dewby

So please be gentle with me. been meaning to write about a trip i done in December 2012 but because time gets in the way i just have not had the time.

my route was

Muc-BKK ( f 10 seats 747)
BKK-Hkt

The same in return

hotels as follows:

Peninsula Bangkok
JW Marriott Khao Lak
Ritz Carlton Phulay Bay
Rayavadee Krabi
Sala Phuket

So now i know how to upload pictures lets give this a go.

dewby

We actually flew from a local Airport, Hannover which is in North Germany. Parking is cheap for european standards at 90 euros for the nearly 4 weeks and right at the terminal so no silly buses.

after check in we went to the Senator Lounge which is nice enough. yes small but pleasant and enough fluid to get rid of thirst

we got on our plane to head to Munich which again was ok. sorry no pics of that but i think most know what domestic business class in LH is like.

on arrival at Munich again we spent some time in the Senator lounge which i have no complaints about. we were just eager to get aboard our plane and sleep. well my wife and 9 year old where. i was more intent on downing Dom for the 3 of us.

the cabin was like this:

dewby

some say the cabin is tired and i would agree a little but i love the feeling of space on these birds. open and free. my wife is a real fan as is my daughter

dewby

We arrived in Bangkok and i have to say the arrival piece was simply superb. We were treated like arriving diplomats. Met at the plane doors and rushed to Immigration.

it took no more than 15 mins to being at the carousel and with 2 thai ground reps in hand they collected our luggage and escorted us to our waiting rolls royce.

dewby

I love Bangkok. i have stayed here many times and m,y favorite place used to be the Marriot resort which has now changed hands. this was a special trip so booked a corner suite in the Peninsula.

i can only say positive things about this hotel. it is superb. there was nothing to complain about. The room huge, the bed comfortable and the staff simply delightful. The rolls Royce was about $80 which for an hours drive is a bargain and was great fun. My daughter loved it and the wife had a smile to.

we arrived and were whisked away to the room where we checked in. very efficient and friendly and we were at the pool in 15 mins.

Breakfast was top with not a single wish being left. i love sitting river side and watching the traffic go by and enjoying a great breakfast.

we had 3 nights here and enjoyed every minute of it

dewby

After 3 days in Bangkok it was time to head south. Christmas is high season in Thailand and it was busy. we done the normal stuff. temples and shopping and chilling by the pool but we were looking forward to the beach.

a quick hours flight to Phuket and we were collected for the hours drive to Khao Lak. we have stayed here before in the Le meridien which i loved, mainly because we had a beach front villa which was amazing. this time though we decided on the JW marriott. We Managed to get 6 nights for $100 a night via group on. what a total bargain.

We had a Pool access room which was brilliant. our Daughter could jump in the huge pool pretty much straight from the room garden.

more pictures to follow on Wed.

We love Khao Lak. this small community have been up against it for years, they were devastated from the Asian Tsunami in 2004 and they are still struggling. that said this is a beautiful place and one of my favourite, the place of life is slow and just right for a vacation.

if you are not sure where to go in Thailand give it a go and it wont disappoint, it is so much nicer than Phuket although isolated.

we spent 6 nights before moving on to Krabi.

more to follow

Dieuwer

May I ask when you booked your trip?

dewby

I booked my trip in November 2012 and travelled 20 Dec until 08 Jan.

Dieuwer

That late? I would expect most properties to be sold out well in advance for the high season?

dewby

The only resort i booked early was PB. The rest were available pretty much throughout and none seemed to be at 100% occupancy. Yes if you want a particular suite or villa then book early but in the main availability seemed to be there across the board.

i actually changed my flight and left a day late so needed one more night and booked SALA 3 days before departure for an amazing rate on latestays.com. i found this web site very good value and the prices the best across the board.

Gamecock

Thanks for sharing.

I had a trip booked to the LM for the same time you were there, sadly we had to cancel because of a move. Hopefully this year. Keep the pics coming!

Oh, your daughter is a cutie!

dewby

Thanks Gamecock


Shame your trip got cancelled.

I loved the le Meridien although out on a limb. The villa we had was perfect and right on the beach. perfect for our needs and there is always something cool about room no 1

Khao lak also has a special place in my heart. The Thais are lovely people and are great with Children. I still feel for the devastation they felt following the awful events in 2004. I hope that Khao lak will continue to get the infrastructure support it needs to develop but without taking away the charm which will no doubt be difficult to acheive.

more pictures to follow tommorrow when i am back home. away from the desk currently so difficult to up load pictures. And yes she is a sweetie, thank you.

dewby

Back to it.

So we arrived in Khao Lak. As i said before we managed to get a very good deal for the JW Marriott for about $100 a day and took a 6 night break in this hotel. I done some reading before my arrival and although there were a few negative reviews i was excited to be at the beach.

We had a direct pool access room which was close to the main pool area so a quick swim and we could get to the beach. literally 2 mins.

Firstly sorry, I did not take any pictures of the room. I think i was just so relieved to be at the beach and away from the office. What i can say is that the rooms are fairly solid, typical JW Marriott standard although the hotel could do with a refurb to bring it forward that said the bathroom was nice with an extra deep tub and the bed was very comfortable. The Aircon was non obtrusive and did a good job.

The pool access rooms are the ones to go for without doubt and i would recommend to ask for a room closer to the beach.

The breakfast was spot on and although not super luxe it was more than adequate, in fact very good. They make fresh smoothies of differing fruits and these are top. Just what you need in the tropical temperatures. i loved breakfast on the patio, simply wonderful.

I like hotels that provide large glasses for juice at breakfast, i really do not like the little thimbles that some hotels offer this was not the case at the Marriott.
We had lunch at the hotel and this was nice and tasty and the price not to bad. We never had dinner at the hotel, just too many other options.

The beach in front of the hotel is devine, although not white and powdery it is clean and the sea is clean. Its not crowded and my daughter loved it.

My wife used the Spa for 6 treatments and loved it, she was very relaxed and happy with the service. These treatments were included in the room rate as was breakfast, so now you can see what a good rate it was. I could be over critical of the hotel for the small faults but for a value for money versus service i can not complain, i would go back 100%. For what i paid for 6 nights in this hotel incl breakfast and the Spas i would be paying per night for the remainder of our stay.

One of the best features of this hotel although not in the hotel is the Andaman restuarant that is 200m away from the hotel direct on the beach. What a perfect little local to enjoy dining with the waves lapping at your feet. We ate here most nights and it was simply brilliant for small money. The menu is typical Thai but i asked the boss if he could get some fresh seafood and he did just that. If you go to this hotel do not miss out on a visit to this little place. you will not be disappointed.

just writing this i want to go back.

dewby

The Peninsula and my family

dewby

The beach at the JW Marriott Khao Lak




The garden to the Pool from the room




A starter at the Andaman Restaurant



My Daughter sipping on a drink with the pool in the back ground




me on the beach