We made it through immigration in about 30 minutes, and our bags came out shortly after we got to the baggage claim belt. From there, we met the agent who was coordinating transport for several hotels, and our pre-booked car arrived minutes later.

For the next three nights, we are staying at the Marriott Merlin Beach. It's located past Patong, about an hour and fifteen minutes from the airport.

We received the warmest elite status welcome we've received at a Marriott hotel in quite a while.

We purchased the all inclusive option for about 3000 THB for the two of us, which seems to be an incredible relative value given that cocktails are 330 THB.

This isn't a tranquil oasis like the Maldives, of course, but I am liking it so far. After we got settled in the room, we repaired to the pool bar.

There are about 5 restaurants and three bars on property. One restaurant has a buffet each night, and the three other restaurants open for dinner have a la carte options. Almost everything is included in our package.

The plan for tonight is the prime rib buffet, the Thai restaurant, and the rum shack bar, in some order.