Phuket restaurant help please
Apr 29th, 2007, 09:07 AM
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Phuket restaurant help please
I'm trying to find a restaurant on Phuket for our daughter's 16th birthday in July. I'm looking for a place that has outstanding food (preferably Thai), with sea views and a special ambience. We're staying in the family suites at the JR Marriott. Any recommendations appreciated! Thanks.
Cheryl
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Apr 29th, 2007, 09:46 AM
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Mom Tri's Boathouse Grill or else Mom Tri's Kitchen. But both are on the southwestern area of Phuket. They would be a long drive, but both are really excellent choices. I think the Kitchen is particularly special.
Apr 29th, 2007, 10:45 AM
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Mom tri's would be nice, others may suggest Baan Rim Pa at the very north of Patong but my personal opinion is too high a price and not that brilliant.
If you head out early you could eat at Mom Tri's and then perhaps do some birthday shopping at Jungceylon in Patong before heading back. Lots of good fashion shops which your daughter would no doubt enjoy ( as long as you are paying ). Fountain light show etc.
Another thing you can do if it appeals to you is to go along to a local temple near JW for a Birthday Blessing by the Monks, just ask Concierge desk at JW and they will tell you how to do it and suggest nearest temple. You take along some gits that the temple distributes to the needy or use in the temples.
Helps make the day more of a memory.
If you head out early you could eat at Mom Tri's and then perhaps do some birthday shopping at Jungceylon in Patong before heading back. Lots of good fashion shops which your daughter would no doubt enjoy ( as long as you are paying ). Fountain light show etc.
Another thing you can do if it appeals to you is to go along to a local temple near JW for a Birthday Blessing by the Monks, just ask Concierge desk at JW and they will tell you how to do it and suggest nearest temple. You take along some gits that the temple distributes to the needy or use in the temples.
Helps make the day more of a memory.
Apr 29th, 2007, 04:32 PM
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Great Thai food is a lot like great Mexican food - the general rule being that the more expensive it is - the less authentic it is. There are lots of great restaurants on the norther part of the island particularly in the Bang Tao Beach area.
If you want a great meal and to sit RIGHT ON THE BEACH then Bang Tao is the place to go.
My favorite in that area is the Lotus Restaurant sitting beach front near the Banyan Tree Resort. Info and directions are here:
http://phuketdelight.com/Lotus.htm
Quite close to the JWM is Yacht Haven Restaurant - dine while overlooking the Bay (not the Sea) and enjoying the view of million-dollar yachts. Right now the Kalizma - Richards Burton's yacht on which he romanced Liz Taylor is parked there. Take binoculars for really get a look a the superyachts parked there. Info about the Yacht Haven Restaurant and how to get there are at:
http://phuketdelight.com/Yacht%20Haven.htm
You might also head north and have dinner beach front at the Aleenta - just off the island at NaTai Beach - five star luxury - so eat Western not Thai food there.
More on the Aleenta and the northern area of Phuket (there area where you are staying) are at:
http://www.PhuketNorth.com
Enjoy!
If you want a great meal and to sit RIGHT ON THE BEACH then Bang Tao is the place to go.
My favorite in that area is the Lotus Restaurant sitting beach front near the Banyan Tree Resort. Info and directions are here:
http://phuketdelight.com/Lotus.htm
Quite close to the JWM is Yacht Haven Restaurant - dine while overlooking the Bay (not the Sea) and enjoying the view of million-dollar yachts. Right now the Kalizma - Richards Burton's yacht on which he romanced Liz Taylor is parked there. Take binoculars for really get a look a the superyachts parked there. Info about the Yacht Haven Restaurant and how to get there are at:
http://phuketdelight.com/Yacht%20Haven.htm
You might also head north and have dinner beach front at the Aleenta - just off the island at NaTai Beach - five star luxury - so eat Western not Thai food there.
More on the Aleenta and the northern area of Phuket (there area where you are staying) are at:
http://www.PhuketNorth.com
Enjoy!
Apr 30th, 2007, 12:26 AM
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Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I like the idea of going to a local temple for a birthday blessing. And I'm torn between Mom Tri's Boathouse Grill and the Lotus.
We're there for 8 days so we'll have time to try several places.
What does long drive mean - an hour on a windy narrow road - or longer?? We're flying out the next day (to Chiang Mai), so perhaps we should schedule Mom Tri's BH/K early in our stay. We'd thought of renting a car for a few days, is the driving going to be super challenging? Any feedback on taxis verus renting a car welcomed.
We're there for 8 days so we'll have time to try several places.
What does long drive mean - an hour on a windy narrow road - or longer?? We're flying out the next day (to Chiang Mai), so perhaps we should schedule Mom Tri's BH/K early in our stay. We'd thought of renting a car for a few days, is the driving going to be super challenging? Any feedback on taxis verus renting a car welcomed.
Apr 30th, 2007, 04:21 AM
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We were at the JW earlier this month. A taxi will cost you 1200 baht for three hours, enough time to get where you want to go, eat, and then return. The taxi will wait and bring you back. Another hour is a bit more. We thought it was money well spent to get to some other dining destinations.
If you want a "luxe" experience for your daughter's birthday, look into the restaurant at Trisara. Trisara is a very deluxe hotel on Nai Thon beach, about 15-20 minutes from the JW. It is closer than the other restaurants in the Laguna area or further south, though that shouldn't be much of an issue. Trisara is beautiful, the restaurant/hotel is in a spectacular setting and we thought the food was outstanding. You can eat right at the ocean's edge. They also have an inside area, and very nice bar area. Call ahead and I'm sure they will do something special for a big birthday. The service was great. The black pepper crab and Thai beef salad with Australian beef were both tops. It is expensive (the seafood mostly) but some dishes were the same price as those at the upscale Thai spot at the JW, which is also very, very nice.
We also went to Yacht Haven and liked it a lot. It is a little less "special" than Trisara but it had a good, interesting menu and is also relatively close to the JW and it overlooks a pretty small marina.
Lotus also looked terrific for fresh seafood. It is right on the beach and has tanks of fresh crabs and fish from which to choose. It is very informal.
Frankly, depending on how much you want to travel each evening, I would only have a couple dinners at the JW and then go out for the rest. The JW is outstanding but very isolated. And, while the food is good there, our meals outside the hotel were better genearlly, and less expensive.
In short, it is very easy simply to "move in" to the JW and hardly get to see anything. Try using "Sam the Driver" for a day out, perhaps. He will take you around the island and you will get to see much.
While at the JW make sure you look out for Jumbo the baby elephant. He "tours" around the beach area of the hotel in the morning and then again in the late afternoon. He is very special.
Also, the JW has a great circus program where you can take a trapeze lesson for an hour. If your daughter is at all interested in it then go for it. Our kids had great fun doing it, as did we watching them. There are loads of low-key activities at the JW. You can relax like a vegetable or be busy all day long.
Have fun.
If you want a "luxe" experience for your daughter's birthday, look into the restaurant at Trisara. Trisara is a very deluxe hotel on Nai Thon beach, about 15-20 minutes from the JW. It is closer than the other restaurants in the Laguna area or further south, though that shouldn't be much of an issue. Trisara is beautiful, the restaurant/hotel is in a spectacular setting and we thought the food was outstanding. You can eat right at the ocean's edge. They also have an inside area, and very nice bar area. Call ahead and I'm sure they will do something special for a big birthday. The service was great. The black pepper crab and Thai beef salad with Australian beef were both tops. It is expensive (the seafood mostly) but some dishes were the same price as those at the upscale Thai spot at the JW, which is also very, very nice.
We also went to Yacht Haven and liked it a lot. It is a little less "special" than Trisara but it had a good, interesting menu and is also relatively close to the JW and it overlooks a pretty small marina.
Lotus also looked terrific for fresh seafood. It is right on the beach and has tanks of fresh crabs and fish from which to choose. It is very informal.
Frankly, depending on how much you want to travel each evening, I would only have a couple dinners at the JW and then go out for the rest. The JW is outstanding but very isolated. And, while the food is good there, our meals outside the hotel were better genearlly, and less expensive.
In short, it is very easy simply to "move in" to the JW and hardly get to see anything. Try using "Sam the Driver" for a day out, perhaps. He will take you around the island and you will get to see much.
While at the JW make sure you look out for Jumbo the baby elephant. He "tours" around the beach area of the hotel in the morning and then again in the late afternoon. He is very special.
Also, the JW has a great circus program where you can take a trapeze lesson for an hour. If your daughter is at all interested in it then go for it. Our kids had great fun doing it, as did we watching them. There are loads of low-key activities at the JW. You can relax like a vegetable or be busy all day long.
Have fun.
Apr 30th, 2007, 10:03 PM
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tengohambre, thanks for the great tips. I checked the web site for Trisara and it looks exactly what I'm searching for. I also like the idea that the restaurant is under the direction of Neil Perry - I love his cook book "Simply Asian". We celebrated our daughter's 15th, last year at the Santa Caterina in Almalfi, which was wonderful, so to avoid disappointment, this year should be at least at the same niveau! We'll save Lotus and YHR for a casual lunch and go to Mom Tri's BH or K when we do a day trip down that way.
Taxi verus car rental question:
We are taking 3 of our children, (13, 15 almost 16 and 18), with us. Are mini-van or SUV taxi's easy to find? We'd be 5 plus the taxi driver, that's probably one too many for a normal car. I thought it might be easier to rent a car for a 4 or 5 days, rather than having to take 2 taxis or search for a SUV taxi. I vaguely remember reading that JW had a Budget car rental there - is this still the case? Thanks for the driving time info Ted. Can you also tell me how terrifying is the driving there? Do you drive there? I'm picturing, narrow and winding roads - right??
Tengohambre, we'll look out for the trapeze school, sounds like something the girls would enjoy. Did you take any of the cooking classes at JW? I thought that they are rather expensive compared to other Thai cooking schools that I've been to. If anyone has done any of the cooking classes at JW, I'd appreciate your feedback.
Thanks!
Taxi verus car rental question:
We are taking 3 of our children, (13, 15 almost 16 and 18), with us. Are mini-van or SUV taxi's easy to find? We'd be 5 plus the taxi driver, that's probably one too many for a normal car. I thought it might be easier to rent a car for a 4 or 5 days, rather than having to take 2 taxis or search for a SUV taxi. I vaguely remember reading that JW had a Budget car rental there - is this still the case? Thanks for the driving time info Ted. Can you also tell me how terrifying is the driving there? Do you drive there? I'm picturing, narrow and winding roads - right??
Tengohambre, we'll look out for the trapeze school, sounds like something the girls would enjoy. Did you take any of the cooking classes at JW? I thought that they are rather expensive compared to other Thai cooking schools that I've been to. If anyone has done any of the cooking classes at JW, I'd appreciate your feedback.
Thanks!
May 1st, 2007, 04:17 AM
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CHDV:
In reverse order: No, we didn't do the cooking class at the JW. It required an early a.m. wake up for a market visit. Although we'd of loved that, we wanted to sleep late. Friends we met at the JW did the class and liked it. Yes, I think the price was on the expensive side, but might be in line with other cooking classes at other similar hotels. The JW does have a very nice dedicated cooking Sala/Kitchen, right next to the upscale Thai restaurant at the south end of the hotel. It was very open, modern and attractive.
On the driving generally: The major north/south highway seemed newish and in good condition. Very easy driving with lots of signs. And, to get to Patong, etc., seemed easy. However, I am sure we'd of gotten lost if trying to find some more hard to locate destinations since our drivers would turn at various intersections which, to us, had no real signage. Still, it might make sense to rent the car, it will give you freedom to hit different beaches, etc. Also, I think you probably can't fit in a regular taxi. Other families who were five people had to rent a SUV/van to go out for the evening and the cost for the 3 hours was definitely more costly.
The drive to Trisara from the JW is about 20 minutes. It is easy to get to. However, once you turn off at Nai Thon beach, which is relatively close to the JW, you have to head about ten minutes on a windy pretty dark road to get to Trisara. But, sure enough, you get to the hotel and are well rewarded. Take time to tour the hotel when there.
If you do go to Trisara definitely call/email ahead. When we were there Neil Perry had visited that weekend to present some dinners and a beach bbq and we had emailed ahead for reservations/prices. Although we didn't attend them (too jet lagged that day) we received back prompt, very polite and informative responses. I am sure they will do a cake, etc.
I wrote a loonng trip report on the JW; you can find it by clicking my screen name. As noted, there are many activities at the JW, batik painting, intro to neck massage, Thai kick boxing, etc.
Have fun.
In reverse order: No, we didn't do the cooking class at the JW. It required an early a.m. wake up for a market visit. Although we'd of loved that, we wanted to sleep late. Friends we met at the JW did the class and liked it. Yes, I think the price was on the expensive side, but might be in line with other cooking classes at other similar hotels. The JW does have a very nice dedicated cooking Sala/Kitchen, right next to the upscale Thai restaurant at the south end of the hotel. It was very open, modern and attractive.
On the driving generally: The major north/south highway seemed newish and in good condition. Very easy driving with lots of signs. And, to get to Patong, etc., seemed easy. However, I am sure we'd of gotten lost if trying to find some more hard to locate destinations since our drivers would turn at various intersections which, to us, had no real signage. Still, it might make sense to rent the car, it will give you freedom to hit different beaches, etc. Also, I think you probably can't fit in a regular taxi. Other families who were five people had to rent a SUV/van to go out for the evening and the cost for the 3 hours was definitely more costly.
The drive to Trisara from the JW is about 20 minutes. It is easy to get to. However, once you turn off at Nai Thon beach, which is relatively close to the JW, you have to head about ten minutes on a windy pretty dark road to get to Trisara. But, sure enough, you get to the hotel and are well rewarded. Take time to tour the hotel when there.
If you do go to Trisara definitely call/email ahead. When we were there Neil Perry had visited that weekend to present some dinners and a beach bbq and we had emailed ahead for reservations/prices. Although we didn't attend them (too jet lagged that day) we received back prompt, very polite and informative responses. I am sure they will do a cake, etc.
I wrote a loonng trip report on the JW; you can find it by clicking my screen name. As noted, there are many activities at the JW, batik painting, intro to neck massage, Thai kick boxing, etc.
Have fun.
May 1st, 2007, 12:10 PM
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tengohambre - thanks so much for answering my questions.
I don't know how I missed reading your trip report. I've been searching under Phuket, villas and time-share at JW for the last few weeks, somehow I missed your report. It was great, I really enjoyed reading it - also very informative! Thanks.
I don't know how I missed reading your trip report. I've been searching under Phuket, villas and time-share at JW for the last few weeks, somehow I missed your report. It was great, I really enjoyed reading it - also very informative! Thanks.
May 1st, 2007, 08:27 PM
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Having stayed at the JW Marriott timeshares 3 times and hearing what it is you are looking for, I heartily recommend the Lotus... Really GREAT Thai food, affordable, great, beach sunset views, you could pay much more for less quality and ambience. Hey even if you don't go there for the birthday, go another time, lunch there is also great.
Sue
Sue
May 2nd, 2007, 04:50 AM
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Sue, I remember reading your report (great info) - your's was one of those that inspired me to change our plans from Samui to the JW villas at Phuket. I know it might rain a lot more there in July, but as we prefer beach vacations with sun sets, and JW got such great reviews and as affordable choice in Samui is so limited, we decided to risk the weather.
I've just reread your report and I have a question: how did you find driving there? I'm trying to make a decision on car rental or taxis. We're 5 people - so we'd have to find a van or SUV if we do the taxi/driver option.
Do you know if it's easy to find taxi SUV's or vans at the airport and in general?
Thanks.
I've just reread your report and I have a question: how did you find driving there? I'm trying to make a decision on car rental or taxis. We're 5 people - so we'd have to find a van or SUV if we do the taxi/driver option.
Do you know if it's easy to find taxi SUV's or vans at the airport and in general?
Thanks.
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