Лучший отель на острове Пхукет The best hotel in Phuket

We rested in this hotel from January 30 to February 10.2011. We were in Thailand for the first time and chose Fr. Phuket, because it is famous for its beautiful beaches and clear sea. I will say right away that I did not regret my choice for a minute. I really want to share my impressions and tell you everything in detail so that my review will help you in choosing a hotel.
Flight Kyiv - Bangkok takes a lot of time, to be exact 9 hours 40 minutes. Try to sleep on the plane to make it easier to change to their time zone (+5 hours to Kiev time). For us, the time on the plane flew by quickly, and I wish you the same. Upon arrival in Bangkok, we had 3 hours to transfer to the domestic flight Bangkok - Phuket. I recommend that you visit the Duty free shop before checking in for a domestic flight, because after passing through control you will no longer meet them. Domestic flight takes very little time (1 hour 25 minutes).
Transfer to Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort takes 40 minutes. Everything is very fast and comfortable. Thais are very fond of air conditioners, you will not be hot.

The hotel impresses from the first minute of acquaintance. Very large and green area. We were greeted in the lobby by a charming Thai woman who offered us cold towels and cool lemonade. There is a Russian-speaking girl at the reception - Katerina, a very pleasant and sweet person. After filling out a short questionnaire, we were offered to go to the restaurant, since our room had not yet been prepared for settlement (we arrived at the hotel at 11.40). I will say right away, do not try to offer money for the purpose of instant settlement, they do not understand this. It is customary for them to give money (tips) in the form of gratitude for the assistance or service rendered, but not in the form: we will give you money - and you will hurry up. The room will be given to you clearly of the category indicated in the voucher. You will be asked to leave a $300 deposit. I advise you to leave, because when visiting the hotel restaurants, you do not have to carry cash with you, and the bill will be written to your number. We waited for about 30 minutes and now we are escorted to the deluxe pool view room. In fact, the room had a beautiful view not only of the pool, but also of the Andaman Sea. The room is wonderful, nothing more, everything is very nice. Particularly impressive was the shower cabin, which was separated from the room by glass, very nice for young couples, which we are. The room has such items as: safe, ironing board, iron, kettle, coffee, tea, bathrobes, slippers, bathroom accessories, hair dryer. Near the bed there is a device with which you can turn on or off the light, air conditioning, activate the "do not disturb" button. It is very convenient.
The beach is 15 seconds walk from the building. The beach is located in a bay and belongs exclusively to this hotel (for me it was one of the main advantages when choosing a hotel). The beach is incomparable - the sand is white, the water is mirror blue. Sun loungers are countless, at any time of the day you will find free seats. The beach is very clean, the staff is ashamed to keep it clean. If you are walking along the beach and can't find a place to lie down, a lifeguard will come to you and kindly help you. All these seemingly small things make the rest even more pleasant. Every day, a Thai comes to the beach with a little elephant, you can feed him fruit or give money, he will immediately put it in his pocket with his trunk to the Thai. The sight is soothing. There is a bar on the beach where you can buy fruit slices or fresh (cash only here). The sun shines brightly, do not forget to use safe tanning products so as not to spoil your vacation, it is very easy to burn out.
Meals include free breakfast from 7.00 to 10.30. The assortment is always the same, but there is such a quantity of food that you can diversify your meals on your own. I will not go into details, but food for every taste, there is always a large amount of fruit. You pay for lunch and dinner on your own. The hotel has several restaurants that offer different cuisines from around the world. I will say in advance, the most delicious food in the hotel, here you get both excellent food and excellent service. The price is more expensive than in Patong, but it's worth it. The bill includes 10% service charge and 7% tax. A standard lunch for two will cost you 1200 - 1800 baht. The restaurant, which is located between the pools, hosts themed dinners every evening. They include a buffet table and an entertainment program. A deposit system works here, dinner for two will cost you 2500 - 4000 baht (depending on the program of the evening). You can go to Patong for dinner, there are a large number of cafes for every taste and color, and the price will be much less (on average 800 - 1500 baht).
Patong is a town 10 minutes drive from the hotel, located on the beach of the same name. Taxi or tuk-tuk 200 baht. Taxi - you pay for air conditioning, tuk-tuk - for the exotic. The bustling life of the city begins after 18.00. There is a large Jung Ceylon shopping center where you can buy everything from groceries to a variety of appliances. Do not forget to have your passport with you so that you can issue a VAT Refund in the store when buying goods. At Bangkok Airport, you will be refunded the tax paid. The Jung Ceylon shopping center hosts a fountain show every day at 19.00 and 21.00, which tells a short story, an interesting spectacle. I recommend Fuji Japanese restaurant. A wide variety of dishes and affordable prices, but you can’t get there in the evening - there is a queue near the restaurant. Good Thai restaurant MK, weak service, but you should not pay attention to it. , the cuisine is delicious. Tour operators recommend changing money in banks, but we didn’t bother much and changed near Jung Ceylon, where the rate is quite tolerable. It is better to take dollars in denominations of 50 and 100, if the denomination is less, then the exchange rate is less. Pay everywhere in baht, if suddenly you don’t have enough money, and you are offered to pay in dollars - don’t enter, all shops and the hotel have a shockingly low rate. Near Jung Ceylon there is a street about 500 meters long, after 18.00 traffic is blocked on it and evening life wakes up. The aromas there are not pleasant, but it’s worth a walk at least once. What you see may be a little shocking, but foreigners calmly walk there even with children.

Good quality souvenirs are to be found. There are a lot of trinkets for sale at a ridiculous price. In stores where there is no VAT Refund sign, you can and even need to bargain. I advise girls to definitely buy coconut oil. It has wonderful properties. Leather products should be bought carefully. Lots of fakes. Very interesting aroma - oils, various smelling sticks.
A tour of Phuket is quite interesting, but if you do not plan to buy rubber products, jewelry or snake, crocodile, stingray leather products, you have nothing to do there. The only place is the Buddha Temple. Where nothing will be advertised to you. And in the rest of the tour, everything will be done solely with the goal of selling you more products. We also took a trip to James Bond Island. A very worthy organization and there is something to see, but a big minus is a huge number of tourists who do not allow each other to pass or take pictures. This program also included a visit to the mangroves, a canoe trip through the caves with stalactites, lunch in the village of sea gypsies, which is located on the water. In general, everything is fascinating, I recommend. I can’t say anything about the rest of the excursions, since we visited only the two above.
Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort is one of the top three hotels in Phuket. If you have any questions about staying in this hotel, I will be happy to answer them.