zaccaggie

Page 6 of my legal documents does provide for the "establishment of separate procedures if approved by the Committee whereby members may utilize the common facilities during times other than a confirmed use period".

I don't know if there are currently procedures in place or not. They might have not had anyone ever ask.

If you really wanted to buy there, you might explain your sometimes residence on phuket and see if they would go for it. Never hurts to ask.

SAtransplant

I asked ... after reading the legal documents ... and the answer was "No".

I suppose I am being somewhat mischievous. The prevailing mood here is "Let's buy!" and I am providing excuses for those taking a tour to pass.

But if I hadn't tour, I would not have fallen in love with the resort and spent many additional weeks there.

LIH Prem

Thanks for correction.

-David

Aggie

I just returned from a weekend at the JW Phuket (During my business trip to Bangkok) and the place is better than ever. My last stay was about a year and half ago and I loved it then.

Overall the grounds look the same as last time with one exception: The new pool, bar, and villas. The new section is on the south side of the resort. The pool is great and has a swim up bar. Adjacent to the pool is a new bar which is in the final stages of completion. I have pics of both if someone is interested to view or host.

The best part of the resort is still the service. This trip I was greeted by Mark Eaton (Guest Relations Manager) as I exited the vehicle from the airport. He thanked me for my loyalty (my Plat), offered a welcome drink and towel, and headed to my room. On the way he explained the changes since my last visit – it was clear he had done his research because the man knew everything about my last visit.

When we arrived at the room we finished the paperwork and talked about my options for such a short trip – the conversation lasted about 30 minutes and I was grateful for his time and honesty. After he left I found out that the room was prepared especially for me with small touches – the laundry forms were even typed with all my information! The attention to detail sets this place apart.

Overall, a perfect stay with great food and service – A model for all Marriott properties worldwide.

corduroy

glad to hear about the new pool & bar...not that this particular property needs much improving upon. my husband and i had an amazing time there last may..there's no concierge lounge, being a resort, but plats get complimentary buffet breakfast at the cafe which overlooks the pool and the andaman sea beyond..fantastic way to start the day! the resort's a bit isolated but the restaurants on site are pretty good and one can easily spend a couple of days lazing around, using the mandara spa or having a 400 baht massage on the beach, without needing to venture out for a change of locale.

we had a ground level room with an attached sala and a little patio and deck chairs outside- i think we'd been bumped up to a junior suite. during one of the afternoons there was loud drilling noise from the room above which was being refurbished in some way. we called the lobby to complain but the noise continued unabated till my husband spoke to the manager. as the OP said, he's very helpful, solicitous and effectively took control of the situation. he noticed that we hadnt been given the plat arrival gift -i guess we were so captivated with the property and the incredible drum dance that was going on by the eternity pool across from the lobby that we hadnt even realised. anyway, the manager gave us a 5,000 baht credit on our bill (about $130) to make up for the ruined afternoon, as well as 1000 points. we were generally so blissed out by the phuket experience that we were satisfied at the time though i realised later (after having checked out FT of course!) that we could've claimed $100 for not having been given the plat gift upon arrival. we were offered 10,000 bonus points for attending a sales pitch for the vacation club attached to the resort, but decided it would suck up way too much time and werent in the frame of mind for fending off an aggressive sales pitch

IMHO, this is one of the best JW marriott properties anywhere in the world..it apparently just made the top 20 list of Anywhere Thai travel magazine's Best Luxury Resorts in the country.

Fliar

Just booked the above for three nights through Directrooms and am wondering about transportation. The hotel offers a car for US$25 but on the map it looks as if the hotel is *very* close to the airport. It would probably be much cheaper to take a taxi but I don't really want any hassle; does anyone know if it is easy to get to the hotel from Phuket airport by regular taxi. Or would you recommend the hotel car?

Any other tips (e.g. about which restaurants in the hotel to try/avoid, nice places you visited near the hotel) would be much appreciated too

mtacchi

True.. it is NOT a luxury hotel by any means.

But to answer the poster.. it is about 15-20 minutes drive from the airport. A taxi will likely charge you around 800 baht ($20) so for the the extra $35 (3X25-40) you can have the freedom of the car and explore Phuket. There are much better places to see and eat at than the Marriott day in and out.

mario33

The Airport "Limo" charges something like BHT400-500 to the JW Marriott. A meter taxi would probably cost half that amount if you get an honest taxi driver

I am not sure whether its still there, but there is/was a simple eatery (beach shack) to the north of the resort. Food is average but at less than half the price of eating in the resort.

The JW Marriott Phuket is a very nice resort though it may seem pale compared to the level of luxury often discussed in this forum. And its still (probably) the best "non-villa" resort in Phuket at the moment.

Kettering Northants QC

Perhaps we need a sticky on what is accepted as Luxury for this thread (joking).

Right or wrong, I would suggest that for an awful lot of people the JW Marriott in Phuket would be their idea of Luxury - affordable luxury at that.

Or is it a problem with chain hotels? FS and Ritz Carlton are getting quite big chains now.

If you make the definition of luxury too obsure and elitist, dismiss anything from a chain, or doesn't cost an arm and a leg, this section of flyertalk may suffer.

Personally, IMO, if a hotel is generally recognised worldwide as 5 stars, and is highly regarded in its location (the JW Marriott in Phuket certainly is) then it ambitions for luxury should be sufficient to warrant its discussion here

Fliar

Mmmmhhh....and I thought I was going to go to a very nice place. Suddenly I've lost some of my enthusiasm for its 'pale' level of luxury.

In any case, many thanks for responding to the question about transportation - I think I'll just get the hotel car.

Apologies for posting in the wrong forum.

Mr. Strong

JW Marriott Phuket is a nice place. I was there in 2004 (pre-tsunami) for quick 3-day getaway. While it isn't luxury in the class of Amanpuri, Trisara or The Chedi; it still is a nice property in Phuket.

At the time, I just needed to getaway and was deciding between the Le Meridien Khao Lak and the JW Marriott. I chose the JW Marriott since it was hassle free to get to the airport for a mid-morning flight back to BKK. BTW, I arranged for a car at the airport when I arrived. I had a nice driver who spoke good English. He gave me his mobile number in case I wanted to arrange for a pickup to return to the airport. I called the night before check-out and my driver was punctual when he arrived the next morning. I thought the hotel car service was too expensive.

It's a large property. Thankfully, while I was there, the resort wasn't too booked. The spa is great and the beach in Mai Khao is nice for being secluded.

I have pictures of my room and the resort if you're interested.

mario33

It is a very nice resort. Rooms are comparable to any 5 star hotel rooms in SE Asia, and the resort grounds is as nice as the Four Seasons Langkawi (seen the grounds but never stayed there). Dont forget to explore the resort grounds at night when its "lit up".

Its definitely "luxury" to me though anything less than an Aman resort does not seem to qualify as "luxury" by many posters here

The distance from the Airport is very short as you have noted. The Airport "Limo" is pretty hassle free, you prepay at the counter in the terminal and no haggling. I would save the BHT500-600 and go for it instead of the hotel car.

BTW they have quite a nice deli at the resort (lowest level). Good place for a simple breakfast, and I remember quite nice Thai coffee

lmk

My husband and I spent a blissful 5 nights at the JW Marriott Phuket on our honeymoon, and our experience was luxurious by any standard -- and we did not even tell them in advance that we were on our honeymoon. The service was some of the best we have ever experienced, and we have travelled on 5 continents and stayed in some incredible places. (This was in November of 2004, pre-tsunami). Their spa services are especially noteworthy (we had two couples massages which were out of this world -- first they offer a selection of scented essential oils to choose from, then a seated foot massage, steam room, outdoor shower, then the body massage, then a bath with flowers floating in the water, and a bottle of champagne -- I get spa services pretty regularly -- often at Four Seasons hotels -- but this was above and beyond). When we arrived and they showed us to our room, they had spread flower petals in the bath and on the bed and had French chocolates and champagne in our room for us. At the pool, a server walked around every half hour offering everyone icy cold fresh fruit (pineapple, melon, etc.) and a spray mist of cold water which was most refreshing. The warmth with which we were treated was memorable. Given the size of the resort, which is large, I can't think of anything we would have had them do differently. We booked some excursions through the hotel to the Phi Phi islands for one day and sea kayaking for another day, and they were great too. And getting back to the original poster's question: We rented a car. Would go back again in a heartbeat.

Mr. Vker

We stayed at the JW Phuket last year (6 weeks post-tsunami). They had minimal damage that had been repaired by the time we arrived. The facilities and service are above reproach. It is a lovely property with a staff that pamper you and appreciate you being there. We are returning there in 2 weeks for 8 nights.

This past February, we stayed at the Ritz in Laguna Niguel on the club level.

The real estate was wonderful-a cliff on the Pacific ocean. But, the physical building was nothing special and I found the staff to be mediocre at best.

I would easily rank the JW Phuket way above the Ritz at Laguna Niguel.

ralfkrippner

Hi folks, sorry for the late reply.

IMO it is best to post about a property belonging to a chain in the respective forum of that hotel company here on flyertalk - if there is one. It's not an issue for me to try and judge if a certain hotel is really a luxury one - it's just about the best way to get replies to a thread.

So I'll move this one over to Marriott.

Have a good time,
ralfkrippner, moderator luxury hotels