LA_FadeAway's Malaysia, Thailand, & Cambodia Trip Report (finally!)
Jun 5th, 2006, 04:34 PM
#21
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Carol,
Lipe was slightly affected by the tsunami; however, they were really lucky that the geology of the island (much different than Phi Phi) and the surrounding islands kept them from suffering any loss of life. They had minimal damage and really didn't know how bad things were in the rest of the region until all the horrible reports came in. I spoke with many people who lived through it on the island and they said they knew the ocean had done something really strange, but they weren't sure what it was until they heard the news reports.
Lipe was slightly affected by the tsunami; however, they were really lucky that the geology of the island (much different than Phi Phi) and the surrounding islands kept them from suffering any loss of life. They had minimal damage and really didn't know how bad things were in the rest of the region until all the horrible reports came in. I spoke with many people who lived through it on the island and they said they knew the ocean had done something really strange, but they weren't sure what it was until they heard the news reports.
Jun 5th, 2006, 09:55 PM
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Part 3
Sunday, April 23 – Krabi
We were up bright and early Sunday to get packed and catch that speedboat. We lugged our bags down to the beach where longtail boats were ferrying people to the big ferry and the speedboat, which were both anchored out a little ways. When we got on the speedboat, it was completely packed. We were lucky to find a place to squeeze in and sit down. It was a good thing we had bought our tickets the day before or we might have been stuck on a slow boat again. No sign of Jeff and Fiona. They must have either decided to take a later boat or maybe had too much stuff to bring onto the speedboat. I was bummed to be leaving the little paradise of Koh Lipe, but happy to know what had lots more great destinations ahead of us.
The boat ride was smooth and scenic although it was very crowded and not so comfortable. At one point both engines cut out and everyone started to look a little concerned. God forbid we were all stranded in the middle of the ocean in this packed boat! Well, the Captain made some gestures to a guy working at the back of the boat behind me. He moved some hoses and flipped a switch and we were back in action again. I’m guessing that maybe the trip takes two tanks of gas and they have to switch from one to the other? Who knows, but we got to Pak Bara in just over an hour, about a quarter of the length of the time it took us to get to there on the slow boat, so it was well worth the extra 100 Baht. If or when we make it back to Koh Lipe, we will definitely find out when that speedboat runs and time our arrival in Pak Bara to coincide with it rather than taking that dreaded slow boat again.
As soon as we got off the boat in Pak Bara a woman approached me and asked if we needed a taxi. I told her we were going to Ao Nang (Krabi). She showed me the car and introduced me to the driver while Brad was waiting for our bags to come off the boat. The car looked nice and new and had air con, so we were sold. The trip cost us 3500 Baht and was well worth every penny. Our other options would have been either a jam packed mini-bus to Krabi or a songthaew to the nearest town to catch a bus. Instead, we enjoyed a pleasant drive with a friendly driver. He was quick too, but not dangerously quick. He got us to Ao Nang in just over three hours when we had expected it to take about four or five hours to get there.
Once in Ao Nang we had a little trouble locating the check-in center for Central Krabi Bay Resort (CKBR). Our driver had to ask around for a bit, but we found it. Once we entered the CKBR reception area we were greeted warmly and given welcome beverages in their relaxing waiting area. They let us know that the next boat would be heading to the resort at 3:00. No problem, we were just thrilled to be there so early. A little while later, they drove us down to the beach to meet our boat. They were using a regular boat rather than the amphibious vehicle that day, so we had to take our shoes off and get our feet wet again. We were pretty used to that by now anyway.
The boat ride only took about five minutes and we pulled up to the floating jetty at CKBR. The jetty is a bit tricky since it’s bobbing up and down with the waves, but I found it kind of fun. It was like walking while really drunk without the alcohol! The view of the resort as we approached it was incredible. It’s set in its own bay surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. They loaded our bags and us into a golf cart and took us up to our room. We had reserved a spa suite and upgraded to “The Club”. Our room was at the very top of the hill and had a magnificent view out over the ocean and limestone formations in the water. I couldn’t believe that we had yet another stunning view from our room. Once again, we could have gazed out there for days.
The spa suite was one of the best hotel rooms I’ve ever encountered. It basically had two balconies. One in the front of the room with two sun loungers and a spa tub (the water didn’t get real hot, but you wouldn’t want it to anyway) and another on the side of the room that is like a covered sitting room with electronic bamboo blinds that can be rolled down for privacy. The king size bed was very comfortable and the rainforest showerhead was a nice touch for our first hot shower in about five days. They give quite the assortment of shower and bath products too. Upon entering our room, they also informed us of the ongoing construction at the property (which we knew about in advance) and offered us the choice of either moving to another property (no way!) or receiving two free Thai massages and a complimentary cocktail hour each afternoon. That was really nice considering the construction was not at all intrusive. They were mainly working on the landscaping and we barely even noticed it.
After settling in, we stopped by The Club for a quick snack and then went to the pool for a swim. The pool was really nice with two levels, a cold Jacuzzi, and a stellar view over the ocean. However, if the hotel were at capacity, I imagine the pool could get overcrowded easily. We had a couple tropical drinks and just relaxed for a bit. The service at this hotel was amazing. They even arranged our towels on our chairs neatly for us. I’m used to most places just handing you a towel. Afterwards, we cleaned up and headed back to The Club for cocktails and appetizers. They also have Internet access in The Club so we checked our e-mail and made a quick post on the Fodor’s board to let everyone know we were having an amazing time.
After several cocktails, we wandered over to their Thai restaurant, Rim Saai, for dinner. The atmosphere, food, and service were all wonderful. They even noticed me scratching my ankle and brought us a small bottle of eucalyptus spray to keep the mosquitoes away. I had a lobster curry (their special that night) and Brad has some sort of pork tenderloin dish. Both were excellent and the prices were amazingly reasonable given the resort atmosphere. The same can’t be said for their Japanese restaurant, Hagi. We looked at the menu there and the prices seemed unreasonably high, so we skipped that one.
After dinner, we went back by The Club for their evening cordials and deserts. A few cocktails later, we decided that heading to town would be a bad idea, so we went downstairs to CKBR’s bar, Deep Blu. It is a really cool looking bar that is underground with a view back up into one of the resorts ponds. The atmosphere is nice and I imagine it could be a lot of fun when there are people there. That particular night, we were the only two guests in the bar almost the whole time we were there. Another couple walked in and looked around for a few minutes and left. Eventually, another man came in and sat down at the bar for a few drinks. We talked to him a bit. His family had all just gone to bed and he came down to the bar to wind down. About 1:00 AM we decided it was time to head back to the room and get some sleep.
Monday, April 24
The next morning we slept in a bit and then I got up to send some clothes to be cleaned. One of The Club benefits is that you get five items laundered for free per day and they did allow me to get both days worth at once, which was nice. I asked Brad if he had already checked his pockets and he thought he had, so I didn’t check them very well before we turned in the laundry. Oops, there goes about 1300 Baht. By the time he realized it, a few hours had passed. We called the front desk and they said they would check with the laundry department. No such luck. Apparently nobody saw the money and it just vanished into thin air. Oh well, that’s really the only complaint I can make about the resort, but I’m sure that would have happened anywhere.
We went down to The Club for a quick breakfast. The Club breakfast was more of a continental breakfast rather than a hot breakfast, but that was all we needed anyway. After breakfast I walked over to the spa to make our massage appointments for later that day and then we talked to the activities desk about possibly taking a longtail tour to Railay Beach and some nearby islands. After thinking about it a bit, we decided that we really just wanted to spend the day relaxing and enjoying the resort so we opted not to do any tours. We did make a quick trip into town on the amphibious vehicle to buy our ferry tickets for the next day’s trip to Phi Phi. There was a travel shop right in front of where the boat let us off in Ao Nang, so we were able to run in, get the tickets, and jump right back on the boat. I would have loved to explore Ao Nang some more, but it was blazing hot and the pool was calling us.
After out trip to town, we stopped by The Club for some lunch snacks. The nice thing about The Club is that they put out enough food that we never had to buy lunch while we were there and we always had a quick snack available whenever we wanted one. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out at the pool. The pool and view were so relaxing that we didn’t feel like we were missing anything by not leaving the resort that day!
That evening, we joined the hotel’s complimentary cocktail hour rather than going to The Club for drinks. The drinks were served outside on a grassy lawn during sunset. The sunset was amazing and we met a nice couple to talk with. After the cocktail hour, we went for our free Thai massages. I had never had a Thai massage before and Brad had never had a professional massage at all, so we were a little nervous that it might be painful. The couple we met told us that the girls had “beat them up pretty good”, yikes! Well, no worries, the massages turned out to be pure bliss and one of the most relaxing hours of our trip. The only downside is that I think Brad is hooked now, which could become an expensive habit!
After our massages and feeling like Jell-O, we went back to The Club for some cordials and then headed to their Lotus Court restaurant for dinner. Once again, the food and service were incredible. They even had a Thai red wine that they sold us on. It was made mostly from Thai grapes, but did have some French wine blended with it. They were really excited about it and even gave us the history of the winery to read, so we gave it a try. We weren’t expecting a Thai wine to be very good, but it was actually rather tasty. We were so tired that we could barely keep our eyes open long enough to finish the wine. Needless to say, it was an early evening for us, which was perfect because we had to be up early to catch the ferry to Phi Phi in the morning.
I must say that the Central Krabi Bay Resort was just wonderful. I wish we had been able to squeeze in a couple more nights there and I don’t doubt that we will return when we get a chance. I’m sure it will be even more spectacular once they finish all the work on the grounds. I just hope it doesn’t become so popular that their excellent service suffers.
next up: Koh Phi Phi
Sunday, April 23 – Krabi
We were up bright and early Sunday to get packed and catch that speedboat. We lugged our bags down to the beach where longtail boats were ferrying people to the big ferry and the speedboat, which were both anchored out a little ways. When we got on the speedboat, it was completely packed. We were lucky to find a place to squeeze in and sit down. It was a good thing we had bought our tickets the day before or we might have been stuck on a slow boat again. No sign of Jeff and Fiona. They must have either decided to take a later boat or maybe had too much stuff to bring onto the speedboat. I was bummed to be leaving the little paradise of Koh Lipe, but happy to know what had lots more great destinations ahead of us.
The boat ride was smooth and scenic although it was very crowded and not so comfortable. At one point both engines cut out and everyone started to look a little concerned. God forbid we were all stranded in the middle of the ocean in this packed boat! Well, the Captain made some gestures to a guy working at the back of the boat behind me. He moved some hoses and flipped a switch and we were back in action again. I’m guessing that maybe the trip takes two tanks of gas and they have to switch from one to the other? Who knows, but we got to Pak Bara in just over an hour, about a quarter of the length of the time it took us to get to there on the slow boat, so it was well worth the extra 100 Baht. If or when we make it back to Koh Lipe, we will definitely find out when that speedboat runs and time our arrival in Pak Bara to coincide with it rather than taking that dreaded slow boat again.
As soon as we got off the boat in Pak Bara a woman approached me and asked if we needed a taxi. I told her we were going to Ao Nang (Krabi). She showed me the car and introduced me to the driver while Brad was waiting for our bags to come off the boat. The car looked nice and new and had air con, so we were sold. The trip cost us 3500 Baht and was well worth every penny. Our other options would have been either a jam packed mini-bus to Krabi or a songthaew to the nearest town to catch a bus. Instead, we enjoyed a pleasant drive with a friendly driver. He was quick too, but not dangerously quick. He got us to Ao Nang in just over three hours when we had expected it to take about four or five hours to get there.
Once in Ao Nang we had a little trouble locating the check-in center for Central Krabi Bay Resort (CKBR). Our driver had to ask around for a bit, but we found it. Once we entered the CKBR reception area we were greeted warmly and given welcome beverages in their relaxing waiting area. They let us know that the next boat would be heading to the resort at 3:00. No problem, we were just thrilled to be there so early. A little while later, they drove us down to the beach to meet our boat. They were using a regular boat rather than the amphibious vehicle that day, so we had to take our shoes off and get our feet wet again. We were pretty used to that by now anyway.
The boat ride only took about five minutes and we pulled up to the floating jetty at CKBR. The jetty is a bit tricky since it’s bobbing up and down with the waves, but I found it kind of fun. It was like walking while really drunk without the alcohol! The view of the resort as we approached it was incredible. It’s set in its own bay surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. They loaded our bags and us into a golf cart and took us up to our room. We had reserved a spa suite and upgraded to “The Club”. Our room was at the very top of the hill and had a magnificent view out over the ocean and limestone formations in the water. I couldn’t believe that we had yet another stunning view from our room. Once again, we could have gazed out there for days.
The spa suite was one of the best hotel rooms I’ve ever encountered. It basically had two balconies. One in the front of the room with two sun loungers and a spa tub (the water didn’t get real hot, but you wouldn’t want it to anyway) and another on the side of the room that is like a covered sitting room with electronic bamboo blinds that can be rolled down for privacy. The king size bed was very comfortable and the rainforest showerhead was a nice touch for our first hot shower in about five days. They give quite the assortment of shower and bath products too. Upon entering our room, they also informed us of the ongoing construction at the property (which we knew about in advance) and offered us the choice of either moving to another property (no way!) or receiving two free Thai massages and a complimentary cocktail hour each afternoon. That was really nice considering the construction was not at all intrusive. They were mainly working on the landscaping and we barely even noticed it.
After settling in, we stopped by The Club for a quick snack and then went to the pool for a swim. The pool was really nice with two levels, a cold Jacuzzi, and a stellar view over the ocean. However, if the hotel were at capacity, I imagine the pool could get overcrowded easily. We had a couple tropical drinks and just relaxed for a bit. The service at this hotel was amazing. They even arranged our towels on our chairs neatly for us. I’m used to most places just handing you a towel. Afterwards, we cleaned up and headed back to The Club for cocktails and appetizers. They also have Internet access in The Club so we checked our e-mail and made a quick post on the Fodor’s board to let everyone know we were having an amazing time.
After several cocktails, we wandered over to their Thai restaurant, Rim Saai, for dinner. The atmosphere, food, and service were all wonderful. They even noticed me scratching my ankle and brought us a small bottle of eucalyptus spray to keep the mosquitoes away. I had a lobster curry (their special that night) and Brad has some sort of pork tenderloin dish. Both were excellent and the prices were amazingly reasonable given the resort atmosphere. The same can’t be said for their Japanese restaurant, Hagi. We looked at the menu there and the prices seemed unreasonably high, so we skipped that one.
After dinner, we went back by The Club for their evening cordials and deserts. A few cocktails later, we decided that heading to town would be a bad idea, so we went downstairs to CKBR’s bar, Deep Blu. It is a really cool looking bar that is underground with a view back up into one of the resorts ponds. The atmosphere is nice and I imagine it could be a lot of fun when there are people there. That particular night, we were the only two guests in the bar almost the whole time we were there. Another couple walked in and looked around for a few minutes and left. Eventually, another man came in and sat down at the bar for a few drinks. We talked to him a bit. His family had all just gone to bed and he came down to the bar to wind down. About 1:00 AM we decided it was time to head back to the room and get some sleep.
Monday, April 24
The next morning we slept in a bit and then I got up to send some clothes to be cleaned. One of The Club benefits is that you get five items laundered for free per day and they did allow me to get both days worth at once, which was nice. I asked Brad if he had already checked his pockets and he thought he had, so I didn’t check them very well before we turned in the laundry. Oops, there goes about 1300 Baht. By the time he realized it, a few hours had passed. We called the front desk and they said they would check with the laundry department. No such luck. Apparently nobody saw the money and it just vanished into thin air. Oh well, that’s really the only complaint I can make about the resort, but I’m sure that would have happened anywhere.
We went down to The Club for a quick breakfast. The Club breakfast was more of a continental breakfast rather than a hot breakfast, but that was all we needed anyway. After breakfast I walked over to the spa to make our massage appointments for later that day and then we talked to the activities desk about possibly taking a longtail tour to Railay Beach and some nearby islands. After thinking about it a bit, we decided that we really just wanted to spend the day relaxing and enjoying the resort so we opted not to do any tours. We did make a quick trip into town on the amphibious vehicle to buy our ferry tickets for the next day’s trip to Phi Phi. There was a travel shop right in front of where the boat let us off in Ao Nang, so we were able to run in, get the tickets, and jump right back on the boat. I would have loved to explore Ao Nang some more, but it was blazing hot and the pool was calling us.
After out trip to town, we stopped by The Club for some lunch snacks. The nice thing about The Club is that they put out enough food that we never had to buy lunch while we were there and we always had a quick snack available whenever we wanted one. We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out at the pool. The pool and view were so relaxing that we didn’t feel like we were missing anything by not leaving the resort that day!
That evening, we joined the hotel’s complimentary cocktail hour rather than going to The Club for drinks. The drinks were served outside on a grassy lawn during sunset. The sunset was amazing and we met a nice couple to talk with. After the cocktail hour, we went for our free Thai massages. I had never had a Thai massage before and Brad had never had a professional massage at all, so we were a little nervous that it might be painful. The couple we met told us that the girls had “beat them up pretty good”, yikes! Well, no worries, the massages turned out to be pure bliss and one of the most relaxing hours of our trip. The only downside is that I think Brad is hooked now, which could become an expensive habit!
After our massages and feeling like Jell-O, we went back to The Club for some cordials and then headed to their Lotus Court restaurant for dinner. Once again, the food and service were incredible. They even had a Thai red wine that they sold us on. It was made mostly from Thai grapes, but did have some French wine blended with it. They were really excited about it and even gave us the history of the winery to read, so we gave it a try. We weren’t expecting a Thai wine to be very good, but it was actually rather tasty. We were so tired that we could barely keep our eyes open long enough to finish the wine. Needless to say, it was an early evening for us, which was perfect because we had to be up early to catch the ferry to Phi Phi in the morning.
I must say that the Central Krabi Bay Resort was just wonderful. I wish we had been able to squeeze in a couple more nights there and I don’t doubt that we will return when we get a chance. I’m sure it will be even more spectacular once they finish all the work on the grounds. I just hope it doesn’t become so popular that their excellent service suffers.
next up: Koh Phi Phi
Jun 6th, 2006, 11:42 AM
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Kathie, you are so right! I would have loved to have a full week at CKBR, but then again I can't imagine taking the time away from any of the other great places we visited either. I'm convinced that we will return there in the future.
Jun 7th, 2006, 12:42 PM
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Hey Bob, for the Spa room we paid $150 US and we about an $40 or so for the Club upgrade. They have been running a lot of soft opening specials. I bet you'd love the place! Here is their web site: http://www.centralhotelsresorts.com/ckbr_default.asp
Jun 8th, 2006, 11:29 PM
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Part 4
Tuesday, April 25 - Koh Phi Phi Don
We woke up bright and early to catch the fairy to Phi Phi. We made it down to the lobby at 7:45, checked out, and got ready to board the hotel boat back to Ao Nang. We were supposed to go back to the travel office where we bought our tickets to meet our car transfer to Hat Nopparat Thara pier. Well, plans have changed. The sea is too rough for us to land at Ao Nang, so our boat is going to take us directly to Hat Nopparat Thara instead. Sounds good! The hotel called the ferry to let them know we would not need the ground transfer from Ao Nang. The hotel staff did an excellent job of handling our bags from our room all the way until they (and we) were safely aboard the Ao Nang Princess (our ferry to Phi Phi).
The ferry ride was rather uneventful and we arrived in Tonsai Village right on schedule. The view approaching Phi Phi Island was gorgeous! We lugged our bags off the ferry, doing the boat-to-boat thing, and onto land. We were immediately swarmed by touts, but we just kept walking until we found a young man from Zeavola holding a sign with my name on it. What a relief! I was so glad to not have to negotiate a ride in that mayhem. The young man walked us across the island to the beach at Loh Dalum Bay. The beach was somewhat crowded but still breathtaking. It was also sobering to see all the clear land between both bays and the palm trees that were literally cut to half their size by the tsunami. I couldn’t help but think of the tragedy and how many people had lost their lives in the very spot we were standing.
After waiting around for a few minutes, our longtail boat from Zeavola arrived. There was one more representative from the resort on the boat in addition to our driver and the young man who had greeted us at the pier. We were off! The beauty of the island as we started our journey around was amazing. The water was a bit rough that day, but our driver seemed good, so no worries, at least yet. Sure enough, just when we thought the day was going to perfectly to be true, our boat’s engine came to a screeching halt (literally). I thought we had grounded out on a rock or something, but nope, we had picked up a giant fishing rope that was so embedded in the propellers that it had stripped out the engine. Our boat was going nowhere fast and we were drifting precariously close to some really rocky cliffs.
Luckily, the man from the resort had a walkie-talkie and was able to call for another boat. We were still a good twenty-five minutes from the resort and I guess it took them a while to find another longtail to send for us because it took at least forty-five minutes for that boat to show up. Meanwhile, Brad points out that we are probably going to drift into those cliffs and die (the water was too deep to anchor). Great, I hadn’t even thought of that. I was just worried about getting seasick as we were being tossed about in those rather large swells. He voices his concerns to our Captain who shakes his head to say “no” and then points out to sea. Hmm, he’s right, we are drifting out to sea not toward the cliffs. Okay, I’m not sure which is worse really! After sitting there for a while, a bit nervous I might add, the poor young man who had met us at the pier starts to get seasick and I mean really seasick. I was afraid he was going to dehydrate to death before we could get him back to the hotel and, of course, nobody had any water on board anyway. If that boat didn’t come soon, we might all dehydrate!
Just as we started to get really anxious, our savior boat arrived. We threw our bags and stuff in and then made the hop from one boat to the other. The transfer wasn’t as tricky as I had anticipated it to be, given the swells. They timed it just right and pulled the boats together between swells, so I just had to step over real quick. The two resort representatives jumped in with us and we were off. Sweet! It was nice to be heading in the right direction again. I was also happy that the seasick young man would finally be getting back to land soon and would have a chance to rehydrate (we later found out he had only been working there for a week and wasn’t used to the sea yet). However, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen to our poor Captain that we had left out there. He was attempting to rebuild his engine and the others said he would eventually fix it and come back to the hotel. Gosh, I hope it doesn’t take long! Sure enough, we saw him and his boat a few hours later back at the hotel.
Upon arrival at Zeavola, we were greeted on the beach with cold towels and fresh juice. That was probably the best juice I ever had. Not that it was anything special; I was just that thirsty and relieved to be on land! They apologized profusely for the trouble and quickly checked us in to our room. I had joined the Club of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World when I booked our room, so we were given a free upgrade to a beachfront bungalow. I am so glad that we got the upgrade because I believe the rooms further back in the gardens would have been a bit hot and stuffy.
Our bungalow was lovely. They are designed after traditional rural Thai homes complete with an outdoor living area. This is probably the largest stand-alone bungalow we have ever stayed in. The view from our patio out over the ocean was amazing (again!). I can’t get over all the gorgeous views we kept having; all so amazing and yet all so completely different. We got settled in and then headed to the bar/restaurant on the beach for lunch and a cocktail. Goodness knows we could use a drink after our little longtail adventure. After lunch, we took a walk around the resort to check out the grounds and stopped by the activity desk to book a trip to Phi Phi Ley in the morning. Although not big on the idea of getting back into a longtail, the man at the activity desk convinced us it would be fine. The price difference between the longtail and a speedboat was also pretty convincing!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon swimming and lounging. The pool at Zeavola left a little something to be desired. It was obviously the old pool from the resort that was there prior to Zeavola. It was quite small and the tile was old and somewhat moldy. The pool deck was quite lacking too. On a positive note it is set back into the garden area, so it is very peaceful and private when there is nobody else there. While swimming, we met a nice man from Greece and chatted with him for a while. The grounds at Zeavola are quite simple, mainly tall grass and sandy paths, but they are nice and offer as much privacy around the bungalows as possible. The beach bungalows tend to be a little less private, since people walking by can see over the grass and into your room if the curtains are open.
That evening we took a walk down the beach looking for other restaurant options, so that we wouldn’t be “trapped” eating only at the resort. Sure enough, just past the next hotel (PP Erawan Palms) was the Sawasdee restaurant. By the way, the PP Erawan Palms had a really nice looking beach front pool and their bungalows looked nice from the outside (although somewhat crowded together). Sawasdee was run by a local family, had reasonably priced tasty food, and nightly entertainment. The entertainment was a little strange because it consisted of a Thai man playing guitar and singing American and British pop songs along with his synthesizer. One night he had another man join him on guitar. Although much like karaoke, they were entertaining nonetheless. The restaurant was having a grilled seafood barbecue special that night, so we gave it a try. The waiter told us that the meal was big enough for two, so we ordered it and confirmed that it was enough for both of us. I guess he misunderstood, because he brought us two whole meals! Wow, that was a lot of food. We both had a mound of fresh grilled seafood and a whole fish staring at us. It was all delightful, but neither one of us came anywhere close to finishing our plates. Just like Mountain Resort, we were able to buy full Chang beers, soft drinks, and bottled water to take back to our room at reasonable prices. Sawasdee basically became our store and restaurant for the next three days.
April 26, 2006 (our 9th wedding anniversary)
The next morning we woke up to get ready for our tour to Phi Phi Ley. I had always wanted to see Maya Bay ever since I saw that lame movie, “The Beach”, so I thought it would be a nice romantic trip for our anniversary. Sure enough, I look outside and discover it is windy and the seas look really choppy. The tour guy had told us to leave early to beat the crowds, but I was a bit nervous about the rough seas. We spoke to him and he said that we could postpone to later in the morning or until the next day but that he thought the seas would be “fine”. I just couldn’t picture snorkeling in those waters, so we decided to have breakfast and think about it. While we were eating the seas seemed to get a little calmer and we saw a few other couples head out in longtails, so we decided that we were just being ridiculous and to just go.
We put on our suits and head down to the beach. The resort gave us a basket with a few bottles of water, snorkel gear, and two beach mats. They also offered to pack a lunch for us, but we declined, figuring we would just eat when we got back rather than while we were bouncing around the ocean. To our surprise, we were put right back in the same boat that had broken down on us the day before. Yikes! At least we knew our captain was good and he could rebuild an engine if needed. We headed out back around the island the way we had come the day before. As soon as we got to the other side, the swells started to kick in. They were even bigger and rougher than the day before. It was a bit nerve wracking, but our captain really knew what he was doing. If Brad or I had been driving that thing, we would have died for sure! The swells got especially rough in between the two islands. At that point, we were really second guessing our decision to go out that day.
Our first stop was a bay on the “calmer” side of Phi Phi Ley. First, we slowed down to look at Viking Cave, which wasn’t really very interesting from the distance we were at. Next, we went inside a cove at Pi Ley. Once in there, the seas were really calm, the water was quite clear, and the scenery was incredible. There wasn’t much to see in the way of snorkeling, but we were able to go for a nice swim. Unfortunately, there were a ton of other boats (speedboats and longtails) in the bay too. I guess our tour desk guy was right about getting there earlier. After that, we continued around the island, with a quick pass through the inlet at Loh Samah. We weren’t able to stop in there and swim because the seas were too rough.
Continuing around the island, the other side was extremely rough. We slowed down outside Maya Bay, but it was immediately apparent to all of us that entering the bay was not an option. We saw one speedboat try to head in and they started getting tossed every which way. They quickly turned around and headed out. Even if we could have entered the bay, snorkeling would have been out of the question. I was pretty disappointed that I had come all that way and would not get to see Maya Bay. I was a also bit annoyed that our tour desk guy didn’t mention that it could be that rough and that not being able to enter the bay was even an option. Had I have known that, we would have probably waited until the next day (which turned out to be a bit calmer too). Oh well, I wasn’t about to try it again. Those swells probably took about five years off our lives!
The good news is that our captain took us back around the other side of Phi Phi Don on the way back, which turned out to be really calm by then. He stopped at an undeveloped beach near Ao Lao Bagao for us to relax and snorkel. The beach was picture perfect and we found the most amazing snorkel spot. Awesome, the trip wasn’t a complete bust after all! There was a small drop off in the coral where there were an incredible number of fish in all colors and sizes. That little spot was some of the most wonderful snorkeling I’ve ever done. It was truly like swimming inside an aquarium. The coral was a bit bleached out, but the quantity and variety of fish more than made up for it. After an hour or so, we noticed the tide starting to pull out for the afternoon, so we jumped back in our boat and headed back to Zeavola.
I forgot to mention the super creepy tides on that side of Phi Phi Don. For some reason, the tides would go way out every afternoon leaving the entire roped swimming area looking like one big mud flat. All the boats would have to anchor out about thirty meters or they would be beached until the tide came back. I must say, we were a little sketched out the first time it happened, knowing that the water pulls out before a tsunami. Luckily, I had read somewhere on-line about the tides, so I was able to let Brad know that it is pretty normal and that we needn’t worry unless we see the hotel staff running up hill! The resort staff later explained that the tide is even more pronounced around the new moon, which is when we were there.
After returning from our boat trip, we headed over to Sawasdee for lunch. I had the green curry and it was delicious! We spent the remainder of the afternoon swimming in the pool (which was nice to have when the tides were out) and lounging around our bungalow. We also walked to the other side of the island, via a short path right between Zeavola and PP Erawan Palms, to watch the beautiful sunset.
We had made reservations for dinner on the beach that evening at Zeavola’s Thai restaurant (the Italian was closed for slow season). Their beachfront dining is set on wooden platforms right by the sea. Each couple has their own pillow covered platform where you sit on the ground and eat surrounded by candles. It’s probably the most romantic setting at a restaurant we have ever had and was absolutely perfect for our anniversary. The food and service were impeccable. We enjoyed delicious tropical cocktails, a nice bottle of wine, and amazing food. The tide was moving back in and was practically at our feet by the time we finished!
Thursday, April 27
With no set plans for the day, we slept in late, real late, like 11:00 AM late. Breakfast was supposed to be over in the restaurant at 10:30, so we called to see if we could still come eat. They offered to bring it to our room instead. The language barrier was a little tough for ordering without a menu, but it turned out fine. It was nice to be able to relax in our outdoor living room and take in the view over breakfast. After breakfast, we washed some clothes in the sink and hung them out back around our outdoor shower to dry. Did I forget to mention the outdoor shower earlier? It was really nice, especially at night when you could see all the stars!
We spent the majority of the day lounging on the beach and swimming in the warm water right in front of our room, along with our obligatory stop at Sawasdee for lunch. I think I had the red curry that day and it was delicious too. After lunch we lounged around some more, took a dip in the pool, and sipped a few cold beers. We ended up back at Sawasdee for dinner and beers. I had the cashew shrimp that evening and it was delightful too. I must say that Sawasdee was a great option to avoid inflated resort prices. They also had reasonably priced Internet, so we were able to check our e-mail a couple times while we were there. This day was pretty uneventful, but it was nice to just relax and do a whole bunch of nothing for a day!
I must say that we really enjoyed our stay on Phi Phi, although I would probably do it differently next time. First of all, I would try to go earlier in the year when the seas are calmer. I would also stay closer to Ton Sai Village or at the new Phi Phi The Beach Resort on Long Beach, so that we would have a wider choice of restaurants, bars, and tours. Zeavola is a perfectly nice and relaxing get away if you are looking for privacy, peace, and quiet. My only complaints are that the tour desk guy seemed a little more interested in making the sale than being honest about the conditions that we would be venturing into and I was a little surprised that they still charged us for our transfer from Tonsai to the resort given the circumstances. I know the rope wasn’t their fault, but still.
Next Up: Phuket and Bangkok
Tuesday, April 25 - Koh Phi Phi Don
We woke up bright and early to catch the fairy to Phi Phi. We made it down to the lobby at 7:45, checked out, and got ready to board the hotel boat back to Ao Nang. We were supposed to go back to the travel office where we bought our tickets to meet our car transfer to Hat Nopparat Thara pier. Well, plans have changed. The sea is too rough for us to land at Ao Nang, so our boat is going to take us directly to Hat Nopparat Thara instead. Sounds good! The hotel called the ferry to let them know we would not need the ground transfer from Ao Nang. The hotel staff did an excellent job of handling our bags from our room all the way until they (and we) were safely aboard the Ao Nang Princess (our ferry to Phi Phi).
The ferry ride was rather uneventful and we arrived in Tonsai Village right on schedule. The view approaching Phi Phi Island was gorgeous! We lugged our bags off the ferry, doing the boat-to-boat thing, and onto land. We were immediately swarmed by touts, but we just kept walking until we found a young man from Zeavola holding a sign with my name on it. What a relief! I was so glad to not have to negotiate a ride in that mayhem. The young man walked us across the island to the beach at Loh Dalum Bay. The beach was somewhat crowded but still breathtaking. It was also sobering to see all the clear land between both bays and the palm trees that were literally cut to half their size by the tsunami. I couldn’t help but think of the tragedy and how many people had lost their lives in the very spot we were standing.
After waiting around for a few minutes, our longtail boat from Zeavola arrived. There was one more representative from the resort on the boat in addition to our driver and the young man who had greeted us at the pier. We were off! The beauty of the island as we started our journey around was amazing. The water was a bit rough that day, but our driver seemed good, so no worries, at least yet. Sure enough, just when we thought the day was going to perfectly to be true, our boat’s engine came to a screeching halt (literally). I thought we had grounded out on a rock or something, but nope, we had picked up a giant fishing rope that was so embedded in the propellers that it had stripped out the engine. Our boat was going nowhere fast and we were drifting precariously close to some really rocky cliffs.
Luckily, the man from the resort had a walkie-talkie and was able to call for another boat. We were still a good twenty-five minutes from the resort and I guess it took them a while to find another longtail to send for us because it took at least forty-five minutes for that boat to show up. Meanwhile, Brad points out that we are probably going to drift into those cliffs and die (the water was too deep to anchor). Great, I hadn’t even thought of that. I was just worried about getting seasick as we were being tossed about in those rather large swells. He voices his concerns to our Captain who shakes his head to say “no” and then points out to sea. Hmm, he’s right, we are drifting out to sea not toward the cliffs. Okay, I’m not sure which is worse really! After sitting there for a while, a bit nervous I might add, the poor young man who had met us at the pier starts to get seasick and I mean really seasick. I was afraid he was going to dehydrate to death before we could get him back to the hotel and, of course, nobody had any water on board anyway. If that boat didn’t come soon, we might all dehydrate!
Just as we started to get really anxious, our savior boat arrived. We threw our bags and stuff in and then made the hop from one boat to the other. The transfer wasn’t as tricky as I had anticipated it to be, given the swells. They timed it just right and pulled the boats together between swells, so I just had to step over real quick. The two resort representatives jumped in with us and we were off. Sweet! It was nice to be heading in the right direction again. I was also happy that the seasick young man would finally be getting back to land soon and would have a chance to rehydrate (we later found out he had only been working there for a week and wasn’t used to the sea yet). However, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going to happen to our poor Captain that we had left out there. He was attempting to rebuild his engine and the others said he would eventually fix it and come back to the hotel. Gosh, I hope it doesn’t take long! Sure enough, we saw him and his boat a few hours later back at the hotel.
Upon arrival at Zeavola, we were greeted on the beach with cold towels and fresh juice. That was probably the best juice I ever had. Not that it was anything special; I was just that thirsty and relieved to be on land! They apologized profusely for the trouble and quickly checked us in to our room. I had joined the Club of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World when I booked our room, so we were given a free upgrade to a beachfront bungalow. I am so glad that we got the upgrade because I believe the rooms further back in the gardens would have been a bit hot and stuffy.
Our bungalow was lovely. They are designed after traditional rural Thai homes complete with an outdoor living area. This is probably the largest stand-alone bungalow we have ever stayed in. The view from our patio out over the ocean was amazing (again!). I can’t get over all the gorgeous views we kept having; all so amazing and yet all so completely different. We got settled in and then headed to the bar/restaurant on the beach for lunch and a cocktail. Goodness knows we could use a drink after our little longtail adventure. After lunch, we took a walk around the resort to check out the grounds and stopped by the activity desk to book a trip to Phi Phi Ley in the morning. Although not big on the idea of getting back into a longtail, the man at the activity desk convinced us it would be fine. The price difference between the longtail and a speedboat was also pretty convincing!
We spent the remainder of the afternoon swimming and lounging. The pool at Zeavola left a little something to be desired. It was obviously the old pool from the resort that was there prior to Zeavola. It was quite small and the tile was old and somewhat moldy. The pool deck was quite lacking too. On a positive note it is set back into the garden area, so it is very peaceful and private when there is nobody else there. While swimming, we met a nice man from Greece and chatted with him for a while. The grounds at Zeavola are quite simple, mainly tall grass and sandy paths, but they are nice and offer as much privacy around the bungalows as possible. The beach bungalows tend to be a little less private, since people walking by can see over the grass and into your room if the curtains are open.
That evening we took a walk down the beach looking for other restaurant options, so that we wouldn’t be “trapped” eating only at the resort. Sure enough, just past the next hotel (PP Erawan Palms) was the Sawasdee restaurant. By the way, the PP Erawan Palms had a really nice looking beach front pool and their bungalows looked nice from the outside (although somewhat crowded together). Sawasdee was run by a local family, had reasonably priced tasty food, and nightly entertainment. The entertainment was a little strange because it consisted of a Thai man playing guitar and singing American and British pop songs along with his synthesizer. One night he had another man join him on guitar. Although much like karaoke, they were entertaining nonetheless. The restaurant was having a grilled seafood barbecue special that night, so we gave it a try. The waiter told us that the meal was big enough for two, so we ordered it and confirmed that it was enough for both of us. I guess he misunderstood, because he brought us two whole meals! Wow, that was a lot of food. We both had a mound of fresh grilled seafood and a whole fish staring at us. It was all delightful, but neither one of us came anywhere close to finishing our plates. Just like Mountain Resort, we were able to buy full Chang beers, soft drinks, and bottled water to take back to our room at reasonable prices. Sawasdee basically became our store and restaurant for the next three days.
April 26, 2006 (our 9th wedding anniversary)
The next morning we woke up to get ready for our tour to Phi Phi Ley. I had always wanted to see Maya Bay ever since I saw that lame movie, “The Beach”, so I thought it would be a nice romantic trip for our anniversary. Sure enough, I look outside and discover it is windy and the seas look really choppy. The tour guy had told us to leave early to beat the crowds, but I was a bit nervous about the rough seas. We spoke to him and he said that we could postpone to later in the morning or until the next day but that he thought the seas would be “fine”. I just couldn’t picture snorkeling in those waters, so we decided to have breakfast and think about it. While we were eating the seas seemed to get a little calmer and we saw a few other couples head out in longtails, so we decided that we were just being ridiculous and to just go.
We put on our suits and head down to the beach. The resort gave us a basket with a few bottles of water, snorkel gear, and two beach mats. They also offered to pack a lunch for us, but we declined, figuring we would just eat when we got back rather than while we were bouncing around the ocean. To our surprise, we were put right back in the same boat that had broken down on us the day before. Yikes! At least we knew our captain was good and he could rebuild an engine if needed. We headed out back around the island the way we had come the day before. As soon as we got to the other side, the swells started to kick in. They were even bigger and rougher than the day before. It was a bit nerve wracking, but our captain really knew what he was doing. If Brad or I had been driving that thing, we would have died for sure! The swells got especially rough in between the two islands. At that point, we were really second guessing our decision to go out that day.
Our first stop was a bay on the “calmer” side of Phi Phi Ley. First, we slowed down to look at Viking Cave, which wasn’t really very interesting from the distance we were at. Next, we went inside a cove at Pi Ley. Once in there, the seas were really calm, the water was quite clear, and the scenery was incredible. There wasn’t much to see in the way of snorkeling, but we were able to go for a nice swim. Unfortunately, there were a ton of other boats (speedboats and longtails) in the bay too. I guess our tour desk guy was right about getting there earlier. After that, we continued around the island, with a quick pass through the inlet at Loh Samah. We weren’t able to stop in there and swim because the seas were too rough.
Continuing around the island, the other side was extremely rough. We slowed down outside Maya Bay, but it was immediately apparent to all of us that entering the bay was not an option. We saw one speedboat try to head in and they started getting tossed every which way. They quickly turned around and headed out. Even if we could have entered the bay, snorkeling would have been out of the question. I was pretty disappointed that I had come all that way and would not get to see Maya Bay. I was a also bit annoyed that our tour desk guy didn’t mention that it could be that rough and that not being able to enter the bay was even an option. Had I have known that, we would have probably waited until the next day (which turned out to be a bit calmer too). Oh well, I wasn’t about to try it again. Those swells probably took about five years off our lives!
The good news is that our captain took us back around the other side of Phi Phi Don on the way back, which turned out to be really calm by then. He stopped at an undeveloped beach near Ao Lao Bagao for us to relax and snorkel. The beach was picture perfect and we found the most amazing snorkel spot. Awesome, the trip wasn’t a complete bust after all! There was a small drop off in the coral where there were an incredible number of fish in all colors and sizes. That little spot was some of the most wonderful snorkeling I’ve ever done. It was truly like swimming inside an aquarium. The coral was a bit bleached out, but the quantity and variety of fish more than made up for it. After an hour or so, we noticed the tide starting to pull out for the afternoon, so we jumped back in our boat and headed back to Zeavola.
I forgot to mention the super creepy tides on that side of Phi Phi Don. For some reason, the tides would go way out every afternoon leaving the entire roped swimming area looking like one big mud flat. All the boats would have to anchor out about thirty meters or they would be beached until the tide came back. I must say, we were a little sketched out the first time it happened, knowing that the water pulls out before a tsunami. Luckily, I had read somewhere on-line about the tides, so I was able to let Brad know that it is pretty normal and that we needn’t worry unless we see the hotel staff running up hill! The resort staff later explained that the tide is even more pronounced around the new moon, which is when we were there.
After returning from our boat trip, we headed over to Sawasdee for lunch. I had the green curry and it was delicious! We spent the remainder of the afternoon swimming in the pool (which was nice to have when the tides were out) and lounging around our bungalow. We also walked to the other side of the island, via a short path right between Zeavola and PP Erawan Palms, to watch the beautiful sunset.
We had made reservations for dinner on the beach that evening at Zeavola’s Thai restaurant (the Italian was closed for slow season). Their beachfront dining is set on wooden platforms right by the sea. Each couple has their own pillow covered platform where you sit on the ground and eat surrounded by candles. It’s probably the most romantic setting at a restaurant we have ever had and was absolutely perfect for our anniversary. The food and service were impeccable. We enjoyed delicious tropical cocktails, a nice bottle of wine, and amazing food. The tide was moving back in and was practically at our feet by the time we finished!
Thursday, April 27
With no set plans for the day, we slept in late, real late, like 11:00 AM late. Breakfast was supposed to be over in the restaurant at 10:30, so we called to see if we could still come eat. They offered to bring it to our room instead. The language barrier was a little tough for ordering without a menu, but it turned out fine. It was nice to be able to relax in our outdoor living room and take in the view over breakfast. After breakfast, we washed some clothes in the sink and hung them out back around our outdoor shower to dry. Did I forget to mention the outdoor shower earlier? It was really nice, especially at night when you could see all the stars!
We spent the majority of the day lounging on the beach and swimming in the warm water right in front of our room, along with our obligatory stop at Sawasdee for lunch. I think I had the red curry that day and it was delicious too. After lunch we lounged around some more, took a dip in the pool, and sipped a few cold beers. We ended up back at Sawasdee for dinner and beers. I had the cashew shrimp that evening and it was delightful too. I must say that Sawasdee was a great option to avoid inflated resort prices. They also had reasonably priced Internet, so we were able to check our e-mail a couple times while we were there. This day was pretty uneventful, but it was nice to just relax and do a whole bunch of nothing for a day!
I must say that we really enjoyed our stay on Phi Phi, although I would probably do it differently next time. First of all, I would try to go earlier in the year when the seas are calmer. I would also stay closer to Ton Sai Village or at the new Phi Phi The Beach Resort on Long Beach, so that we would have a wider choice of restaurants, bars, and tours. Zeavola is a perfectly nice and relaxing get away if you are looking for privacy, peace, and quiet. My only complaints are that the tour desk guy seemed a little more interested in making the sale than being honest about the conditions that we would be venturing into and I was a little surprised that they still charged us for our transfer from Tonsai to the resort given the circumstances. I know the rope wasn’t their fault, but still.
Next Up: Phuket and Bangkok
Jun 9th, 2006, 09:30 AM
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lol Bob! Laurie, sorry for the sea sickness! I know you've already been feeling sick. I can't believe I never felt ill through all of that. I had actually taken my last Dramamine on the way to Krabi and never got a chance to buy any more before heading to Phi Phi.
Jun 9th, 2006, 11:42 AM
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I forgot to mention that I had the Gilligan's island theme running through my head the whole time we were out there on that longtail tour.. "the weather starting getting rough, the tiny shipped was tossed..." Yep, three hour tour all right!
Jun 21st, 2006, 09:41 PM
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Sorry it's been so long since my last installment. Life has been crazy and I've been down for the count with bronchitis, so here it goeas...
Part 5
Friday, April 28 – Phuket
We were up super early this morning to get packed, check out of Zeavola, and meet our boat. Once again, we had to take a long tail out to the ferry, since the ferry had nowhere to dock on our beach. The transfer was quick and painless and the Zeavola staff helped us with our luggage and got us checked in with the ferry staff. The downside of taking the ferry from Laem Tong beach is that you have to circle back around the island to Tonsai pier (with a stop on the way to pick up some people at Phi Phi Island Village) and then wait around at Tonsai for about 45 minutes or so. After leaving Tonsai, we stopped in the bay for a bit and to wait for a boat coming from Koh Lanta. Some people were making the trip all the way from Lanta to Phuket and needed to transfer to our boat. When all was said and done, it was over two hours from the time we boarded the ferry until the time we actually left Phi Phi, ugh! At least there was a lady on board selling sandwiches and refreshments to hold us over.
While on the ferry, a man came around asking if we needed a taxi or airport shuttle when we get to Phuket. After thinking about it, we figured it might be easier to go ahead and make arrangements through him rather than dealing with touts when we get there, so we went ahead and had him arrange us a private taxi to the Andaman White Beach Resort on Nai Thon beach. I can’t remember the exact price, but it seemed pretty reasonable, maybe $600 THB. We only had to wait about three minutes after gathering our bags until our driver showed up. The car and driver were both nice and the ride to the resort took about 45 minutes.
Upon arrival at Andaman White Beach Resort, we were greeted warmly and given cold towels and fresh juice. We had arrived early, so our room wasn’t quite ready. They told us it would be about an hour, so we went down to the restaurant by the pool and had lunch and a couple drinks. The view from the restaurant is amazing! The beach is small but beautiful, with dramatic cliffs at both ends. The waves would roll in and crash on the beach in a way reminiscent of Hawaii. Swimming there would probably be rough, although we saw some kids attempting to body surf. I had their Singapore Curry Noodles and Brad had some sort of lamb tacos. Both of us really enjoyed our meals. Those curry noodles were delightful. I wish I had a bowl of them in front of me right now! During our meal, the lady from the front desk came by to let us know that our room was ready and she gave us the room number so we could put lunch on our room charge if we wanted.
After lunch we were shown to our “Beach Front Villa”. I must say the description is a tad misleading, because it was really a pool front villa with beach and ocean views. There were some bungalows right on the beach, but not very many and I think some were still under renovation due to the tsunami. We actually loved our location because it was really close to the pool, but still offered enough privacy. The room was really nice, with a king sized bed, indoor and outdoor showers, and even a really small garden that you could see through a sliding glass door in the back. The garden was complete with statues of boys spitting water at each other. You could turn those on or off with a switch in the room. The front patio area had both covered and uncovered sections so that you could chose to lounge in the sun or not. The view from our patio was stunning too. We only had two minor complaints about the room. One was that the bathroom tile was a bit outdated and moldy and the other, a little more serious, is that our front sliding glass door did not lock securely. All you had to do was jiggle it and the doors would come apart, locked or not. Given that we were only there one night and not going too far, we didn’t bother to do anything about it, but we did let them know at check out.
We spent the remainder of the day chilling by the pool and enjoying their 2-for-1 happy hour specials. Brad worked on our travel journal for a bit too. Unfortunately, he left those notes in the room when we checked out and we never wrote anything else down, so our notes ended after Koh Lipe. The sunset that evening was incredible, but the mosquitoes were a little rough around sundown, so spray was a necessity. We had dinner at the same poolside restaurant. The service was great and the food was wonderful again. After our long day of traveling and relaxing, we called it a night and went to bed early. We found Andaman White Beach Resort to be a perfect place to spend the night before our flight to Bangkok, especially given the proximity to the airport and their free airport shuttle. We could have actually spent two or three nights relaxing there; however, any longer than that would probably get a bit boring and we also heard that the taxis from there to anywhere can be very expensive.
Next up: Bangkok
Part 5
Friday, April 28 – Phuket
We were up super early this morning to get packed, check out of Zeavola, and meet our boat. Once again, we had to take a long tail out to the ferry, since the ferry had nowhere to dock on our beach. The transfer was quick and painless and the Zeavola staff helped us with our luggage and got us checked in with the ferry staff. The downside of taking the ferry from Laem Tong beach is that you have to circle back around the island to Tonsai pier (with a stop on the way to pick up some people at Phi Phi Island Village) and then wait around at Tonsai for about 45 minutes or so. After leaving Tonsai, we stopped in the bay for a bit and to wait for a boat coming from Koh Lanta. Some people were making the trip all the way from Lanta to Phuket and needed to transfer to our boat. When all was said and done, it was over two hours from the time we boarded the ferry until the time we actually left Phi Phi, ugh! At least there was a lady on board selling sandwiches and refreshments to hold us over.
While on the ferry, a man came around asking if we needed a taxi or airport shuttle when we get to Phuket. After thinking about it, we figured it might be easier to go ahead and make arrangements through him rather than dealing with touts when we get there, so we went ahead and had him arrange us a private taxi to the Andaman White Beach Resort on Nai Thon beach. I can’t remember the exact price, but it seemed pretty reasonable, maybe $600 THB. We only had to wait about three minutes after gathering our bags until our driver showed up. The car and driver were both nice and the ride to the resort took about 45 minutes.
Upon arrival at Andaman White Beach Resort, we were greeted warmly and given cold towels and fresh juice. We had arrived early, so our room wasn’t quite ready. They told us it would be about an hour, so we went down to the restaurant by the pool and had lunch and a couple drinks. The view from the restaurant is amazing! The beach is small but beautiful, with dramatic cliffs at both ends. The waves would roll in and crash on the beach in a way reminiscent of Hawaii. Swimming there would probably be rough, although we saw some kids attempting to body surf. I had their Singapore Curry Noodles and Brad had some sort of lamb tacos. Both of us really enjoyed our meals. Those curry noodles were delightful. I wish I had a bowl of them in front of me right now! During our meal, the lady from the front desk came by to let us know that our room was ready and she gave us the room number so we could put lunch on our room charge if we wanted.
After lunch we were shown to our “Beach Front Villa”. I must say the description is a tad misleading, because it was really a pool front villa with beach and ocean views. There were some bungalows right on the beach, but not very many and I think some were still under renovation due to the tsunami. We actually loved our location because it was really close to the pool, but still offered enough privacy. The room was really nice, with a king sized bed, indoor and outdoor showers, and even a really small garden that you could see through a sliding glass door in the back. The garden was complete with statues of boys spitting water at each other. You could turn those on or off with a switch in the room. The front patio area had both covered and uncovered sections so that you could chose to lounge in the sun or not. The view from our patio was stunning too. We only had two minor complaints about the room. One was that the bathroom tile was a bit outdated and moldy and the other, a little more serious, is that our front sliding glass door did not lock securely. All you had to do was jiggle it and the doors would come apart, locked or not. Given that we were only there one night and not going too far, we didn’t bother to do anything about it, but we did let them know at check out.
We spent the remainder of the day chilling by the pool and enjoying their 2-for-1 happy hour specials. Brad worked on our travel journal for a bit too. Unfortunately, he left those notes in the room when we checked out and we never wrote anything else down, so our notes ended after Koh Lipe. The sunset that evening was incredible, but the mosquitoes were a little rough around sundown, so spray was a necessity. We had dinner at the same poolside restaurant. The service was great and the food was wonderful again. After our long day of traveling and relaxing, we called it a night and went to bed early. We found Andaman White Beach Resort to be a perfect place to spend the night before our flight to Bangkok, especially given the proximity to the airport and their free airport shuttle. We could have actually spent two or three nights relaxing there; however, any longer than that would probably get a bit boring and we also heard that the taxis from there to anywhere can be very expensive.
Next up: Bangkok
Jun 21st, 2006, 11:22 PM
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Part 6
Saturday, April 29 – Bangkok
Our Thai Airways flight to Bangkok was scheduled for 10:10 AM, so we got to sleep in a little bit and enjoy the breakfast buffet at the resort, which was actually quite good for a smallish hotel. We checked out of our room and their free airport shuttle promptly took us to the airport, about fifteen minutes away. Upon check-in, we were informed that our flight would be delayed about an hour. Oh well, I bought some postcards and Brad bought a couple beers. We sipped the beers and wrote out postcards until it was time to board. I’ve never been a big fan of flying, but I’ve learned to cope over the years and don’t tend to worry too much any more. For some reason, this flight just made me nervous. I think it was because we were in a 747 but flying kind of low and slower than I’m used to for such a big plane, especially when we were circling Bangkok on our approach. It just felt like we were floating along and could drop out of the sky at any point. It turned out fine though. I guess I was just being paranoid.
After gathering our bags, we were met by our driver from AAC Limousine. The driver was very friendly and the car was perfect. He promptly took us to the Marriott Resort and Spa by the river. Being our first time in Bangkok, having the driver waiting for us was nice; however, in the future, we’ll probably just save the extra money and use a taxi now that we know how easy they are there. We arrived at the hotel around 1:30 PM and were greeted by the friendly staff. I must say that the service at the Marriott is impeccable. They will really go out of their way for you, although the check-in process does take a bit long. When we got to our room, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed (sorry Bob). It seemed really dark and stunk of smoke even though it was supposed to be non-smoking. The furnishings and carpet even looked a bit dated. Also, rather than giving us the king bed we had reserved, they had pushed two double beds together, but they were still made up as separate beds. Normally, I think I would have been okay with all of it, but after being spoiled so much at the last three hotels, I was just not thrilled. At this point, I was wondering if I had made a mistake and should have booked the new Hilton.
Brad could sense my disappointment, so he went down to the front desk to see what our options were. They offered us an upgrade to a corner “executive suite” for $40 per night. He looked at one and knew that we would be much happier there. Unfortunately, someone had just rented that one and another one wouldn’t be available for a few hours. Therefore, they let us keep the original room until our new and improved room was ready. We had lunch and some drinks down by the pool while waiting for our new room. By about 5:00 PM we were finally able to move. Well, once I saw the new room, I was so much happier! It had loads of daylight from the windows that wrapped all the way around. It also had a normal king size bed and a deck that wrapped the entire length of the room. We had a view of the river and city on one side and the river and a highway bridge and a Wat in the distance on the other. Much better!! I was once again happy with my decision to stay at the Marriott.
We decided to head down to the pool for a dip and soon learned it was 2-for-1 happy hour at the swim up bar. We made a lot of new friends and stayed there way longer than we had intended. By the time we showered up and got ready for dinner it was already getting kind of late. We hadn’t really learned how to get around town yet and we happen to be Benihana fanatics at home, so we decided to try out the Benihana in the hotel rather than venturing out that night. Everything was quite good and very similar to Benihana here in the States. I know we didn’t go all the way to Thailand to eat Benihana, but it was actually fun to compare that one to the one we are used to at home. There were a few minor differences between the two, but we found the food to be just as good as we are used to and the staff just as friendly. One of the cooks had just returned from living in California and working at a Benihana near where we live. He was so excited to hear where we were from that he came over and talked to us for a while. Once again, we called it a night after dinner.
Sunday, April 30
We slept in a bit this morning, just because we could. It was nice not having any set agenda or anywhere to be that day. The breakfast buffet at the Marriott was unreal. They have just about anything you could possibly imagine for breakfast and it was all fresh and tasty. You could easily overstuff yourself if it wasn’t so hot out. Luckily, the heat would keep us from overeating each morning. After breakfast, we showered up and tried to figure out what we wanted to see or do. There are so many choices in Bangkok! I knew our time was very limited there, so we talked to the tour desk about our options. I’ve never been one for city tours in big tour buses, but I knew our lack of motivation and our propensity to just stop at a bar and drink all afternoon could be a problem, so I figured that if we signed up for a tour we would at least be forced to see some of the major sites in our limited time. In retrospect, we could have hired Ratt or another personal car and driver for a whole day for the same price (or less), but I just never got around to arranging that before we left.
The tour we went on was with World Travel Service Ltd. and was called the “City and Temples Tour”. They picked us up at our hotel and took us to their main office where we boarded a big bus full of other tourists. There were probably about 25 people in our group. The guide was very nice, but was hard to understand at times, especially when we were outside surrounded by other groups of tourists. The tour took us to visit Wat Trimit (Golden Buddha), Wat Po (Reclining Buddha), and the Marble Temple. We also drove through Chinatown and the flower market, which was beautiful. They end the tour at a gem factory where you have the option of touring it and buying gems if you want or just going straight back to your hotel. We opted to go back to our hotel right away, since we had tickets for the Marriott’s sunset river cruise that evening.
After returning to the hotel, we were starving and didn’t have much time, so we actually stopped at the McDonalds by our hotel for a quick bite (travesty, I know). We changed out of our ultra-sweaty clothes and headed down to the boat pier to board the Manohra sunset cruise. Our hotel reservation came with two free tickets on the cruise. The cruise lasts about an hour and you get one free cocktail each and some appetizers. The food wasn’t so exciting but we weren’t really hungry anymore anyway. The views up and down the river were nice and it was interesting to see all the activity on the river. It started to pour on our way back so we all had to pull our tables into the middle of the boat to avoid getting soaked. Luckily, the rain stopped as soon as we docked.
Once again, it was getting late by the time we showered up and we didn’t really have the energy to go into town, so we thought we would try the local Thai restaurant, Kaew Saveoy, in the shopping center next door. Well, we arrived just as they were closing down for the night, bummer, now what?! We looked around and found another restaurant just a few doors down that serves Royal Thai cuisine, named Tamnanthai. I’m still not real sure what the difference between regular Thai and Royal Thai is, but the food and service was quite good. There were lots of locals eating there, which I think is always a good sign. The menu had a lot of things on it that we’re not used to seeing at Thai restaurants at home (such as whole Serpent Head fish) and we weren’t feeling all that adventurous, so we stuck with some basic stir-fries and curries. I would definitely go back there if looking for a quick, easy, and authentic bite while staying at the Marriott. As usual, we called it a night after dinner.
Monday, May 1
Once again, we slept a little late and headed down to the wonderful breakfast buffet. However, during breakfast I started to not feel so good. This is probably too much information for many of you, but I have been very prone to urinary tract infections my whole life. Sure enough, I was blessed with one of the worst infections I’ve had in years that morning! I was absolutely miserable all day. Luckily, I had seen my doctor before leaving home and stocked up on antibiotics just in case this happened. What I didn’t get from him though is the symptom pills that I need when it gets really bad (I had not needed those in years). After suffering for a few hours, Brad and I walked over to the Boots pharmacy in the shopping center next door. Now, try explaining that you need bladder symptom pills to the little Thai girl behind the counter. That was plain comedy! She kept trying to give me stuff for my stomach. Luckily, the pharmacist showed up from wherever he had been and spoke enough English to help me, “oh, bradder infrection, okay”. Thank God he had something that would help!!
It took a few hours for the pills to kick in, so I sent Brad down to the pool bar (why make him suffer in the room with me), while I sat there and watched Robo Cop. Yippee! This is how I hoped to spend my last full day in Bangkok… not. Oh well, these things happen and there is nothing I could do about it besides hope the antibiotics and symptom pills did their thing, soon. After a few hours, I was feeling well enough to join Brad at the pool. I’m sure I shouldn’t have been drinking given the situation, but I just didn’t care anymore. We met a nice couple from London and talked to them for a couple hours. We eventually showered up and I was hell bent on getting out of the room and having dinner in town somewhere, anywhere, for our last night in Bangkok. It was kind of late again, so we asked the concierge where we could go that wasn’t too far away.
We took the Marriott boat to the Skytrain and got off where the concierge said to. It turns out that he sent us to Patpong! At least walking that area was interesting and a bit entertaining in a twisted sort of way. Brad was shocked at how young the bar girls looked standing outside all the clubs and we both felt pretty bad for them. Lots of people were trying to get us into sex shows and “ping pong” shows. I’m not so sure that I even really want to know what that is! We were really looking for food and didn’t see anything Thai at first. We eventually wandered down some street and found a decent looking restaurant at the end. We soon realized that the whole street and the restaurant catered to gay men, so we felt a tad out of place, but then said screw it, we’re hungry and the food looks good. I think we started a trend, because several more heterosexual couples showed up after we sat down. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant, because the food was awesome. I had some type of vegetable curry that was so spicy that it almost set me ablaze. It was so good that I ate the whole thing, along with about five glasses of water. After dinner, we had a couple more drinks and then caught the last train back to the Marriott ferry. Even though we never got to try any of the wonderful restaurants that we had read so much about on Fodors and that Bob suggested in his list, we were happy to have at least made it into town for dinner and enjoyed a good meal. I must say watching all the happenings on that street was pretty fun too!
Tuesday, May 2
Our last morning in Bangkok, we woke up early because I still wanted to see the Grand Palace if we could squeeze it in. Luckily, the antibiotics were working and I was feeling much better that day. We were in a bit of a hurry, so the concierge suggested we take a taxi to the Grand Palace, rather than waiting on water taxis. It only took us about 20 minutes to get there. We hired a guide and went inside. Our guide was rather monotone and rushed us through a lot, but it really worked out well for us. The Grand Palace was packed with people because it was the first day that everything had been open after a three-day weekend. The best thing about having our guide was that he knew where he was going and how to work around the crowd and find the shade. We actually made it through the whole thing in just over an hour. I would have liked to have spent more time there, but given the circumstances of the day before, it just wasn’t possible.
After the Grand Palace, we took a taxi to Koh San Road. We wanted to see what all the hype was about and buy some souvenirs to take home to family and friends. Before shopping, we stopped in a smoothie shop for an ice cold drink to cool us down. There really wasn’t a whole lot of people or action on Koh San that day, but we could still get a sense of the backpacker vibe that resides there. We browsed a bit, bought a few things, people watched, and then headed back to the Marriott. We had negotiated a 4:00 pm check out when we first checked in, so it was nice to have the room as long as we needed it. We packed up and checked out just in time for our driver from AAC Limo to pick us up. As much as we loved the Marriott, I think its location did limit us a bit. I’m sure if we had been staying right in town, we would have had more options for restaurants, bars, and shopping within walking distance. I think next time, we will split our time between a hotel in town and the Marriott just to open up more options.
Unfortunately, when we got to the airport, we learned that our flight to Siem Reap on Bangkok Airways was delayed by a few hours. They gave us meal vouchers for the brewery upstairs, but they limit you to a set menu rather than just giving you credit for a certain amount of food and beverage. I was starving, so we just took we they gave us and made do. After our lunch we went to the Bangkok Airways lounge and chilled out for a while. It was nice that they had Internet access for us to check our e-mail. The in-flight service was great. I couldn’t believe that they actually managed to give us a small meal and beverages on such a short hop! The only downside was that the landing in Siem Reap was extremely hard. I can’t believe the overhead bins didn’t pop open!
After clearing immigration and gathering our bags we went outside to be greeted by our guide, Dara (Ponheary’s brother), and his driver Mr. Hong. I felt really bad because they had showed up when our flight was originally supposed to arrive, so they had been waiting at the airport for several hours. They took us to the Angkor Holiday Hotel and helped us get checked in. It was already late, so they suggested that we start touring “late” the next morning at 8:30 AM. Brad and I were totally beat after such a long day of touring and traveling, so we unpacked in a hurry and zonked out.
Coming soon: Siem Reap & Angkor Wat!
Saturday, April 29 – Bangkok
Our Thai Airways flight to Bangkok was scheduled for 10:10 AM, so we got to sleep in a little bit and enjoy the breakfast buffet at the resort, which was actually quite good for a smallish hotel. We checked out of our room and their free airport shuttle promptly took us to the airport, about fifteen minutes away. Upon check-in, we were informed that our flight would be delayed about an hour. Oh well, I bought some postcards and Brad bought a couple beers. We sipped the beers and wrote out postcards until it was time to board. I’ve never been a big fan of flying, but I’ve learned to cope over the years and don’t tend to worry too much any more. For some reason, this flight just made me nervous. I think it was because we were in a 747 but flying kind of low and slower than I’m used to for such a big plane, especially when we were circling Bangkok on our approach. It just felt like we were floating along and could drop out of the sky at any point. It turned out fine though. I guess I was just being paranoid.
After gathering our bags, we were met by our driver from AAC Limousine. The driver was very friendly and the car was perfect. He promptly took us to the Marriott Resort and Spa by the river. Being our first time in Bangkok, having the driver waiting for us was nice; however, in the future, we’ll probably just save the extra money and use a taxi now that we know how easy they are there. We arrived at the hotel around 1:30 PM and were greeted by the friendly staff. I must say that the service at the Marriott is impeccable. They will really go out of their way for you, although the check-in process does take a bit long. When we got to our room, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed (sorry Bob). It seemed really dark and stunk of smoke even though it was supposed to be non-smoking. The furnishings and carpet even looked a bit dated. Also, rather than giving us the king bed we had reserved, they had pushed two double beds together, but they were still made up as separate beds. Normally, I think I would have been okay with all of it, but after being spoiled so much at the last three hotels, I was just not thrilled. At this point, I was wondering if I had made a mistake and should have booked the new Hilton.
Brad could sense my disappointment, so he went down to the front desk to see what our options were. They offered us an upgrade to a corner “executive suite” for $40 per night. He looked at one and knew that we would be much happier there. Unfortunately, someone had just rented that one and another one wouldn’t be available for a few hours. Therefore, they let us keep the original room until our new and improved room was ready. We had lunch and some drinks down by the pool while waiting for our new room. By about 5:00 PM we were finally able to move. Well, once I saw the new room, I was so much happier! It had loads of daylight from the windows that wrapped all the way around. It also had a normal king size bed and a deck that wrapped the entire length of the room. We had a view of the river and city on one side and the river and a highway bridge and a Wat in the distance on the other. Much better!! I was once again happy with my decision to stay at the Marriott.
We decided to head down to the pool for a dip and soon learned it was 2-for-1 happy hour at the swim up bar. We made a lot of new friends and stayed there way longer than we had intended. By the time we showered up and got ready for dinner it was already getting kind of late. We hadn’t really learned how to get around town yet and we happen to be Benihana fanatics at home, so we decided to try out the Benihana in the hotel rather than venturing out that night. Everything was quite good and very similar to Benihana here in the States. I know we didn’t go all the way to Thailand to eat Benihana, but it was actually fun to compare that one to the one we are used to at home. There were a few minor differences between the two, but we found the food to be just as good as we are used to and the staff just as friendly. One of the cooks had just returned from living in California and working at a Benihana near where we live. He was so excited to hear where we were from that he came over and talked to us for a while. Once again, we called it a night after dinner.
Sunday, April 30
We slept in a bit this morning, just because we could. It was nice not having any set agenda or anywhere to be that day. The breakfast buffet at the Marriott was unreal. They have just about anything you could possibly imagine for breakfast and it was all fresh and tasty. You could easily overstuff yourself if it wasn’t so hot out. Luckily, the heat would keep us from overeating each morning. After breakfast, we showered up and tried to figure out what we wanted to see or do. There are so many choices in Bangkok! I knew our time was very limited there, so we talked to the tour desk about our options. I’ve never been one for city tours in big tour buses, but I knew our lack of motivation and our propensity to just stop at a bar and drink all afternoon could be a problem, so I figured that if we signed up for a tour we would at least be forced to see some of the major sites in our limited time. In retrospect, we could have hired Ratt or another personal car and driver for a whole day for the same price (or less), but I just never got around to arranging that before we left.
The tour we went on was with World Travel Service Ltd. and was called the “City and Temples Tour”. They picked us up at our hotel and took us to their main office where we boarded a big bus full of other tourists. There were probably about 25 people in our group. The guide was very nice, but was hard to understand at times, especially when we were outside surrounded by other groups of tourists. The tour took us to visit Wat Trimit (Golden Buddha), Wat Po (Reclining Buddha), and the Marble Temple. We also drove through Chinatown and the flower market, which was beautiful. They end the tour at a gem factory where you have the option of touring it and buying gems if you want or just going straight back to your hotel. We opted to go back to our hotel right away, since we had tickets for the Marriott’s sunset river cruise that evening.
After returning to the hotel, we were starving and didn’t have much time, so we actually stopped at the McDonalds by our hotel for a quick bite (travesty, I know). We changed out of our ultra-sweaty clothes and headed down to the boat pier to board the Manohra sunset cruise. Our hotel reservation came with two free tickets on the cruise. The cruise lasts about an hour and you get one free cocktail each and some appetizers. The food wasn’t so exciting but we weren’t really hungry anymore anyway. The views up and down the river were nice and it was interesting to see all the activity on the river. It started to pour on our way back so we all had to pull our tables into the middle of the boat to avoid getting soaked. Luckily, the rain stopped as soon as we docked.
Once again, it was getting late by the time we showered up and we didn’t really have the energy to go into town, so we thought we would try the local Thai restaurant, Kaew Saveoy, in the shopping center next door. Well, we arrived just as they were closing down for the night, bummer, now what?! We looked around and found another restaurant just a few doors down that serves Royal Thai cuisine, named Tamnanthai. I’m still not real sure what the difference between regular Thai and Royal Thai is, but the food and service was quite good. There were lots of locals eating there, which I think is always a good sign. The menu had a lot of things on it that we’re not used to seeing at Thai restaurants at home (such as whole Serpent Head fish) and we weren’t feeling all that adventurous, so we stuck with some basic stir-fries and curries. I would definitely go back there if looking for a quick, easy, and authentic bite while staying at the Marriott. As usual, we called it a night after dinner.
Monday, May 1
Once again, we slept a little late and headed down to the wonderful breakfast buffet. However, during breakfast I started to not feel so good. This is probably too much information for many of you, but I have been very prone to urinary tract infections my whole life. Sure enough, I was blessed with one of the worst infections I’ve had in years that morning! I was absolutely miserable all day. Luckily, I had seen my doctor before leaving home and stocked up on antibiotics just in case this happened. What I didn’t get from him though is the symptom pills that I need when it gets really bad (I had not needed those in years). After suffering for a few hours, Brad and I walked over to the Boots pharmacy in the shopping center next door. Now, try explaining that you need bladder symptom pills to the little Thai girl behind the counter. That was plain comedy! She kept trying to give me stuff for my stomach. Luckily, the pharmacist showed up from wherever he had been and spoke enough English to help me, “oh, bradder infrection, okay”. Thank God he had something that would help!!
It took a few hours for the pills to kick in, so I sent Brad down to the pool bar (why make him suffer in the room with me), while I sat there and watched Robo Cop. Yippee! This is how I hoped to spend my last full day in Bangkok… not. Oh well, these things happen and there is nothing I could do about it besides hope the antibiotics and symptom pills did their thing, soon. After a few hours, I was feeling well enough to join Brad at the pool. I’m sure I shouldn’t have been drinking given the situation, but I just didn’t care anymore. We met a nice couple from London and talked to them for a couple hours. We eventually showered up and I was hell bent on getting out of the room and having dinner in town somewhere, anywhere, for our last night in Bangkok. It was kind of late again, so we asked the concierge where we could go that wasn’t too far away.
We took the Marriott boat to the Skytrain and got off where the concierge said to. It turns out that he sent us to Patpong! At least walking that area was interesting and a bit entertaining in a twisted sort of way. Brad was shocked at how young the bar girls looked standing outside all the clubs and we both felt pretty bad for them. Lots of people were trying to get us into sex shows and “ping pong” shows. I’m not so sure that I even really want to know what that is! We were really looking for food and didn’t see anything Thai at first. We eventually wandered down some street and found a decent looking restaurant at the end. We soon realized that the whole street and the restaurant catered to gay men, so we felt a tad out of place, but then said screw it, we’re hungry and the food looks good. I think we started a trend, because several more heterosexual couples showed up after we sat down. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant, because the food was awesome. I had some type of vegetable curry that was so spicy that it almost set me ablaze. It was so good that I ate the whole thing, along with about five glasses of water. After dinner, we had a couple more drinks and then caught the last train back to the Marriott ferry. Even though we never got to try any of the wonderful restaurants that we had read so much about on Fodors and that Bob suggested in his list, we were happy to have at least made it into town for dinner and enjoyed a good meal. I must say watching all the happenings on that street was pretty fun too!
Tuesday, May 2
Our last morning in Bangkok, we woke up early because I still wanted to see the Grand Palace if we could squeeze it in. Luckily, the antibiotics were working and I was feeling much better that day. We were in a bit of a hurry, so the concierge suggested we take a taxi to the Grand Palace, rather than waiting on water taxis. It only took us about 20 minutes to get there. We hired a guide and went inside. Our guide was rather monotone and rushed us through a lot, but it really worked out well for us. The Grand Palace was packed with people because it was the first day that everything had been open after a three-day weekend. The best thing about having our guide was that he knew where he was going and how to work around the crowd and find the shade. We actually made it through the whole thing in just over an hour. I would have liked to have spent more time there, but given the circumstances of the day before, it just wasn’t possible.
After the Grand Palace, we took a taxi to Koh San Road. We wanted to see what all the hype was about and buy some souvenirs to take home to family and friends. Before shopping, we stopped in a smoothie shop for an ice cold drink to cool us down. There really wasn’t a whole lot of people or action on Koh San that day, but we could still get a sense of the backpacker vibe that resides there. We browsed a bit, bought a few things, people watched, and then headed back to the Marriott. We had negotiated a 4:00 pm check out when we first checked in, so it was nice to have the room as long as we needed it. We packed up and checked out just in time for our driver from AAC Limo to pick us up. As much as we loved the Marriott, I think its location did limit us a bit. I’m sure if we had been staying right in town, we would have had more options for restaurants, bars, and shopping within walking distance. I think next time, we will split our time between a hotel in town and the Marriott just to open up more options.
Unfortunately, when we got to the airport, we learned that our flight to Siem Reap on Bangkok Airways was delayed by a few hours. They gave us meal vouchers for the brewery upstairs, but they limit you to a set menu rather than just giving you credit for a certain amount of food and beverage. I was starving, so we just took we they gave us and made do. After our lunch we went to the Bangkok Airways lounge and chilled out for a while. It was nice that they had Internet access for us to check our e-mail. The in-flight service was great. I couldn’t believe that they actually managed to give us a small meal and beverages on such a short hop! The only downside was that the landing in Siem Reap was extremely hard. I can’t believe the overhead bins didn’t pop open!
After clearing immigration and gathering our bags we went outside to be greeted by our guide, Dara (Ponheary’s brother), and his driver Mr. Hong. I felt really bad because they had showed up when our flight was originally supposed to arrive, so they had been waiting at the airport for several hours. They took us to the Angkor Holiday Hotel and helped us get checked in. It was already late, so they suggested that we start touring “late” the next morning at 8:30 AM. Brad and I were totally beat after such a long day of touring and traveling, so we unpacked in a hurry and zonked out.
Coming soon: Siem Reap & Angkor Wat!
Jun 22nd, 2006, 09:12 AM
#38
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interesting about your first room at marriott...it was my understanding that the carpet had been removed from all rooms over a year ago....was the hotel full? maybe that is why you ended up with a carpeted room...were the robes in the closet blue or white?...the really cheap rooms still have the old blue robes...
dark rooms ??? we have never found any of the rooms to be dark...maybe you were in an odd corner facing the parking garage or something??
in any case i guess they straightened things out for you, but at a cost...i always speak up if i am not happy..
the suites are nice...
sorry you did not have one great meal in bkk....next time...one of the best restaurants in bkk is near patpong, le bouchon...french...
i still like the marriott location but i do understand your need to be able to walk out into the local areas...staying over around sukhumvit allows this, but the heat gets to me easily so i still take taxis...in the past we have split our time in town and on the river...
did you not get to ride the marriott boat at all?? or the skytrain??
you have lots of reasons to go back...
anxiously awaiting the next installemtnt
dark rooms ??? we have never found any of the rooms to be dark...maybe you were in an odd corner facing the parking garage or something??
in any case i guess they straightened things out for you, but at a cost...i always speak up if i am not happy..
the suites are nice...
sorry you did not have one great meal in bkk....next time...one of the best restaurants in bkk is near patpong, le bouchon...french...
i still like the marriott location but i do understand your need to be able to walk out into the local areas...staying over around sukhumvit allows this, but the heat gets to me easily so i still take taxis...in the past we have split our time in town and on the river...
did you not get to ride the marriott boat at all?? or the skytrain??
you have lots of reasons to go back...
anxiously awaiting the next installemtnt
Jun 22nd, 2006, 11:38 AM
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Bob,
Now that I think back, you're right that there wasn't carpeting. It was wooden floors, but they were all scratched up in that first room. They looked great in the second room, even though it was on the same floor.
We did get to take the Marriott boat and skytrain to Patpong on our last night, so at least now we know how it works.
You're right that at least we'll have lots to see next time we're in Bangkok!
Now that I think back, you're right that there wasn't carpeting. It was wooden floors, but they were all scratched up in that first room. They looked great in the second room, even though it was on the same floor.
We did get to take the Marriott boat and skytrain to Patpong on our last night, so at least now we know how it works.
You're right that at least we'll have lots to see next time we're in Bangkok!
