Got our trade for Phuket!!

[elina]

I just can't believe we just got confirmed to Phuket (MPU) for 1st week of January 2010. :whoopie: It was the only week we could travel so my request was for that spesific week only and used only Surf Club 1 bdr portion to trade with.

 

[andrea t]

I feel your excitement! Congrats...Phuket is on my "one day..." list.

 

[Cathyb]

elina: That timeshare is the more beautiful one we had ever stayed in -- custom wood on everything including the refrigerator! A fun thing to do is the Thai Cooking Class JW has right onsite. Wait until you see the Maste Bath Suite -- amazing! We felt like royalty there. Enjoy -- it is a great time of year to be there.

 

[Hoc]

I agree with Cathy. My favorite timeshare, as well as the nicest and most economical. But I would take an offsite cooking class. The onsite one at the JW has become much more expensive.

 

[heatherw]

Great news for you - we have just got back from there and it is FABULOUS!!

 

[rachel]

We are also wanting to go to phuket in summer of 2010. The marriott looks wonderful...but how far away is it from phuket town and patong beach?

thanks,

rachel

 

[heatherw]

Hi Rachel, They are both about 40 minutes drive away but neither are particularly great. Patong is very seedy ( but probably worth a visit just to see how awful an island of paradise can be with too many tourists!) Equally Phuket town is not that great and definitely not worth visiting if you are planning a day or two in Bangkok where you can get a feel for the native side of life.
Basically the resort is in the middle of nowhere but a very lovely nowhere and there is plenty to keep you occupied for a week or so. Happy to answer any more questions you have whilst it's all fresh in my mind.
Heather

 

[Hoc]

What Heather said. Also, the taxis are extraordinarily expensive (run by the local mob), and driving is on the left. So, you're pretty much stuck at the resort unless you hire a driver for the day.

From what I remember, a taxi into Pattong is about $60 each way, and a taxi into Phuket is about $40 each way. There is a shuttle, but it is infrequent and it ends too early to enjoy the live music at night in the Pattong clubs.

But the resort is so nice, there's really not much reason to leave.

 

[slomac]

Is this a good resort to bring kids? My husband and I have always wanted to go there but we have kids too young to leave home for that long so we would like to take them.

Also how big are the units.

 

[winger]

...
Basically the resort is in the middle of nowhere but a very lovely nowhere and there is plenty to keep you occupied for a week or so. Happy to answer any more questions you have whilst it's all fresh in my mind.
Heather

i would think traveling that far (from the US) you'd want to leave the result to experience the local culture. what is there to do in the resort to keep one busy for an entire week?

 

[Ann in CA]

Phuket has been our favorite exchange too. The units are 2 bedroom, and quite lovely. We had planned to do some boat trips, but after spending the first couple of weeks working our way up from Singapore, we were happy to just enjoy the gorgeous grounds, pools and restaurants. We had already spent a couple of days closer in to town, and actually hated Patong Beach, although some other beaches were beautiful and not so overcrowded and junky.

We'd go back!

Ann

 

[Hoc]

i would think traveling that far (from the US) you'd want to leave the result to experience the local culture. what is there to do in the resort to keep one busy for an entire week?

There are lots of evening events, such as one where the foods of the different parts of the country are presented at a barbecue, and there are dances from all of the different parts of the country performed onstage. There are usually 2 or 3 different activities offered each day by the resort.

But you hire a driver for a day or two at about $70 a day to go all over the island for shopping or whatever else you want. You arrange for an offsite cooking class where they will pick you up and drop you off (and, in our case, threaten to kill you on the dropoff). You can also arrange for offsite activities through the concierge that include transportation. Just don't plan on using the taxis for transportation when you are exploring. It's cheaper to hire a driver for the entire day.

 

[Hoc]

Is this a good resort to bring kids? My husband and I have always wanted to go there but we have kids too young to leave home for that long so we would like to take them.

Also how big are the units.

The units are huge. Whether you should bring your kids depends on whether you want to spend your entire vacation watching them. The resort is fully enclosed and you never need to leave the grounds. Pattong is not somewhere you would likely want to take them.

 

[m61376]

There are lots of evening events, such as one where the foods of the different parts of the country are presented at a barbecue, and there are dances from all of the different parts of the country performed onstage. There are usually 2 or 3 different activities offered each day by the resort.

But you hire a driver for a day or two at about $70 a day to go all over the island for shopping or whatever else you want. You arrange for an offsite cooking class where they will pick you up and drop you off (and, in our case, threaten to kill you on the dropoff). You can also arrange for offsite activities through the concierge that include transportation. Just don't plan on using the taxis for transportation when you are exploring. It's cheaper to hire a driver for the entire day.

What happened ?
While the resort sounds wonderful, is this a not so safe venture? As others have posted, it is kinda far to travel and not venture elsewhere.

 

[Cathyb]

rachel, why summer in Phuket? That is NOT their best season!

 

[heatherw]

Slomac, although I tell people that Patong is not great, my kids loved it – there is a McDonalds, Hagan Daaz etc for food and on the beach hair braiders, fake tattoo artists and the whole area is buzzing with shops and markets stalls selling fake designer goods/Dvds. Generally I think the resort is great for children and there is plenty to keep them occupied.

Winger,
There are a number of activities organised by the hotel to suit a range of ages eg yoga and other gym activities (tai chi), fruit cutting, introduction to Thai Language, circus skills, tennis, silk painting, a cookery course ( you have to pay for some of them). Concierge can also arrange trips eg cycling, elephant ride, canoe trip, Thai boxing, scuba diving courses, sailing, trips to other islands.

We hired a car which is quite reasonable (£116 for a week) but driving there is a bit of a night mare as the Thais do not have formal driving lessons and don’t need any test to be on one of the bikes that they all ride – sometimes whole families at a time. If you are unlucky enough to be involved in an accident it will be your fault no matter what happened, plus the drive to patong and the south of the island is very hilly.
Heather

 

[rachel]

Just curious as why maybe even go to Thailand? From what I am hearing everyone is only going for the marriott resort?
Not the beaches, or the countryside or the people and history?

cathy, summer is really our best time to travel. I have read about the rainy season and so forth. I was thinking Early, early June. Would this be any better?

 

[andypoole]

Congrats on the trade Elina. We just got back from their last night and we met Heather (above) while we were there - Hi Heather

The resort is fabulous and comments have already been made about the relative isolation and the taxi costs. We stayed put in the resort for the first week to recover from travel and colds but got out and about during the second week and I'm glad we did as there is so much to see on the island.

You'll love it!

 

[Hoc]

What happened ?
While the resort sounds wonderful, is this a not so safe venture? As others have posted, it is kinda far to travel and not venture elsewhere.

It's fine. We just wound up with a taxi driver that was not the greatest. Couldn't find the resort in Pattong where we were to stay for the night (after saying he knew where it was and negotiating a flat fee to get us there), and wanted to drop us off in the middle of Pattong and leave us to walk around to find it. We did not want to do that, since we had no idea where it was, and he refused to call them to ask. He eventually pulled up on the side of a road outside town next to a hill and started looking in the rear view mirror, going, "Whooey! Whooey!" like he was calling a pig. He was calling me. Muttering, "Mata. . .mata. . ."

Several times, he pulled into places that were clearly not the resort. I got out and told my girlfriend to stay in the taxi while I asked. He kept trying to make her get out of the taxi while I was asking, but she did not. When he pulled over near a bar, I finally got one of the bar girls, who spoke better English, to yell at him and make him call the resort. He did so, found out where it was, and dropped us there. But it was a 2-hour ordeal, driving around Pattong with this hostile driver, who tried anything to get rid of us.

 

[Mr. Vker]

We visited Phuket in Feb 2005 (right after the Tsunami) via a II exchange.

We fell in love and bought our first time share. We have returned 3 times and absolutley love it more and more each time.

If anyone has any questions, I have gained (by default of this travel) a lot of knowledge about Bangkok Marriotts (Resort and Spa is fantastic), Phuket and travelling to Thailand from the states.

I would highly encourage all MVCI owners to get to Phuket at least once. It will take 2 weeks to throughly enjoy the resort and have a few nights in Bangkok. Phuket has two elephants that live at the resort and interact with the guests daily-including swimming in the sea. The service is impeccable and facilities are top notch.

 

[Mr. Vker]

Just curious as why maybe even go to Thailand? From what I am hearing everyone is only going for the marriott resort?
Not the beaches, or the countryside or the people and history?

cathy, summer is really our best time to travel. I have read about the rainy season and so forth. I was thinking Early, early June. Would this be any better?

The rains in Phuket are not to be feared. It is rainy season which limits some of the water activities. The Andaman Sea is rough, but Phang Nga Bay is just fine. The showers we experience in July last a 1-2 hours in the afternoon and are quite refreshing. We have also been there in February. No rain at all.

Now, the rain in the north (Chang Mai, Chang Rai) are very heavy and can limit activity. The rain in Bangkok had no effect on our activities, but humidity was high.

As far as enjoying the culture, we usually leave the USA on Sat of week 1. We arrive in Bangkok on Sunday (late) or Monday (am) depending on our routing. We stay a few nights at the Marriott Bangkok Resort and Spa to adjust to the 12 hour time difference and tour the city or Ayutthaya. Then Friday we take the 90 min flight to Phuket and stay at the MVCI for 8 nights (one paid plus our week). Its a great balance of seeing a new culture and wonderful people and relaxation at a great resort.

 

[Emi]

Hello

Can you give us some advise as to how to get around Phuket at the lowest cost for 5 people? The Marriott site has taxi's listed as $85 to Patong and $60to Phuket town. Thanks

 

[Retired TSO]

Hello

Can you give us some advise as to how to get around Phuket at the lowest cost for 5 people? The Marriott site has taxi's listed as $85 to Patong and $60to Phuket town. Thanks

We were a group of five at the Phuket Beach Club earlier this year and after looking at various options, we decided to rent a car and a driver.
The Chief Concierge was extremely helpful and she was able to get us a mini van and a car for approx. $100.00 - $125.00 USD per day. The driver was at our disposal for 10 hours so we could draw up our own daily plans and went to some out of ordinary places for meals etc. and on our way back picked up any needed groceries. The challenge is to get a driver who speaks english well enough to communicate your plans and changes as necessary. We used to go over our daily plans with the Concierge and she used to explain to the driver to minimize misunderstanding.
If you plan on spending 2- 3 days of outing, this might be a good way to do so for a group of five in comfort! btw, you pay for the gas as what you are renting is a car and a driver and pay your own gas.

 

[1sland]

I just can't believe we just got confirmed to Phuket (MPU) for 1st week of January 2010. :whoopie: It was the only week we could travel so my request was for that spesific week only and used only Surf Club 1 bdr portion to trade with.

congrats on your trade!
Phuket is on our someday list!!
sooo exciting!