yosithezet

You won't be hassled at LM Phuket but it is rather plain and aging and breakfast is like Grand Central. I'd move here or to LMKL.

HomerJ

....looking at staying at this property over Xmas so hopefully most of the issues will be ironed out then.
Looks like Marge and I will be spending our 10th anniversary here and nothing you guys have said so far has put me off coming.
Thanks again for the updates.

mtacchi

@Homer, you're welcome.
enjoy!:-:

mtacchi

Why can't you whore around on your honeymoon? Now you have a partner in crime!!

But for diving, you're in a far better location @ the Westin, Almost all the dive boats leave from Chalong Pier which is with 15-20 minutes, where as the LM is a good 40- 50 minutes depending on traffic.
I love diving, but seldom go in Phuket as my home is near Laguna, and the drive down is over an hr and horrendous.

YULforever

Which Laguna? I'm assuming you don't mean southern california (where I have many a dive).

I REALLY appreciate the advice on this one. As you might imagine, I'm trying to arrange a nice experience here....

I read my wife your "partner in crime" suggestion....

She suggested I might enjoy a solo honeymoon, followed by a quick divorce!

yosithezet

Laguna is an area in Phuket Island. http://www.lagunaphuket.com/

There is a Sheraton there.

m0hamed

We're flying into HKT, doing 4 nights at the Westin, then 6 nights at the W Koh Samui. We're have to overnight in HKY but I imagine we'll make a late arrival into HKT and fly back to SYD the next evening. Can anyone recommend which SPG property to chose that's closer to the airport? None of the hotels' websites or reviews are particularly inspiring...

schley

What about the LM Khao Lak? This is going just a few minutes more north, than you would south and is a good option for honeymooners IMO.

mtacchi

The Sheraton @ Laguna is only 15 minutes from airport. (I've made it in 9 minutes myself driving MUCH too fast)

@Montrealforever.. it's better if the wife picks them out
Email me if you want more Phuket info. We moved from Canada a long time ago, and I am pretty down with ANYTHING you want to do in Phuket.

YULforever

Thanks - I'll likely email....

Now the latest is she is looking at Khao Lak! I am a bit reluctant as I don't think the diving will be very nice unless we do the three hour trip, which is a long time for two dives (6 hours transit for a day trip plus car time!) Plus the kayaks at siray bay were looking like a bunch of fun

Is LMKL really that nice?

Thunderroad

Yes, it is! My wife and I absolutely loved it when we were there a few years ago--perhaps our favorite vacation ever, and that's saying a lot. But whether you should stay there at the new Westin might hinge on your preferences, priorities, Starwood status, budget and when you're going.

The basic rooms at the LMKL are quite nice, but the best values come in terms of getting upgrades to suites or better yet the various villa options, including a few on the beach. The grounds are beautiful and service good as well. Lots of dining options and a beautiful spa at the resort.

Depending on your Starwood status, time of year (because this determines how busy the place is) and budget, you have a shot at a free upgrade to a suite or, especially since this is your honeymoon, it might well be worth paying for a villa there.

However, what really makes the place special IMHO is the extremely long and mostly undeveloped beach on which it's situated. It's about an hour's walk at a brisk pace just to get to one end. If you like long, long walks on a beautiful beach, whether for exercise or romance, the location is superb. Plus there are a smattering of great, inexpensive, open air beach restaurants and massage shacks along the beach, with one good restaurant/massage area just five minutes away. For reasons of cost but even more of quality, my wife and I liked the beach restaurants much more than the resort food, so those are the places we almost exclusively ate. But if you think you're more likely to just want more upscale eating and luxury spas (and there's nothing wrong with that), a couple of the key advantages of the LMKL area will mean less to you.

I don't recall any hawkers selling anything on the LMKL beach, but if there were then they were so laid back that they were not a problem.

If you're less lazy than we were when we were there, there are various activities, shops and other restaurants in the general area, though you'd need a car or a cheap taxi to get to them. The water is placid enough to go kayaking right from the hotel. But there the snorkeling at that beach is nothing special at all. And from the information in this thread it sounds like the new Westin is closer to good snorkeling and diving. I haven't taken a good look through this thread or at the Westin site, but it seems like the rooms at the new place might be nice and that some of the balconies have dipping pools in them, which is great. FWIW, some of the villas at the LMLK also have small pools. I don't know how the prices of the rooms/suites/villas at the two properties compare.

It does look like the views might well be better from the rooms at the new Westin, since it seems to be built into a hillside. Except for the beach villas at LMKL, I believe that even the best views from the third, top story there are of palm tree tops.

The LMKL is about a 75 minute/$40 drive from the Phuket airport. The hotel has a very small lounge at the airport for arriving guests who use it's car service.

For more info on LMKL, see the thread dedicated to it here in the Starwood forum. And for yet more reviews of both properties, check out Tripadvisor.com

I haven't even compared the two with the Sheraton Laguna because they both sound much nicer than that property. We loved the LMKL so much, including that long and mostly undeveloped beach, that we'll likely go back there whenever we next get to Thailand, but I'm curious to learn more about the new Westin myself.

Oh, by the way, whatever you do, congratulations and have a great honeymoon!

carion

Is the hotel far away from phuket airport? How much should I pay if going there by taxi.

schley

Just got settled in after arriving 40 minutes late on my air asia flight bkk-hkt. didn't want to play let's make a deal at the airport for transport thus I booked through the hotel as I knew I would be arriving at 11 pm or so. 1,000 bahts which is probably twice what a taxi would cost, but it only took him about 30 minutes as it was a Sunday night.

First impression is that i can't wait for the sun to come up tomorrow and actually get a look at this place. All the lighting and terraced rooms let's your imagination run wild with how it will look during the day.

I booked the promo 2010 baht rate deluxe room and was upgraded to an Indulge Suite, which is nice, 80 square meters. 2 rooms with a large living room with a 4 chair table and light kitchen and half bath and separate balcony for each the living room and bedroom. You a have a door to your bedroom and large bathroom with a separate shower/tube/water closet. Bed is heavenly as always. They also have a night light button which gives you a small light under the vanity of each bathroom and nightstands by the bed. Nice touch IMO. They also have rope lighting installed on the top of the wainscotting which adds nice ambience.

Tired now but will give some updates as my 4 night stay unfolds. So far I'm impressed at this price point needless to say.

I Claudius

Hi Schley - I've read lots of poor reviews of the Westin on Tripadvisor so am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the hotel. My wife and I are staying for 8 nights in a couple of weeks' time.

Was the airport pick up the type where man with sign greets you at arrivals and whisks you off to the hotel in a nice new 7-series/S-Class complete with cold towels and water? Or was it a shared minivan with no airco? I assume you booked with the hotel and the charge then appears on your bill.

Also is the gym open yet? Not that I imagine I'll spend much time there...

Thanks

m0hamed

Schley, could you comment on the water and the beach. This appears to be the most negative part of the reviews. Perhaps you could also see whether the hotel will arrange access to the LM Phuket Beach? I think if the water is terrible, that's not a bad alternative for the day.

As for transfers, you can request a "VIP Meet & Assist" as I discovered when I mentioned the service I wanted. I saw it listed for other SPG hotels in HKT, but not the Westin. They literally instantly responded with the cost for the service, and its description, surprising that when you request a transfer, they don't proactively offer it.\

I would triple check the transfer car type. I indicated that I wanted a Mercedes, and they sent a price for an E class, and then the confirmation said Viano (which is a Merc van). I didn't want the van, so sent them an email back stated I wanted an E class and the VIP Meet & Assist Service.

Interesting they also offer a VIP exit service which provides you access to an airport lounge. Not that useful if you flying in a premium cabin that provides lounge access, but very much so if traveling in whY.