Surin Beach Phuket - is it a good place to stay in Phuket?
Aug 5th, 2008, 05:53 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Surin Beach Phuket - is it a good place to stay in Phuket?
Me and fiancee are visiting Thailand for the first time in mid-oct. We are going to spend 3 nights in Phuket and 2 nights in BKK.
We are planning to stay at TwinPalms in Surin Beach, Phuket. Originally, we were going to stay at hotels in Karon beach and because of the price of the package, we switched gear to TwinPalms.
It seems that Surin Beach is not as popular as the other areas (such as Karon beach or Patong beach), is it a good area to stay at? Any restaurant recommendations in the area? We've never been to Phuket and don't understand the distance between different areas. Would you recommend we travel to other beaches?
We are planning to stay at TwinPalms in Surin Beach, Phuket. Originally, we were going to stay at hotels in Karon beach and because of the price of the package, we switched gear to TwinPalms.
It seems that Surin Beach is not as popular as the other areas (such as Karon beach or Patong beach), is it a good area to stay at? Any restaurant recommendations in the area? We've never been to Phuket and don't understand the distance between different areas. Would you recommend we travel to other beaches?
Aug 6th, 2008, 05:33 AM
#2
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 465
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sayko, you'll find a bit of detail on Surin and TwinPalms in travelgourmet's response to my questions under the topic "Phuket vs Samui." As well, some comments there on particular Phuket beaches.
Aug 6th, 2008, 08:32 AM
#3
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 26,778
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry to cross-post, but wanted to make sure I got my comments into the appropriate thread:
I thought it was a great place. There are plenty of pictures on their website, and I found them to be pretty accurate.
It is a basic courtyard style, and the grounds aren't huge, but they are well laid out. The pool is beautiful and we didn't find it crowded, at all. The rooms are very nice, in a modern style, with all of the stuff you would expect from a nice hotel. We stayed in a pool access room, which was nice, but perhaps not worth the money, as no room is more than a few yards from the pool. The service level is good; not Four Seasons level, but good.
The beach is a short walk of maybe 5 minutes - not far at all. The Twin Palms has a very nice Beach Club on a far corner of the beach, with plenty of chairs and good drink and food service. Most of the other beach clubs/restaurants nearby are cheek to cheek with chairs, and the beach club is a little oasis of space. The beach itself is nice and pretty good for swimming.
As for the area, it is a hike to Patong. Personally, I see absolutely no reason to go to Patong. It is seedy, crowded, and noisy. Unless you really, really want to go out clubbing or want to buy bootleg apparel and DVDs at the night market, I just don't see the appeal.
Surin Beach has enough amenities that you won't have to go far. The food at the hotel is quite good, and fairly priced for what you get. For cheaper fare, there are plenty of restaurants on the beach, as well as a few on the road the hotel is on. You are not far from the Laguna complex for higher-end dining. There are a few convenience stores and a few places that will do your laundry for pocket change. There are plenty of massage huts on the beach, if you are into that. Heck, I had a jacket made at one of the tailors nearby, on a lark, and it actually came out well. If your goal is relaxation, you may find you don't need to go very far at all. But, if you do, taxis are plentiful and pretty cheap.
I thought it was a great place. There are plenty of pictures on their website, and I found them to be pretty accurate.
It is a basic courtyard style, and the grounds aren't huge, but they are well laid out. The pool is beautiful and we didn't find it crowded, at all. The rooms are very nice, in a modern style, with all of the stuff you would expect from a nice hotel. We stayed in a pool access room, which was nice, but perhaps not worth the money, as no room is more than a few yards from the pool. The service level is good; not Four Seasons level, but good.
The beach is a short walk of maybe 5 minutes - not far at all. The Twin Palms has a very nice Beach Club on a far corner of the beach, with plenty of chairs and good drink and food service. Most of the other beach clubs/restaurants nearby are cheek to cheek with chairs, and the beach club is a little oasis of space. The beach itself is nice and pretty good for swimming.
As for the area, it is a hike to Patong. Personally, I see absolutely no reason to go to Patong. It is seedy, crowded, and noisy. Unless you really, really want to go out clubbing or want to buy bootleg apparel and DVDs at the night market, I just don't see the appeal.
Surin Beach has enough amenities that you won't have to go far. The food at the hotel is quite good, and fairly priced for what you get. For cheaper fare, there are plenty of restaurants on the beach, as well as a few on the road the hotel is on. You are not far from the Laguna complex for higher-end dining. There are a few convenience stores and a few places that will do your laundry for pocket change. There are plenty of massage huts on the beach, if you are into that. Heck, I had a jacket made at one of the tailors nearby, on a lark, and it actually came out well. If your goal is relaxation, you may find you don't need to go very far at all. But, if you do, taxis are plentiful and pretty cheap.
Aug 6th, 2008, 01:11 PM
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the information! I've visited a few Phuket travel sites and Surin Beach is never listed as one of the popular areas.
How about JW Marriott Phuket? We actually got vouchers that can be used for that resort. However, I read on Trip Advisor that food is unreasonably expensive there and it's "very far from everything else".
My question now -- should we go for JW Marriott or TwinPalms???
How about JW Marriott Phuket? We actually got vouchers that can be used for that resort. However, I read on Trip Advisor that food is unreasonably expensive there and it's "very far from everything else".
My question now -- should we go for JW Marriott or TwinPalms???
Aug 7th, 2008, 07:46 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Unfortunately we can't change our schedule. We're from Canada will be visiting Hong Kong in Oct and decided to take a short trip to Thailand. Hopefully the weather won't be too bad. Will it be as rainy in Bangkok? We're going to Bangkok after Phuket.
In case of stormy or rainy weather, I guess all we could do is to hang out in the hotel?
If it turns out the weather is nice, we would like to go for snokering or scuba diving day trip. Any recommendations?
In case of stormy or rainy weather, I guess all we could do is to hang out in the hotel?
If it turns out the weather is nice, we would like to go for snokering or scuba diving day trip. Any recommendations?
Aug 7th, 2008, 07:53 PM
#10
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 29,053
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
jw marriott is about a 45 minute ride to patong....not sure of the cost....there are no taxis near to marriott unless you catch one....i rented a car for a day or two and they delivered it to the hotel for me free....budget car
Aug 8th, 2008, 06:51 AM
#11
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 6,664
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Take a look at the Meriden Beach Resort. It's between Karon Beach and Patong on a beach of it's own. The pool is one of the best in Thailand. They have a very active water sports department with daily trips. This is the only hotel in Phuket that we've stayed at more than once.
Aug 19th, 2008, 01:38 PM
#12
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My boyfriend and I stayed at the TwinPalms in November last year and it was amazing! You will not regret staying there. The grounds and resort itself are gorgeous and immaculate... customer service is top notch [Thebault is great].
Surin beach is very quiet, almost private feeling, and clean. I highly recommend doing a speed boat tour of Koh Phi Phi and John Gray's sea canoe excursion.
As far as restaurants, I had a bad experience at Nok's Seafood. I got food poisoning there. I would recommend eating at Oriental Spoon or Manathai's restaurant instead of the local restaurants there if you have a weak stomach like me.
Surin beach is very quiet, almost private feeling, and clean. I highly recommend doing a speed boat tour of Koh Phi Phi and John Gray's sea canoe excursion.
As far as restaurants, I had a bad experience at Nok's Seafood. I got food poisoning there. I would recommend eating at Oriental Spoon or Manathai's restaurant instead of the local restaurants there if you have a weak stomach like me.
