Relaxation at it's finest
So this is where I got to sleep for the rest of the weekend ~ no lobby... But I can honestly say I have never seen a Holiday Inn in North America look this good!
The rumours are true... Massages in Thailand are fabulous and very affordable. Actually everything here is very affordable. When speaking with Beth prior to coming, I asked her how much I should budget to be spending each day. I said $100. She said we could only try to spend that much money in a day.
Again, the whole 'currency gymnastics' were a bit much in the morning trying to figure out just how much I paid for my tea at Starbucks ~ yes, there is a Starbucks in Phuket. 45 Baht seems like a lot ~ actually that is $1.12 US. So the rate was about 40:1, so looking at something that was 200 Baht, was really only $5.
Having never had a foot massage, Beth and I headed out to do this on our first day there. An hour of having someone pamper your feet is truly amazing and for $300 Baht with the tip or $7.50.
Equally amazing was the Thai food. You are able to order the dishes and they are about 100 Baht in the restaurant and this gives you a order of Thai chicken or Beef with Chili and Basil. The steamed rice comes with and extra 15 Baht. So typical meals out were spring rolls to start, 2 entrees, some rice, some drinks and we would leave the table full the 2 of us for under $15. You could also find food in the street. Significantly cheaper as they don't have the overhead of the building, half a pineapple was 10 Baht or a quarter, corn BBQ'd was $0.75. That being the case, I can see why this is a popular destination.
Our days here were limited to 2 but they were truly relaxing, as we took in massages, pedicures (how are the big toes Beth?), and I learned the value of looking at the bill you are handing over for a tip. While the Baht is coloured money, I managed to mistake a 500 Baht bill for 100 Baht and probably made the womans day when I gave her the tip.. Oh well, $12.50, it could have been worse.
I still had problems with the whole 'heckle them down' approach. I decided to venture out on my own for some purchases at the shops along the beach. Upon coming back Beth asked why I didn't have any bags. I told her they wanted 900 Baht for a skirt and she burst into laughter. The shirt, they wanted 500. Beth gave me a rough run down on what I should be paying and we wandered out again that evening to the night market where the antics consisted of me asking the price, them telling me and Beth shaking her head and motioning what she thought it was worth. All in all kinda funny but I can see how some folks might get ripped off.
Phuket is actually an island with many beaches surrounding it. We stayed at Patong Beach. Beth and Marc will be tying the knot in November here and I am sure it will be absolutley stunning. The wedding is to take place in Laguna, or at least that is the current plan. From what Beth tells me it is a bit less crowded, fewer people trying to sell you things, and the beaches are spectacular. Definitely a place to come back to!
The rumours are true... Massages in Thailand are fabulous and very affordable. Actually everything here is very affordable. When speaking with Beth prior to coming, I asked her how much I should budget to be spending each day. I said $100. She said we could only try to spend that much money in a day.
Again, the whole 'currency gymnastics' were a bit much in the morning trying to figure out just how much I paid for my tea at Starbucks ~ yes, there is a Starbucks in Phuket. 45 Baht seems like a lot ~ actually that is $1.12 US. So the rate was about 40:1, so looking at something that was 200 Baht, was really only $5.
Having never had a foot massage, Beth and I headed out to do this on our first day there. An hour of having someone pamper your feet is truly amazing and for $300 Baht with the tip or $7.50.
Equally amazing was the Thai food. You are able to order the dishes and they are about 100 Baht in the restaurant and this gives you a order of Thai chicken or Beef with Chili and Basil. The steamed rice comes with and extra 15 Baht. So typical meals out were spring rolls to start, 2 entrees, some rice, some drinks and we would leave the table full the 2 of us for under $15. You could also find food in the street. Significantly cheaper as they don't have the overhead of the building, half a pineapple was 10 Baht or a quarter, corn BBQ'd was $0.75. That being the case, I can see why this is a popular destination.
Our days here were limited to 2 but they were truly relaxing, as we took in massages, pedicures (how are the big toes Beth?), and I learned the value of looking at the bill you are handing over for a tip. While the Baht is coloured money, I managed to mistake a 500 Baht bill for 100 Baht and probably made the womans day when I gave her the tip.. Oh well, $12.50, it could have been worse.
I still had problems with the whole 'heckle them down' approach. I decided to venture out on my own for some purchases at the shops along the beach. Upon coming back Beth asked why I didn't have any bags. I told her they wanted 900 Baht for a skirt and she burst into laughter. The shirt, they wanted 500. Beth gave me a rough run down on what I should be paying and we wandered out again that evening to the night market where the antics consisted of me asking the price, them telling me and Beth shaking her head and motioning what she thought it was worth. All in all kinda funny but I can see how some folks might get ripped off.
Phuket is actually an island with many beaches surrounding it. We stayed at Patong Beach. Beth and Marc will be tying the knot in November here and I am sure it will be absolutley stunning. The wedding is to take place in Laguna, or at least that is the current plan. From what Beth tells me it is a bit less crowded, fewer people trying to sell you things, and the beaches are spectacular. Definitely a place to come back to!
posted by Carrie @ 9:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home