Bob & Janette's Travel Adventures

Our Flight details:

Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur AirAsiaX Flt D72703

Depart Sun 24May09 2135hrs arrive KL-LCCT Mon 25May09 0405hrs

Kuala Lumpur to Phuket AirAsia Flt AK822

Depart Mon 25May09 0725hrs arrive Phuket Mon 25May09 0750hrs

Phuket to Kuala Lumpur AirAsia Flt AK829

Depart Wed 17Jun09 01335hrs arrive KL-LCCT Wed 17Juny09 1545hrs

Kuala Lumpur to Gold Coast AirAsiaX Flt D72702

Depart Wed 17Jun09 2125hrs arrive Gold Coast Thu 18Jun09 0725hrs

*** Return airfares incl all taxes AU$542 each

 

Patong Beach

Patong

Once again our super cheap but trusty AirAsia flights were all on time and after a short turn around in KL we caught our connecting flight through to Phuket.  We opted for the metered taxi out to Patong and at 405 baht for the airport levi and the meter (100+305) it was very economical for the 45 minute trip.  Check out our Tips page for some pictures of  where and how to catch a metered taxi from the airport to avoid all the touts and scams.

We had a pre-arranged booking at the Millenium Hotel for our first 2 nights.  Quite a nice hotel located at the top of Bangla Road.  You can even access Jungceylon shopping mall from the hotel lobby.  This hotel had a promotion of 1000 baht for your first 2 nights stay, which was very reasonable, but I'm not sure that the hotel is worth the full rate of 4000baht per night.

After our stay at the Millenium we moved on to Rayaburi Hotel in Sawatdirak Rd.  Another great location as it is only one block North of Bangla Road and a very short walk to the beach.  With some negotiation we got a nice room for 1300baht with free breakfast, free wifi and 2 free dinners during our 6 day stay.  One disappointment with this hotel was no swimming pool and the rooftop spa was out of order during our stay.  The Salathai just opposite looked a better proposition, however it was surprisingly fully booked.

As Janette was recovering from a recent operation we were not very adventurous during our  first week.

Friday Night BBQ

During this trip we ventured out to our first Friday night BBQ.  This was such a fun night organised by Richard and Megumi and a great way to meet fellow travellers.  The food was awesome, drinks cold and the entertainment provided by the girls at the Sunshine Bar welcoming.  We enjoyed the night so much that we returned for a second time during our stay in Phuket and have written a separate page on the BBQ nights which can be found here... BBQ Nights

Khao Lak

After our week in Phuket we hired a car for 16 days to do some touring. We had heard so much about Khao Lak so we had to make that our first destination.  It is an easy and pleasant drive 2hrs North.  June is low season and we were quite surprised at how affected Khao Lak is by the seasons.  We had planned to stay at one resort only to find it completely shut down for the monsoons.  This was a turn in our favour though as we stumbled upon the Khao Lak Oriental Resort.  Brand new, multi level swimming pools and we had the resort virtually to ourselves at a fantastic rate... 1500 baht per night.  This included full breakfast, free wifi and a pool access room where we could dive straight from our private veranda into the pool.  I should also mention that they have a fully equipped Gym, but we figured we were getting enough exercise in the pool.

We spent several days here, taking in the Wednesday Markets, drives in the country and swimming in waterfalls.  Unfortunately as KH is seasonal the seas were quite dangerous and not suitable for swimming.  I had to drag Jan away from our great hotel and I must admit we could have easily stayed in the resort forever but we had other places to explore.

Krabi (Ao Nang)

From Khao Lak we took a spectacular drive across the mountains to Krabi.  It is a relatively short drive (2hrs), very scenic and well sign posted in English.  We did have a little hiccup along the way when our trusty little jeep decided to play up.  A roadside stop and a tinkle with a few borrowed spanners had up back on the way

This trip we decided to stay out at Ao Nang and decided on the Areetara.  One of the benefits of travelling low season are some of the great bargains to be had.  Here we again got a great pool access room with free breakfast for 1500 baht per night.  Surprisingly several other chic hotels in the same street were fully booked for their pool access rooms so if your after a particular style room you perhaps should book ahead of time. 

The beaches in Ao Nang were a little rough so we didn't venture out on any longtail trips but chose to drive the countryside instead.   The roads are all good and well sign posted and traffic relatively light. We were once again plagued by car troubles in Krabi but with a call back to the rental company had some repairs authorised.  If you ever find yourself in a situation where no one speaks English and you have a Thai phone you can call *1021 for the Thai/English interpreter service.  It is a free service, you just pay the local call rate.  very, very handy!!!

If your after a relaxing  place for a cocktail or beer while sitting near the beach one place you should try is the "Last Fisherman Bar"  To find the bar, head down the path along the beachfront past Ao Nang Villa.  It is a great spot to sit and watch the sunset, while you bury your feet in the sand.  There are so many fantastic restaurants in Ao Nang that there really is no reason to eat at the same place twice.  Some of the best places we have eaten at have been very low key.  Just look for where the locals eat and you can't go wrong.

Kata Beach

Time for us to move on came along all to quickly once again. The drive back to Phuket is all on good roads and is easy to navigate.  This time back in Phuket we decided to stay at Kata Beach.  As we still had our car transport was not a problem, however without our car we would have been at the mercy of the Tuk Tuk maffia getting around.

We decided on Sugarpalm Grand Hillside and again booked a pool access room.  You just gotta love the low season bargains and again we got a great deal at 1300 baht per night.  This was without breakfast which wasn't an issue as we loved eating out.  There is also a great restaurant within 10 meters of the lobby which has tasty and economical meals.

The pools, all 7 of them at the Sugarpalm are quite spectacular.  One issue older travellers may have here is the climb up to the upper levels.  If it isn't raining you get driven up in a golf cart but during the wet they don't operate. During our stay a lift was being constructed however I think that will only service the lower level wing.

It was good having the car and being able to explore some of the lesser know areas of Phuket Island.   Each day we would head off in a different direction with no hard and fast plan in mind.  Luckily for us the day we headed down to Prom Thep Cape the weather was magnificent and the beach at Nai Harn was ideal for swimming.  Sadly this was the only time during our whole trip where the ocean was calm enough for safe swimming.

Our evenings were spent exploring the numerous markets and and deciding where to dine.   Fantastic meals, a few beers and a cocktail or two would routinely come in at less that $20.  Hmmmm....So many great restaurants and so little time.

This trip was all about just having a relaxing time and I think we achieved our aim.  It was so good to catch up with people and make new friends along the way.  Special thanks  to Richard and Megumi for the BBQ nights, to Shantal & Kevan for their wonderful hospitality and all the other friends we met along the way.

We will be back to the Andaman Sea again, but next is Chiang Mai, Laos, Bali, China, Hong Kong and Thailand East Coast...all booked for the next few months.

 

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