Looking for a Thai resort
Jan 1st, 2009, 11:37 PM
#1
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Looking for a Thai resort
I would appreciate some suggestions for two couples, early 50's for 10/12 days at the end of June. Our first pick is the Kata Thani on Kata Noi Beach but would also like to explore some other options. Over the years we have stayed at Patong (when the kids were young), Krabi, Hau Hin and also Pengang, Sabah and Sarawak.
Wish list is - on the beach with seaviews, access to food and drink outside of the hotel grounds, nice grounds with plenty of shade, we are happy to look at smaller resorts maybe with beach bungalows. Kata Thani is the top end of our budget.
Would like your views on Khao Lak - maybe the La Flora Resort, also Haadson Resort and anything other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Wish list is - on the beach with seaviews, access to food and drink outside of the hotel grounds, nice grounds with plenty of shade, we are happy to look at smaller resorts maybe with beach bungalows. Kata Thani is the top end of our budget.
Would like your views on Khao Lak - maybe the La Flora Resort, also Haadson Resort and anything other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 06:49 AM
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KT is a good choice and almost next door is the royale...forget the full name but it is part of mon's tri kitchen restaurant group...carol may help...
we loved our stay at the le meredien between patong and kata...
amari vogue near to krabi is fabulous....amari emerald cove on koh chang is also lovely....both have fabulous restaurants...
sheraton krabi is nice as is the le meredien at khoa lak---this is really nice....
the sheratons at both pattaya and hua hin (actually north of hua hin) are newish and both are fabulous...medium sized places....
we love the hyatt hua hin for all of the reasons you have mentioned as draws for you...
we loved our stay at the le meredien between patong and kata...
amari vogue near to krabi is fabulous....amari emerald cove on koh chang is also lovely....both have fabulous restaurants...
sheraton krabi is nice as is the le meredien at khoa lak---this is really nice....
the sheratons at both pattaya and hua hin (actually north of hua hin) are newish and both are fabulous...medium sized places....
we love the hyatt hua hin for all of the reasons you have mentioned as draws for you...
Jan 2nd, 2009, 07:10 AM
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How about a budget? That will help.
In the area you are asking about:
Bob is referring to Mom Tri's Boathouse and Mom Tri's Villa Royale.
Carol often recommends the Kata Thani.
Take a look at www.sawadee.com for ideas. You should be able to get good prices at that time of eh year, as Phuket is a bit rainy then.
In the area you are asking about:
Bob is referring to Mom Tri's Boathouse and Mom Tri's Villa Royale.
Carol often recommends the Kata Thani.
Take a look at www.sawadee.com for ideas. You should be able to get good prices at that time of eh year, as Phuket is a bit rainy then.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 01:24 PM
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Bob and Bill, thanks for all your suggestions and sorry for the spelling mistakes, some interesting ideas there.
Kathie, as stated our budget is top end Kata Thani Junior Suite prices, we get the best prices by getting a package deal through a TA. We live in Perth, Western Australia so have a lot of choice for package deals so its rather hard to put an individual price on the rooms.
I have spent many hours on Sawadee.com, it just all becomes a blur when you look at too many places bit we will get there sooner or later.
Thanks again.
Kathie, as stated our budget is top end Kata Thani Junior Suite prices, we get the best prices by getting a package deal through a TA. We live in Perth, Western Australia so have a lot of choice for package deals so its rather hard to put an individual price on the rooms.
I have spent many hours on Sawadee.com, it just all becomes a blur when you look at too many places bit we will get there sooner or later.
Thanks again.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 05:15 PM
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Centara Villas are on a hillside at the north end of karon beach.
Down-side: You have to tuk-tuk to everywhere unless you take the walkway down to the beach and then walk along ( long walk ) into Karon Circle area.
Plus side - cheap, amazing views, good for a quite tropical style place. June about AU$ 125 or 160 seaview villa. They have a stay 9 nights but pay only 6 nights deal which means about AU$ 83 a night start ! That is good.
Centara kata ( not at the beach ) is a 4 star and they also have a stay 9 nights pay 6 nights deal
that works out about AU$ 68 a night, a bedroom suite on that deal about $124
Do not that end June although weathe r'can' be ok you are at the start of rainy season Phuket/Krabi/Khao Lak side.
If you are flying Thai from perth to Phuket I would certainly 'cost out' doing your own thing, check with Flightcentre/Harvey World on flight only and then check for hotels.
The direct Thai flights from Perth do though make Phuket area easy for you.
This goes though to sawadee but starts you off with ideas about places to stay to that long sawadee list not quite such a blur, also look
http://www.phuket-luxury-hotels.com/top-20.html
also look at some of the places for other beaches and islandshttp://www.phuket-luxury-hotels.com/thailand_luxury_hotels.html
There will be a lot of bargains in June, my tip would be also to look for 'free night' promotions, sometimes these are not 'mentioned'(?!) by TA but they exist for many hotels.
Only my own personal tip but I perhaps would deceide on flights and then hang-on for a couple of months, in 2008 rates dropped a lot after about feb/Mar time with good 3/4 star down around AU$ 65-100 a night.
Your other option is places via BKK.
Down-side: You have to tuk-tuk to everywhere unless you take the walkway down to the beach and then walk along ( long walk ) into Karon Circle area.
Plus side - cheap, amazing views, good for a quite tropical style place. June about AU$ 125 or 160 seaview villa. They have a stay 9 nights but pay only 6 nights deal which means about AU$ 83 a night start ! That is good.
Centara kata ( not at the beach ) is a 4 star and they also have a stay 9 nights pay 6 nights deal
that works out about AU$ 68 a night, a bedroom suite on that deal about $124
Do not that end June although weathe r'can' be ok you are at the start of rainy season Phuket/Krabi/Khao Lak side.
If you are flying Thai from perth to Phuket I would certainly 'cost out' doing your own thing, check with Flightcentre/Harvey World on flight only and then check for hotels.
The direct Thai flights from Perth do though make Phuket area easy for you.
This goes though to sawadee but starts you off with ideas about places to stay to that long sawadee list not quite such a blur, also look
http://www.phuket-luxury-hotels.com/top-20.html
also look at some of the places for other beaches and islandshttp://www.phuket-luxury-hotels.com/thailand_luxury_hotels.html
There will be a lot of bargains in June, my tip would be also to look for 'free night' promotions, sometimes these are not 'mentioned'(?!) by TA but they exist for many hotels.
Only my own personal tip but I perhaps would deceide on flights and then hang-on for a couple of months, in 2008 rates dropped a lot after about feb/Mar time with good 3/4 star down around AU$ 65-100 a night.
Your other option is places via BKK.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 05:43 PM
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Maudie
Mom Tri's Villa Royale would be over budget, I'm afraid. It's a gorgeous place, lots of shade, some really terrific villas overlooking Kata Noi Beach. It's not right ON the beach.
What about Mom Tri's Boathouse? The location is on Kata Beach, and you have plenty of shade and all sorts of things to do right outside the door of the resort.
Katathani is a great place. I stayed there a couple of years ago, in a jr suite beachfront. Perfectly delightful. But, very little to do right outside the door of the resort. You pretty much have to taxi/tuk tuk to other places for shopping, dining, people watching.
Mom Tri's Villa Royale would be over budget, I'm afraid. It's a gorgeous place, lots of shade, some really terrific villas overlooking Kata Noi Beach. It's not right ON the beach.
What about Mom Tri's Boathouse? The location is on Kata Beach, and you have plenty of shade and all sorts of things to do right outside the door of the resort.
Katathani is a great place. I stayed there a couple of years ago, in a jr suite beachfront. Perfectly delightful. But, very little to do right outside the door of the resort. You pretty much have to taxi/tuk tuk to other places for shopping, dining, people watching.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 06:31 PM
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WOW - this is great, thanks so much James, Carol and Kathie.
James, I will certainly look into your idea of "doing our own thing". I organised 8 weeks in Europe so I guess I was just being lazy by using a TA. Waiting until after Feb/Mar sounds sensible too. Yes Phuket area is easy for us to get, last time we flew on Singapore then Silk Air, that way we don't have to go through BKK to get home as there is no direct flight from Phuket.
Looks like there won't be any housework done today - I will be spending the afternoon right here.
Thanks to everyone, you're all so full of great ideas.
James, I will certainly look into your idea of "doing our own thing". I organised 8 weeks in Europe so I guess I was just being lazy by using a TA. Waiting until after Feb/Mar sounds sensible too. Yes Phuket area is easy for us to get, last time we flew on Singapore then Silk Air, that way we don't have to go through BKK to get home as there is no direct flight from Phuket.
Looks like there won't be any housework done today - I will be spending the afternoon right here.
Thanks to everyone, you're all so full of great ideas.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 07:47 PM
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I would recommend spilting your trip between phuket and Le meridien Khao Lak. stay somewhere busy in phuket and shop and dine till you drop. Then transfer up the Khao Lak and relax for a few days in the luxury of the Le Meridien one of the nicest and affordable places we have stayed at.
Jan 2nd, 2009, 07:48 PM
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M, james is an oz guy living in thailand and has lived in phuket on and off for years....his info is very reliable...
the meriidien is south of patong, but not far...it has a totally private beach of its own and a wonderful set of pools...i think all rooms face the ocean... we loved our room there....
the meriidien is south of patong, but not far...it has a totally private beach of its own and a wonderful set of pools...i think all rooms face the ocean... we loved our room there....
Jan 2nd, 2009, 08:14 PM
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Maisymoo, thanks but we have "been there, done that" and have no desire at all to go back to Patong, its just our scene.
Yes, Bob I love the look of the Meridien, its gone onto the Top 10 list. We are also looking at the Tubkaak and Sheratons in Krabi.
We stayed at the Anantara in Hua Hin some years ago and the free-form pool was so nice with lots of little shady spots, frangipani trees etc it was a delight but can't seem to find anything as nice. So many of the pools are just rectangular shapes surrounded by concrete paving with large buildings looming over them. But I am narrowing things down.
Yes, Bob I love the look of the Meridien, its gone onto the Top 10 list. We are also looking at the Tubkaak and Sheratons in Krabi.
We stayed at the Anantara in Hua Hin some years ago and the free-form pool was so nice with lots of little shady spots, frangipani trees etc it was a delight but can't seem to find anything as nice. So many of the pools are just rectangular shapes surrounded by concrete paving with large buildings looming over them. But I am narrowing things down.
Jan 3rd, 2009, 12:05 AM
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Maudie, I am a fan of the SQ/Silk Air, I have done it often and we recently did it to BNE and SQ are as superb as always, if not better.
It's a nuisance the Thai return flight goes Phuket-BKK and then PER.
Many are fans of the Hyatt HH and if you thought of that again might be a good choice, Bob stayed at the Sheraton recently. Weather would be a plus and not too busy.
Samui would mean flight from either Phuket or BKK, or, Bangkok Aitrways from Singapore but it's not cheap.
I think it can also depend how 'beach' you want it to be / how relevent shopping and restaurants are. Did you do River Kwai before ? Just an ideas because you could do that as a side trip from HH.
I don't know how long ago you were in Patong but it seems to change ( in my opinion for the worse ) every single time.
I wouldn't rush, except for the flights you have plenty of time to be felxible, even with that, I can't remember how many times we changed our SQ flights with no worries /charges at all, and it was a cheapy fare as well.
It's a nuisance the Thai return flight goes Phuket-BKK and then PER.
Many are fans of the Hyatt HH and if you thought of that again might be a good choice, Bob stayed at the Sheraton recently. Weather would be a plus and not too busy.
Samui would mean flight from either Phuket or BKK, or, Bangkok Aitrways from Singapore but it's not cheap.
I think it can also depend how 'beach' you want it to be / how relevent shopping and restaurants are. Did you do River Kwai before ? Just an ideas because you could do that as a side trip from HH.
I don't know how long ago you were in Patong but it seems to change ( in my opinion for the worse ) every single time.
I wouldn't rush, except for the flights you have plenty of time to be felxible, even with that, I can't remember how many times we changed our SQ flights with no worries /charges at all, and it was a cheapy fare as well.
Jan 3rd, 2009, 12:32 AM
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Hi again James,
On-line Thai is coming up AU$200 p/p cheaper than SQ as much as we prefer to fly SQ and the nuisance of going through BKK, that might be the deciding factor. We may be able to change our holiday dates to mid to late April if this makes things easier weather wise.
Samui is not on our radar, it seems to be going in the same direction as Patong from what I read and yes it is more espensive.
Shopping is not a big consideration. Just a pleasant resort with a nice pool and beach, eateries that we can walk too and just between you and me - no Germans hogging the sun lounges.
We have discussed HH but the beach wasn't all that great and we feel that there is nothing "new" for us to see. But the seafood was superb.
Do you know anything about the Haadson Resort up Khao Lak way? It gets good reviews, we like the idea of doing the trip to the Similan Islands.
On-line Thai is coming up AU$200 p/p cheaper than SQ as much as we prefer to fly SQ and the nuisance of going through BKK, that might be the deciding factor. We may be able to change our holiday dates to mid to late April if this makes things easier weather wise.
Samui is not on our radar, it seems to be going in the same direction as Patong from what I read and yes it is more espensive.
Shopping is not a big consideration. Just a pleasant resort with a nice pool and beach, eateries that we can walk too and just between you and me - no Germans hogging the sun lounges.
We have discussed HH but the beach wasn't all that great and we feel that there is nothing "new" for us to see. But the seafood was superb.
Do you know anything about the Haadson Resort up Khao Lak way? It gets good reviews, we like the idea of doing the trip to the Similan Islands.
Jan 3rd, 2009, 02:17 AM
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we just returned yesterday from thailand. please consider the chedi hotel on phuket, on pansea beach. OH MY! we were there over Xmas. the hotel is gorgeous, and the beach is unbelievable. plenty of chairs for all. the beach only has 2 resorts on it, so it is very private. there is a small local restaurant at one end, and they send over yummy fruits to your beach chair- you can wander over there for a simple but v. good inexpensive lunch, or use the hotel restaurants (we did not bother)
for dinner, take the hotel car (free) for the 2 minute drive to Surin beach- loads of great dinner choices here, write on the beach, torches, candles, atmosphere galore...
1. book the chedi on one of the discount sites- makes a big difference
2. stay in a room facing the beach- the rooms up on the hill are far (very far) from everything, with lots of stairs. It is so worth the bit of extra money for this. you do not need to be right on the beach though- slightly up is beautiful. tripadvisor had some complaints, and they all relate to people who stayed up on the hill
3. the breakfast at the chedi was the best we had in thailand-by far-and was included through agoda when we booked
for dinner, take the hotel car (free) for the 2 minute drive to Surin beach- loads of great dinner choices here, write on the beach, torches, candles, atmosphere galore...
1. book the chedi on one of the discount sites- makes a big difference
2. stay in a room facing the beach- the rooms up on the hill are far (very far) from everything, with lots of stairs. It is so worth the bit of extra money for this. you do not need to be right on the beach though- slightly up is beautiful. tripadvisor had some complaints, and they all relate to people who stayed up on the hill
3. the breakfast at the chedi was the best we had in thailand-by far-and was included through agoda when we booked
Jan 3rd, 2009, 07:48 AM
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I have a number of resort reviews for Thailand on http://www.bombasticlife.com I am also in the process of writing some for Penang and Langkawi so check back shortly for those too if you are headed back that way.
