Thai holiday bargains: kick some serious baht

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This was published 14 years ago

Thai holiday bargains: kick some serious baht

Price is right ... a private pool at Mom Tri's Villa Royale.

Price is right ... a private pool at Mom Tri's Villa Royale.

You can spend less than $20 a night and have a great time on Koh Lanta, $200 a night and enjoy yourself in Patong, or splash out on a suite in a top beachfront resort and live the high life but if you really want to save, visit Thailand in the off season.

From May to October, the period the locals call the green season, prices drop dramatically and there are far fewer tourists.

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Many guidebooks advise against visiting during the monsoon period when there is more rain and seas can be rougher. We visited for two weeks in August and there was rain on four days but it's the perfect opportunity to read a book or have a Thai massage.

The sun shone the rest of the time and prices were ludicrously low.

It doesn't matter how much, or how little, you spend, Thailand offers something for every budget and there have seldom been as many great offers.

Luxury

The views from our suite are extraordinary. There's an aquamarine saltwater pool twinkling in the sunlight, perched above rocks being pounded by crashing waves. Some brave surfers are tackling the swell as they make their way to the golden sands of Kata Noi Beach.

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We knew Mom Tri's Villa Royale was somewhere special from the moment we arrived and the staff immediately offered us a cranberry herbal tea, welcome bracelets made from brightly coloured local flowers and ice-cold hand towels before we went through the check-in formalities.

Attention to detail is the hallmark of any great hotel and at Mom Tri's things seem to happen by osmosis.

It's one of the great hostelries of Phuket, sister hotel to the venerable Mom Tri's Boathouse but smaller, more intimate. All the rooms have contemporary Thai decor, fabulous bathrooms, satellite televisions, private balconies and free wireless access.

There's plenty of choice as to the style of accommodation that most suits you. A room with a private plunge pool? Certainly, sir. A room with a private wine cellar? Come right this way.

There's a magnificent spa, with a range of treatments starting from Bt1200 ($44) an hour to Bt5500 for the three-hour Royale treatment, which features body masks, scrubs and soaking in an aromatic milk bath before ending with a massage.

Mom Tri's is not the trendiest resort around. It's not the newest but guests tend to return year after year because the management gets things just right. Everything is seamless. Your room is somehow serviced in the few minutes you are out doing some shopping. There are no knocks on the door, no intrusions at all. The staff seem to move at the pace you want to move.

Little touches are everywhere traditional baggy fisherman's pants you can take home with you and a delightful morsel left every day in your suite (maybe a passionfruit custard tart to pique your appetite).

Mom Tri's Kitchen, overlooking the crystal waters below, has an award-winning wine list and serves superb Thai fusion food (in-house guests get 25 per cent off).

Suites range from Bt11,500 to Bt24,000 a room a night, plus taxes, but in low season can cost as little as Bt7000 with packages offering further reductions.

Nearby shops and other restaurants, including Mom Tri's Boathouse and the new Mom Tri's Oasis, are a bit of a hike but, of course, reception is happy to arrange a taxi.

Mid-range

Patong is action central in Phuket; the place to be for nightlife, markets, restaurants and Muay Thai boxing bouts.

It's noisy, it's brash but it's where the bulk of people want to be. The Mercure Patong, part of an international chain, is just a short walk from the beach, within a stroll of the top shopping centres but just off the main drag.

The 249-room hotel centres on a large swimming pool with most rooms having balconies overlooking the swimming area and swim-up bar.

The Mercure has no delusions of grandeur but it is a perfect base, particularly for families who want everything on their doorstep without the night-time hustle and bustle (and Patong's nightlife, particularly on Bangla Road, can get pretty rowdy).

The hotel has all the comforts you'd expect from a quality chain an on-site restaurant that offers Thai food, Western cuisine and good buffet breakfasts, Wi-Fi connections, a kids' club, fitness centre and spa, along with meeting rooms and a business centre. A one-hour aromatherapy massage in the plush Venus Spa costs Bt1200, with traditional Thai massage, for those who really want to stretch themselves, kicking in at Bt500.

Patong Beach is kept beautifully clean all year round, which cannot be said for many other beaches during the wet season, and is just a five-minute walk away for those keen to hire a jet ski or go paragliding.

The flashy new Jungceylon Shopping Mall is a similar walk in the opposite direction. The rooms are extremely well-appointed with flat-screen televisions, international channels, electronic safes and private balconies. The Moon Bar, on the roof, is a great spot for an evening cocktail (a couple of drinks cost us Bt325), while outstanding restaurants including Baan Rim Pa, Savoey Seafood, Floyd's at Burasari and White Box are all close by.

The staff are brisk and efficient without any real warmth but this is a hotel for sleeping in, close to the action, not a place to spend a week lazing around. Room rates here start from a very reasonable Bt2500 a double (great value when you consider the quality of the rooms) but prices depend on the time of year, rising in high season. Check the internet for late offers.

Budget

We had absolutely everything we needed. A Thai/Balinese-style beach bungalow, traditionally furnished, overlooking a swimming pool with views directly onto Klong Dao Beach in Koh Lanta. Behind us were hills covered in impenetrable rainforest.

Our villa had a king-size bed, cable television, a DVD with access to a free (and extensive) library, air-conditioning, mini bar fridge, safety deposit box and wireless internet.

We had our own tiny garden with outdoor dining setting, hammocks and daybed and access to refreshingly cool spa pools. There was a free fruit platter on arrival, free bottled water daily and a chocolate on our pillow at night.

The only jarring note was the outdoor bathrooms (it takes time to get used to squirting water up your bum rather than using toilet paper) but hey, how can you complain when you are paying less than $20 a night for all this?

Ancient Realm is an absolute gem for those on a tight budget. Just a short tuk-tuk drive from the main Koh Lanta town of Saladan (and the ferries that link Koh Lanta with Krabi), Ancient Realm offers a restaurant and bar right on the beach (beers from Bt35), a makeshift cinema and open-air health spa, where massages cost just Bt175 and body scrubs Bt250.

Staff were fairly thin on the ground at times; one lady appeared to do everything from servicing the rooms, working at the bar to cooking meals. Sometimes you had to actively seek out a staff member but that was no real hardship, although much communication was by sign language.

Once, when I ordered a brandy and none was available, a staff member went to a nearby shop to get me a small bottle. That's service!

Off season we were paying Bt600 a night (including breakfast) and there was still no shortage of things to do within walking distance. An elephant trekking operation was nearby, Lanta Thai Cooking School picked us up and deposited us back again, there was a cocktail bar and very funky restaurant, Time For Lime, right next door and several other good restaurants, including Red Snapper and the Lanta Tavern, were within walking distance.

For a dollar or two, Sun, a local motorcycle taxi guy (No. 755), would transport us anywhere we wanted to go, including the local Sunday market, wait for us and then bring us back.

Peak-season prices start from about Bt2200 a night but there are other internet offers worth exploring.

The writer was a guest of Mom Tri's and the Mercure.

TRIP NOTES

Mom Tri's Villa Royale, 12 Kata Noi Beach, Phuket 83100. Phone +66 7633 3569, see villaroyalephuket.com.

Mercure Patong Phuket, 239/14 Raj-U-Thid 200 Pee Road, Patong, Phuket 83150, phone +66 7630 2100, see mercurepatongphuket.com.

Ancient Realm, 364 Moo 3, Saladan, Koh Lanta Yai, Krabi 81150. Phone: +66 7568 4016, see ancientrealmresort.com.

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