cleaning.  

I know you travel to PBC regularly, so unless you feel they are behind on maintenance and other reasonable measures in regards to rodents, its probably one of the things that can happen on occasion in the tropics.  If you think those things are lacking, then perhaps a bigger case needs to be made with the mgmt and/or MVW.   

Have a great vacation.


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## bazzap (Feb 8, 2013)

Hi Malcolm
I am not sure if I have mentioned before, but when we 
were at PBC in Dec 2011 we had 3 mice in the ceiling void.
They were definitely mice not rats - I saw one eating the 
wooden door in front of the fridge when I went to it one
night! Nothing in Dec 2012 though. It doesn't surprise me, 
but rats are another matter.


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## Smooth Air (Feb 8, 2013)

On second thought.....after reading Larry's comments, I may be inclined to get them to switch my villa. I wonder how widespread this problem is. It would be a real pain to move and then find rats in your new villa too! 

Have you spoken w/ any other Owners/Guests about this? That is something else I would do in an attempt to determine if this was just bad luck and an isolated incident or a problem that is more widespread.

Again, I hope that the remainder of your vacation is problem free.


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## Quadmaniac (Feb 8, 2013)

larryallen said:


> When I saw the title I was expecting to react like the above as most stuff doesn't bother me. However, in this instance I would want a new unit and a TON of MR points.  I believe resorts have an extra high duty to keep rodents at bay. No they can't be perfect but they should be taking extreme precautions to avoid this type of thing from happening. I would ask for enough MR points to come back for the same length of visit in the future.
> 
> Beyond that I am confused. If they were on the glue boards are you sure they are the ones that had gotten into your food?



I think this is wishful thinking that they're going to give you tonnes of MR points. That is just extreme.

I think you have to take into consideration the place you are going to visit. There are rats there, plain and simple. They can do their best to keep them at bay, but it is going to happen period.

I think it would be absolutely fair to ask them to clean your unit completely from top to bottom and if they offer you a dinner, great! I think asking for anything more is wishful thinking. Compensation has to always be reflective of the issue at hand. Yes rats are serious, but there is only so much you can do and it sounds like the resort dealt with it as quickly as possible.


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## Venter (Feb 8, 2013)

*Room Clean*

Malc,

The only fuss I would kick up is to get a thorough villa clean, especially the kitchen.  As a previous poster said rats are filthy and mainly because they do not have a bladder and therefore dribble as they go along.  Hopefully management would at least also offer a meal voucher as I think proper pest controll should keep these things at bay.


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## BocaBoy (Feb 8, 2013)

larryallen said:


> When I saw the title I was expecting to react like the above as most stuff doesn't bother me. However, in this instance I would want a new unit and a TON of MR points.  I believe resorts have an extra high duty to keep rodents at bay. No they can't be perfect but they should be taking extreme precautions to avoid this type of thing from happening. I would ask for enough MR points to come back for the same length of visit in the future.



I agree.  This is bad.  Very bad.  I am horrified.  For a long time I have read about what a great and high end resort this is.  Now I read that they have a rat problem and that it is not an isolated instance.  I am not primarily interested in why there are rats or whether the management is working hard to try to keep them away.  The fact is that a resort with a rat problem is dangerous and is not somewhere I would ever consider staying.  A full refund is definitely not an extreme request in this case.

As a side note, I am greatly puzzled by the fact that a salesman who stretches the truth gets a stronger negative reaction on TUG than a resort with a rat problem.


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## larryallen (Feb 8, 2013)

BocaBoy said:


> As a side note, I am greatly puzzled by the fact that a salesman who stretches the truth gets a stronger negative reaction on TUG than a resort with a rat problem.



This is what you call the QUOTE OF THE DAY!  Too funny and too true.  Good one Boca.


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## mav (Feb 8, 2013)

HOLY ....!!!!   Sorry, but I would have been outa there! To the nearest hotel on the highest floor. Can't help it! I would have been horrified! I wouldn't care about loss of my week, points etc. Just get me out! You are lucky I'm not Mrs. Malcolm. I'd would just meet you at the airport when it was time to go home! And trying to forget it ever happened, no compensation or anything. I would have been trying to forget it ever happened. Sorry! but I am horrified!


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## ilene13 (Feb 8, 2013)

mav said:


> HOLY ....!!!!   Sorry, but I would have been outa there! To the nearest hotel on the highest floor. Can't help it! I would have been horrified! I wouldn't care about loss of my week, points etc. Just get me out! You are lucky I'm not Mrs. Malcolm. I'd would just meet you at the airport when it was time to go home! And trying to forget it ever happened, no compensation or anything. I would have been trying to forget it ever happened. Sorry! but I am horrified!



I agree with you.


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## fillde (Feb 8, 2013)

Malcolm sorry about that incident. But for future travellers to Thailand those two rats are a delicacy. Don't know about inflation over there, but last year they were going for three dollars a pound!

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2012/02/not-enough-rats-thailand-meet-demand

Warning graphic content.


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## Beefnot (Feb 8, 2013)

My family would be outtie like an A8.


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## Smooth Air (Feb 8, 2013)

fillde, that is just gross. Even if you are serious, most of us are not from Thailand and would not be interested in such a "delicacy".

Interesting to see the varied responses here.


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## timeos2 (Feb 8, 2013)

larryallen said:


> This is what you call the QUOTE OF THE DAY!  Too funny and too true.  Good one Boca.



Is there a difference between a rare & most timeshare sakes weasels? Same rodent family I think.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 8, 2013)

Well morning has come the sun is up and overnight no disturbance. I deliberately left out an apple to tempt the little devils but none showed. Somewhere upthread it was mentioned that sticky boards are used to trap vermin and this is exactly what was the case here. I suspect that these are always in place in every unit in the false ceiling over the kitchen area.

As to cleaning here, today is changeover day. Until today we were guests in a friends villa and today they become our guests for 2 weeks. So the housekeeping staff are due in for a complete clean and replacement session as though new guests were arriving. I am off to the local supermarket looking for some anti bacterial cleaner or at least some bleach. As for changing villas, we are happy in our villa and it is Chinese New Year and the place is rammed full, extra loungers out by all the pools to ensure everyone gets to sit and lie in the sun and this morning not a cloud in the sky.

I will still have a word with the resort manager but not to complain but to actually commend the staff who did a great job. They clearly knew what was the problem and responded very well indeed.

Now it is time for some sun.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 8, 2013)

bazzap said:


> Hi Malcolm
> I am not sure if I have mentioned before, but when we
> were at PBC in Dec 2011 we had 3 mice in the ceiling void.
> They were definitely mice not rats - I saw one eating the
> ...



Definitely a rat too big for a mouse. At home the cats bring in the mice but the dead rats they leave out on the lawn.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 8, 2013)

BocaBoy said:


> I agree.  This is bad.  Very bad.  I am horrified.  For a long time I have read about what a great and high end resort this is.  Now I read that they have a rat problem and that it is not an isolated instance.  I am not primarily interested in why there are rats or whether the management is working hard to try to keep them away.  The fact is that a resort with a rat problem is dangerous and is not somewhere I would ever consider staying.  A full refund is definitely not an extreme request in this case.
> 
> As a side note, I am greatly puzzled by the fact that a salesman who stretches the truth gets a stronger negative reaction on TUG than a resort with a rat problem.



Let's be realistic here - this is the tropical jungle in SE Asia we get all sorts of wild life. I live in a suburban area at home in the UK and we had a rat problem in the garden there so stuff like this happens anywhere. We will have a thorough sanitize - and I will do it myself to ensure that I know it has been done thoroughly. The bird life in the gardens here is amazing and also I now know what the few cats around the property probably live off. We come here every year for 9 years now and we already reserved for next year.


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## Bnov (Feb 8, 2013)

I'm impressed that your DW didn't have a cow!  Glad to hear it won't ruin your vacation...:whoopie:


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## MALC9990 (Feb 9, 2013)

Bnov said:


> I'm impressed that your DW didn't have a cow!  Glad to hear it won't ruin your vacation...:whoopie:



Well the saga continues. It has been established that the rat was definitely a rat! What we heard was the noise it was making dragging around a board that was covered in a special sticky substance that it was unable to get free from - hence the noise as it struggled. The maintenance guys obviously knew what was up they arrived as a pair and were well equipped for the task. I suspect that these sticky boards are in the false ceiling area of every unit.

So we move to today. Since the villa was still in our friends' name, they went to check out and then I was summoned to supply a credit card for our reservation. They had asked for the new resort manager to contact them about the rat issue. As a result the villa has had a deep clean this morning and it showed in the kitchen area. Maintenance have been back to do do a thorough inspection of the false ceiling area.

I had left out a tempting apple over night and it had not been touched. It seemed like the culprit had been dispatched. After the clean we were left fresh bread and a basket of apples and bananas to replace that eaten by the rat. Then we had a call from the new GM as a result we have a free dinner at the Andaman Grill ( when offered the choice we decided to enjoy the best). This was followed by a bottle of wine delivered with his business card to the villa. The GM only recently arrived.

Next year I must bring another pet rat with me 

Overall this has been handled very well and reflects well on the resort, the staff and management. It emphasizes that the mark of a good business is how it handles a customer service issue and this has been handled very well indeed.

We will ensure we meet The GM at the next owners reception on Tuesday and we are already booking our stay for next year. We are aiming to be here for the last two weeks of Jan and first two weeks of Feb with friends.


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## zcrider (Feb 9, 2013)

Good for you for handling it so well. 
I think I would have done the same in your shoes.  Rodents and bugs are a part of life.  We all do what we can to avoid them, but never can it be 100% perfect.


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## SueDonJ (Feb 9, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> ... Next year I must bring another pet rat with me  ...



HAHAHA!!  :rofl:


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## glypnirsgirl (Feb 9, 2013)

fillde said:


> Malcolm sorry about that incident. But for future travellers to Thailand those two rats are a delicacy. Don't know about inflation over there, but last year they were going for three dollars a pound!
> 
> http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/newshound/2012/02/not-enough-rats-thailand-meet-demand
> 
> Warning graphic content.



that picture was deeply disturbing to me --- too closely resembling satay --- my mind immediately made the jump.

And, hantavirus is one of my most horrible fears. I have a compromised immune system and would be really upset by the exposure. 

And yet, I recognize that in a tropical environment, rats and mice are just part of the environment. So, I would be upset by the incident, But I would feel like it was not the "fault" of the resort unless there were housekeeping shortcomings or a failure to respond.

elaine


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## larryallen (Feb 9, 2013)

Beefnot said:


> My family would be outtie like an A8.



I believe it's a 5000... G!


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## sml2181 (Feb 9, 2013)

Good for you to handle this so well. 

We encountered rats at Son Antem years ago. I was not a happy camper; housekeeping didn't do a thing and we never saw a manager as he was too busy. We left early during our 2 weeks stay - went to a Starwood hotel where we knew the manager would take care of us. It took me a few years to even consider to go back to SA. (Which I am glad we did as I really like it.)

I do not consider myself to be very difficult, but rats just freak me out.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 9, 2013)

sml2181 said:


> Good for you to handle this so well.
> 
> We encountered rats at Son Antem years ago. I was not a happy camper; housekeeping didn't do a thing and we never saw a manager as he was too busy. We left early during our 2 weeks stay - went to a Starwood hotel where we knew the manager would take care of us. It took me a few years to even consider to go back to SA. (Which I am glad we did as I really like it.)
> 
> I do not consider myself to be very difficult, but rats just freak me out.



Son Antem is another of our favourite resorts and since it is on two golf courses and surrounded by farms I would expect that there are rodents of various kinds in the area. That is probably why there are so many cats on the property.

Getting quite cool about this now - another rodent was removed last night from the same place on the replacement sticky trap. This one not quite dead. The squeaking noise was what alerted us. Housekeeping was here in minutes, heard the sounds and quickly removed the offending item. No activity in the unit this morning.


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## Ann in CA (Feb 9, 2013)

Have been trying to stay away from this thread as Phuket is one of our absolute favorites in MVCI, and didn't want to tarnish any future visit, but keep coming back to see the latest rat tales! 

Think dinner at Andaman Grill would do much to help erase the ratty memories.  We loved all the restaurants there, but we had an especially perfect evening at Andaman Grill.

The owners reception was lovely,  best we have ever experienced. (I assume due to one of the great restaurants providing the drinks and served hors d'oeuvres.)  Do they still do that by the quiet pool? And do they still have orphaned baby elephants on the property?  Watching them playing in the water with their handlers was pure delight.  

Enjoy the rest of your stay at that beautiful place!


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## sml2181 (Feb 9, 2013)

Looking forward to our Phuket trip ... . 

I must admit that dinner at the Andaman would make it a lot easier to forget about any rodents. Our main concern (well in all honesty, MY concern) at Son Antem was the indifference of the staff. I didn't ask for any form of compensation, while at the same time I did expect at least some sort of acknowledgement. I am older and wiser now. 

I think both Son Antem and Phuket Beach are wonderful resorts.


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## CarolF (Feb 9, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> Getting quite cool about this now - another rodent was removed last night from the same place on the replacement sticky trap. This one not quite dead. The squeaking noise was what alerted us. Housekeeping was here in minutes, heard the sounds and quickly removed the offending item. No activity in the unit this morning.



Glad to hear you are taking it in your stride.  It is all part of the experience of living in Asia.  It was lovely of the resort to compensate you for the inconvenience, how thoughtful.

My worst experience was a snake wrapped around the toilet in the early hours of the morning and I have acquired a particular dislike of monkeys after loosing a lot of food to them.  I soon learnt to keep the doors closed.  

I'm inclined to discourage people from travelling if they are sensitive to the idea of living with rodents, insects, spiders, snakes, lizards and rabid animals.  I think you will be much happier staying home.   

I'm very intolerant of people who travel without doing some research on local living conditions then become hysterical when it is different to home.


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## BocaBoy (Feb 9, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> Getting quite cool about this now - another rodent was removed last night from the same place on the replacement sticky trap. This one not quite dead. The squeaking noise was what alerted us. Housekeeping was here in minutes, heard the sounds and quickly removed the offending item. No activity in the unit this morning.



I remain amazed that so few TUG posts seem to be very disturbed by this.  Even after a thorough cleaning and sanitizing the rodents were back in the same unit.  I am not saying it is anyone's fault, but if it is a "rat resort" it is a HUGE problem and one I never plan to visit.  A fancy dinner is nowhere near enough to compensate for the health hazards involved.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 10, 2013)

Ann in CA said:


> Have been trying to stay away from this thread as Phuket is one of our absolute favorites in MVCI, and didn't want to tarnish any future visit, but keep coming back to see the latest rat tales!
> 
> Think dinner at Andaman Grill would do much to help erase the ratty memories.  We loved all the restaurants there, but we had an especially perfect evening at Andaman Grill.
> 
> ...



Two baby elephants now. The owners reception is as good as ever.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 10, 2013)

CarolF said:


> Glad to hear you are taking it in your stride.  It is all part of the experience of living in Asia.  It was lovely of the resort to compensate you for the inconvenience, how thoughtful.
> 
> My worst experience was a snake wrapped around the toilet in the early hours of the morning and I have acquired a particular dislike of monkeys after loosing a lot of food to them.  I soon learnt to keep the doors closed.
> 
> ...



After 30 years of travelling to Asia I feel pretty cool about these things. The bugs can be worse in Florida. We have seen snakes in the grounds here in previous visits but the staff are quick to remove them.


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## CarolF (Feb 10, 2013)

BocaBoy said:


> I remain amazed that so few TUG posts seem to be very disturbed by this.  Even after a thorough cleaning and sanitizing the rodents were back in the same unit.  I am not saying it is anyone's fault, but if it is a "rat resort" it is a HUGE problem and one I never plan to visit.  A fancy dinner is nowhere near enough to compensate for the health hazards involved.



Cleaning and sanitizing units does not kill rats.  The rats in Thailand live  everywhere.  Perhaps if you look at the landscape you will be able to see why -

https://maps.google.com.au/maps?ie=...tt's+Phuket+Beach+Club&iwloc=A&gl=AU&hl=en_uk

During the rainy season the rat population rises and the price of rat meat decreases.  Signs appear warning of the danger from Leptospirosis (disease caused by the leptospira bacteria in rat urine) in flooded areas.  Poor rice growers are often susceptible from wading in water.


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## CarolF (Feb 10, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> After 30 years of travelling to Asia I feel pretty cool about these things. The bugs can be worse in Florida. We have seen snakes in the grounds here in previous visits but the staff are quick to remove them.



Ahh, Asia got under my skin too.  First visit 1978 and it was love at first sight.  Still not comfortable with the mangy, rabid dogs but that is about it.


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## Beefnot (Feb 10, 2013)

I lived in the Philippines back in the late 80s and we never had rats. Roaches, oh lord yes, but rats no. During that time we also visited Hong Kong, Singapore (seemed like the cleanest place on earth), Thailand, Korea, and Japan and never encountered rats in our trips. If now I am supposed to not be surprised to encounter rodents when visiting Asia, well that will be one less family to compete for occupancy with.


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## MALC9990 (Feb 10, 2013)

MALC9990 said:


> After 30 years of travelling to Asia I feel pretty cool about these things. The bugs can be worse in Florida. We have seen snakes in the grounds here in previous visits but the staff are quick to remove them.



So after a hectic 30 minutes we are now in a new villa. After discussing again with the GM (who called us on his day off), he really wanted to get his maintenance staff into the unit to sort out where the problem was coming from and so we are now moved and onto a higher floor.

We had not wanted to move but now wears up in the tree tops and get the evening sun.


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## CarolF (Feb 10, 2013)

Beefnot said:


> I lived in the Philippines back in the late 80s and we never had rats. Roaches, oh lord yes, but rats no. During that time we also visited Hong Kong, Singapore (seemed like the cleanest place on earth), Thailand, Korea, and Japan and never encountered rats in our trips. If now I am supposed to not be surprised to encounter rodents when visiting Asia, well that will be one less family to compete for occupancy with.



Rats have a long history in Asia.  They are shy, nocturnal and avoid people. 

In the Philippines, whilst you were there, do you remember the discussions about schistosomiasis and the importance of the need to control rats?  You might have heard about the "Year of the Rat" in the Chinese calendar.  Ever visit the rat temple in Japan. http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/Japan/Kyoto Day 2/RatTemple.html  You might have heard the Korean proverb, "the birds listen during the day and the rats at night" (the walls have ears).
Did you read King Rat - about the survival of POW's in Changi (Singapore) and the use of rats for food and bartering.

The sacred rat is worshipped  http://news.nationalgeographic.com.au/news/2004/06/0628_040628_tvrats.html


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## Beefnot (Feb 10, 2013)

larryallen said:


> I believe it's a 5000... G!





CarolF said:


> Rats have a long history in Asia.  They are shy, nocturnal and avoid people.
> 
> In the Philippines, whilst you were there, do you remember the discussions about schistosomiasis and the importance of the need to control rats?  You might have heard about the "Year of the Rat" in the Chinese calendar.  Ever visit the rat temple in Japan. http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/Japan/Kyoto Day 2/RatTemple.html  You might have heard the Korean proverb, "the birds listen during the day and the rats at night" (the walls have ears).
> Did you read King Rat - about the survival of POW's in Changi (Singapore) and the use of rats for food and bartering.
> ...



I didn't mean that there were no rats in Asia.  I meant that we never encountered rats in our house, nor in any hotel rooms we were in.  And thus I never had any expectation that rats in someone's adequately constructed middle class home or in a hotel room should come as anything other than a horifying, aberrant shock.


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## CarolF (Feb 10, 2013)

Beefnot said:


> I didn't mean that there were no rats in Asia.  I meant that we never encountered rats in our house, nor in any hotel rooms we were in.  And thus I never had any expectation that rats in someone's adequately constructed middle class home or in a hotel room should come as anything other than a horifying, aberrant shock.



I don't think they are classist.


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## ilene13 (Feb 10, 2013)

BocaBoy said:


> I remain amazed that so few TUG posts seem to be very disturbed by this.  Even after a thorough cleaning and sanitizing the rodents were back in the same unit.  I am not saying it is anyone's fault, but if it is a "rat resort" it is a HUGE problem and one I never plan to visit.  A fancy dinner is nowhere near enough to compensate for the health hazards involved.



You are absolutely correct!


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## jeffwill (Feb 10, 2013)

For those of you that cringe from the mental image of a rat,  you probably have some outside living in your trees----- they are called squirrels.

This reminds me of back in the day--- as a native Foridian---- when "northern" visiters would not eat mullet (fish)----- so we simply changed the name on the menu to "Lisa".  They'd go home and brag about how wonderful it was.


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## npey (Feb 10, 2013)

That's why I always travel with my cat.


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## vacationhopeful (Feb 10, 2013)

npey said:


> That's why I always travel with my cat.



Very few cats can kill a full grown rat. As a preteen, I was offered $100 for my female cat by a lady who had champion horses in jumping. She had watched my cat on several afternoons hunt full grown rats where she stabled her horses. My cat would kill several rats as sport a week. 

That would be about $1250-1500 in today's dollars. Rats ate a lot of grain and carry diseases.


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## Beefnot (Feb 10, 2013)

CarolF said:


> I don't think they are classist.



Maybe not, but call it what you will, there is a marked difference in construction materials and quality of construction the further up the income scale one goes, irrespective of nation.


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## Beefnot (Feb 10, 2013)

jeffwill said:


> For those of you that cringe from the mental image of a rat,  you probably have some outside living in your trees----- they are called squirrels.
> 
> This reminds me of back in the day--- as a native Foridian---- when "northern" visiters would not eat mullet (fish)----- so we simply changed the name on the menu to "Lisa".  They'd go home and brag about how wonderful it was.



Yes we have squirrels, and we do have rats in our neighborhood too. Saw one jump from a wall to the roof of a neighbor's house once.  But we have tried to rodent-proof our home because rodents do not belong inside our home no matter what. Reminds me, I need to do a perimeter inspection to make sure our wire mesh and Great Stuff foam have been holding up.


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## Smooth Air (Feb 10, 2013)

Thanks for the update, Malc.
I just want to make sure that I understand the chronology of this: Your unresolved rat problem started on or about Febrauary 6. You finally moved on Feb 10. That's Day 5. In between, you had a nice complimentary dinner. 

I sure hope there are no rats in your new villa! 

Again, I have to say, that it is fascinating to see how different people react to the same situation. I would have had them move us on Day 1.

 And, now, from reading this Rat Thread, I have this mental image of a snake being wrapped around the toilet. Holy Jumpings! Where did that happen? Please don't say Florida! (I believe you did say where upthread but I cannot go back & re-read that description....yes, I do have a snake phobia......). 

I wonder if the snakes eat the rats! If so, one may be inclined to speculate: Where  there are rats, the snakes can't be far behind!

Smooth Air


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## vacationhopeful (Feb 10, 2013)

Wasn't it Snakes on a Airplane already made into a movie?


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## glypnirsgirl (Feb 10, 2013)

Looking at Carol's picture, it appears to me that the field that is inland from the resort may have been recently cleared. The rats will leave a densely foliated area and head indoors when their habitat is cleared.

In the 90s, we lived in an area that was adjacent to a grain farmer. Once he sold his land and it was cleared for development, our whole neighborhood had rats entering homes. I had to move all of my dog food and my organic gardening supplies into metal containers because they would chew right through plastic. 

I think that the resort needs to leave the snakes in place instead of removing them. Snakes are a great rodent predator.

elaine


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## MALC9990 (Feb 10, 2013)

glypnirsgirl said:


> Looking at Carol's picture, it appears to me that the field that is inland from the resort may have been recently cleared. The rats will leave a densely foliated area and head indoors when their habitat is cleared.
> 
> In the 90s, we lived in an area that was adjacent to a grain farmer. Once he sold his land and it was cleared for development, our whole neighborhood had rats entering homes. I had to move all of my dog food and my organic gardening supplies into metal containers because they would chew right through plastic.
> 
> ...


It is now Monday and we have been in the new unit one night. Moved on Sunday and the GM did want us to move on Saturday. Problem was recognised on Friday night when first rat was removed from the false ceiling void. This is a really quite small area above the kitchen with no obvious access out to the unit but obviously something was getting in during the night. I first noticed that some fruit left of the counter top had been got at on Thursday morning, but did not really react to it  other than to suggest that all edible stuff be put away either in the refrigerator or in a cupboard. 

So we decided not to move Saturday since we were in a ground floor unit which we specifically had requested (more space). However we are now in a upper floor unit (less space on the terrace but inside the unit is the same).

There is a major new TS development being built nearby by the Anantara Vacation Club which has probably disturbed the local animal population and caused this problem. So the GM sort of insisted we relocate - he managed to find another unit even though the place is rammed full for Chinese New Year.

I personally cannot fault the way the resort has handled this issue. The housekeeping and maintenance staff who dealt with it have been excellent and management also have responded well. The move was accomplished without too much upheaval. Two bell staff and a manager from the hotel came in and moved everything, including the contents of freezer and refrigerator. all we had to look after was our iPads and safe contents.

Will we be back? Yes we will - we have booked for same time next year already and have the outbound flight to Hong Kong booked on BA in First using our BA FF points. just need to get the return availability in due course.


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## BocaBoy (Feb 10, 2013)

Beefnot said:


> I lived in the Philippines back in the late 80s and we never had rats. Roaches, oh lord yes, but rats no. During that time we also visited Hong Kong, Singapore (seemed like the cleanest place on earth), Thailand, Korea, and Japan and never encountered rats in our trips. If now I am supposed to not be surprised to encounter rodents when visiting Asia, well that will be one less family to compete for occupancy with.



My wife and I have traveled extensively all over Asia and stayed at high class places.  We have never encountered a rat in our accommodations.  They appear, however, to be somewhat common at Marriott's Phuket timeshare (they even have sticky surfaces to catch them), and this is unacceptable in a luxury accommodation.  It is one thing to have a single rat instance that is quickly taken care of, but it is quite another to have a rat problem like this.


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## BocaBoy (Feb 10, 2013)

CarolF said:


> Cleaning and sanitizing units does not kill rats.  The rats in Thailand live  everywhere.  Perhaps if you look at the landscape you will be able to see why -
> During the rainy season the rat population rises and the price of rat meat decreases.  Signs appear warning of the danger from Leptospirosis (disease caused by the leptospira bacteria in rat urine) in flooded areas.  Poor rice growers are often susceptible from wading in water.


Well that really makes me want to visit.  I guess since it is a "rat country" I should be happy to see the critters.  Just part of the ambiance.  And of course I know cleaning and sanitizing does not kill them.  But I assumed the resort thought they were gone before the cleaning & sanitizing.


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## BocaBoy (Feb 10, 2013)

They should have used this as a sales tool when they were selling weeks.  They could have pointed out the sticky surface in the kitchen ceiling and assured potential buyers that it should catch most of the rats!


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## Beefnot (Feb 10, 2013)

Oh, forgot, I visited Bangkok back in the eighties too (all the inexpensive gold chains and counterfeit merchandise were the rage). Our accommodations were rat free.  But now I have been made well aware to no longer expect ratless rooms, at least not in Phuket Beach Club. Okeedoke.


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## CarolF (Feb 11, 2013)

Beefnot said:


> Maybe not, but call it what you will, there is a marked difference in construction materials and quality of construction the further up the income scale one goes, irrespective of nation.



Sometimes  

I'm not personally familiar with the Thailand building code.

I do know that the Burmese guest workers are very hard working, I'm in awe of the women. http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-ph...-site-with-burmese-guest-workers-thailand.php

I personally find the electricity supply intriguing too, I can't imagine what the code says.   
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clicksnapshot/6053103728/



Beefnot said:


> But we have tried to rodent-proof our home because rodents do not belong inside our home no matter what.



I do think all the resorts would do their best to keep the rodents out.  I'm guessing the rats gnaw their way in to get to all those lovely baskets of fruit.


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## mav (Feb 11, 2013)

I truly mean this, I am SO GLAD the OP posted this situation. This resort was on our list for this fall and is now OFF!!!!!  If we go to Thailand it will be at accommadations on a HIGH floor unit of a high end hotel! My hair is standing on end just thinking about it! As I said in my original post, I would not have wanted ANYTHING as compensation except OUT OF THERE!!!!!  
   THANK YOU OP FOR STARTING THIS THREAD!!!!!


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## MALC9990 (Feb 11, 2013)

mav said:


> I truly mean this, I am SO GLAD the OP posted this situation. This resort was on our list for this fall and is now OFF!!!!!  If we go to Thailand it will be at accommadations on a HIGH floor unit of a high end hotel! My hair is standing on end just thinking about it! As I said in my original post, I would not have wanted ANYTHING as compensation except OUT OF THERE!!!!!
> THANK YOU OP FOR STARTING THIS THREAD!!!!!



To all those who feel that this has confirmed that they never want to stay here - well all I can say is you will be the loser here. This has been a classic example of why I believe MVCI is the pre-eminent TS company. 

We all may have words to say against MVCI sales people but as far as resort operations are concerned the people here ar the top of the MVCI tree. 

Not only has the GM been involved but today we had a meeting with the Guest Relations manager to ensure that we were settled into our new unit and we have been coming here since 2005 - 5 weeks after the Tsunami and have been every year since and sometimes twice per year. To get here is a minimum 10 hour flight and thenan internal flight, this year was 12 hours to Hong Kong and then another 3.5 hours from Hong Kong to Phuket. It costs serious money to get here.

There are no other people with this issue hgere and we have discussed it with lots of people around the pool. The external pest control guys were all over our old unit today and will be working on it for sometime to come.

If it has put you off from vacationing here, well so be it but you are missing out on one of if not the best in the MVCI family of resorts.

We all have our favourite resorts in the brand - here are a few questions to clarify why this is my favourite.

At your favourite resort:-

1. Do housekeeping visit every day and make the beds, do a full clean, replace all the towels and toiletries and wash all the dishes etc.
2. Do the pool staff deliver iced water to you at your sun bed by the pool and top it up whenever it is getting empty, do they deliver a cold towel during the heat of the day to cool you down, do the deliver some chilled fruit to you at you sun bed by the pool.
3. Is there an endless supply of clean towels by the pool for you to use and discard.
4. Is maintenance there within minutes when you have an issue - today my air-con was a tad on the warm side - is was very hot today - within minutes the guy was here and now it is possible that ice could form on my drink it is so cool in here.

So if you decide never to stay here - you are missing out BUT there are many Americans here this week and all seem to be very happy with the resort and the levels of service.

Finally my comment would be that the only thing I would change would be that we should have moved units when the GM offered on Saturday rather than waiting until Sunday. He was right to want to get the unit empty to sort out why there was a problem in that unit and not in any of the others either side or above.


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## Pompey Family (Feb 11, 2013)

It certainly wouldn't put me off visiting.  I like the look of the Marriott properties and I've enjoyed Thailand when I was there previously.  My only obstacle is persuading my wife who has an irrational obsession about tsunamis.  We had a rat trapped in our house last year, I could hear it scuttling between the cavities and then found evidence of it being in one of the bedrooms and kitchen.  Some hastily bought poison and two weeks later the unmistakable stench of rotting rodent.  I found it when I replaced the shower, the mummified corpse was beneath the floorboards.  It's just one of those things.  Unpleasant, yes, but a thorough disinfection of the kitchen and the placement of poison sorted out the problem.

I think Malcolm has been treated very well by the resort and I agree, to write off the resort simply because rats have been caught is foolish.  I think many people would be surprised to know just how many hotels and resorts have problems with rats and not just confined to Asia either.  You can see the bait boxes laid down along well used rat runs outside practically every hotel, pub, restaurant.  Unless you come into physical contact with a rat and are bitten or in regular contact with water in which rats urinate in you are at very little risk of contracting any disease.


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## mav (Feb 11, 2013)

I never said he was not treated right. For me it is about MY  comfort level and what someone else's level is does not help me! I am not saying Marriott did not address the situation. Hearing rats in walls with their feet stuck in sticky stuff, and food that has been gnawed at is NOT my comfort level.   A daily 5 couse meal with a live in maid is not going to change my level of how I would feel to stay there, so I could care LESS about compensation.  And I own too many weeks to care about the loss of a week.
  I always say do what you feel works for you and then ya can't complain. Kinda like marriage and staying when you are not happy and then complaining about it to anyone with ears. The OP is fine with it and I am happy for them. It just would NOT have worked for me. SO I won't put myself in the situation and stay there. Thank you OP for your post about the situation.
    BTW  I am one of Marriott's biggest fans!


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