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Detailed report about Phuket

13 February 2011 • Travel time: with 15 January 2011 on 28 January 2011
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I decided to write a review about my first trip outside the Russian Federation ...About six months ago I set out to fulfill an old dream, a trip to Thailand with my wife. For a long time I read reviews about Thailand by other travelers, and for some reason I wanted to go to Pattaya. I stopped the choice of the tour operator on Pegasus, in principle I did not regret it, however, by the time my well-being approached the norm, tours to Pattaya were already sold out ...there was no choice, Phuket !! ! Initially, having learned that I would not be able to get to Pattaya, frankly, I was upset ...I already knew almost everything about this resort, studying the reviews of other travelers helped so much. But if Phuket, then Phuket! Having taken up the study of information about this resort, and choosing a hotel, I stopped at the Royal Crown 3 * hotel, located on Patong Beach (the most tour.

the center of Phuket, and according to reviews, this hotel does not have a large concentration of Russians, which is a very big plus. You will understand why. ) After reading the reviews about this hotel, my wife and I concluded that this option suits us. A tour package for two cost 75.000 rubles. 15.01. 2010 departure from Khabarovsk, Nordwind airline (by the way, wholly owned by Pegasus). Reviews about the Nordwind airline that I read before the trip were often negative, well, let's check!


15.01. 2010, departure from Khabarovsk to Sanya (China), disembarkation of some passengers who wished to rest there and further flight to about. Phuket. The flight was not delayed, the Boeing 757 - 200 (a very reliable aircraft, by the way) was a bit old, shabby, but this is nonsense. The food was ok, the staff was friendly. True, with a height of 185 cm, it was uncomfortable for me ...there was nowhere to put my legs, it was very crowded.

The flight back and forth went well, though from Sanya to Phuket and vice versa the plane shook a little (other tourists also spoke about this, from other flights ...to see the sky over the Mekong is like that). The flight would have been even better if there were no drunken passengers. Frankly, some of the tourists who flew with us were from the category of "rednecks or why they don't like Russians abroad. " Scream, din, attempts to smoke on the plane ...simply ugly. The landing was soft, but I was like a squeezed lemon, I can’t stand flights. As soon as we got off the plane, we immediately felt the transition "winter - summer". In the face gave the heat of the equatorial country. At the airport, we were met by Pegas employees, seated in minibuses and began to transfer to hotels. As luck would have it, we got into a minibus with a crowd of drunk aunts (you can't call it otherwise) from the city of Blagoveshchensk, who were the cause of the mess during the flight.

In general, we spent about an hour in the minibus, while some, others were taken, and we were the last. By the way, for those who will travel outside the Motherland for the first time, at the airport you will put your luggage in a separate car, and he will bring it to the reception at your hotel on his own. It’s just that I was very worried about it, they would suddenly steal it ...I’m used to Russia, but surprisingly they delivered the luggage safe and sound. Let's go back to the previous one. Hotel Royal Crown 3 *, located on Patong Beach, on the 4th street from the coast, namely on a hill! By the time I arrived at the hotel, I was very tired, irritable, and "still flying" (see seasickness). Arriving at the reception, we gave a hotel voucher (located in the package of documents from Pegasus), in return we received the keys to the room and the safe. We came across the number 666 (it smells like hell, but I’ll say right away, there was nothing), after that we were again invited to the minibus, and taken up the steep road.

Our room was located in an additional 4-storey building, on the first floor. As soon as the door to the room opened, and the hotel employee who accompanied us left, we were frankly upset ...Why? Yes, because the photo was different. There was no wet smell in the photo, no stains on the glass in the bathroom, no old household appliances… But the first impression is not always right!


Having put ourselves in order, we decided to go to dinner at the hotel restaurant. This restaurant is located in a separate building on site. The restaurant is open, it offers a view of the whole of Patong. The first thing that made us happy in this country was the restaurant staff. We were approached by a nice Thai lady with a menu that gave us at least a thousand smiles. The menu in this restaurant is in Russian. Dinner cost us about 1200 baht for two. I’ll make a warning right away, Thai cuisine is very peculiar! (not to be confused with Chinese, Korean, etc. )

e) The content of foods that are unusual for us in dishes repels many to become her fans. I ordered shrimp in some kind of sauce, I liked it. My wife ordered onion soup, which she thought was not very good. I would like to note that shrimp in dishes are always served not completely peeled, that is, their tails are in the shell, and you have to remove them yourself. After dinner, we decided to buy Thai beer in the restaurant to drink it in the room. A bottle of Chang beer cost us 90 baht (vol. 660 ml. ), Singh beer in the same volume 110 baht. Let me just say that Chang beer from ALL varieties of Thai beer seemed to me more delicious.

Now, in order not to torment you, I want to tell you about the hotel right away. The hotel is located on a hill and can be seen from almost all corners of Patong. Walk to the sea for 15-20 minutes, no more. The beach is pretty clean, the water is clear, but there are fish that bite (it doesn't hurt, of course, just traces may remain).

The cost of sunbeds is 100 baht. There are many merchants walking along the beach line offering services (massage, henna tattoos, etc. ) and goods (food, drinks, clothes, souvenirs). The center of Patong is also 15-20 minutes. The territory of the hotel is very (! ) large, and extends from the bottom of the hill to its top. The hotel has a lot of greenery, various rooms, which are mostly empty. There is an Internet cafe, a conference room (for those who travel to Thailand to hold conferences; ), a clothing store, there is a good spa (an hour of Thai massage is 400 baht, an hour of treatment for sunburn is 550 baht, by the way it helps a lot). In the hotel restaurant once a week in the evening there is a buffet, a ticket is 300 baht per person, and eat from the belly. There are two pools that have sections for children. Personally, I liked that one of the pools was in four(!!!


) steps from our room, so every morning, still half asleep, I took these four steps, found myself in cool water and woke up completely. The room had two single beds, a refrigerator, a TV with one Russian channel “Planet RTR”, a mirror, a table and two wooden chairs, central air conditioning (they didn’t turn it on at night, as it was already so cool), a bathroom with a shower, on the street near The rooms have two plastic armchairs and a table. There was a common potter for several rooms, in a room next to the pool, but we somehow did not feel the need for boiling water. There were no living creatures inside the rooms; small lizards were sometimes noticed outside. This hotel does not take empty requisitions, i. e. a blood-stained sheet (a toe was cut) was replaced for free, although according to stories, in other hotels it is paid, calling a plumber due to a leaking shower is also free, although for the loss of a key to our Russians neighbors had to pay 1500 baht.

The staff is very friendly. Every day we left 20 baht in the room, just for watching them, and they cheered us up with their smile. I will also say right away that this staff, in Russian, does not understand anything at all, in English a little. Each room has a safe, there is a motorbike rental near the main hotel building. The room was cleaned every day, bath accessories every day + two bottles of water. The breakfasts are quite good. Every day fruits, scrambled eggs, juices, toast, butter, sausages, ham, jam, tea, coffee, spaghetti, vegetables, meat sauces and more. I do not understand those who say that this is monotony. You might think that their breakfasts splash with variety at home. Every day they chew these sandwiches and nothing, and then suddenly monotony. For taste and color, as they say, no ...The hotel guide from Pegas Guliz also did not give cause for disappointment. She did a great job, for which we are very grateful.

Everything is fine in the hotel, there were no minuses, and interruptions in electricity and water supply, except that the climb to our building was difficult ...the flight of stairs is about 80 meters, but it pays off with the fact that the hotel is quiet and cool, unlike those hotels that are located in the center of Patong, especially physical. loads are useful.

The next morning, our main travels began in the fascinating and friendly country of Thailand ...the country of a thousand smiles!

Thailand is a very interesting country. Reading the reviews of others, I thought that the stories that you are welcome and smiling everywhere are exaggerated, but this is not so. You are really welcome, and welcome not feigned, but sincerely. My opinion about Patong… being the most expensive and crowded place about. Phuket, it rightfully has a very developed infrastructure. The guide Guliza told us correctly: “Don't ask me where to buy fruit, eat, get a massage, and exchange money! ".

They took 2800 c. u. e. Enough for all but one.


Initially, our spending was mostly unreasonable ...we didn’t know, for example, that you can bargain (not in a cafe, of course, but when buying fruits and clothes, you can also bargain in the basement of the Jane Ceylon shopping center), so we took most of the goods at an inflated price . (see in the reviews that I read, this was not mentioned). We also ate in expensive restaurants, where dinner cost 1400 baht for two, but it's good that it lasted a couple of days, then we "acclimatized". Then, for example, we learned that you can have dinner for 500 baht, that you can eat in inexpensive Thai cafes that will be unattractive to Europeans, it’s pretty tasty and safe, that a market opens every evening near the Jane Ceylon shopping center, where visitors on mopeds with trailers, Thais cook different goodies.

Of course, there are McDonalds and other world restaurant brands, but it was in this market that we regularly took fried chicken legs (which can be repulsive in appearance, as they are fried with a foot and claws), 45 baht each, mini skewers of pork, chicken stomachs or seafood, 10 baht each, sushi and rolls, 5 baht each, various fish 30 baht each. All this is mostly cooked on coals, in your presence. In addition, there were grilled rice meatballs, all kinds of shells, whole fried (with a comb) roosters, black chicken eggs (if you cook for a very long time, the protein will turn black), soups, noodles, and much, much more for mere pennies . For most of the dishes, they were given a bag of homemade hot sauce, by the way, very tasty. (This sauce consists of a sauce based on fermented fish, and finely chopped chili peppers).

Wearing a backpack over my shoulders, my wife and I often went to this market, took food and ate it all in the room, although many Europeans ate it right there, on nearby lawns and steps. Dinner in this market for two cost 250.350 baht. There were no poisonings, so do not be afraid! An indoor market also worked during the day, where you can find seafood and meat, and even live turtles for 30 baht each. Also in the covered daytime market they sell flowers, 1 rose 5 baht. By the way, only in this market I saw local "beggars", a couple of Thais with a tape recorder from which local music played, and one girl with a child in her arms. Next to them were jars for offerings. I have never seen anything like this again...Just as I said, we also ate in ordinary, unattractive Thai cafes, where you can sit cheaply and tasty.

It is worth noting the national soup Tom Yam, which is made with a shrimp or chicken base, with the addition of large pieces of ginger and lemon tree, and from all sorts of other ingredients unknown to me. This soup in the original version is served very spicy, so do not risk it. It is better to say the cherished “but spicy”, and then it will be acceptable for food. I myself am a spicy lover, but somehow, while reading the menu in one cafe, I ordered a spicy shrimp salad ...I could only master a couple of pieces. It was so spicy, although not even spicy, but very, very ...hot! Soup Tom Yum on the menu is indicated as very spicy ...The conclusion is up to you. Fruit is also plentiful at reasonable prices, although it is worth noting that the price in Patong is too high, in the non-touristic corners of Phuket everything will cost three times more. I don’t remember the prices for everything, I remember that one coconut is 20 baht, a sprig of bananas (about 10 pieces) is 30 baht, kg. mango 120 baht.


Food in the chains of mini-markets 7eleven, and femilimart are also not bad, there is also bread for 10 baht, for a sliced ​ ​ ​ ​ bun (bread is exclusively white, and not very tasty), there is butter, ham, sausages (already prepared), processed cheese sliced ​ ​.55 baht 8. slices, milk and dairy products, canned food such as "stew", "saury", 20 baht can, hot dogs, drinks on tap, cola, mineral water, soda 7 baht bottle 333 ml. (containers with a volume of 0.5 l. , 1 l. , 1.5 l. , which are familiar to us, are not there, mainly 250.300, 330.660 ml). The most delicious beer is Chang, I also liked Archa and Chiza, the prices for a bottle of beer are 660 ml. from 30 to 50 baht. Of the European beers, only Heineken noticed. There is also a locally "it is not clear what" is called "SiamSato" costs 27 baht a bottle, about. 660 ml, tastes like champagne, but not tasty. I'm guessing it's some kind of rice wine. Bottle of vodka Absolut vol. 220 ml. costs 250 baht. , a bottle of local rum vol. 300 ml, 100 baht, but it's not tasty. There is also whiskey and gin.

Cigarettes are expensive, better to take with you. A pack of L&Ms is 58 baht, which is why many Thais smoke hand-rolled cigarettes. There are also household goods, knives, razors, creams, pens, sprays, etc. You can also top up your phone account there. To do this, just go to the seller, give him a piece of paper with your phone number, the phone itself and 300 baht (minimum payment). No words are needed, he will understand, put the money in and show your balance on the phone that the money has arrived. (by the way, the connection is really cheap! 1.5 baht. minute with Russia) There are no food products like raw meat, cereals, vegetables in these mini-markets, but these products are in the hypermarket on the ground floor of the Jane Ceylon shopping center (I don’t remember the name of the hypermarket). There is absolutely everything familiar to our eyes. You can also cook seafood there (they are not expensive, for example, prices for shrimp are from 150 baht per kg, all shrimp are large).

There is also a Russian restaurant in Patong with the roadside name "At Xenia's". Approximately on the 10th day, my wife and I wanted something homemade, and we went to this restaurant. The menu pleased us with an abundance of dishes of Russian cuisine. We ordered borscht, dumplings, salad "Policeman" (the name was interesting, especially since I myself am an employee) and fruit drink. The prices are definitely not cheap. When all this was brought to us, there was no limit to disappointment. The borscht contained such an amount of vinegar that one could conclude that it was boiled once a year and rolled into jars, the salad was made from ham and beans (meager content, apparently with a hint of the police), dumplings were with a hard dough, the only tasty - this is sea. In general, this restaurant can not be offered as a recommendation. On this gastronomic description about. Phuket, with your permission, I will finish ..

Now about buying tickets for various excursions.


The abundance of excursions makes it possible to purchase whatever suits your “taste and color”. There are excursions to various islands, jungles, fishing trips, ATVs, and much, much more. We bought the first two excursions from the Pegasus guide Guliza, we took a ticket to Phi Phi (3300 baht per person) and a ticket to James Bond (3100 per person), we were also provided with a free sightseeing tour of Phuket from Pegasus, with a stop for lunch , jewelry, latex factory. The voucher was conditionally free, because it was necessary to take 350 rubles to pay for lunch. Pegasus tours are really expensive, I knew about it, but for some reason I was afraid to buy tours from street vendors, although in vain. When buying a tour, you will be given a voucher with the initials of the company that will conduct the tour, as well as the collection time at the reception.

At the appointed time, a minibus will drive up to the hotel, the Thai driver will ask who is going on this excursion, you will have to approach him to see your last name on his list, then give the voucher and get into the car. In this case, the Pegasus company acts as an intermediary, since it does not personally carry out tours, but purchases them from Thai companies. The tour to Phi Phi Island was carried out by the Thai company Phyket Adventure, to James Bond by LTP. Tours are all interesting, they are worth visiting. For example, when traveling to Phi Phi, we really liked the work of the accompanying guide Sergey. The service was so great! He explained everything, brought fruits and drinks, hung around us with a desire to be helpful. During this tour, there will be a Thai operator who will shoot everyone on video, upon arrival you can buy this video, the cost is 1600, we bought it, but the quality is not good.

The James Bond tour was also impressive for its caves, through which you had to canoe through to get inside some of the islands. Lunch on the Phi Phi excursion was carried out on a large ship, to which we sailed on our speed boat, lunch was buffet style. Lunch for James Bond took place in a Muslim village on the water. On all island excursions there is an opportunity to snorkel and see the magnificent underwater world. You could also wander around this village, do some shopping. By the way, it is worth noting that if someone suffers from seasickness, then you should not sit on the bow of a high-speed boat, it is most of all motion sickness. You can take Thai pills for motion sickness from your guide or boat crew members, they help, or, in extreme cases, anoint with an asterisk ointment under your nose. Subsequently, we took tours on the street.

There are a lot of agencies offering such services, but there are few Russian-speaking employees in such firms, so you will most likely have to explain yourself with gestures or English. For example, there is a Russian seller of tours near the Jane Ceylon shopping center, there is a stall "Excursions to Russians". Prices in street agencies are always three times cheaper than those of Pegasus, Tez Tour, Coral, Natalie tour operators, for example, an excursion to James Bond in a street agency, which, like all of the above firms, buys this tour from the Thai company LTP will be 1100 baht per person without a Russian guide, 1700 baht with a guide. We also went to Khao Sok National Park for two days, we bought a tour from Vadim for 3300 per person. Go to this park from about. Phuket is about 3 hours by car, so it’s better to go for two days, otherwise the road will take you half a day, and only half a day for the tour itself. In this tour we had a guide, Russian-speaking Thai Sasha. Very cool!


He does not speak Russian very well, but if you wish, you can understand him. The 2-day program in Khao Sok is quite interesting, it includes a visit to the place where the tsunami was (although this did not make an impression, it is an ordinary piece of land, and they sell magazines with photographs of the consequences of the 2004 tsunami, there is also a ship that allegedly brought from the sea) , visiting the mountain of monkeys, riding on elephants, lunch in a restaurant where a manual gibon sits on a chain, rafting on the river, stop for the tour. base (we spent the night in a house on high stilts, there was a four-poster bed, a shower, a toilet, a fan, there is electricity, there is no refrigerator and no TV), dinner at the same camp site, by the way, there is only beer from alcohol, and twice as expensive, then an evening canoe trip on the river, and the next day a walk through the jungle to the waterfall, swimming, lunch, departure to Phuket. It is better to take comfortable closed shoes on such a trip, because.

in the jungle on the ground there are a lot of leeches that can quietly cling to the foot, and a mosquito repellent. Same for this tour. the base has a cable car, not high of course, but it will give a share of extreme sports. There we also met an English-speaking guide Brian, he said that he came from Australia, because he was tired of working in the office, and here he receives little money, but the work is a pleasure. He has been living at this camp site for four months already, helping in the kitchen, every day he takes English-speaking tourists to the waterfall, shoots and edits films about his diving from a height. In general, quite an interesting conversationalist. By the way, there are not so many tourists who want to go to Khao Sok for 2 days, for example, with us at this camp site there were only 2 more Russians, 2 Israelis, 4 Englishmen. Another group of Russian tourists we rented a yacht for the day.

But all the same, this will not be limited to only massage of the legs, they will also go to the back and head. For sunburn, all salons offer treatments with aloe vera (you can buy it yourself at any pharmacy, it costs about 200 baht for a tube), during these procedures the skin will be cooled with wet towels, and then a cream will be applied. Helps a lot!

You can write about Thailand for a long time, this country contains many more amazing and secret things. Thailand is a country of contrasts of color and smell, the standard of living of the poor and millionaires, snow-white beaches and impenetrable jungle. The people there are really kind, they charge you with positive energy. This place is ideal for youth holidays, family holidays, relaxing or extreme holidays.


Upon returning home, I was sad for a very long time, and I’m still sad that I won’t be able to go outside and feel this hot climate, that I won’t be able to plunge into sea water, that I won’t hear the noise of Patong at night with my own flavor, that I won’t see in Russia people who, if you refuse to buy anything from them, will still sincerely smile at you, and many other things that our mentality has not yet come to. The only thing we decided for ourselves is that we will return there more than once! Thailand is truly a land of smiles!

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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