Arriving in Phuket
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2007
1
42
54
Trip End
Dec 20, 2007
Patong,
Thailand
Monday, December 3, 2007
The VIP bus was complete luxury - complimentary drinks and food, sofa like chairs that fully recline with blanket and pillow as well as a film in English!
The bus stopped for a toilet stop and a complimentary midnight snack. This midnight snack turned out to be breakfast and was far too early / late (depending on your view) for a meal so we instead poked at the rice soup with a side order of what looked like sea weed and then headed back to the coach.
Upon arriving we walked the short distance to the hotel and was surprised that we were booked straight into a room even though we checked in 10 hours early. The Metropole hotel is very old fashioned and doesn't look like it's been refurbished since it was constructed. It has all the amenities but the pool is the only one to use if honest as the rest is slowly being closed or disassembled. Our room had a art deco feel to it with the pealing wall paper and Tiffany style lamp shades. It did have a workable shower and satellite TV so we were happy enough. Bob was a little concerned however about the number of middle aged men who seamed to occupy the hotel. That and the fact that she discovered a 'back door' by the toilets in the lobby, behind the water feature, leading to the Pink Lady Chamois - an exclusive gentleman's club next door.
Once showered and refreshed after a little kip, we both went about sorting out bus tickets to Hat Yai and planning our stay at Phuket. Near the bus stop was a little cafe that we popped into and had American fried rice - tomato flavoured rice with every kind of unidentifiable meat, topped off with a fried egg. The chocolate cake and fruit juices were excellent too. The rest of the day was spent chilling out at the pool.
Phuket town is to be honest, the place to avoid when visiting Phuket. While it is the largest town on Phuket we found that there are very few restaurants or shops geared up for tourists. We would recommend staying by the beaches, especially Patong which can offer tourists far more and is close to Kata and Karon beaches which can provide a quieter alternative. The other problem when staying in Phuket town is getting to the other beaches. While there is a bus service available we couldn't make head or tails about how to use it effectively. Getting a tuk-tuk to the beaches is a good but can be expensive.
It is also worth noting that the TAT office has recently moved and a quick trip to any of the local tourism places will help you find it.
