By rooms: I took a standard double with single occupancy on the ground floor (room 303). Since everyone is posting pictures of Luxes and everyone lived in them, I will talk about my TWIN. When I entered, I was upset, but this is only the first impression that came into me from behind the door. TWIN doors - similar to those that were in apartments during the USSR, in general, simple, painted white, everyone understood! Furniture not of this year, of course, but without scratches!! ! I turned on the air conditioner, opened the curtains, took a shower, got out - and WOW - AWESOME, HOW I HAVE A COOL ROOM!!! ! That's what the shower and cool air do))) The room is clean, licked, cozy, the bed is large, the linen is snow-white, the doorman brought a glass of juice as a compliment (I gave him 100 baht for things, I didn’t know how much they were supposed to), the telly works and even the BUTTONS are switched!! ! The pool is 5 meters away, you can see it from the window (behind the tree, really), each room has a small terrace with 2 chairs and an ashtray. In general, I really liked everything! If you need a budget option and you, like me, will be in the room only during sleep, then this is it!! ! By the way, on my last day, the switch on the cond broke into 2 parts, but it was cracked there from the first day, it’s not my fault =) And there is no tea set, no hair dryer in this category.
Here my friend arrives: he is a boy from Moscow, show-off, back and forth, in short, he had a DeLuxe room booked, everyone writes about this category, I won’t repeat myself, but I’ll say that the room, of course, is better than TWIN, he has it was on the second floor (236) overlooking the pool!
The hotel also offers Thai massage for only 300 baht, on the street the price is 250-300, in general, also, but this boy has a lot of diplomas and certificates. Unfortunately, he did not do it, as he works at an inconvenient time (from 9 to 17). At 9 we were gone, at 17 we weren't there yet. They did it on the street (to the left of the hotel), nothing like that, but you need a Thai massage to be done by either a man or a woman. Girls did us - so, stroking, relaxing massage before going to bed.
In general, the hotel is SUPER!! ! I did not think I would say this, but despite the thousands of hotels per square meter, I would return to this one!
Yes, the beach (Patong) is a 3-minute walk, but we never swam there, only met the sunset once. It seemed that next to us, we would always have time, it turned out that we traveled around the island, visited Kata Beach, Karon Beach, took excursions with swimming in the open sea, but never got to our beach))))
And no need to take 4-5 stars if you are not going to sit in the room all day, it's a waste of time! I even swam in the pool only 2 times, and only because it would be a shame to have a pool at my side and not swim. But it was a maximum of 15 minutes, there was not enough time))
Ideally, it would be to rent an apartment altogether, but since it was the first time in such an unfamiliar country, we decided not to risk it!
Holiday Tips: Do not take two or three meals a day - the standard price at the hotel for lunch or dinner is 450 baht. I say right away - I didn’t want to have lunch, since the difference with Ukraine is 4 hours, that is, during the Ukrainian lunch I just had dinner + given the heat of 30 degrees, I didn’t feel like eating at all. Dinner cost me in any cafe (I didn’t eat in expensive ones and didn’t eat in restaurants), it cost me a MAXIMUM of 300 baht, but in general 200-250. But I don’t eat much, one serving of pasta was enough for me, I drank it all down through my strength! When I took rice with seafood baked in pineapple, I generally rolled home - their portions are VERY large, this pineapple would be enough for me for 2-3 times. We ordered battered vegetables and onion rings, so they brought us 2 deep plates!! ! and they cook food VERY quickly there, the impression that they were only waiting for us, what does it mean everywhere. On average 5-6 minutes.
Every day we ate pancakes from wheelbarrows - VERY tasty! If with banana and chocolate, Ban + nutella, caramel, some kind of cream, wild berries....none of us has poisoned and it is difficult to poison - everything is cooked and cut in front of you!
And most importantly - buy magnets IN PHUKET, even if they are more expensive, but in Bangkok there are NO magnets with pictures of Phuket !! ! I'm so screwed up!!! ! I thought to save money, I bought 4 things, it seemed that in Bangkok I would buy 3 times cheaper than the rest, NIFIGA! Yes, it’s cheaper in Bangkok, but there are no Phuket ones (((In Phuket, bargain for a magnet no more than 50 baht!
For souvenirs, we went to a large souvenir center (transfer is free), it is actually cheaper there, but not much, and there is something that you will not find in other places. Some goods are cheaper in Bangkok (if you know how to bargain), but don't get your hopes up in Bangkok, it's mostly watches, scarves, t-shirts. Regarding clothing - the farther from the sea, the cheaper (2 times minimum). In Phuket, bargaining is reluctant.
Once we even took a moped (300 baht per day) and left a deposit of 2000 baht, we were not asked for anything else. The only thing they asked was which hotel we were staying in. During the day we traveled around the peninsula, beaches, View Point, the Big White Buddha, etc. They drive on the left side. We were told to leave the moped wherever you want, no one will steal it, it was so!!!!
Excursions were taken to Phi Phi, James Bond (I liked the Sea Gypsy Village), went to the Simon Show, I really liked it, a friend and two couples of newlyweds whom I met on the plane. The show is really beautiful, funny and once again beautiful in every other sense. This is not a show of transvestists or a performance of disguised men, as we have in Ukraine or Russia. We all wanted to go a second time, but we didn’t have time (We also went to the Fantasy show, my friend is generally delighted !!!
In general, everything is great, cool, the rest was wonderful, EVERYTHING was perfect!! ! I'm in vsotorge, I thought that this does not happen, I love EVERYONE !!! ! Have a good MEGApositive holiday!!! !
The hotel is very cozy, small and cute. Consists of 3 buildings for different types of rooms. We took a deluxe room and did not regret it: the room is large, comfortable with all the components (telephone, safe, TV, hairdryer, refrigerator). Pleasantly pleased with the tea set and free water in the room. Each room has its own balcony, ours, however, overlooked the road, not the pool, but at the reception, without any persuasion and surcharges, you can easily exchange a room if there are other free rooms.
From food at the hotel only breakfasts, lunch and dinner can be for an additional fee, the hotel has a small bar, and there is also a restaurant near the hotel, where the food is pretty good.
For prices, by the way, I can say that it turns out exactly the same as in any cafe in Patong, so it makes no sense to specially go to choose a place for lunch or dinner.
I really liked the breakfasts at the hotel, quite varied: toast, and scrambled eggs, and vegetables, and fruits, and muesli, and some sausages or ham, and even rice or pasta you could eat))) There were always both tea and coffee, and juices, and water. We have something new every day for breakfast.
The beach is about 5 minutes from the hotel along the street in a straight line. Upon arrival at the beach, I would advise you to choose its right side (if you look at the sea), the beach and water are cleaner there, and there are waves that are nice to ride!
There is no animation in Thai hotels, so there is no point in waiting for someone to entertain you in the evening. In Coconut, in general, after eight hours the hotel is quite quiet and boring, I would say that in Patong this is the time to relax after the beach before the upcoming parties.
I did not meet any frogs, cockroaches, and even more so mosquitoes. And she slept beautifully at night, no one interfered)) In general, of all the "creatures" in Patong, I met only lovely crabs on the beach that crawl sideways. Several times large jellyfish were thrown ashore.
The hotel staff is just great, polite, smiling, we really liked it!! ! I would recommend everyone to go to this hotel, both for couples and young people.
A little about Patong itself. The place is just perfect for a vacation. On the one hand, there are quite a lot of parties there, there is always where to go and what to do, on the other hand, you can’t call the place quite noisy, and if you want a relaxing holiday, just choose a hotel remote from Bangla Road.
All nightlife is focused on this Bangla. After six o'clock the street becomes pedestrian, endless bars, cabarets, discos open.
If you wish, every evening you can visit completely different places, everywhere is fun! Drinks in bars cost an average of about 100-200 baht, that is, not much at all. Of all the discos, we most preferred Sedaction, there are 2 floors, excellent European music, always fun! In addition, after 10 pm you can take passes near the club from the distributing guys and go to the club for free, as well as buy drinks at the bar until 12 am for 20-50 baht. That is, until 12 at night in this club you can drink and have fun almost for free, and then go to the dance floor))) On weekends it is more fun there, on weekdays the second floor sometimes, for some reason, could not work.
There are a lot of go-go girls on Bangla, boys can choose any one))))) In addition, there are always transvestites there, with whom you can take a picture for 100 baht. Very funny girls
I already wrote about the beach, but I repeat that its right side is cleaner and better. There are more boats on the left, so the sea is dirty.
The water there is warm, almost hot, so they almost did not get out from the sea. It is really dangerous to lie in the sun, as many write, a very aggressive sun. You can burn out even for half an hour of being in an open space without a protective cream. It is better to lie in the shade more often, especially since you will still tan just as well, but you will not suffer from overheating. I myself burned down there three times and suffered with burnt skin, so I know what I'm talking about. Sunbeds and umbrellas on the beach are paid, but for two it's only 100 baht for the whole day, you can afford it. Strange, but there are no changing cabins on the beach, this is also worth bearing in mind))))
You can eat in Patong absolutely in any cafe, they cook deliciously and there is a large selection. There is no such thing as one Thai cuisine, you can always find something European.
Tom Yam Thai soup is a very spicy dish, even if you order it without spices, be prepared))) They have very tasty fruit juices, real, I recommend everyone to try at least mango or papaya! ! Not far from the police station, there are 2 Russian restaurants located one after the other - "House by the Road" and "At Ksenia", where you can eat simple Russian cuisine if you get tired of everything else. Restaurant owners are Russian, so everything is simple and homely. In general, eating in Patong did not cost us much: 300-400 baht for two. I really liked the pizzeria "1112", a nice place where you can also have an inexpensive and tasty snack.
Be sure to go for a Thai massage, you will not find such a massage anywhere else! Start from the first day of your arrival! Massage costs about 200-300 baht for 1 hour, but it's a real pleasure!!!
About excursions.
Obzorka was presented to us by our host company, so after 2 days we went to see Patong. To be honest, I didn’t like the tour, because it was more like an expensive “shopping tour” to a snake factory, a rubber factory and a jewelry store. Everywhere they just offered to buy something. In fact, they sell really cool things that are worth buying in Thailand, but we wanted to see the island itself more. The only thing that pleased me was the temple of Wat Chalong, beautiful, awesome!!
By the way, I would advise everyone to buy something at the jewelry store, since the stones there are real (sapphires, rubies, topazes, amethysts), you can take them framed in gold or silver, and it will cost quite inexpensively: from 500 baht to 5000 approximately you can buy beautiful ring. There are real pearls.
In general, you can travel around the island on your own and see everything you want, for this you just need to agree with a tuk-tuk for 800-1000 baht per day.
If you are traveling with a large company, you will not feel these travel expenses at all. Many other than Chalong are advised to go to Karon and Nai Harm Bay.
From the islands we were on Pi-Pi and about. James Bond, and there, and there we sooooo liked it! Truly amazing landscapes! And the excursions are completely different!!
We swam a lot on Pee Pee: first in the Blue Lagoon in the clearest blue water, then we swam with masks, watched fish, then we swam to the Maya Bay beach, where the film "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed! Very beautiful ...It's just not possible to convey in words all the impressions when you see all this !! ! Then, before lunch, we again swam with masks, fed bananas to wild monkeys, and at the end of the tour we had free time to relax on the last beach. It was great! Rich, beautiful and interesting.
I recommend everyone to take a large towel and dry clothes with you, as there is a lot of swimming, and it is unpleasant and cold to swim in a fast boat when wet.
On the James Bond Islands it was very different. At first we just watched different islands while sailing on a large double-deck kayak, we saw the famous beach where a James Bond movie was filmed. There, of course, very beautiful! ! But they are allowed to be there for a very short time, about 15 minutes, quite a lot of groups, tourists. Then we sailed to the village of sea gypsies, where we walked a little. There is nothing special to see, but it was still interesting to see people who live all their lives in a village built on stilts, among the open ocean and islands. After that we were taken to canoeing. In a canoe, you sit with a rower and watch extraordinary caves and mangroves! Very good!! ! At the end of the trip - relax on the beach!
Lunch right on the ship, while sailing to the canoe, the food is excellent, buffet. Free drinks were offered all the way.
In addition to these fairly well-known excursions, we took an elephant ride. This is what I definitely recommend to everyone! Impressions are inexpressible!!!!! ! It's pretty scary, but interesting! We took half an hour of skiing for only 500 baht from the seller of excursions in the lobby of our hotel and did not regret it at all !! ! There is a ski area near Kalim Beach, which goes right behind Patong, very close, a little in the mountains, so the views from there are simply magnificent !!!!
Of course, there are still wonderful excursions to Krabi or Similan, but we were not there, so I can’t share my impressions)))) We didn’t take any Butterfly Garden or the Fantasy Show, we decided that it was useless at all.
Some general information. If you are from St. Petersburg, do not be stingy and take a direct flight, only the way there may seem quite interesting through Moscow.
Back you will curse the capital and dream of landing right at Pulkovo. Planes from Phuket arrive at Domodedovo around 8 pm, so you can only get to St. Petersburg by night train. We were returning at the time when the Nevsky Express was blown up, so we risked adding another 10 hours of a detour to the 9-hour night trip ...
At the exchange rate, the Thai baht is easiest to equate to the ruble. We exchanged, we thought something like this: $ 100 = 3280 baht. We found the exchange rate to be more favorable in euro. Some exchangers wrote that they take Russian rubles, but when we decided to make such an exchange, they refused. So it's better not to take risks and take dollars or euros.
A Thai SIM card was presented to us right at the airport by representatives of the host company. Calling from it is very cheap, and you can top up your account by buying a card in 7eleven supermarkets at the checkout. If you are unable to cope with the replenishment of the account, the reception will always help.
In general, the Thais are a wonderful friendly people ! ! They will always try to help you and answer your questions. Everyone speaks English, there were no problems anywhere. By the way, it is believed that the Thais are one of the most honest peoples, and this is true, they have never deceived anywhere, and once they even returned the money that I mistakenly gave!
It gets dark in Tae early, by six in the evening. So catch the sun, don't leave the beach! ! , . )) In the evening after six, you can just sit in a cafe, take a nap, take a walk, nightlife will begin by 10-11 pm. It is always warm there even at night, even during heavy rains! So you do not need to take any jeans or sweaters with sleeves with you. We were not lucky in the first week to get into the rainy season, although it was mid-November. It rained every day and not for 5-10 minutes, but for 3-4 hours, but still we managed to sunbathe and swim. While it was raining, we walked or talked with someone.
Of course, one cannot remain indifferent to mangoes. If you are going to take it to Russia, do not take the green ones, because here they will not ripen here and will not be tasty, and do not take the yellow soft ones, because you will not be able to take them. Ideal option: yellow, but firm. Drink more coconuts, they are sold everywhere and are very tasty!
I wish you all a great holiday in Thailand!!!!! !