Tag Archive for Thailand

Holiday in Phuket (25th April to 1st May)

2 May 2014 Holiday No comments

So, the magic decision for a holiday relates to what, why, where, when and how, so here goes…

The Why? Well after a couple of months of really hard work (yes I do work very hard! haha), I decided I needed a well deserved holiday!

The Why? Well, I decided that it would be good to spend some ‘me time’ on a nice relaxing break away from Singapore, and try to re-charge my batteries. I’ve learnt that I know people can burn out very easily (work and life stress and all that, and it is not worth reaching that line in my life.

The Where? I decided to try out Phuket in Thailand, as I haven’t been there for years, and a friend suggested it to be a good getaway spot…with some ‘entertainment’ too. Whilst I was there to enjoy the sights and sounds, I was there to be a good boy and chill only!

The When? I had two date options in mind, the Easter period (Good Friday would be on 18th April), or the May Day Bank Holiday (1st May). I decided to go towards the end of May, and thus take advantage of the May Day Bank Holiday.

The how? Well I had 2 Tiger free flight codes to utilise (which came with my Tiger Airlines SCB Credit Card). They allow you to go to 11 destinations on Tiger Air (outward flight from Singapore only), so I might as well go with that. It is a totally free flight, however, I decided to check-in my luggage, so it only cost me $18 on the outward journey, and only S$114 for the return – so a generally cheap return flight.

I was recommended by a friend to stay at Yorkshire Hotel and Spa, in Patong town. I decided to give it a go, and arrived on Friday evening after work, to arrive late in the evening. After arriving, I managed to get a taxi to the hotel, and arrived in about 30 mins or so. It was so central, it was the perfect location, and it certainly was a short walk away from the main Patong beach. The hotel in the end was only THB10,080, which equated to SGD$407.69, equiv to SGD$68 per night. Pretty good value for money, methinks.

I decided to grab a quick bite outside and then head back for an early night. Over the next few days, I wanted to enjoy the beach and eateries in and around Patong, but also sample some of the night life as well (after all, that’s what Patong is famous for!). I was very keen to get some good (clean) massages in, so managed to locate one that seemed to be good quality, no funny business (no ‘extra service’), and very reasonable.

Whilst Patong has it’s dirty side, it is also a very nice place to relax, the beach is wonderful and very clean, and the people are so friendly. I got to know the beach crew very well as I stayed at the same area during my stay, they looked after me pretty well and it was good to chat with them. I also got to know a few of the regulars at the beach – great fun indeed. It is always good to chat with them, especially when you travel on your own, and it makes it more relaxing indeed!

Krabi Thailand Holiday – Nice!

1 May 2013 Entertainment, Holiday No comments

A group of colleagues for work were planning to do a dive and snorkelling trip over one weekend, and the invite was opened to me.  Not being a strong swimmer or diver, I was definitely keen to do a bit of snorkelling and also relaxing poolside.

One colleague arranged the hotels, I did the flights, and we headed-off to the airport for the 4-day break.  Having rained-heavily since early morning, the taxi didn’t seem to arrive, so I made my way to the MRT to the airport.  I knew I was cutting it fine, so I did have that dreaded ‘will I get to the airport on time’ moments.  My colleague who lived near Farrer Park finally managed to get a taxi and was en route when I got the call to offer to pick-me up – so i decided to get out at Dhoby Ghaut MRT, and the taxi took a slight detour to pick me up from there.  The long and short of it, we made it to the airport, with about 40 minutes spare – but our seats on check-in were the worse – the last row just in front of the rear toilets – grrr.  Hey-ho, at least we were on the flight!

We stayed at the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf and Spa Hotel – it was a nice place – and certainly made us feel very relaxed.  The breakfast was delightful and the location very quiet and relaxing.  It had quite a nice pool – white sand – and they were able to arrange the tours for us.  It was low season – so we didn’t have the quota for the Dive/Snorkelling trip nor the Kayaking trip – so we had to arrange this directly with the place rather than via the hotel – which actually made it slightly cheaper.  It is amazing how much for a mark-up or ‘cut’ is given by the hotel.

The food was very tasty – and our stomach’s behaved themselves for the whole trip.  This can’t be set for the boat journey during the snorkelling – as it was a bit choppy, and I had a bit of a turn for the worse – which was frustrating to say the least.  Luckily, after a couple of sea-sickness pills, my stomach settled down again – grrr!

All in all – a relaxing, busy, entertaining and great fun trip – and it was actually good to get to know the folks in a more relaxed setting.

 

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