Phuket honeymoon

Hi there everyone, I was wondering if anyone can recommend a holiday in Phuket for my son and his soon to be wife.I will be paying for the honeymoon and therefore am on a budget of aprox $3,000.They have never been to Phuket and neither have I. They would like to be on the beach or as close as, and like the look of Patong beach- location wise. I would like them to have a decent hotel.I am exhausted with looking up the mumerous hotels in Phuket and on Patong beach.Also could you let me know if it is safe to book on line packages or through a travel agent.I have seen some good specials on the internet with various agents. The honeymoon will be in early Nov this year, so is it worth hanging on for the specials as it is over my budget if I was to book now. I look forward to hearing from you all and thanks for such a great site and assistance from all.Cheers, Bonnie

Phuket honeymoon

Hi Bonnie,

AUS$3000 is plenty. We travelled to Phuket for our honeymoon in December, and in AUS$ it must have cost us about $4000 (though we were travelling from South Africa, and apart from Phuket we made a stop in Hong Kong and Bangkok).

We had a lovely time in Phuket, it was the perfect honeymoon. I would actually suggest that you look at hotels in Karon Beach (the next beach from Patong, about 3km away). It%26#39;s much, much quieter and far nicer. We found Patong ridiculously busy, and very few hotels are actually close to the ocean. We had a blast in Karon Beach, it was quiet enough to be romantic, yet there were loads of things to do, places to see, restuarants to eat, etc. Things like souvernirs are also generally a bit cheaper than in Patong. There%26#39;s no problem with the nighlife whatsoever, but if your kids really feel like checking out the Patong scene then all they have to do is grab a cab.

The hotel possibilities are endless, but we stayed at the Phuket Orchid Resort in Karon Beach (4star). For something more fancy you can also try the Hilton Arcadia (also in Karon) or the Le Meridien (located in a cove between Patong and Karon Beach).

There%26#39;s lots more I can tell you, perhaps you should rather have a look at my blog of our honeymoon and ask questions if you have any.

My blog:

realtravel.com/b-155578-world_blog-honeymoon鈥?/a>

Regards, Michelle

Phuket honeymoon

Hi Bonnie22OZ,

What a great gift for you son!

I have to say I was just in Patong for 3 hours on Thursday and found it unbearable. It is hardly a paradise. People trying to sell me things ever where I went, prostitutes on the street even in the day, traffic, smelly.. and this was just while I was looking for a watch repair... also it is not the cleanest beach in regards to water quality..

I would recommend Karon or Kata as a destination if you think they want to be near some nightlife, bars, shopping, restaurants and not to isolated. If they prefer total isolation then up north.

I work for a boutique hotel in Kata that is very romantic and popular with honeymooners and they do a nice set with flowers on the bed etc for honeymooners. We are currently #3 in all of Phuket and #1 in Kata on Trip Advisor. :)

For booking you can go through an agent, online agent or book direct. For the hotel where I work I recommend to book direct and the front desk manager will more then likely match any online price.. also mention you are a trip advisor member too.

Hilton is a great hotel as mentioned, very big and just opposite the beach. Also in Kata there is Kata Beach Resort which is beach front also quite large and Mom Tri%26#39;s Boathouse which is small, beachfront and botique.

Just down the road is MOm Tri%26#39;s Villa Royale, where I work and Katathani which is beach front and quite large.

Good luck !!

I would check whether they want a lively beach area or somewhere quieter, how they want to spend their time, like almost anywhere you can pay huge amounts or reasonable amounts, some hotels are already offering deals un to the 15 of November, most rates shoot up for high season from 1st November but some are offering into early November.

Which city are you flying from, airfares make up a huge part and where they are flying from can make a difference which airline / routing is best

Thanks for your reply,

They will be flying from Perth.They like the beach over here and have just got into surfing.They are quite flexible as long as it%26#39;s not too quiet where they stay.They have never been to Phuket either. Cheers, bonnie

Thanks Michelle, your phots and stories were fabulous. I enjoyed them a lot.Cheers and thanks Bonnie

Hi Bonnie, what a great mum you are. We are in our late 40%26#39;s and enjoyed the vibe of Patong once we got used to it. We also stayed at Karon and Kata Beach during our last trip. Kata is a great little place, but many of the hotels are around a 5-7 minute walk from the beach, (we stayed at Kata Palm in a pool access room). Karon Beach has some nice hotels across the road from the beach. We booked hotels through Sawadee last time and again for this and they have been great (see web site below).

Nov is the beginning of high season and prices are generally more than low season. How many nights are you looking at? As Monica suggested, you would need to have a fairly good idea of what they might like to do before you decide. Have a look at Cathy %26amp; Gary%26#39;s web page for info. I%26#39;ve also included a link to our photos from last trip with photos of all areas. Lee

http://phuket.sawadee.com/

www.cathyandgarystravelpages.com/phuket.htm

http://picasaweb.google.com/leebee88

Hi Bonnie,

I am an Australian living in Phuket. Came here for our honeymoon 17 years ago, loved it and have now lived here for the past 6 months.

Knowing how things are over here, wait until the end of April through to May to book. Rates will gernerally be higher for a November booking, as it is going to be coming into High season, but as the past high season was pretty bad with tourist numbers down, specials are going to fly out the door soon. For a honeymoon couple I would not reccommend patong - great if you are into the whole clubbing and girls scene - and yes, every time they head out the door they will be asked if they want to buy a shirt, have a massage, need a tuk tuk..etc..great in small doses, but not if you are trying to spend quiality time and enjoy the country. My suggestion would be Surin or Kamala beaches - only about 15 minutes from Patong, easy links to Patong -shops - trips - Surin is small and very beautiful - great restaurants and don%26#39;t get too much hassle. Kamala is a bit busier - I would suggest you look at this site: www.latestays.com I have used them numerous times. V. Good - also has links to the resorts themselves. Please feel free to email me if you have any uestions. I will try to help anyway I can!

Hi there - as a Phuket resident, I have to say I agree with all the responses that have said that Patong may not be ideal for honeymooners... just too busy, crowded, commercialized, etc. Kind of takes away from what should be a very special romantic vacation. Of course, maybe that%26#39;s because I live here and have a generally negative impression of Patong. Perfect for singles of course.

As per the last poster, the Kamala, Surin, Laguna area would be a better fit - better beaches and quieter. If you want to give them something REALLY special, you might want to look into the vacation rental offerings (as opposed to hotels) - these are generally very exclusive/intimate and of a very high standard. The new luxury development at Surin Hill (see http://www.rentals-phuket.com/rentals/propertyforrent_94.asp) has a honeymoon package available which might work out. Other%26#39;s include Phuket Pavilions (http://www.phuketpavilions.com) and Banyan Tree at Laguna Phuket. Good luck!