Отдых очень понравился, все было чудесно и запомнится надолго! The rest was very pleasant, everything was wonderful and will be remembered for a long time!

We rested at the M-narina hotel from February 18 to March 1.2014. It was the first time in Thailand. We chose the hotel based on good reviews and reasonable price for us. Of the minuses in the reviews about the hotel, they drew attention to the fact that tourists were unhappy with the monotonous breakfasts, but this can be experienced, so the choice was made on it. From the airport to the hotel about 40 minutes by bus. The hotel is located in the city center, around a lot of cafes, massage parlors, shops, the location is very good.
About the hotel: the room was quite normal, clean, but you can’t go out onto the balcony, it carries stench from the garbage dump. The windows overlooked the neighboring hotel, so in the evening the windows were mostly covered with curtains. It was quiet at night.
Towels were changed regularly, shampoo, shower gel, etc. were put on. Bed linen was changed once a week. There is a TV in the room (no Russian channels), a refrigerator (two cups of water were put in every day), but there was no hair dryer, but you could take it at the reception for a deposit of 300 baht. The safe was free and the beach towels were changed every day at the reception. There is no entry fee.

Service at the reception: they do not speak Russian, English is easy. As already mentioned, apparently the hotel is owned by a Turk, they constantly saw either him, or it was the hotel administrator, he spoke Russian. There were no problems, so we did not communicate with him. Breakfast is the same as described. Of the fruits, pineapples and watermelons, but you still need to have time to take them in time. The rest is standard: sausages, eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, muesli, cheese, sausage, toast with mango jam were especially loved. Near the hotel there is a market - Plaza Market, which comes to life after dark (from about 18:00). Everyone comes with their carts, where you can buy sushi (so-so), try crocodile (delicious), fruit, and any other meat, fish and shrimp. Also liked the pancakes with chocolate and bananas. There is also a small clothing market, but the prices bite. About the massage parlor - I really liked the Lotus massage, the prices are lower there (Thai massage - 250 baht), the staff is pleasant and the salon itself is clean. To find it, you need to leave the hotel, turn left and walk to the road, cross it and straight ahead the salon in front of you. They sell latex products at the entrance and there is an aquarium with fish. If you stand facing the massage parlor, on the left, after a couple of meters, practically opposite the Plaza Market, the Russian tour agency "Orange" will be located (on the corner of the street). Since we compared prices, and Orange turned out to be the cheapest, we took all the excursions from them. The tours were great! ! I advise you to take excursions on the street, almost everyone does this.
About the cafe. Right next to the "Orange" there is a Russian cafe "Marusya", the prices there bite and are not very tasty. I recommend another one, at Armen's, everyone probably knows him there. Finding it is easy - again, turn left when you exit the hotel, reach the road (walk 30 seconds), turn right, reach the intersection (another 30 seconds) and cross to the other side. There you will see a small establishment with the inscription "Kolobok" and a yellow smiley will be drawn. There are normal prices and very tasty (we ate dumplings, manti, chicken soup and drank just incredible kvass). What surprised me the most was that it tasted like home! ! Also, if you get to this intersection and turn right and walk for 2 minutes, there will be just a great cafe called Lemongrass. It looks small and open. They have great prices and very tasty and most importantly, large portions))). Only at the end of the trip we discovered this place and we were just drawn to eat there)). Go to places where there are a lot of tourists, this means that the place is good. Dishes can be found for every taste, there were few spicy ones. Only once I ate spicy, we tried Tom yang soup (that's what it's called). All cafes are aimed at visiting them by tourists, so there are not many spicy ones on the menu.
If you walk further along the same street, from the Kolobok cafe, then there are already quieter streets and there are many establishments for the locals themselves. There, we found a pharmacy nearby, where prices are much lower than in pharmacies on the main streets. I wanted to buy something from cosmetics, but it is just sold only in pharmacies. We did all our shopping there. So, as a conclusion, do not be afraid to go further from the main streets, where you can buy cosmetics, souvenirs and fruits a little cheaper.
You can exchange money at every step, just take a walk and compare the rate. They said that it is more profitable to change in the morning.

Beach: 15 minutes walk to the beach. It turned out to be cleaner than I imagined, but crowded. Rent for the day of two sunbeds 200 baht. Only if you are going to go somewhere, it is better to leave something on the sunbed (not very valuable, just in case, so that you don’t feel sorry) and warn the landlord that you will return))). The beach is quite clean, but we almost did not lie on sunbeds. We bought a plastic lounger for 120 baht and sat on it under a palm tree, but I don’t think everyone will like it, given that some spend the whole day on the beach. We didn't spend much time there, so it was ok for us.
To the well-known shopping center "Jang Ceylon" about 20 minutes. There is nothing special to do there, so take a walk if only, the prices are like ours. The place itself is beautiful. Shopping was not our goal, but who needs it, welcome to Jung Ceylon!
On the way to the mall there is a large open market, I don't remember the name. We went there during the day when there were few people and, thanks to this, we were given good discounts on souvenirs.
In general, Phuket is an expensive place. As an example - to eat together in a good establishment - 800 - 1200 baht (the rate is approximately one to one).
We went to nearby beaches by tuk-tuk. Riding two is expensive. We bargained and the fare came out 350 baht one way, in the evening it was already 400 baht. A big company ride it is much more profitable. We went to Kata Beach and Kamala Beach. Good, clean and semi-empty beaches. I liked it very much, for a change the most it! Sunbeds are also paid. Beware of the sun, it is very unpredictable (we bought a cream on the spot with protection 50).
Excursions: we went to the show Siam Niramit, To two islands - Similan and Tachai, Two-day excursion to 11 islands (with an overnight stay on the island of Phi Phi Don) and Koa Lok. I won’t write about them, you need to go here, but the only thing that wasn’t very impressive was the Khao Lok tour. Better take your time and money and go to Khao Sok. At the expense of bikes, the guide immediately warned that it was not worth taking them at all. It is dangerous to take it on the street, because they can deceive you, the traffic is unusual for a Russian driver and there are no traffic rules. Looking at the chaotic movement, we decided that our life and a relaxing holiday without incident are more valuable to us!