rhkkmk

i think it was flown in special for kim....

butterball would be my last choice, for sure, but it tasted good... i bet they got it from a US military PX

tinto

Hi Bob, thanks for your advice on my other thread about hotels in Phuket. I am extending my vacation time to include PhiPhi too.

Would it be better to do airport-Phuket(Marriott Khao Lak)-PP(Holiday Inn)-airport OR airport-PP-Phuket-airport? Which one is better transportation-wise and not missing the return flight?

How do I arrange for ferry or speedboat and how long is the transfer from PP to Phuket airport because I have not book the flight without knowing the ferry/speedboat schedule and transfer time.

Thanks.

rhkkmk

i have no knowledge about anything to do with phi phi... it has often been reported here however..

put a seperate post out asking for help..

sorry

rhkkmk

a real lazy day on saturday...

breakfast was another pleasant experience... we talked briefly to some of the other americans and the nyc lady gave K a spare bottle of cab sauv.... the girls managed to drink it late this PM...

we all did some internet... the girls headed for the beach/pool.... i spent the whole day in my room---relaxing and doing internet--ok some naping too.

late in the afternoon we got dressed and headed out to pick up our laundry. 6.5 kilos for about $14.---clean and ironed.

we headed back into khao lak town and turned into the main side street (just next to the 7/11) where lots of restaurants are located. kathleen checked out a couple of shops.... we drove to the end of the road to look into the most famous seafood restaurant (chong fat)---we had seen a motorcade with police escort go there last night... we decided to go back 1/2 up the road to Green Pepper Restaurant. Kim had told K that the food was excellent and the beefsteak was especially nice. 3 of us had it and pat had a hamby... it was good but not outstanding---hit the spot however... we had a delicious shrimp cocktail as an appetizer (K&B) and Pat had bacon wrapped shrimp... 600 B each with four giant bottles of singha... 3 of us had homemade ice cream and K had pineapple pancakes for dessert.... there was live guitar music during the meal... we were very pleased with our choice... western meat and pots hit the spot...

visited the adajacent night market after dinner, which was closing down...

back to the hotel for internet and bed...

Tomorrow we head back to bkk mid-afternoon and the sisters go home early monday morning (staying at the novotel at the airport).

K & I have 4 more days in bkk... 2 nights at the marriott mayfair and 2 nights at the dreaded ROS.

Wednesday we will be having dinner with smeagol and muffin at Biscotti in the 4 seasons... we look forward to that...

SueHuml

Am enjoying your report immensly. Have not been to Fodors for the last 5 weeks as we were in Florida and I limited myself with computer time. Now we are back in chilly Chicago and looking forward to our 6 week Thai/ Hawaii trip beginning Jan 6th. I have already picked up a few new ideas of places to go from this report and you have never let me down in the past. I'm trying to figure out where it is you are staying right now in Phuket. It appears there is a new Marriott Resort and I have heard nothing about it before. I was so happy to learn of the "goodies" you get for Marriott Gold at the Riverside Marriott location. I just became Platinum and will also be spending several days there. We will then go to Phuket to the Marriott Beach Club for a couple of weeks but will be staying in the Villas. Oh where is the Candle Restaurant on Phuket? - We have been looking into a rental car for Phuket and now I will research your lead of Pure Car. Seems like a pretty good deal.
Just want to say, your narrative has me so excited at the thoughts of returning to my alltime favorite place... Thailand. Enjoy the rest of your trip and keep these wonderful posts coming.
Sue

rhkkmk

sue the new jw is in khao lak, which is one hour north of the jw in phuket... it is even nicer than the jw phuket...

pure is fantastic to deal with...

candle is in K/L too

last night the green pepper was also a good take... same area as candle..

simpsonc510

Bob, this thread takes forever to download..... Just hoping you still plan to visit the PL for dinner! I will try to catch up with this thread again in a day or two.

Hello from Chiasso Switzerland... passing into Italy today. Headed to Fabro, near Orvieto. Three days w/Italian friends.

Carol

bookchick

Carol, Ciao, Bella!

Bob, still enjoying, thanks for taking me along (vicariously, of course)!

BC

DonTopaz

K&B: you people are amazing. What a trip. Have you thought about just selling the Needham mansion and traveling non-stop? I can find a cousin who'll sell the house for you for a low commission, you'll easily net $1.5 or $2 mil. That will last a long time on the road.

SueHuml

Many thanks for the info... I checked out the new JW on Phuket at the Marriott website, didn't even know that it existed. Your room rate, incl breakfast and upgrade is just fantastic. We'll have to check it out when we have our rental car, and, combine it with a visit to Candle on weeks 2 & 3 of our Thai trip.

Another great deal I got because I read this Asia Board was one of the Crazy Deals at Asia Rooms. Even though I was expecting the ROS (a la Bob) I landed up with 2 days at the Lebua at State Tower Superior Suite with balcony incl Breakfast at $76 a night. So far in looking at the place at their website it looks quite good, will let you know after we stay (our first two nights in BKK)-I believe it's quite close to Harmonique one of our favorites since Bob turned us on to it. Last time we were there we took a great photo of the two old sisters that own it and it's a very sweet photo as they are hugging each other.

After Lebua, we move to the Riverside Marriott for a week.

We stayed at the BKK Marriott Mayfair on a previous trip and liked it a lot, especially the space vs a hotel room, however, the Marriott Rewards are not the same per night for the Executive Apartments, so I was a bit disappointed in that, though the same happened when we stayed at the Marriott Executive Apartments in Prague.

Enjoy your final days in BKK and keep the report flowing.
Cheers
Sue

DonTopaz

Carol,

You are in one of the most fascinating spots on Earth. I've spent lots and lots of time in Lugano, and for the life of me I still can't figure out how Ticino manages to get away with merging Italian and Swiss sociocultures, which are at polar opposite ends of every spectrum imaginable.

Marija

rizzuto--if Bob and Karen sold their mansion where would they store all the endless stuff they keep buying?

rhkkmk

don--no deal if you can't get more for the shack---and dear cousin's rate means she is a newton r.e. agent... or were you just selling the garage and back 40??

rhkkmk

Sunday


Over to breakfast… sad that this is our last meal for this year at the JW in Khao Lak. The food is amongst the best hotel food we have had in Thailand and the staff is A++. I took a bunch of pics at breakfast….oh so tacky…

We loaded up the car and left town about 11. We made our first stop at the huge wat just in front of the hotel… There are several very elaborate buildings and more are being built and some are being renovated… We drove on.

Kathleen had requested that we stop to take pics of rubber trees. There are many plantations between K/L and Phuket…. There was a place to pull off the road so we took pics of both young trees and mature ones, all in their very straight rows. Each tree has a tap and a small cone shaped cup which collects the white sap when it runs.

We also saw 4 or 5 elephants all “saddled” up and waiting for customers for a trek into the hills.

It rained a bit which slowed us slightly. We stopped for gas and in 5 days we used just less than 1000 B’s worth. The small SUV we had was perfect for 4 and would work for 6 too (7000 B). We were met at curbside by the pure rep and passed the car over to her.

The airport was quite busy but our air asia check-in was quick—no waiting as we went to the line for on-line check-in---bag drop and id check… I had checked in on line.

We went to burger king near to our gate…. Prices has risen substantially since we last ate American fast food in thailand.

The plane arrived late from bkk, but they turned it around quickly and we arrived in bkk almost on time…. Luggage was very very slow to come out…

A greeter was waiting for us in the lobby and took us to the van we had ordered through Tong…. First he drove us to the novotel at the airport so Pat and Kathleen could check in…. Pre-paid room= $153---a total ripoff… the room is ok, but the beds seemed soft and it was two steps above a dormitory, imo…. We won’t be staying there—I hope…

Next stop was Chatrium to pick up left luggage…

Our final stop was Marriott Mayfair serviced apartments on Langsuan…. I had forgotten what a lovely street this is. Our rooms were ready for us. Because of my gold status we have been upgraded and given breakfast as well. Very odd as the Marriott on soi 24 offered no benefits at all… The lobby is a long wide corridor with a stream of water on each side of the walkway, with some small spouts and beautiful flowers and rich deep blue and gold accents and huge urns… it sounds tacky, but actually is very rich and warm looking.

Our rooms are on the 22nd floor. You enter from the hallway into a small foyer with the kitchen off to the left (no dishwasher??)… This opens up to a large living room with chairs and a couch, plus a table with four chairs and a tv and sound system. A desk is also in the living area and live plants.. There is a full bath next to the kitchen… Down a short corridor are two rooms: a large ensuite master bedroom with tons of closets and a den/computer/work room with a sofa, maybe a sofabed. I’m guessing this was once a 2 bedroom unit. The place is very large…

Jack delivers Pat’s last items downstairs…. All are fine except the robe which probably would not even fit a slim thai woman….We will have it remade and take it home to her…

We have a 7:15 res across the street at Calderazzo Restaurant. This is a chic modernistic all glass building with several levels. We have not been there before… They also have a bistro in front of the Marriott… White starched tablecloths, gleaming glassware and a fantastic menu make it a star in my book…. But then the foods comes, and it becomes a cosmic rocket…. Each dish is better than its predecessor… We had some pastas, an eggplant dish, some singha beers, and 4 lucious desserts (some were better than others).
I was thrilled with my choice and will be adding it to our regular bkk stops… Their red sauce was just as I like it—chunky with a bit of zip to it… 800 B each.


Carol, I’m sure you and brad know this place?? Hanuman also… Excellent for a moderate priced Italian meal.


There is a villa market just beside the Marriott. We made a water stop there and then put the ladies in a taxi to the airport hotel…. This ends their 2 week + trip. They are converted…THEY LOVE THAILAND TOO… They found each day more amazing than the day passed. They want me to write a book… I keep telling them that most of what I know is based on my fodors friend’s experiences, and a little bit of my own digging…

Pat is putting Thailand on her calendar for 2012.

We look forward to the next 3 days of just dubbing around, enjoying the rooftop pool here and to a day and ½ at ROS---giving it another chance.



Monday

A good night’s sleep again. We went down for breakfast with low expectations, but actually it was quite nice. There were much more limited options but all the main groups were present: cereals, pastries, eggs, meats, fruits, drinks, soups, breads, jams, etc. We were very pleased. More nice staff too.

I have developed a very sore toe. I think I must have been bitten by something yesterday. As the day progresses it gets more bothersome, but that only slowed me down a bit. We decided to knock off as many things as we could today. Thursday wants me to return home immediately for amputation at the least… haha

For starters we head back to JT at soi 93 sukhumvit. I had seen some bright yellow/gold fabric with huge monkeys on it that I liked. I want new drapes in my (our) computer room. We had our houseminder measure the two windows so now K knows how much fabric would be necessary. Easily purchased along with a few other items, we then head to the khao san rd area via taxi, via the expressway---a long way!!

Pat had purchased some glasses from chang, tong’s husband, but they were not ready before she left, so we went to pick them up. While there K ordered new lenses for a pair of her glasses (600 B---premier quality lenses). They are progressives and will not be ready before we leave, so carol simpson will transport them home for us in January---she’s the best!! We walked over to khao san rd searching for a cheap duffle bag. Finally found a perfect one for 500B after some bargaining.

From there we took another taxi to the Marriott riverside. We needed another jack fix---the tailor. Pat’s new robe, delivered last night, would fit a small, but very tall, thai woman, but not a tall American woman, of a certain age.. It had to go back for adjustments. K also had 2 shirts waiting, but they now need some other small neck adjustments.

We will see jack tomorrow afternoon with all of this done, plus my suit and robe also—I hope. It is always worth the wait… this is why one cannot hurry custom tailoring….

We had lunch in the Marriott mall at our fav local thai place: the business card is in thai so I can’t tell you the name. Its on my restaurant list---1st floor behind the bank.
Pad see u (phoenetic), phad thai and chicken larb---all delicious--~400B
Sweasons ice cream followed…

Taxi back to Marriott Mayfair on langsuan…

K packed up most of our stuff. I put my foot up and caught up on internet… K went to the pool until dark and I fell asleep on the chaise.

Unexpectedly, we are having dinner with some friends so will forgo pickled liver tonight which had been on schedule.

Tomorrow should be an easy day.

hawaiiantraveler

The sore toe is called gout......

Can't wait for the review on the ROS.....

Stop by Tokyo on your way home and I'll buy you dinner

Aloha

rhkkmk

can't be gout i don't think, as i already take a gout med for another "problem"... but there is always a chance.... i've been eating tons of bad things for sure...

Gpanda

What do you think the total duration of his taxi time in Thailand is?

DonTopaz

I vote against gout. In my experience, which was not brief, it was worst in the morning (tends to get explosive overnight, when the joints aren't active), then improved (slightly) as the day wore on.

Gpanda, why is he eating a durian in a taxi?

rhkkmk

lots of time in taxis... supporting the local economy... skytrain is so crowded these days that it is no longer a pleasure.... democrats use public transportation...

moving to ROS this PM.... is that any way to end a wonderful trip?

very busy last night after dinner...

K was talking with her mother and mom said she did not feel well... her housekeeper was there and k tried to have her take her pulse---lost cause...

ambulance came, our eldest daughter met them all at the hospital... youngest daughter on the phone... calls back and forth.... Dr K called the shots.... Mom fine now, just needed some meds adjusted.... overnight in hospital... K's sister arrived from cape cod and hopefully took over...

never a dull moment....

probably no reporting again until we return home...

looking forward to having dinner with nicky and muffin on wednesday night at biscotti at 4 seasons. not sure if they can offer us a sound proof room.... we usually need one...

5:35AM flight home on thursday--thank you delta...

5 weeks have flown by!!

tengohambre

Ok, so that we all have the correct mental image:

Wake up for a departure at an hour when even the birds are asleep.
A heck of a long haul flight.
More carry on bags then anyone can imagine.
Bob declines to check any of his roll on bags.
Bob declines to check any of his Jim Thompson shopping bags.
Other passengers mumble to themselves, "do you see all the bags that man is taking on board?"
Big toe continues to ache, likely a break through gout attack.
And, when they arrive home in the USA they may get the special TSA welcome: a "special" pat down.

Travel safe.