REVIEW
Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & SPA Hotel
Thailand from 08 to 23 December 2006
I was on vacation with my girlfriend at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok and Hilton Phuket Arcadia hotels in the Kingdom of Thailand from 08 to 23 December 2006.
The review is presented concisely with rare emotional assessments. I would like to oppose such a statement to the mountains of stupid reviews that reflect the psychological (enthusiastic or, conversely, indignant) state of vacationers. But there is very little objective and useful information for making a decision about the place of the upcoming vacation. Even detailed descriptions of hotels on the websites of hotels and travel companies also did not give a complete impression of them.
Vacation plans and hotel selection
The rest was planned for December, I wanted heat and the sea, and Thailand was quite suitable for this. Of the two most common resort areas of Pattaya and Phuket, the latter was chosen as less busy and more (as it turned out) clean. In favor of this choice was the presence on the island of Phuket of the hotel of the worldwide chain Hilton and tours to it by the tour operator Tez Tour. The work and service of both was excellently appreciated on previous trips. Other tour operators had worse conditions (the Neva Travel Agency reported the name and category of the hotel only upon arrival in Bangkok, the Alma Tour travel agency settled in Bangkok only at the Bayioke Sky Hotel), more unceremoniously and more expensive.
For the final selection and determination of the category of the room, they requested by e-mail on the hotel website a plan of the territory and the location of the buildings, which was soon sent to me. I wanted a room with a sea view and possibly closer to the beach, this was the case for the rooms on the 6th floor of the Andaman Wing building, which we ordered and then received.
Travel arrangements
On September 14.2006, we left an application for a trip at the Tez Tour travel agency and an advance payment of 6.000 rubles.
And on September 19.2006, television and newspapers reported on a military coup in Thailand. They confirmed their decision to rest in Thailand and strengthen the ranks of “ours”. As our guides on the trip later told us, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was a kind of Russian Khodorkovsky in terms of striving for supreme power in the country. Having encroached on the royal competence and not being modest in personal expenses (he bought an English football club), he earned the wrath of the elite of the state and the entire working people, for which he paid.
On September 29.2006, an employee of a travel agency called and reported on the calculation of the total cost of the tour (landing and 2 days in Bangkok, 11 days on Phuket, 1 day again in Bangkok and flight to St. Petersburg) in the amount of $ 5.834 or 160.000 rubles.
1 700 $ for two flight St. Petersburg-Bangkok and back
$70 for two transfer Bangkok airport – Millennium Hilton Bangkok hotel
$322 for two for 2 nights at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok
$70 for two transfer from Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel to Bangkok Airport
440 $ for two flight Bangkok-Phuket and back
$70 for two transfer Phuket Airport – Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort
$2.784 for 2 people 11 nights Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort
$70 for two transfer hotel Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort - Phuket Airport
$70 for two transfer Bangkok airport – Millennium Hilton Bangkok hotel
$168 for two for 1 night at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok
$70 for two transfer from Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel to Bangkok Airport
There was a delay in booking the tour due to the opening of the new Bangkok International Airport.
On October 30.2006, both foreign passports were taken away.
They decided to issue visas to the Kingdom of Thailand in St. Petersburg, paying an additional 2.050 rubles.
On the eve of departure on December 7.2006, we received all the necessary documents - tickets, vouchers, insurance, memos,...
Legal aspect
The tour purchased the tour operator Tez Tour from the travel agency-travel store "Nevsky Lights" (St. Petersburg, Ligovsky Prospekt, building 10, Oktyabrskaya Hotel), from which he also purchased the previous tour to another Hilton. For the repeated appeal to them I received a 3% discount and a 4% discount card for the next purchase of the next tour. Only 4-5 people work in the travel agency, but they know their business, are moderately conscientious and punctual.
The tour was purchased under a commission agreement. This means that the seller-travel agency is only responsible for the accuracy of the information about the tour and the correctness of the booking of tourist services and is not responsible for anything.
Legal education was carried out by a familiar lawyer of IAC Special Position LLC, who is of the opinion that the tourism services market is the most unpredictable and is built solely on trust.
Despite the complete lack of rights, the unbridled desire for the sea and the sun won.
Departure from St. Petersburg
All luggage was arranged in a medium-sized suitcase with wheels and a retractable handle (it is more convenient to carry than to carry) and a backpack with the necessary things (inflatable pillow, books, music,... ) for the period of flight and arrival. We did not take warm clothes with us.
The departure was an economy class flight of Boeing-767 Transaero No. UN 531 Pulkovo-Bangkok from Pulkovo-2 airport in St. Petersburg at 22.45 (the final flight of the day).
For 150 rubles, they packed a suitcase for us in a transparent film for checking in luggage.
Checked in and received boarding passes. We passed passport and customs inspections.
Boarding and takeoff were on schedule. The flight duration is 10.5 hours, quite tiring.
The passenger kit came in handy and proved to be quite good - an inflatable pillow around the neck and a blindfold.
The toilets, as usual, were quickly filled and one of them was closed by the steward.
The flight took place in the normal mode - looking into the porthole, briefing on the rules of forced splashdown (the main thing is to remember the location of the whistle! ), rumble, two feedings, a blanket, poking your knees behind the seat sitting in the back of the chair, kicking with the legs that want space in front of the seated one, walking from the nose in the stern of the ship, a heavy slumber in an uncomfortable position,... We moved the hands of the clock 4 forward. A commercial for Transaero was played on the projection screen, and the screening ended there.
Morning greeted with sunshine, landing on schedule at 12.30 local time. Applause to the commander of the ship.
Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport went into operation at the end of September 2006. The airport building with an area of .560 thousand square meters is the world's largest single terminal, and the control tower with a height of 132 meters is the largest in the world. It took 30 minutes to reach the baggage claim section on a horizontal escalator.
Filled out an immigration card, passed the passport and formal customs inspection.
We observed a large crowd at the place where visas for arrivals were issued (you need to change the currency, fill out the questionnaire correctly, take a picture, hand in, correct comments, get a visa stamp). At the time of writing this review, the governments of the Russian Federation and Thailand signed an agreement on the conditions for waiving visa formalities. Now everything has become much easier.
At the exit of Tez Tour customers, they were met by their local guide (who spoke Russian quite tolerably) in a branded yellow T-shirt and with a high-lifted “Tez Tour Thailand” sign, who took us aside to the collection point, after which he put us in a Toyota Corolla car, which took us to the Millennium Hilton Bangkok.
On the way, the driver talked to our guide and handed us the phone. Russian girl Anna (tel. 086-375-04-76, +66-81-375-04-76) briefly told us about the hotel, told us about the place and time of departure for the next day's city tour.
Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel
www. bangkok. hilton. com
The 32-storey building of the hotel was put into operation in early 2006 and is made in a modern style on the very banks of the Chao Phraya River. The hotel has its own pier and boat, which transports tourists free of charge from 6 am to 10.30 pm to the nearest metro station SkyTrain Saphan Taksin and transfers to the River City shopping complex and other piers.
At the entrance to the hotel, the local traffic controller blocked the traffic to turn our car to the right (traffic in the country is left-handed) to the hotel. Security using a mirror checked the bottom of the car in search of unauthorized items and devices. The arrival area is located inside the hotel, where cars circle the fountain and stop at the outside reception desk. The functions of this reception are meeting, storing and moving luggage, seeing off and organizing departure. All staff are smiling and accommodating. At the next - internal reception, after filling out a questionnaire and making a deposit of $ 100 bail, instead of keys, we received plastic cards for locking the front door of the room.
On the first floor of the hotel there is a stylish high-tech hall, a restaurant, a gallery of boutiques. Unobtrusive music sounds.
In a separate building next to the hotel there is a SPA, an open area and an indoor cafe hall.
In the business center on the 24th floor, you can get local newspapers for free, work on a computer (including the Internet), use a copier or fax machine. We spent about 40 minutes there to copy files from cameras to a flash drive.
On the last 32nd floor there is a cafe with panoramic windows.
The pool on the 4th floor deserves special praise. It combines an open cafe area, a sandy beach, separate double tables separated by greenery under umbrellas, a covered area for relaxing in the shade and the pool itself (25x6 meters 160 cm deep) with a shower. Towels are provided free of charge here. All around you have a wonderful view of the river, the Sheraton hotel and the shopping complex on the opposite bank.
Six high-speed elevators with musical accompaniment were not long in coming. Plugged up the ears.
Number
While we were filling out a questionnaire at the internal reception, our luggage was transferred to room No. 1818 on the 18th floor of the hotel, where a bowl of fruits was waiting for us - mangoes, apples, pears, bananas, grapes.
The Deluxe River View room has a 5m x 5m sleeping area, 3m x 4m bathroom, and an informal entryway. Finishing is sustained in modern style.
Upon entering the room, a full-wall panoramic window catches the eye. The floor is covered with a soft fleecy coating.
In the hallway there is a wardrobe compartment with hangers, two bathrobes, slippers and an umbrella. There is also a safe with an electronic lock, packages and order forms for washing or dry cleaning clothes.
The bathroom has a bathtub itself, a separate glass shower cubicle, a toilet bowl, a table with a sink, and two huge mirrors.
Shower plumbing, unlike most similar devices in our country, had two regulator knobs, the cumulative purpose of which differed from those known to us in a previous life. One of them had a red mark with a mark of 38 degrees C and regulated the balance of hot and cold water, and the second determined the power of the water jet.
The device of the toilet also differed from our domestic counterparts. The toilet bowl is 1/3 filled with water and the flush is made in a spiral, thanks to which it is less noisy.
The table with the sink has an additional shaving mirror on a sliding holder, two additional lighting lamps, and a radio control. There are a bunch of personal belongings on the table (napkins, glasses, an ashtray, soap, shampoo-conditioners, a hair cap, a comb, a toothbrush with toothpaste, floss, cotton buds, threads, needles,... ). There were three towels for each guest, but there was nowhere to dry them. There are a couple of electrical outlets for an electric shaver.
In the bedroom there is a large comfortable and soft bed with a couple of pillows and a bedside table with an electronic clock for a brother, a sofa with three pillows, a table, a minibar, and a table with tea accessories (electric kettle, glasses, glasses, tea and coffee bags, cream and sugar ) and TV.
The bar was filled with alcohol (whiskey, cognac, vodka, gin), beer and other drinks. There was also a hair dryer, bottle opener, suntan oil, repellent.
On the table is a thick book in English with a description and a list of hotel services, a Hilton branded postal set with postcards, envelopes, watermarked paper and pens).
Philips TV 64 cm diagonal broadcast a bunch of foreign channels and not a single Russian one. Turning on the TV began with a greeting by my last name and first name, entering the service interactive menu for various hotel services. It is better not to use this menu! In a few minutes of wandering through the canals in search of digestible, upon leaving the hotel, almost 2 thousand local money was ripped off from us.
6 sockets in the room were conveniently located for simultaneous use for a variety of purposes (electric kettle, charging a video camera and camera, mobile phone,... ).
Switching off the light is traditionally convenient for the Hiltons - you turn on the light at the doorstep, turn it off - while lying in bed. The Do Not Disturb/Clean my room sign on the front door handle has been replaced with an electronic sensor system.
There were already three telephones in the room (on the bedside table, on the table and in the bathroom) and one connector for connecting a computer to the Internet.
The air conditioner has a regulator and regularly created and kept cool.
On the front door - floor plan and evacuation route (in case of fire).
Every morning there was a branded pouch containing the latest Bangkok Post newspaper on the front door handle.
When leaving, no claims for the minibar or other expenses were repaired for us - they simply returned the $ 100 deposit and took the luggage for free until the car arrived.
Feeding
The Flow restaurant served food from 6 o'clock in the morning, we were met and seated by smiling employees, we chose a table in the morning sun in an open area by the river. Original square plates, a kind of salt and pepper shaker. Pleasant music.
The buffet is good, a lot of delicious things and for every taste. Freshly squeezed juices. At one workplace, scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs are prepared for individual orders, at another - pancakes. Separately, a zone of all kinds of dishes for the Japanese was formed, of which there were a lot in the hotel. Lots of fresh baked goods. Of the fruits, I remember the yellow watermelon. But paper napkins for some reason were not observed.
Excursion, city trips and shopping
Before the tour, we were met by the Russian-speaking guide Tez Tura, who took us in his car to the gathering place of the entire Russian group from all the hotels scattered around the city. The Tez Tour bus (comfortable seats, air conditioning, speaker) announced the route - the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, the Royal Palace, then those who wish for an additional fee of $ 40 from the nose - a canoe trip through the canals, after that for free - to the jewelry factory.
The temple and surrounding sights are impressive - the beauty is extraordinary. Out of a sort of luxury and on a long motor boat-canoe, for contrast, we were taken along the canals, where along the banks on stilts in the water there are little houses-konurkas of poor Thais. Wooden one-story Venice. At one of the piers, the boat stopped to feed the fish, which seethed with water and tore bread from the hands, smacking it with relish.
Then we were brought to a jewelry factory on other minibuses, given cold juice to drink, a Russian-speaking salesman was assigned to each pair and taken to buy gold and diamonds. Here one could find interesting products for every taste and at any price. After such a fabulous splendor, the domestic jeweler looks very poor and tasteless. All handmade items are unique and simply made for romantic gifts. Here are the purest rubies and sapphires in the world, and absolutely amazing pink and orange-yellow sapphires. You can also buy traditional clothes made of natural silk and haberdashery made of crocodile and sea cat (stingray) skin at very high prices (a feature - you can bargain! )
We exchanged the dollars we had for local baht. The exchange rate of 1 US dollar in St. Petersburg = 33 baht (if you find), and in Thailand = 35.5 baht.
Price level: since the gold of the Thais is of a higher standard, it costs a little more than our gilded copper. And belts, for example, from a crocodile cost from 150 bucks, and from a stingray about 2.000 baht (about 1.500 rubles for our money), although in my opinion, the stingray is much more interesting in texture, as if all the skin is lined with beads. Men's silk shirt (European version) costs 1500 baht.
After this stunning beauty, we were packed into minibuses of the jewelry factory and, as groups formed, they were taken to the place of further shopping. We, on the advice of the guide, went to the large Siam Paragon shopping center, bearing in mind that there is a direct SkyTrain branch from it to the pier of the Hilton hotel boat.
The shopping center is a hundred St. Petersburg apras. I’ll speak for clothes: among the huge amount of tasteless junk you can find things of great quality and style at completely proletarian prices. Plus, you can bargain everywhere (feel free to reduce the initial price every 5 times - you will always come to a compromise). Plus, we're in the Christmas sale season. In general, when leaving, we took away 3 bags of things, instead of the one brought. Cotton summer women's trousers of free straight cut cost 200 baht (140 our rubles). Great? ! Etc.
Not quite satisfied with the robbery in the shopping center, we, on a tip from our guides, visited the Patpong night market, located 10 minutes by local tuk-tuk transport from the Sheraton Hotel (the starting point of almost all our trips around the city). There we did the same thing, but in a more brazen way knocking down prices and got great pleasure from the process. For example, a set of solperets ceramics was originally priced at 450 baht by the seller and after a 10-minute auction was given for 40. What a charm - this night market! Men traveling with their beloved half - patience to you !!!
The sidewalks in Bangkok are extremely narrow and there are very few avenues. The traffic controllers and many motorcyclists are wearing masks because of the sometimes quite noticeable smog. The most democratic mode of transport is the tuk-tuk motor scooter. Bargaining is also appropriate here.
Before leaving the homeland, travel agency employees warned that dollars of any denomination of 1993 and 1999 may not be accepted for payment in Thailand. Didn't check specifically, but we didn't have any problems.
Flight from Bangkok to Phuket
At the hour appointed by the guide, we were picked up from the hotel with our luggage and taken to the airport in a Toyota Camry car, where we independently registered our e-tickets and boarded.
We took off from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport by economy class aircraft A300-600 Thai Airways flight No. TG217 at 16.50 local time.
Thick clouds and rain did not prevent landing at Phuket International airport on schedule at 18.10 local time. After receiving the luggage, we easily found a meeting guide on the plate and branded Tez Tour T-shirt, who took us to the parking lot, handed us a booklet and a map of the island in Russian from the Tez Tour edition, gave us a phone call with our guide Georgy at the hotel and sent us by Honda car to the place of receiving further impressions and pleasures.
The road to Karon Beach, where our hotel Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & SPA was located, took about 40 minutes.
Phuket Island
The busiest areas of tourist activity are the beaches of Patong, Karon and Kata, located in sequence from north to south of the island.
Patong is the most populated, noisy, business-like. The center of entertainment and nightlife (until 02 am, after which everything closes, do not expect to roam until the morning).
Karon is calm and less busy. Fewer locals (and non-locals too).
Kata - can be called the center of fishing, a large accumulation of various boats.
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & SPA Hotel
www. phuketarcadia. hilton. com
The hotel is located on the first line of Karon Beach, consists of 4 buildings and occupies a huge green area.
The hotel's main entrance pays homage to the King of Thailand with a painted portrait of him. At the entrance, security guards use a mirror on a handle with a wheel to check for foreign objects under the chassis of the car, hastily look into the trunk and never into the passenger compartment.
All arrivals are dropped off at a separate Welcom Lobby reception, whose employees greet everyone cordially, turn over their luggage and direct them to the internal receptions of the accommodation buildings for check-in and check-in. This distance is about 600 meters and is already covered by the internal transport of the hotel - an open bus (in appearance - well, just our domestic tram! ) Or tiny double (except for the driver) electric cars that constantly scurry between receptions.
The hall at the internal reception of our Andaman Wing building and another hotel building was already colorfully decorated for the New Year. A Christmas tree from various types of Santa Clauses, a gingerbread house (assembled from real baked gingerbread plates, the joints are smeared with cream! We were amazed to determine the type of building material by the appetizing smell), beautiful and spectacular night illumination of palm trees, greenery and pools.
Before filling out the questionnaires, we were brought wet towels and treated to orange juice. Only after that they took away a deposit of $ 200 and issued plastic cards - the keys to the Standard room (44 m2) No. 603 on the 6th floor of the building that we ordered.
The territory of the hotel is perhaps the largest in Phuket. Lots of greenery, palms with coconuts, flowers. There is a lot of water - 5 pools (of which three are large, and two are with waterfalls), and even 3 are simply large lagoons with fish. The fattest goldfish are in the tiny pool under the stairs of the Lotus hull. A bunch of paths and paths with embankments and bridges across the lagoons. We explored the Hilton properties for 2 weeks, choosing different routes for our walks, but we could not look into all corners
On one of the lawns (near the golf course), not far from the guard's booth, there is a traditional Thai Buddha's palace, where people of Thai nationality celebrate their religious needs.
Between the hotel buildings and the Welcom Lobby there is a football field, a basketball court, tennis courts, a golf course, a small town with SPA houses. There is a playground equipped with various carousels and Thai-speaking nannies: European kids and these nannies love each other and communicate in some common dialect! So do not be afraid to take your child with you - there is where to shove on occasion for a while!
In case of rain (this is not uncommon), it is possible to move between buildings through closed galleries.
Number
About 70% of all rooms in the hotel overlook the Andaman Sea. The loggia of our room overlooked the beach, the beach road, one of the pools, the golf course, the sea and the sunset.
The hotel employee who brought the luggage briefly showed how to use a plastic card - a room key and part-time electric switch. When entering, you insert the card into a special slot - power is supplied to the room, when you exit, you take it out - the room is de-energized (except for the air conditioner and minibar). Turning off the light is done as in the previous Hilton conveniently - you turn on the light at the threshold, turn it off - while lying in bed.
On the front door there is a plan of the hotel buildings and an evacuation route (in case of another tsunami).
The lighting is soft, reflected from the ceiling and walls. Additionally, there is a large floor lamp and two individual lamps for each of the bedside tables.
The operation of the air conditioner can be controlled from the remote control at the bedside table, which is very convenient.
The room is quite large (6x5 m), the bathroom is about 3 sq. m, the loggia is 2x5 m, the vestibule.
A large and soft bed with four pillows, a table, two chairs, two ottomans, an armchair with pillows, a low chest of drawers, a table with a minibar and TV.
Panasonic TV with remote control and a switch on the control panel by the bedside table, more than 30 channels (none in Russian, but you can use it fearlessly), an interactive system (commercial video, 9 paid videos, ordering hotel services).
The minibar is filled to capacity, all related needs (wine glasses, glasses, bottle opener, spoons,... ) were included. Teaspoons (surprisingly without the Hilton logo) are remembered for their exceptionally correct shape. The electric kettle was prudently filled with water, coffee-tea-cream-sugar was present.
8 electrical outlets were enough for us to simultaneously charge all our videos and cameras, mobile phones and an electric shaver. Fan worked fine.
3 telephones are thoughtfully placed - one on the table, the second on the bedside table, the third - in the bathroom.
There is a connector for connecting the Internet line, but there was no laptop with me.
A very inconspicuous bathroom with a large triple mirror. On a pedestal with a sink, a bunch of shampoos, conditioners, creams and other soapy personal belongings.
The bathtub has a faucet with three handles (hot-cold, turning on and regulating the water pressure).
Three towels each (large ones are folded by swans, small ones - by an elephant with a trunk). But there are few hooks for hanging them, the towels almost did not dry out, despite the normal operation of the ventilation. On the first day, we needed an ironing board, we asked the cleaners for it and soon it was already in our room. So it was used part-time as a drying room, and even a bedside floor lamp.
A toilet bowl of a similar non-Nashen device.
The room and the loggia are separated by a glass wall with a sliding door and two curtains.
On the loggia there are two boxes with large bushes of flowers, two deck chairs and a table.
In the vestibule there is a wardrobe with its own lighting and automatic shutdown, shelves for things, spare blankets, an umbrella, two bathrobes, slippers, a safe with an electronic lock.
Cleaning twice a day. On the second visit, the cleaners left a small chocolate bar on their pillows, leaflets with weather forecasts, an order form for breakfast in the room, and invitations to various hotel services and events.
It remains a mystery for us - is it possible to roll an elegant swan out of a towel with your hands (see photo). We came to the conclusion that the cleaners have a swan-making machine. To encourage these masters of service and swans-building, a dollar was left on the bed every day.
Feeding
Gluttony flourished in the Sails restaurant (breakfast 06.00-12.00, dinner 19.00-22.00). In this regard, we did not visit the other seven catering departments of the hotel. There was no queue, except for one day - a myriad of Japanese people in T-shirts with the inscription “Mission possible” drove into the hotel at the same time, but their mission failed - they still could not empty the food counters! Almost always we chose the same table in the outdoor area of the restaurant by the pool.
There were always fresh newspapers and magazines on a separate table.
Morning pickles differed from evening ones in the presence of various juices, among which we preferred green and aromatic guava juice, and a truncated assortment of meat dishes. On an individual order, they prepared scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs in the morning. In the evening, a separate barbecue stand was periodically arranged - fish, meat, chicken.
There is a separate counter with Japanese national dishes. But sticks were not issued! Among their seafood dishes, we also found almost Russian - with large pieces of stewed (albeit in their sauce) pork.
The waitress girl remembered us, always greeted us and distinguished us from other eaters, congratulated my beloved girl on her birthday and presented us with a hair clip. When she did not understand us, she closed her eyes with a smile and became like a little Buddha. Upon departure, we decided to thank her for her friendliness and presented her with pretty earrings.
Beach
You can get to the beach from the hotel territory through 3 exits, but the most convenient way is through the pool, where we received towels, which could not be returned, because there was no accounting. Between the hotel and the beach there is a two-lane road, which did not cause any disturbance. The passage through it was provided by a separate hotel traffic controller with a red flag, blocking the movement of vehicles for tourists to cross.
The beach is urban, but the hotel area is symbolically defined by buoys. The boundaries of the beach are not marked on the ground, but the entrance is paid - 100 baht per person (umbrella and two sun loungers).
At the first exit to the beach, they could not immediately understand the source of some sounds during movement, and then it dawned on me - the sand CRUNCHES like snow in winter!
To the right of the hotel there is an undeveloped green area with palm trees and a shield erected with us with a plan for the new Karon Beach Park being designed on this site (a small hotel, a residential condominium, a shopping center, outbuildings, investors and participants in shared construction are invited). The upcoming construction will not disturb the peace of the inhabitants of the Hilton, because it is adjacent to the park area of its territory.
To the left of the hotel is the Thaworn Palm Beach Hotel Phuket (from where on the day of our departure about 30 of our compatriots departed with us).
There are no toilets and changing rooms on the beach, but there was no need for them either - it was a 3-minute walk to our room.
Local Thais are engaged in a peddling trade in souvenirs and local haberdashery.
Entertainment - parachute, skiing, scooter, banana, boats. There are also numerous trestle beds under symbolic canopies for massage services of local sorceresses (the quality of these services is worse than in the SPA).
It dawned around 7 am, it got dark around 5 pm. There was not a single completely gloomy day, although in the evenings or at night it rained every other day or two, which did not bring coolness.
On the way back from the beach, at the entrance to the hotel, feet are washed from sand in a special round niche with water, which becomes almost hot by the end of the day - a very convenient thing.
Excursions
On the very first morning at the hotel, we met with our guide Georgy (mobile tel. 089-866-20-49), a Russian Turk, who orientated us on the ground and took money for excursions and spa visits.
The organization of the excursions was excellent. We arrive at the Welcom Lobby reception, present a voucher (receipt), the hotel employee puts us on the waiting list and sits quietly in the lobby, waiting for a call. A minibus arrives, the driver with his itinerary goes to the reception desk, we are invited to board.
On the second day of our stay in Phuket, together with the Russian guide Vitaly (tel. 089-866-32-91) and a bunch of compatriots on a good air-conditioned bus, we went on a free tour of the Tez Tour around the island.
The beautiful local temple was remembered by a certain structure like a small blast furnace, from where the sounds of firecrackers were heard. As our guide explained, this is necessary to disperse local demons.
At the snake farm, after getting acquainted with the samples of local reptiles in cages, a performance by a local fakir took place. Particularly exciting were the moments when the fakir kissed a cobra and dodged it from another unusually nimble snake.
At the cashew factory, we stocked up on half a dozen bottles of miraculous sawdust to infuse them with vodka (haven't tried it yet! ).
Latex plant (standing in the middle of a plantation of rubber trees). met again with a Russian speech of his seller, who demonstrated all the advantages of pillows and mattresses made of natural latex (they repeat the shape of the lying body, giving the latter extraordinary relaxation, and with the help of a vacuum cleaner, the pillow is packed into a bag the size of a fist for transportation). Prices are not weak (pillow $200, mattresses from $500). The delegation of Koreans was buying up rubber latex by wagons.
The next point of the excursion program did not surprise us - we have already visited the jewelry factory in Bangkok. They could not resist - and again tacked on.
On the way back, we did not stay in the huge Festival shopping center, and, showing miracles of will and chaste abstinence, we preferred to return to the hotel. Advice to husbands: if you want to take a break from your dear half - give some money and send it to this shopping center - you are guaranteed 5-6 hours of freedom!
The next day was devoted to a trip ($ 140 for two) on a local sea tram with a guide Oleg (registered on Patong Beach and does not think to leave, tel. 085-882-80-32) to the James Bond Islands (James Bond Island itself with a and a local market, another island with a canoe transfer and a winding route through caves and inland lakes, monkey island, swimming on a wild beach of another island). Drinks and meals on board are free, farewell to the crew is warm, tips are required.
A day later, another excursion to the beautiful islands of Phi Phi ($ 160 for two) with a guide Alexander (he married a Thai woman, he does not think to leave either, tel. 085-786-59-73). We were rushed there by a speed boat (24 seats, we chose a place on the open deck for 10 people at the bow of the vessel, 3 Yamaha outboard motors with a capacity of 200 horses each). Stop on the island for swimming among the many fish, the monkeys of the next island willingly ate bananas and bullied tourists in every possible way, on the next island they fed us with local dishes, the last island somehow connected itself with DiCaprio and had a snow-white beach surrounded by beautiful rocks. Drinks, watermelon and pineapples on the boat, as well as ice cream and a wet towel at the arrival pier are free.
A trip one of the following days to rafting ($150 for two) is still remembered. It took a long time and with transfers to smaller and smaller vehicles to get to the mainland. Feeding elephants, riding on them, climbing to a decayed waterfall, lunch, rafting in inflatable boats on a mountain river at the time of opening the floodgates at its source. It was fun and everyone liked to push, pour water. We rushed in the forefront, but then the Thais for some reason began to hold the boat. After returning, it became clear that it was necessary to give the opportunity to photographers and videographers to film our adventures. At one of the stops they started swimming and I was carried away by a strong current. Despite the life jacket, he hit the stones with his right half-ass. The nearest boat that caught up with me spared the rest of the body from inevitable impacts on the stones.
The hotel had its own corner of several SPA houses, but the guide Georgy offered to visit another one (a separate SPA complex, www. sukkospa. com) and signed us up for a convenient time for us. The center is located in a beautiful oriental-style palace with numerous internal terraces and rooms for bodily pleasure. At the reception you will be given a pleasant tea with a balsamic taste. They offer to fill out a short medical questionnaire in Russian, and then, depending on the chosen program, you are taken to the right master. As a rule, any program includes a 30-minute stay in the sauna, which, due to the almost 40-degree heat, at first seemed to us not very appropriate. But the impressions of the local steam room did not coincide with our usual stereotypes: it turned out to be quite cool and had 100% humidity, but at the same time it was very easy to breathe thanks to the vapors of essential oils of some local plants. This sauna, by its action, is designed not so much to warm up the body, but to exfoliate the keratinized layer of the epidermis as much as possible for subsequent beneficial effects. Well, then - everything that your exhausted fantasy and a body pleading for bliss desires (well, except for intimacy - this is a high-class institution). Each visit ($170 and $200 for two) lasted 2-3 hours and ended with a wake-up call on the massage table after all the procedures. Relaxing is complete, so after the first visit and returning to the hotel, we collapsed to fill up. The boost of energy you get is simply colossal!
shopping
Island tuk-tuks are more modern and more expensive than those in the capital. The fare for them along Karon is 100 baht, to Patong 250-350 baht. Shopping in general did not differ from the capital, but we found an additional entertainment - a tailoring studio. On Patong Beach, these small studios (the owners are usually Indians) are a whole street. On Soi Wattana Street, at the New Boston Tailor, they ordered and received two days later men's and women's suits (along with a shirt and blouse) made of natural fabrics at a nice price of $ 380, high-quality tailoring. The owner, despite some roguishness, seemed likeable to us and worked (and chatted) very smartly. We were satisfied. For those wishing to repeat our experience, we will give advice - do not leave a large deposit, do not make intermediate payments, pay off after the final fitting and receipt of the order.
On the penultimate day, we met with a concerned guide George, who organized the dispatch of about 40 of our compatriots from Karon hotels at once. We filled out a questionnaire with an assessment of the quality of the work of guides, praised them. Special respect and gratitude deserve the Russian-speaking guides of Tez Tour (their male representatives), who proved to be really knowledgeable guides to Thai culture and customs. They have been living in Thailand for several years, have local wives (official and unofficial), and therefore are intimately familiar with their mentality. On occasion, bombard them with questions - the guys answer in detail, with humor, backed up with examples from their own lives.
Are you a seasoned traveler or are you going abroad for the first time and experience quite understandable uncertainty before meeting with such a distant and unlike our country as Thailand - discard all doubts and fears (of course, if you are traveling from Tez Tour), be carefree, as children. We bet you have nothing
Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & SPA Hotel
Thailand from 08 to 23 December 2006
I was on vacation with my girlfriend at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok and Hilton Phuket Arcadia hotels in the Kingdom of Thailand from 08 to 23 December 2006.
The review is presented concisely with rare emotional assessments. I would like to oppose such a statement to the mountains of stupid reviews that reflect the psychological (enthusiastic or, conversely, indignant) state of vacationers. But there is very little objective and useful information for making a decision about the place of the upcoming vacation. Even detailed descriptions of hotels on the websites of hotels and travel companies also did not give a complete impression of them.
Vacation plans and hotel selection
The rest was planned for December, I wanted heat and the sea, and Thailand was quite suitable for this. Of the two most common resort areas of Pattaya and Phuket, the latter was chosen as less busy and more (as it turned out) clean. In favor of this choice was the presence on the island of Phuket of the hotel of the worldwide chain Hilton and tours to it by the tour operator Tez Tour. The work and service of both was excellently appreciated on previous trips. Other tour operators had worse conditions (the Neva Travel Agency reported the name and category of the hotel only upon arrival in Bangkok, the Alma Tour travel agency settled in Bangkok only at the Bayioke Sky Hotel), more unceremoniously and more expensive.
For the final selection and determination of the category of the room, they requested by e-mail on the hotel website a plan of the territory and the location of the buildings, which was soon sent to me. I wanted a room with a sea view and possibly closer to the beach, this was the case for the rooms on the 6th floor of the Andaman Wing building, which we ordered and then received.
Travel arrangements
On September 14.2006, we left an application for a trip at the Tez Tour travel agency and an advance payment of 6.000 rubles.
And on September 19.2006, television and newspapers reported on a military coup in Thailand. They confirmed their decision to rest in Thailand and strengthen the ranks of “ours”. As our guides on the trip later told us, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was a kind of Russian Khodorkovsky in terms of striving for supreme power in the country. Having encroached on the royal competence and not being modest in personal expenses (he bought an English football club), he earned the wrath of the elite of the state and the entire working people, for which he paid.
On September 29.2006, an employee of a travel agency called and reported on the calculation of the total cost of the tour (landing and 2 days in Bangkok, 11 days on Phuket, 1 day again in Bangkok and flight to St. Petersburg) in the amount of $ 5.834 or 160.000 rubles.
1 700 $ for two flight St. Petersburg-Bangkok and back
$70 for two transfer Bangkok airport – Millennium Hilton Bangkok hotel
$322 for two for 2 nights at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok
$70 for two transfer from Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel to Bangkok Airport
440 $ for two flight Bangkok-Phuket and back
$70 for two transfer Phuket Airport – Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort
$2.784 for 2 people 11 nights Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort
$70 for two transfer hotel Hilton Arcadia Phuket Resort - Phuket Airport
$70 for two transfer Bangkok airport – Millennium Hilton Bangkok hotel
$168 for two for 1 night at the Millennium Hilton Bangkok
$70 for two transfer from Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel to Bangkok Airport
There was a delay in booking the tour due to the opening of the new Bangkok International Airport.
On October 30.2006, both foreign passports were taken away.
They decided to issue visas to the Kingdom of Thailand in St. Petersburg, paying an additional 2.050 rubles.
On the eve of departure on December 7.2006, we received all the necessary documents - tickets, vouchers, insurance, memos,...
Legal aspect
The tour purchased the tour operator Tez Tour from the travel agency-travel store "Nevsky Lights" (St. Petersburg, Ligovsky Prospekt, building 10, Oktyabrskaya Hotel), from which he also purchased the previous tour to another Hilton. For the repeated appeal to them I received a 3% discount and a 4% discount card for the next purchase of the next tour. Only 4-5 people work in the travel agency, but they know their business, are moderately conscientious and punctual.
The tour was purchased under a commission agreement. This means that the seller-travel agency is only responsible for the accuracy of the information about the tour and the correctness of the booking of tourist services and is not responsible for anything.
Legal education was carried out by a familiar lawyer of IAC Special Position LLC, who is of the opinion that the tourism services market is the most unpredictable and is built solely on trust.
Despite the complete lack of rights, the unbridled desire for the sea and the sun won.
Departure from St. Petersburg
All luggage was arranged in a medium-sized suitcase with wheels and a retractable handle (it is more convenient to carry than to carry) and a backpack with the necessary things (inflatable pillow, books, music,... ) for the period of flight and arrival. We did not take warm clothes with us.
The departure was an economy class flight of Boeing-767 Transaero No. UN 531 Pulkovo-Bangkok from Pulkovo-2 airport in St. Petersburg at 22.45 (the final flight of the day).
For 150 rubles, they packed a suitcase for us in a transparent film for checking in luggage.
Checked in and received boarding passes. We passed passport and customs inspections.
Boarding and takeoff were on schedule. The flight duration is 10.5 hours, quite tiring.
The passenger kit came in handy and proved to be quite good - an inflatable pillow around the neck and a blindfold.
The toilets, as usual, were quickly filled and one of them was closed by the steward.
The flight took place in the normal mode - looking into the porthole, briefing on the rules of forced splashdown (the main thing is to remember the location of the whistle! ), rumble, two feedings, a blanket, poking your knees behind the seat sitting in the back of the chair, kicking with the legs that want space in front of the seated one, walking from the nose in the stern of the ship, a heavy slumber in an uncomfortable position,... We moved the hands of the clock 4 forward. A commercial for Transaero was played on the projection screen, and the screening ended there.
Morning greeted with sunshine, landing on schedule at 12.30 local time. Applause to the commander of the ship.
Bangkok
Suvarnabhumi Airport went into operation at the end of September 2006. The airport building with an area of .560 thousand square meters is the world's largest single terminal, and the control tower with a height of 132 meters is the largest in the world. It took 30 minutes to reach the baggage claim section on a horizontal escalator.
Filled out an immigration card, passed the passport and formal customs inspection.
We observed a large crowd at the place where visas for arrivals were issued (you need to change the currency, fill out the questionnaire correctly, take a picture, hand in, correct comments, get a visa stamp). At the time of writing this review, the governments of the Russian Federation and Thailand signed an agreement on the conditions for waiving visa formalities. Now everything has become much easier.
At the exit of Tez Tour customers, they were met by their local guide (who spoke Russian quite tolerably) in a branded yellow T-shirt and with a high-lifted “Tez Tour Thailand” sign, who took us aside to the collection point, after which he put us in a Toyota Corolla car, which took us to the Millennium Hilton Bangkok.
On the way, the driver talked to our guide and handed us the phone. Russian girl Anna (tel. 086-375-04-76, +66-81-375-04-76) briefly told us about the hotel, told us about the place and time of departure for the next day's city tour.
Millennium Hilton Bangkok Hotel
www. bangkok. hilton. com
The 32-storey building of the hotel was put into operation in early 2006 and is made in a modern style on the very banks of the Chao Phraya River. The hotel has its own pier and boat, which transports tourists free of charge from 6 am to 10.30 pm to the nearest metro station SkyTrain Saphan Taksin and transfers to the River City shopping complex and other piers.
At the entrance to the hotel, the local traffic controller blocked the traffic to turn our car to the right (traffic in the country is left-handed) to the hotel. Security using a mirror checked the bottom of the car in search of unauthorized items and devices. The arrival area is located inside the hotel, where cars circle the fountain and stop at the outside reception desk. The functions of this reception are meeting, storing and moving luggage, seeing off and organizing departure. All staff are smiling and accommodating. At the next - internal reception, after filling out a questionnaire and making a deposit of $ 100 bail, instead of keys, we received plastic cards for locking the front door of the room.
On the first floor of the hotel there is a stylish high-tech hall, a restaurant, a gallery of boutiques. Unobtrusive music sounds.
In a separate building next to the hotel there is a SPA, an open area and an indoor cafe hall.
In the business center on the 24th floor, you can get local newspapers for free, work on a computer (including the Internet), use a copier or fax machine. We spent about 40 minutes there to copy files from cameras to a flash drive.
On the last 32nd floor there is a cafe with panoramic windows.
The pool on the 4th floor deserves special praise. It combines an open cafe area, a sandy beach, separate double tables separated by greenery under umbrellas, a covered area for relaxing in the shade and the pool itself (25x6 meters 160 cm deep) with a shower. Towels are provided free of charge here. All around you have a wonderful view of the river, the Sheraton hotel and the shopping complex on the opposite bank.
Six high-speed elevators with musical accompaniment were not long in coming. Plugged up the ears.
Number
While we were filling out a questionnaire at the internal reception, our luggage was transferred to room No. 1818 on the 18th floor of the hotel, where a bowl of fruits was waiting for us - mangoes, apples, pears, bananas, grapes.
The Deluxe River View room has a 5m x 5m sleeping area, 3m x 4m bathroom, and an informal entryway. Finishing is sustained in modern style.
Upon entering the room, a full-wall panoramic window catches the eye. The floor is covered with a soft fleecy coating.
In the hallway there is a wardrobe compartment with hangers, two bathrobes, slippers and an umbrella. There is also a safe with an electronic lock, packages and order forms for washing or dry cleaning clothes.
The bathroom has a bathtub itself, a separate glass shower cubicle, a toilet bowl, a table with a sink, and two huge mirrors.
Shower plumbing, unlike most similar devices in our country, had two regulator knobs, the cumulative purpose of which differed from those known to us in a previous life. One of them had a red mark with a mark of 38 degrees C and regulated the balance of hot and cold water, and the second determined the power of the water jet.
The device of the toilet also differed from our domestic counterparts. The toilet bowl is 1/3 filled with water and the flush is made in a spiral, thanks to which it is less noisy.
The table with the sink has an additional shaving mirror on a sliding holder, two additional lighting lamps, and a radio control. There are a bunch of personal belongings on the table (napkins, glasses, an ashtray, soap, shampoo-conditioners, a hair cap, a comb, a toothbrush with toothpaste, floss, cotton buds, threads, needles,... ). There were three towels for each guest, but there was nowhere to dry them. There are a couple of electrical outlets for an electric shaver.
In the bedroom there is a large comfortable and soft bed with a couple of pillows and a bedside table with an electronic clock for a brother, a sofa with three pillows, a table, a minibar, and a table with tea accessories (electric kettle, glasses, glasses, tea and coffee bags, cream and sugar ) and TV.
The bar was filled with alcohol (whiskey, cognac, vodka, gin), beer and other drinks. There was also a hair dryer, bottle opener, suntan oil, repellent.
On the table is a thick book in English with a description and a list of hotel services, a Hilton branded postal set with postcards, envelopes, watermarked paper and pens).
Philips TV 64 cm diagonal broadcast a bunch of foreign channels and not a single Russian one. Turning on the TV began with a greeting by my last name and first name, entering the service interactive menu for various hotel services. It is better not to use this menu! In a few minutes of wandering through the canals in search of digestible, upon leaving the hotel, almost 2 thousand local money was ripped off from us.
6 sockets in the room were conveniently located for simultaneous use for a variety of purposes (electric kettle, charging a video camera and camera, mobile phone,... ).
Switching off the light is traditionally convenient for the Hiltons - you turn on the light at the doorstep, turn it off - while lying in bed. The Do Not Disturb/Clean my room sign on the front door handle has been replaced with an electronic sensor system.
There were already three telephones in the room (on the bedside table, on the table and in the bathroom) and one connector for connecting a computer to the Internet.
The air conditioner has a regulator and regularly created and kept cool.
On the front door - floor plan and evacuation route (in case of fire).
Every morning there was a branded pouch containing the latest Bangkok Post newspaper on the front door handle.
When leaving, no claims for the minibar or other expenses were repaired for us - they simply returned the $ 100 deposit and took the luggage for free until the car arrived.
Feeding
The Flow restaurant served food from 6 o'clock in the morning, we were met and seated by smiling employees, we chose a table in the morning sun in an open area by the river. Original square plates, a kind of salt and pepper shaker. Pleasant music.
The buffet is good, a lot of delicious things and for every taste. Freshly squeezed juices. At one workplace, scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs are prepared for individual orders, at another - pancakes. Separately, a zone of all kinds of dishes for the Japanese was formed, of which there were a lot in the hotel. Lots of fresh baked goods. Of the fruits, I remember the yellow watermelon. But paper napkins for some reason were not observed.
Excursion, city trips and shopping
Before the tour, we were met by the Russian-speaking guide Tez Tura, who took us in his car to the gathering place of the entire Russian group from all the hotels scattered around the city. The Tez Tour bus (comfortable seats, air conditioning, speaker) announced the route - the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, the Royal Palace, then those who wish for an additional fee of $ 40 from the nose - a canoe trip through the canals, after that for free - to the jewelry factory.
The temple and surrounding sights are impressive - the beauty is extraordinary. Out of a sort of luxury and on a long motor boat-canoe, for contrast, we were taken along the canals, where along the banks on stilts in the water there are little houses-konurkas of poor Thais. Wooden one-story Venice. At one of the piers, the boat stopped to feed the fish, which seethed with water and tore bread from the hands, smacking it with relish.
Then we were brought to a jewelry factory on other minibuses, given cold juice to drink, a Russian-speaking salesman was assigned to each pair and taken to buy gold and diamonds. Here one could find interesting products for every taste and at any price. After such a fabulous splendor, the domestic jeweler looks very poor and tasteless. All handmade items are unique and simply made for romantic gifts. Here are the purest rubies and sapphires in the world, and absolutely amazing pink and orange-yellow sapphires. You can also buy traditional clothes made of natural silk and haberdashery made of crocodile and sea cat (stingray) skin at very high prices (a feature - you can bargain! )
We exchanged the dollars we had for local baht. The exchange rate of 1 US dollar in St. Petersburg = 33 baht (if you find), and in Thailand = 35.5 baht.
Price level: since the gold of the Thais is of a higher standard, it costs a little more than our gilded copper. And belts, for example, from a crocodile cost from 150 bucks, and from a stingray about 2.000 baht (about 1.500 rubles for our money), although in my opinion, the stingray is much more interesting in texture, as if all the skin is lined with beads. Men's silk shirt (European version) costs 1500 baht.
After this stunning beauty, we were packed into minibuses of the jewelry factory and, as groups formed, they were taken to the place of further shopping. We, on the advice of the guide, went to the large Siam Paragon shopping center, bearing in mind that there is a direct SkyTrain branch from it to the pier of the Hilton hotel boat.
The shopping center is a hundred St. Petersburg apras. I’ll speak for clothes: among the huge amount of tasteless junk you can find things of great quality and style at completely proletarian prices. Plus, you can bargain everywhere (feel free to reduce the initial price every 5 times - you will always come to a compromise). Plus, we're in the Christmas sale season. In general, when leaving, we took away 3 bags of things, instead of the one brought. Cotton summer women's trousers of free straight cut cost 200 baht (140 our rubles). Great? ! Etc.
Not quite satisfied with the robbery in the shopping center, we, on a tip from our guides, visited the Patpong night market, located 10 minutes by local tuk-tuk transport from the Sheraton Hotel (the starting point of almost all our trips around the city). There we did the same thing, but in a more brazen way knocking down prices and got great pleasure from the process. For example, a set of solperets ceramics was originally priced at 450 baht by the seller and after a 10-minute auction was given for 40. What a charm - this night market! Men traveling with their beloved half - patience to you !!!
The sidewalks in Bangkok are extremely narrow and there are very few avenues. The traffic controllers and many motorcyclists are wearing masks because of the sometimes quite noticeable smog. The most democratic mode of transport is the tuk-tuk motor scooter. Bargaining is also appropriate here.
Before leaving the homeland, travel agency employees warned that dollars of any denomination of 1993 and 1999 may not be accepted for payment in Thailand. Didn't check specifically, but we didn't have any problems.
Flight from Bangkok to Phuket
At the hour appointed by the guide, we were picked up from the hotel with our luggage and taken to the airport in a Toyota Camry car, where we independently registered our e-tickets and boarded.
We took off from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport by economy class aircraft A300-600 Thai Airways flight No. TG217 at 16.50 local time.
Thick clouds and rain did not prevent landing at Phuket International airport on schedule at 18.10 local time. After receiving the luggage, we easily found a meeting guide on the plate and branded Tez Tour T-shirt, who took us to the parking lot, handed us a booklet and a map of the island in Russian from the Tez Tour edition, gave us a phone call with our guide Georgy at the hotel and sent us by Honda car to the place of receiving further impressions and pleasures.
The road to Karon Beach, where our hotel Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & SPA was located, took about 40 minutes.
Phuket Island
The busiest areas of tourist activity are the beaches of Patong, Karon and Kata, located in sequence from north to south of the island.
Patong is the most populated, noisy, business-like. The center of entertainment and nightlife (until 02 am, after which everything closes, do not expect to roam until the morning).
Karon is calm and less busy. Fewer locals (and non-locals too).
Kata - can be called the center of fishing, a large accumulation of various boats.
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & SPA Hotel
www. phuketarcadia. hilton. com
The hotel is located on the first line of Karon Beach, consists of 4 buildings and occupies a huge green area.
The hotel's main entrance pays homage to the King of Thailand with a painted portrait of him. At the entrance, security guards use a mirror on a handle with a wheel to check for foreign objects under the chassis of the car, hastily look into the trunk and never into the passenger compartment.
All arrivals are dropped off at a separate Welcom Lobby reception, whose employees greet everyone cordially, turn over their luggage and direct them to the internal receptions of the accommodation buildings for check-in and check-in. This distance is about 600 meters and is already covered by the internal transport of the hotel - an open bus (in appearance - well, just our domestic tram! ) Or tiny double (except for the driver) electric cars that constantly scurry between receptions.
The hall at the internal reception of our Andaman Wing building and another hotel building was already colorfully decorated for the New Year. A Christmas tree from various types of Santa Clauses, a gingerbread house (assembled from real baked gingerbread plates, the joints are smeared with cream! We were amazed to determine the type of building material by the appetizing smell), beautiful and spectacular night illumination of palm trees, greenery and pools.
Before filling out the questionnaires, we were brought wet towels and treated to orange juice. Only after that they took away a deposit of $ 200 and issued plastic cards - the keys to the Standard room (44 m2) No. 603 on the 6th floor of the building that we ordered.
The territory of the hotel is perhaps the largest in Phuket. Lots of greenery, palms with coconuts, flowers. There is a lot of water - 5 pools (of which three are large, and two are with waterfalls), and even 3 are simply large lagoons with fish. The fattest goldfish are in the tiny pool under the stairs of the Lotus hull. A bunch of paths and paths with embankments and bridges across the lagoons. We explored the Hilton properties for 2 weeks, choosing different routes for our walks, but we could not look into all corners
On one of the lawns (near the golf course), not far from the guard's booth, there is a traditional Thai Buddha's palace, where people of Thai nationality celebrate their religious needs.
Between the hotel buildings and the Welcom Lobby there is a football field, a basketball court, tennis courts, a golf course, a small town with SPA houses. There is a playground equipped with various carousels and Thai-speaking nannies: European kids and these nannies love each other and communicate in some common dialect! So do not be afraid to take your child with you - there is where to shove on occasion for a while!
In case of rain (this is not uncommon), it is possible to move between buildings through closed galleries.
Number
About 70% of all rooms in the hotel overlook the Andaman Sea. The loggia of our room overlooked the beach, the beach road, one of the pools, the golf course, the sea and the sunset.
The hotel employee who brought the luggage briefly showed how to use a plastic card - a room key and part-time electric switch. When entering, you insert the card into a special slot - power is supplied to the room, when you exit, you take it out - the room is de-energized (except for the air conditioner and minibar). Turning off the light is done as in the previous Hilton conveniently - you turn on the light at the threshold, turn it off - while lying in bed.
On the front door there is a plan of the hotel buildings and an evacuation route (in case of another tsunami).
The lighting is soft, reflected from the ceiling and walls. Additionally, there is a large floor lamp and two individual lamps for each of the bedside tables.
The operation of the air conditioner can be controlled from the remote control at the bedside table, which is very convenient.
The room is quite large (6x5 m), the bathroom is about 3 sq. m, the loggia is 2x5 m, the vestibule.
A large and soft bed with four pillows, a table, two chairs, two ottomans, an armchair with pillows, a low chest of drawers, a table with a minibar and TV.
Panasonic TV with remote control and a switch on the control panel by the bedside table, more than 30 channels (none in Russian, but you can use it fearlessly), an interactive system (commercial video, 9 paid videos, ordering hotel services).
The minibar is filled to capacity, all related needs (wine glasses, glasses, bottle opener, spoons,... ) were included. Teaspoons (surprisingly without the Hilton logo) are remembered for their exceptionally correct shape. The electric kettle was prudently filled with water, coffee-tea-cream-sugar was present.
8 electrical outlets were enough for us to simultaneously charge all our videos and cameras, mobile phones and an electric shaver. Fan worked fine.
3 telephones are thoughtfully placed - one on the table, the second on the bedside table, the third - in the bathroom.
There is a connector for connecting the Internet line, but there was no laptop with me.
A very inconspicuous bathroom with a large triple mirror. On a pedestal with a sink, a bunch of shampoos, conditioners, creams and other soapy personal belongings.
The bathtub has a faucet with three handles (hot-cold, turning on and regulating the water pressure).
Three towels each (large ones are folded by swans, small ones - by an elephant with a trunk). But there are few hooks for hanging them, the towels almost did not dry out, despite the normal operation of the ventilation. On the first day, we needed an ironing board, we asked the cleaners for it and soon it was already in our room. So it was used part-time as a drying room, and even a bedside floor lamp.
A toilet bowl of a similar non-Nashen device.
The room and the loggia are separated by a glass wall with a sliding door and two curtains.
On the loggia there are two boxes with large bushes of flowers, two deck chairs and a table.
In the vestibule there is a wardrobe with its own lighting and automatic shutdown, shelves for things, spare blankets, an umbrella, two bathrobes, slippers, a safe with an electronic lock.
Cleaning twice a day. On the second visit, the cleaners left a small chocolate bar on their pillows, leaflets with weather forecasts, an order form for breakfast in the room, and invitations to various hotel services and events.
It remains a mystery for us - is it possible to roll an elegant swan out of a towel with your hands (see photo). We came to the conclusion that the cleaners have a swan-making machine. To encourage these masters of service and swans-building, a dollar was left on the bed every day.
Feeding
Gluttony flourished in the Sails restaurant (breakfast 06.00-12.00, dinner 19.00-22.00). In this regard, we did not visit the other seven catering departments of the hotel. There was no queue, except for one day - a myriad of Japanese people in T-shirts with the inscription “Mission possible” drove into the hotel at the same time, but their mission failed - they still could not empty the food counters! Almost always we chose the same table in the outdoor area of the restaurant by the pool.
There were always fresh newspapers and magazines on a separate table.
Morning pickles differed from evening ones in the presence of various juices, among which we preferred green and aromatic guava juice, and a truncated assortment of meat dishes. On an individual order, they prepared scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs in the morning. In the evening, a separate barbecue stand was periodically arranged - fish, meat, chicken.
There is a separate counter with Japanese national dishes. But sticks were not issued! Among their seafood dishes, we also found almost Russian - with large pieces of stewed (albeit in their sauce) pork.
The waitress girl remembered us, always greeted us and distinguished us from other eaters, congratulated my beloved girl on her birthday and presented us with a hair clip. When she did not understand us, she closed her eyes with a smile and became like a little Buddha. Upon departure, we decided to thank her for her friendliness and presented her with pretty earrings.
Beach
You can get to the beach from the hotel territory through 3 exits, but the most convenient way is through the pool, where we received towels, which could not be returned, because there was no accounting. Between the hotel and the beach there is a two-lane road, which did not cause any disturbance. The passage through it was provided by a separate hotel traffic controller with a red flag, blocking the movement of vehicles for tourists to cross.
The beach is urban, but the hotel area is symbolically defined by buoys. The boundaries of the beach are not marked on the ground, but the entrance is paid - 100 baht per person (umbrella and two sun loungers).
At the first exit to the beach, they could not immediately understand the source of some sounds during movement, and then it dawned on me - the sand CRUNCHES like snow in winter!
To the right of the hotel there is an undeveloped green area with palm trees and a shield erected with us with a plan for the new Karon Beach Park being designed on this site (a small hotel, a residential condominium, a shopping center, outbuildings, investors and participants in shared construction are invited). The upcoming construction will not disturb the peace of the inhabitants of the Hilton, because it is adjacent to the park area of its territory.
To the left of the hotel is the Thaworn Palm Beach Hotel Phuket (from where on the day of our departure about 30 of our compatriots departed with us).
There are no toilets and changing rooms on the beach, but there was no need for them either - it was a 3-minute walk to our room.
Local Thais are engaged in a peddling trade in souvenirs and local haberdashery.
Entertainment - parachute, skiing, scooter, banana, boats. There are also numerous trestle beds under symbolic canopies for massage services of local sorceresses (the quality of these services is worse than in the SPA).
It dawned around 7 am, it got dark around 5 pm. There was not a single completely gloomy day, although in the evenings or at night it rained every other day or two, which did not bring coolness.
On the way back from the beach, at the entrance to the hotel, feet are washed from sand in a special round niche with water, which becomes almost hot by the end of the day - a very convenient thing.
Excursions
On the very first morning at the hotel, we met with our guide Georgy (mobile tel. 089-866-20-49), a Russian Turk, who orientated us on the ground and took money for excursions and spa visits.
The organization of the excursions was excellent. We arrive at the Welcom Lobby reception, present a voucher (receipt), the hotel employee puts us on the waiting list and sits quietly in the lobby, waiting for a call. A minibus arrives, the driver with his itinerary goes to the reception desk, we are invited to board.
On the second day of our stay in Phuket, together with the Russian guide Vitaly (tel. 089-866-32-91) and a bunch of compatriots on a good air-conditioned bus, we went on a free tour of the Tez Tour around the island.
The beautiful local temple was remembered by a certain structure like a small blast furnace, from where the sounds of firecrackers were heard. As our guide explained, this is necessary to disperse local demons.
At the snake farm, after getting acquainted with the samples of local reptiles in cages, a performance by a local fakir took place. Particularly exciting were the moments when the fakir kissed a cobra and dodged it from another unusually nimble snake.
At the cashew factory, we stocked up on half a dozen bottles of miraculous sawdust to infuse them with vodka (haven't tried it yet! ).
Latex plant (standing in the middle of a plantation of rubber trees). met again with a Russian speech of his seller, who demonstrated all the advantages of pillows and mattresses made of natural latex (they repeat the shape of the lying body, giving the latter extraordinary relaxation, and with the help of a vacuum cleaner, the pillow is packed into a bag the size of a fist for transportation). Prices are not weak (pillow $200, mattresses from $500). The delegation of Koreans was buying up rubber latex by wagons.
The next point of the excursion program did not surprise us - we have already visited the jewelry factory in Bangkok. They could not resist - and again tacked on.
On the way back, we did not stay in the huge Festival shopping center, and, showing miracles of will and chaste abstinence, we preferred to return to the hotel. Advice to husbands: if you want to take a break from your dear half - give some money and send it to this shopping center - you are guaranteed 5-6 hours of freedom!
The next day was devoted to a trip ($ 140 for two) on a local sea tram with a guide Oleg (registered on Patong Beach and does not think to leave, tel. 085-882-80-32) to the James Bond Islands (James Bond Island itself with a and a local market, another island with a canoe transfer and a winding route through caves and inland lakes, monkey island, swimming on a wild beach of another island). Drinks and meals on board are free, farewell to the crew is warm, tips are required.
A day later, another excursion to the beautiful islands of Phi Phi ($ 160 for two) with a guide Alexander (he married a Thai woman, he does not think to leave either, tel. 085-786-59-73). We were rushed there by a speed boat (24 seats, we chose a place on the open deck for 10 people at the bow of the vessel, 3 Yamaha outboard motors with a capacity of 200 horses each). Stop on the island for swimming among the many fish, the monkeys of the next island willingly ate bananas and bullied tourists in every possible way, on the next island they fed us with local dishes, the last island somehow connected itself with DiCaprio and had a snow-white beach surrounded by beautiful rocks. Drinks, watermelon and pineapples on the boat, as well as ice cream and a wet towel at the arrival pier are free.
A trip one of the following days to rafting ($150 for two) is still remembered. It took a long time and with transfers to smaller and smaller vehicles to get to the mainland. Feeding elephants, riding on them, climbing to a decayed waterfall, lunch, rafting in inflatable boats on a mountain river at the time of opening the floodgates at its source. It was fun and everyone liked to push, pour water. We rushed in the forefront, but then the Thais for some reason began to hold the boat. After returning, it became clear that it was necessary to give the opportunity to photographers and videographers to film our adventures. At one of the stops they started swimming and I was carried away by a strong current. Despite the life jacket, he hit the stones with his right half-ass. The nearest boat that caught up with me spared the rest of the body from inevitable impacts on the stones.
The hotel had its own corner of several SPA houses, but the guide Georgy offered to visit another one (a separate SPA complex, www. sukkospa. com) and signed us up for a convenient time for us. The center is located in a beautiful oriental-style palace with numerous internal terraces and rooms for bodily pleasure. At the reception you will be given a pleasant tea with a balsamic taste. They offer to fill out a short medical questionnaire in Russian, and then, depending on the chosen program, you are taken to the right master. As a rule, any program includes a 30-minute stay in the sauna, which, due to the almost 40-degree heat, at first seemed to us not very appropriate. But the impressions of the local steam room did not coincide with our usual stereotypes: it turned out to be quite cool and had 100% humidity, but at the same time it was very easy to breathe thanks to the vapors of essential oils of some local plants. This sauna, by its action, is designed not so much to warm up the body, but to exfoliate the keratinized layer of the epidermis as much as possible for subsequent beneficial effects. Well, then - everything that your exhausted fantasy and a body pleading for bliss desires (well, except for intimacy - this is a high-class institution). Each visit ($170 and $200 for two) lasted 2-3 hours and ended with a wake-up call on the massage table after all the procedures. Relaxing is complete, so after the first visit and returning to the hotel, we collapsed to fill up. The boost of energy you get is simply colossal!
shopping
Island tuk-tuks are more modern and more expensive than those in the capital. The fare for them along Karon is 100 baht, to Patong 250-350 baht. Shopping in general did not differ from the capital, but we found an additional entertainment - a tailoring studio. On Patong Beach, these small studios (the owners are usually Indians) are a whole street. On Soi Wattana Street, at the New Boston Tailor, they ordered and received two days later men's and women's suits (along with a shirt and blouse) made of natural fabrics at a nice price of $ 380, high-quality tailoring. The owner, despite some roguishness, seemed likeable to us and worked (and chatted) very smartly. We were satisfied. For those wishing to repeat our experience, we will give advice - do not leave a large deposit, do not make intermediate payments, pay off after the final fitting and receipt of the order.
On the penultimate day, we met with a concerned guide George, who organized the dispatch of about 40 of our compatriots from Karon hotels at once. We filled out a questionnaire with an assessment of the quality of the work of guides, praised them. Special respect and gratitude deserve the Russian-speaking guides of Tez Tour (their male representatives), who proved to be really knowledgeable guides to Thai culture and customs. They have been living in Thailand for several years, have local wives (official and unofficial), and therefore are intimately familiar with their mentality. On occasion, bombard them with questions - the guys answer in detail, with humor, backed up with examples from their own lives.
Are you a seasoned traveler or are you going abroad for the first time and experience quite understandable uncertainty before meeting with such a distant and unlike our country as Thailand - discard all doubts and fears (of course, if you are traveling from Tez Tour), be carefree, as children. We bet you have nothing
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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