Tai is great
We were in Thailand for the first time. We have been on holiday since April 22.2013. to May 1.2013 Phuket.
We flew through the BiblioGlobus operator.
We registered for the flight in advance (our travel agency Megapolyus NN helped us), so the seats were on the second floor of the Boeing 747-400. The flight was 9 hours 5 minutes, fed 2 times. The flight attendants are friendly - after all, Transaero. Meeting at the Phuket airport - at a height: orchids, a local sim card with a tariff for calls to Russia at 4-8 baht per minute, transfer to the hotel, an introductory briefing of the guide about staying in the country. And here we are at the hotel.
The hotel was chosen in Karon (“turning the whole Internet over” - having virtually visited every hotel in Phuket). it is calmer than other beaches (no nightlife), crisp sand, the beach is cleaner. We arrived at the KARON SEA SANDS RESORT & SPA 3 * hotel at lunchtime, we were immediately settled, the room on the second floor is very spacious (TV, refrigerator, safe, air conditioning, etc. ). Two Russian TV programs with recordings of ancient films - cool. The photos on the hotel website are true. I would give the hotel a fourth star. The balcony overlooked the restaurant, we thought it would be noisy in the evening, but it was surprisingly calm. Reception didn't even take a deposit. Before the trip, having read reviews, every day they left a tip of 20 baht. Room cleaning, fresh towels, drinking water - every day excellent. The staff is very friendly, but they do not speak Russian - broken English, they understand sign language very well. The hotel is really located on the first coastline, the beach is across the road. The hotel area is small, but very well maintained, clean, the pool is elongated with a maximum depth of 1.62 m. The hotel restaurant is located in the open air on the street - great! Breakfast buffet with a variety of choices, even dishes close to Russian cuisine. Vacationers from all over the world - Germans, Koreans, British, Russians...
On Karon Beach, an umbrella under which 2 sunbeds is 200 baht per day. The beach is really crispy sand, clean, not very crowded, the water is clear even with meter waves. But we were on the beach a little, mostly on excursions. We ate at the cafe "on the corner" - 50 m from the hotel, there are salads for free and the food is not very spicy, the waiter knows a few Russian phrases. There were several attempts to eat in other places, not very successful: either the dish was not brought, or it was shortchanged. I was very surprised by the local currency exchangers. Bills in denominations of 1.5, 10.20 dollars are worth less than 50 and 100.
Excursions were taken from BiblioGlobus. Prices for excursions at biblical shops are a little higher than "around the corner in stalls" by 15-20%, but they are worth it. Our guide Tatyana, when selling excursions, told everything in detail and explained about the composition of the excursions. We tuned in for some excursions, but after talking with Tatyana, we bought others and were not mistaken. Everything was top notch. If you don’t feel sorry for the money for an overpayment, then I recommend everyone to take excursions from the “bibliks” - service, “live guides”, good boats. Were on three excursions: survey, diving (took spontaneously on the recommendation of the guide Tatiana), the lost world (2 days). I will note some points. Obzorka - I especially remember the Temple. Very bright colors and unusual architecture. We bought pillows at a latex factory (I really wanted to). And I was also surprised by the “kissing and hugging” elephant near the snake farm - my son was blissful. Diving - many thanks to our instructor, and as it turned out, the owner of the dive club Karmazin Vladimir Ivanovich !! ! We had a dive for the first time and everything was successful, even for our 11-year-old son. It is impossible to describe the underwater world - it must be seen (diversity of marine flora and fauna, colorful fish, corals, turtles... ). The Lost World - Russian guide Nariman, as he introduced himself, left unforgettable positive emotions. In my opinion, he is a "guide from God", he knows all the subtleties of his work. For example: on the Bounty Island, our group was alone for almost an hour (there were no other boats with tourists). Words can not describe it - you have to go there. His stories about the islands are very interesting and he is "not silent". Huge thanks to him!! ! The islands in Thailand are just heaven and we swam on this excursion for almost an hour on each visited island. On this tour we spent the night on a desert island in a bungalow - super! At the local market - everything is 100 or 200 baht (watches, glasses, shirts, T-shirts, fruits, etc. ), but the quality is appropriate. If you buy something, then bargain - they will definitely give you up: a shirt of 400 baht - they gave it away for 280 baht, magnets for 50 baht - they give 3 pcs. for 100 baht. My son even saw Apple iPhone 5 cell phones for 5500 baht, but Chinese is all for tourists! Separately, by tuk-tuk (1000 baht round trip) we went to the big Buddha - the greatness is impressive. I won’t say anything about shops - after all, it’s a tourist area (souvenir shops, pharmacies, grocery stores... ). As for the weather, I will say this: during the entire stay there were two thunderstorms for 2 hours and night rain, but the air temperature did not drop below 27 degrees, and the sea was just hotter. Tropical downpour like a bucket - we were very happy and walked under it. I also want to say about the culture of driving vehicles. In Thailand, there are ten times less traffic signs than in Russia. The police were seen once, but I did not see the accident at all. The drivers are very polite and friendly - they drive according to some of their own rules, give way to each other - they, as a whole, are super !! ! (Russians are far from it).
General impressions.
I liked absolutely everything. The rest was very active, eventful, interesting. Thais are very cheerful, smiling and correct people. Many thanks to all those who made our holiday unforgettable. I really want to go more.
