Monday, September 15, 2008

We awoke early as our Air Asia flight left Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport for Phuket at 07:50. Although the flight itself may not seem to call for such an early wake-up, all indications were that we needed to leave for the airport by 6:00 AM to make it through the city traffic and arrive at the airport with plenty of time to make it through security.

Travis had arranged for a taxi pick-up through the front desk and after we had gathered the bags and re-checked the room to make sure we left nothing behind we headed downstairs to check out. The taxi driver was waiting for us at the desk and made small-talk about our next destination as I settled the bill with the clerk. Aside from the room rate itself, the only other additions to the bill were for our laundry and a few bottles of water we had consumed from the mini-bar. The room rate ended up breaking down to about $68 a night which, considering the inclusion of daily breakfast, the central location of the hotel, and the amenities offered, felt like quite a deal.

Walking out of the Buddy Lodge I was amazed that the vibrant and bustling KSR could actually be so quiet. Aside from our awaiting taxi only a couple other cars dotted the road. All of the stalls that had lined the street the night before had been dismantled and the tiny, push-carts that had sold everything from Pad Thai to shots of alcohol were gone. Throwing our bags into the car we settled into the backseat for the ride to Suvarnabhumi.

The trip took perhaps forty to fifty minutes and we did hit significant traffic, especially once we were on the city expressways. Plugged into my MP3 player it was both sad and exciting to be leaving Bangkok for our next stop on the trip. Given everything we had seen over the past three days I felt like we had made at least a small dent in what the city had to offer. Of course, one could easily spend a month or more and still fail to see everything in the city and surrounding areas.

Arrival and check-in at the airport was quick and easy. We had our boarding passes and "Express Board" stickers and were soon waiting to head over to the terminal. Air Asia offers an "Express Board" service in which you get priority boarding for a fee. Since the airline boards all passengers at once and doesn't offer any assigned seating I felt the $3.00 per person that the express option offered was well worth it.

Since the woman at the terminal entrance point said our tickets were too early to allow us into the gate area we purchased some Birdy's (iced coffee and milk in a can) from a store and camped out by the terminal entrance area. I jotted notes in my journal and looked over info in the guide books regarding the arrival in Phuket.

We probably waited about 30 to 45 minutes and then decided to try they other security guard checking tickets at the terminal entrance area. Sure enough and as suspected, he glanced at our boarding passes and waved us through.

Making our way through the airport was easy enough. Although huge it was well laid out and directional signs were easy to locate and use. Just before our Air Asia gate we had to pass through another x-ray check point and have our hand-luggage scanned. We were then shunted down to a tarmac-level floor to await for buses to take us out to the plane.

As boarding time approached a HUGE crowd gathered at the door leading out to the tarmac and the waiting transport buses. Thankfully we bypassed all of this with our Express Boarding stickers and were called to the front of the line when boarding of the buses proceeded. A short ride to the plane and we were soon seated on board.

The Air Asia jet must have been brand new we discerned as it was sparkling clean, had touch-screen controls for the flight attendants, and had that new car, err, plane, smell. The flight was fully uneventful and only lasted about an hour and ten minutes or so during which drinks and food selections were offered for purchase in addition to a line of Air Asia merchandise. The airline obviously makes an extreme effort to run on time as both takeoff and landing were to the minute.

As we approached Phuket the scenery shift was truly dramatic with the limestone cliffs jutting from the coastline and their deep hues of green contrasting with the bright turquoise of the water. As we descended into Phuket International Airport one could make out the sandy beachheads and the occasional cluster of villages nestled throughout the coastline here and there.

Flying over and preparing to land at Phuket, Thailand.

Arriving on the tarmac we headed directly for the taxi terminal located just adjacent to the airport exits. The guide books advised that the easiest route for obtaining a taxi at a descent price was to book through the official taxi service and so we did. The cost from the airport to the resort was about THB 400, or about $12.

We were given a ticket and quickly ushered into a waiting taxi. With our carry-ons in the trunk we were quickly on our way. The trip to the resort was lengthy and lasted close to an hour. The island's main roads were little more than a narrow, two-lane highway through many twists and turns as it closely followed the coastline. During the trip we passed through numerous towns and villages and noted the higher number of Farang here as compared with the numbers (or lack thereof) that we saw in Bangkok.

About half way through the trip we noted several Farang jammed into the island Singathews, or open-air trucks that serve as buses, and wondered about the motive. Sure, the buses were certainly much cheaper than a taxi, probably to the tune of $2.00 for the trip, but when an air conditioned taxi runs $6 a person...

We arrived at the Mariana and quickly discovered that this $160 per night resort would probably run $450 or more per night elsewhere. Two porters came to the taxi and unloaded our bags and we were shown to the check-in desk. The desk attendant offered moistened and chilled hand-towels that were scented with mint and accompanied by fresh-cut flowers prior to assisting us with the check-in. I was informed that the resort would be lowering our room rate to $150 per night and that we would be receiving a complimentary dinner for two at their On the Rocks restaurant as well as complimentary iTune movies, internet, and transportation back to the airport.

Once we were checked in we were ushered to a seating area adjacent to the open-air reception. We weren't quite sure why this happened other than thinking the room wasn't ready at this point and they were just offering us seats until it was. A few minutes passed and then an attendant brought us a tray with two prepared coconuts. This was my first time actually having coconut milk directly from a coconut, and a quite fancied-up coconut at that, and found it to be quite tasty and refreshing. The milk itself was much less sweet than I had envisioned it as being.

Our complimentary coconut milk drinks served at check in.

We sat for about an half-hour and finished our drinks, while watching a young elephant entertain people just outside of the sitting area, and then advised the desk staff that we were going to peruse the resort grounds and enjoy a drink at the pool-side bar. The resort is actually situated directly on a rocky outcrop above the water and set far back from the two-lane road of the island. Shrouded with hundreds of trees and thick vegetation the resort grounds seemed an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the island itself even though a short walk led you out to the busy and commercial-lined street. We meandered along the palm trees, the narrow and well-manicured paths, past wooden walking bridges and a steep cobble-stoned pathway leading down to the beach.

The bar was situated directly adjacent to the pool and located directly above the pool showers and massage area. Two bar tenders were working at putting glassware away and, from all appearances, we were the only two guests in sight. We sided up to the bar and looked over the drink list while the bar tenders made small talk with us. While the prices certainly reflected that we were staying at an upper-priced resort they were still inexpensive in comparison to what drinks would likely cost at such a resort inside the states.

My Mai-Tai came in a hallowed-out pineapple with a plethora of garnishes (simply too good to be true for such a garnish whore) and it's own little "basket" coaster on which it was situated. Travis ordered one of the resort's specialty drinks based on gin. As we waited for our room we chatted with the bar staff who told us about many of the local sites, about which beaches were the best and most popular, and some of the more lively night spots.

While Bangkok was hot and humid it was actually comparable to what we're accustomed to in Florida. Here, several hundred+ miles to the south, the increased temperatures, high humidity, and strength of the sun seemed much more intense than BKK. That, and the fact that we were both wearing jeans to increase space in our roll ons, made us skip any second drink at the open-air bar and head back to the front desk to check on our room.

Half way down the path one of the front desk attendants caught us and said she was ready to lead us to our room. As is tradition throughout Thailand we left our shoes at the doorstep and found slippers waiting inside the entrance to our room. We were given a short, instructional tour of the room with instructions on the use of the internet, television system with movies and music selections, the various bath options, etc. And then we were left to our own.

Our room at the Marina Phuket and the view. Click to enlarge.

I had decided that we would "splurge" and get an ocean view and after seeing the room I was thrilled with the decision. The magnificent view of the beach stretching into the distance and the turquoise waters were truly breathtaking. And this from someone who's not much on beaches in general. The beauty of the resort and surrounding countryside and the level of service and detail were certainly above what I had expected. And especially not for $150 a night. (In comparison, having stayed at Disney's top notch resorts like the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary, well, they wouldn't compete.)

We quickly unpacked and looked over the brochures in the room for all of the resorts services, including spa offerings, the restaurant options and menus, and tour bookings. We decided to quickly check in on our e-mail to see if the cats were faring well back at home and were happy to hear that they were. We then spent a bit of time on the balcony, in a warm tropical breeze, deciding on our plan of action for our short two-day stay here in Phuket. Travis had wanted to take a trip to Pha Nagh Bay to see a filming location for the James Bond movie "Man with a Golden Gun" and hadn't booked the trip ahead of time online. So, we opted to book through the hotel which would provided us with complete transportation and ended up costing us only slightly more than booking in advance. We also decided to enjoy our complimentary dinner tonight and wanted to inform the front desk of such. He went off to book the tour and make reservations for dinner and I enjoyed a beer from the cash bar while tuning into one of Thai CDs offered in the music selections.

Travis returned from booking the next day's trip to Ao Phang Nga and arranging tonight's dinner at one of the resorts restaurants, On the Rocks. He grabbed a beer from the minibar and we sat out on the balcony just enjoying some down time and the beautiful breeze and breathtaking scenery. We looked over the guide books for Phuket and the surrounding area and also glanced over the spa menus. Again, while more expensive than those found in Bangkok they were certainly affordable with an hour massage running $60 or so. Compare that to the cost of a massage on the Disney Cruise Line.

Various walkways and signage found throughout the resort grounds. Click to enlarge.

After a bit we decided to change into our board shorts and walk down to the beach for the afternoon. We had opted to walk out into the town but decided it might be nice just to take a day "off" after our non-stop running in Bangkok.

Karon Beach as seen from our balcony at Marina Phuket Resort, Phuket, Thailand.

We rented a couple of lounge chairs for the afternoon, which also came with a nifty umbrella to protect against the sun, and just enjoyed the beach.

Given we were visiting during monsoon season red flags were flying the length of the beach warning of the strong currents and undertow. Although a red flag warning on a beach cautions against swimming there were many people doing just that. Even significantly out from the beach head. We both waded into the surf, which was indeed quite strong, but neither of us moved into deeper water.

From Karon Beach looking back toward Marina Phuket.

As we sat watching this part of the world pass us by several merchants would occasionally come by hawking various wares from beach blankets to rugs. A polite "No thanks" or a shake of the head was more than enough to demonstrate no intentions of making a purchase and they moved on. This was generally the case throughout Thailand although the local tailors seemed to be the most aggressive with their selling tactics.

On the Rocks restaurant can be seen in front of some of the guest buildings at the Marina. The restaurant is the building with the gray roof in the center of the picture.

We spent the entire afternoon on the beach and into the early evening before heading back up to room to shower and get ready for dinner. In addition to the gargantuan tub in the room there was also an over sized walk-in shower which had none of the hot water limitations we encountered at the Buddy Lodge. Even inside the shower fresh-cut flowers we randomly placed to lend a tropical flare to the room.

After showering we dressed and headed down to On the Rocks for dinner. With still a bit of time before our reservation we opted to walk back down to the beach and take a walk as the sun finished setting. The beach was nearly deserted now with only a couple others on its wide expanse and the occasional pack of dogs roaming the sand appearing to look for something to eat. As the sun set on the clear horizon spectacular hues of green and blue mingled with dark amber and oranges. An occasional fishing boat threw a silhouette against the sun that screamed of a post card selling in one of the local beach stores.

The sun sets on Karon Beach and our first night in Phuket.

The restaurant was well-filled and only a few empty tables dotted the open-air space situated above the rocky shore of the beach below. I was surprised at the level of attire worn by the majority of patrons. Much more formal than we had encountered on the trip thus far but still containing a mix running of dress including casual, resort-wear. We were seated at a table directly adjacent to the railing overlooking the shore which provided for spectacular views of the crashing surf lit by beaming floodlights aimed downward from the restaurant.

Soon after being seated we were provided with more mint-scented towels and our waitress asked for the complimentary ticket we were given at check-in. Not thinking we needed it I had left it in the room but a quick run back produced the missing paper and I was soon seated again.

Travis had selected the vegetarian meal from our choices when he made the reservation earlier in the afternoon and it included appetizer, soup, and main course. The restaurant, I had found out while on the beach, was listed in both guide books as one of the best high-end eateries on the island. It boasted a large wine list with lots of imports, focused on many wines from California , but we wanted to try a true Thai wine and so ordered the house white. While a bit, um, vinegary, let's say, it wasn't bad, and I enjoyed it for the local wine it was. (Thailand not being renowned for its wine producing skills, and all.) The meal came served family style in multiple courses and was quite good through, perhaps, not quite as good as some of the local family-owned establishments we had enjoyed up to this point.

Full from the food and Thai wine we walked back to the room, changed into shorts again, and then decided to walk around the immediate area of the resort. We walked up and down the main street on which the front of the Marina Resort was situated, checked out a few stores, and then decided to head back for some much needed sleep.