Бюджетный Таиланд Budget Thailand

Rest time: January 2011
Advantages: food, Russian-speaking hotel staff, infrastructure around the hotel.
Cons: service, room comfort, beach.
It is important:
- Getting to the sea is not so easy and fast. If by bus, which the hotel provides for free, then 40-45 minutes to Karon Beach. It all depends on traffic jams. If you rent a motorbike, then no more than 30 minutes of a very calm ride.
- there is no motorbike rental right next to the hotel. You have to walk for 10-15 minutes. Prices from Patong differ at times. In Patong, they start bargaining from 500 baht per day. Here I took 200 baht per day for two weeks.

- it is clear that you cannot ride without a helmet - a fine for Europeans is almost inevitable. But it is better not to go to Patong without a license. Police cordons are regularly set up to check documents precisely at the entrance to Patong. Both from the side of Phuket Town, and from the side of Karon Beach. I don't know what happens to those who are detained without rights. I have never ridden without a license and without a helmet, so there have never been any problems with the police.
- Russian in the hotel (in January) about half. They talk about "horror stories" in December (drunkenness and fights), but nothing like this happened during my stay. Vice versa. All pretty sane and decent people. They gather regularly in the evenings in the hall on the fourth floor. Quietly and calmly talk, get acquainted, share impressions.
- if you still consider that this is a 3-star hotel, then the food is very decent. Egypt and Turkey cannot be compared. Probably, the presence of a Russian chef is the reason for this. There was even a real borscht with sour cream and green onions. (it’s a pity that there is no black bread in Thailand by definition
- probably because no one at the reception speaks English, almost always in the lobby on the first floor there is a Russian-speaking representative with whom you can resolve all the unclear questions that have arisen or get some advice. Muscovite Natasha was especially remembered. Very sweet, very calm, very friendly and caring. Like a real Thai - I always met with a smile and in a good mood. It's a pity I didn't have time to get to know each other better.
- very close to the hotel - a chic supermarket "Robinson". Round-the-clock small vegetable market and a large vegetable market in the morning. Lots of cafes. Prices are much lower than on the beach. Massage parlors are also nearby.

P. S. When buying a treshka in Russia, you must always understand what you can get from 3 stars. Yes, this is not 4 or 5. But if the sun, the sea, the beach, excursions are more important for you, then this is a pretty good option for a budget holiday.