DISCLAIMER: This is a VERY LONG post (my longest post... so far :p).... So please bear with the long (@very common @boring @confusing) story.
So, here i am :)
I'm back with the lame story of my Phuket trip... hehehe
my favorite pix! :)
So, basically after spending some time at Kata and Karon we moved to Patong (acclaimed as the most happening place in Phuket)
Well, Patong is a small town which you can cover the whole area in a half day. 'Ladyboys' (or transgendered) are everywhere. Sometimes i got confused to differentiate them from normal women. Is it that bad? Yeahhhh.. Definitely! But one thing for sure, most of them love to dress daringly especially the 'beautiful' ones. So that's one point to differentiate them (sorry, i don't have any picture of them.. too scared to come near... mereka sgt daring, lagi2 kalau nampak ade lelaki.. x kesahlaa kalau ade gak perempuan jalan same.. sure diaorg tegur gak)
Anyway, if you love beach activities like jet skiing, paragliding , etc... do come to Patong and experience the hype people talked about.
Early morning @ Patong beach
happening beach
Patong is happening indeed.. especially at the beach area and Bangla road. Other parts seemed normal and can be very peaceful at night. Do walk around at night and you'll see sort of entertainment there. It's fun to watch Patong nightlife.
Well, since we don't like the clubs.. we went to Hard Rock Cafe instead (okay, i am just 'good' girl type. i don't dare to watch the ping pong show or whatsoever show that is everywhere in Patong). Overall, the performance at Hard Rock was great. They even sang 'Nobody' song by Wondergirls. My fav! ***clap.. clap*** :)
The big guitar
The facade
So, besides the beach and the nightlife... where else to go? Phuket Fantasea! It's one of the main attraction in Phuket. The entrance fee is quite pricey since it is complimentary with the show or banquet dinner (you can opt for both as well depending on your budget preferences).
Phuket Fantasea. Another must-visit place in Phuket
At the entrance
Anyway, you can find lots of halal food around Phuket Fantasea area (i guess the majority of the population at that area is Muslim). We even had the chance to experience the night market there (macam pasar malam kat sini jugak). We were jumping of joy looking at the foods. Glorious foooood.... magical foood.... (okay, that's me singing the Ice Age song :p) We've been restricting our diet only to seafood and bread for the first few days of our trip (especially when in Kata since it was quite hard to find halal restaurant there). So without hesitation we bought as much food as we can. Chicken? Beef? You name it.... huhu. That was awesome... and the best part of it? Most of the people there conversed in Thai with me! Do i look like a Thai girl? hehehe :p (okay, i do have Thai ancestry but i'm not good with the language... so i end up using English with them. Sometimes it does felt weird -- looking at the similarities we had, but then we still use foreign language to understand each other)
By the way, we passed by Kalim beach on our way to Phuket Fantasea. So we decided to stop by and enjoyed the view. Nice isn't it? :)
Kalim beach
Another view of Kalim beach
What else that we did during our stay? We went to Jungceylon Shopping Center! I think it's the biggest mall in Phuket (the fact that it is the biggest in Patong? hehehe). CDs are relatively cheap.. and there are plenty of fast food chain. But then, we end up with McD's Fillet O Fish only since we were not sure with the halal status (it was then on our way back to KL we found out that most of the fast foods are halal since half of Phuket's population is Muslim. ***sigh*** If only we knew it earlier.. We must be eating like hell :p)
At Jungceylon, facial massage outlets are everywhere and each offered great deal. Spotted 3 outlets there -- Hanako, Omare and Takashi
Jungceylon :)
We went to Hanako for face massage (but not the one inside Jungceylon.. went to the branch at Rat-U-Thid road). Tried the blackhead removal... damn, it hurts till we cried! I repeat... WE! Definitely i am not the only one who cannot endure the pain during the process :p Overall, it's a good experience and the price is definitely cheap. They even gave free light make up for ladies after the massage :)
HANAKO
Extra tips?
- Tuk-tuk is quite expensive. If you know how to ride a motorcycle, do not hesitate to rent one. It's cheap and traveling by motorcycle really add the fun. The rental rate is around THB200-350 for daily use
- Don't forget to try Kusuma Seafood (situated near Patong road junction -- close by Club Andaman). Their Tom Yam is the best! Opens from 4 PM onwards.
- Foot and body massage are abundant... but choose carefully. Sometimes it come with 'extra' package :p
- ATM machines are everywhere. Money changers too. So don't worry about withdrawing or exchanging money.
- Travel agent, laundry and tailor are scattered everywhere too (i didn't know that Phuket is famous for their tailor made suits until i reached there)
As for the hotels, we stayed at Ibis Hotel Kata and Aspery Hotel Patong. Both are new hotels. They have balcony too. Well, i took few weeks to decide on the hotels. Does it sound like a fussy person? heheh.. Nope.. I'm not fussy, but i'm a detail person :p
(i should make this short, so i give ratings and brief comments instead of full review okay)
Ibis Hotel
Location - 3/5 - near shop lots... need to walk a bit to get to the beach
Cleanliness - 5/5 - spotless!
Room space - 3/5 - a little bit cramp.. but comfy enough
Facilities - 4/5 - nice swimming pool, provide internet area but u need to pay for the service
Entertainment - 3/5 - small LCD TV with few local channels. we watched Transformers but we only enjoyed Megan Fox hotness since they dubbed it in Thai. We cannot understand what we were listening to. Well, most of English movies were dubbed to Thai :p
F&B -3/5 - mini fridge with 2 bottles of drinking water.. plus some tea and coffee. couldn't say much about the foods since we didn't took our breakfast there
Service - 4/5 - check in and check out was fast. they even gave us to check in early (we arrived at 10 am)
Ibis Hotel, Kata
Aspery Hotel
Location - 4/5 - Patong beach is just a stone away. Near shop lots, travel agent booths, laundry, tailor, ATM, money changer, massage centers and food courts (where Kusuma situated)
Cleanliness - 4/5 - clean enough for me
Room space - 5/5 - very spacious (at least for me... unless nk buat sesi kejar megejar dalam bilik tue... memanglaa x muat kan). Plus point --- big wardrobe and bathtub! :)
Facilities - 2/5 - They have small swimming pool on the rooftop. Internet room is also available near the lobby
Entertainment - 4/5 - bigger LCD TV than Ibis. They provide DVD player too.
F&B - 4/5 - one door fridge with complimentary mineral waters and coffee making facilities. nice breakfast buffet
Service - 4/5 - they provide welcome drinks to every customer. Very thoughtful isn't it? They offered low rental rate for motorcycle (they even gave the bike with full tank -- unlike the one we rented at Ibis). We also left our luggage for them to take care (we came a little bit early for check in, so we left our luggage and moved around Patong first)
Okay.. i think that's all i have in mind. I really hope for a next visit since i didn't have the chance to do island hopping. Next time.... definitely next time! hehehe (if only duit berkepuk2 dalam poket kan ;p)
Till then.
Have a great weekend!
Regards,
