It is difficult to imagine another country in Southeast Asia, which would be as popular among Russian tourists as Thailand. The tropical, unimaginable, almost fabulous kingdom attracts completely different categories of tourists: budget tourists, students and party-goers, lovers of safari and extreme sports, pilgrims, sightseeing travelers, wealthy and demanding guests who like to relax at the highest level, courageous and not wide-pocket sex tourists. The multifaceted and ambiguous Thailand can offer everyone entertainment to taste.
You should only choose the right resort. Bright and passionate lovers of relaxation “with a peppercorn” will use bright Pattaya. Capital Bangkok attracts shoppers or city lovers. But the colorful Samui and Phuket take demanding tourists, lovers of relaxation in the style of the "Bounty" or family travelers.
Phuket - an ambiguous resort with a strange name
Phuket - the largest island of Thailand, it is connected to the mainland by a bridge.
People fly to Phuket for perfect beaches, picturesque views, rich in SPA, delicious food, but this resort knows what to do for those who prefer to have fun or culturally enrich themselves. In Patong, there are many budget hotels, clubs, this is not such a gambling area as the "mecca of debauchery of Pattaya," but it is also very boring and much safer.
Family travelers and those looking for a quiet relaxing holiday should take a look at hotels on the west coast of Phuket.
Phuket is not only the most spacious, but also the most hilly and embossed island of Thailand. Tourists who fly in order to visit any specific attractions, it is advisable to look for a hotel near these same attractions. Renting a car in Phuket is not a problem, but the hilly terrain and the very difficult, ambiguous situation with the rules and traditions of driving make many tourists abandon the idea of independent autotravel around the island.
What to look for when choosing a hotel in Phuket
When choosing a hotel in Phuket, you should pay attention to its price, location, quality of the beach, reviews of tourists and a range of services. In general, housing here is more expensive than in the same Pattaya, but the rest here is much better and safer.
The rationalism of official accreditation on the "star" principle in Thailand, or rather the absence of this very rationalism, puzzles many travelers. However, the same unfortunate trend is found in Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia.
In addition, the official category of the hotel may, to put it mildly, differ from the real state of affairs, you must be prepared in advance. For example, The Blue Pearl Kata 3 hotel has a 3 * category, but in terms of quality of services it can compete with many fours. A correctly selected hotel can take any vacation to a new level, so when choosing a hotel in Thailand, you should arm yourself with suspicions of star accreditation of hotels and not be lazy when collecting reviews and useful information about hotels in this many-sided resort.
The Blue Pearl Kata Hotel 3 (Phuket)
This small budget boutique hotel, made in a nice marine style, is ideal for youth recreation. The hotel is located in the center of the tourist town of Kuta, 50 meters from the beach.
The official check-in time is 2:00 p.m.
The official departure time is 12:00.
The hotel does not accommodate tourists with pets.
The Blue Pearl Kata has non-smoking rooms. For some, this may seem strange, but in Thailand the main category of the population is “smokers,” which is why smoking is allowed by default in all rooms and public places. But the hotels have special rooms for non-smokers. In general, everything is exactly the opposite, when compared with world practice.
Children under the age of two years can stay at the hotel free of charge (without extra bed)
The hotel has Russian-speaking staff.
The composition of vacationers is not very motley, consists mainly of Russian tourists, Asian youth. Pilgrims who have come to bow to the statue of the Big Buddha, which is very close by, also stop at the hotel.
Hotel location
The Blue Pearl Kata has a very favorable location. Most of all, the benefits of such a successful hotel location can be appreciated by dynamic tourists who like to visit attractions, travel to interesting places, go shopping, etc.
The hotel is 32 km from Phuket International Airport.
Just 800 meters away is the famous Big Buddha statue. The statue is located on a hill, so that it can be seen from almost anywhere in southern Phuket. This is one of the most significant monuments of Buddhism in the whole world.
Kata Observation Deck is 3 km from the hotel.
Also known Thai markets, Kata Temple, numerous restaurants and cafes, shops, travel agencies, entertainment centers are a few meters from the hotel.
Infrastructure at the hotel
The Blue Pearl Kata 3 * hotel has two swimming pools, a restaurant with a Swedish line, a bar, parking, a lounge. The hotel area is stylish, well decorated, but very small. The two rooftop pools are very small, with sun loungers and parasols. The hotel has an elevator. The restaurant "Turtle" at the hotel is popular not only among hotel guests, but also among other tourists. Tourists accustomed to huge hotels can be disappointed, because this hotel does not have gyms, games rooms, tennis courts, or huge pools with slides. The hotel is more suitable as a clean comfortable place for night sleep and breakfast, and tourists should seek entertainment in the city or on the beach.
Nutrition
In a 3 * hotel in the very center of the resort Kata it would not be logical to organize “All inclusive”, because most of the guests do not spend the whole tourist day on the hotel territory. The Blue Pearl Kata has a wonderful, colorful marine-style bar and breakfast restaurant. Breakfast is served in buffet style. Breakfast starts at 07:00 and ends at 10:00.
The hotel is located in the vicinity of the Thai market, where the street food industry is very developed. Street food in Thailand, with all its spice and attractiveness, is a dangerous experiment for Slavic stomachs. Even for those who are going to eat only in decent establishments, a first-aid kit with enterosorbents in their luggage will not be superfluous. Water should only be bought in sealed bottles. Local fruits are known all over the world, it is impossible to deny yourself the pleasure of tasting local fruits, so you should not even try. You can protect yourself if you thoroughly wash the fruit.
Kata Beach
The Blue Pearl Kata 3 Phuket Kata features an entire beach buffet.
The hotel is just 50 meters from Kata Beach. This is one of the most picturesque beaches of Phuket and the whole of Thailand. The beach is a little in the bay, so formidable waves, thrilling only inveterate surfers, are very rare here. On the contrary, Kata Beach is 1 km of a quiet, calm coastline. The entrance to the sea is gentle, suitable even for children and beginners.
Beaches Karon and Patong
A 10-15 minute leisurely walk from the hotel is Karon Beach. Directly adjacent to it are many residences and huge chain hotels. Consequently, Karon is the cleanest, pompous and comfortable beach. It is not located in a bay or bay, therefore the water is cleaner, but sometimes the ocean can be too rebellious, and the waves are too high, especially in the rainy season. In such situations, a “red flag” is hung on the beach.
The feature of Karon Beach is its unusual quartz sand. Its texture is not like ordinary, it crunches underfoot, like snow, and under direct sunlight it heats much less than ordinary sand.
The proximity to expensive hotels contributed to the fact that on this beach the infrastructure is most developed: many shopping centers, water sports, entertainment centers, restaurants, Thai markets.
Patong Beach is a 15-minute drive from The Blue Pearl Kata Beach Hotel. This is the most crowded, noisy and depraved beach of Phuket. It is very well equipped, but always crowded, it is definitely not suitable for a peaceful vacation, but for fun and acquaintances it is an ideal place.
All these beaches are public, therefore, all the infrastructure for tourists on the beaches is paid: sunbeds, umbrellas, mattresses. Beach towels are provided on deposit at Blue Pearl Kata Phuket.
Hotel service
As you know, all the services offered to guests in hotels can be divided into free ones, or those that are already included in the room price, and paid ones, those for which you must pay separately. Mostly tourists pay extra for optional services: internet, sea view, babysitting or laundry services, use of a safe. The nice feature of The Blue Pearl Kata Hotel is that most of the services in it are already included in the price. This despite the fact that the price of a room in this hotel is below average.
Free services:
- daily room cleaning;
- free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and in the rooms;
- concierge;
- luggage office;
- taxi ordering;
- wake-up call service;
- parking;
- 24-hour reception;
- use of a safe in each room;
- Beach towels.
Paid services:
- laundry and dry cleaning services;
- transfer from / to the airport;
- Rent a Car.
Rooms
The Blue Pearl Kata Hotel has 3 41 rooms. All are decorated in a pleasant marine style. The rooms are of category Standart, Superior and Deluxe. The average area of one is 24 sq.m.
Each room has a double bed or two single (twin), air conditioning, safe with electronic lock, TV with three Russian channels, telephone, desk, wardrobe, electric kettle and free coffee and tea making facilities, minibar (1 bottle of water) for each guest once a day for free). Iron, ironing board, hair dryer are available upon request at the reception. The bathroom has a shower, toilet, washbasin, toiletries, slippers, bathrobes, towels.
Housekeeping is done daily. Towels are changed once a day, bed linen twice a week.
Entertainment and sports
Phuket is a very entertainment-rich resort, so many hotels do not have animation or a rich entertainment infrastructure. This is the prerogative of Egyptian and Turkish hotels with their ubiquitous all inclusive.
Tourists who wish to spend half a day without leaving the Blue Pearl Boutique Hotel at Kata have every chance to get bored. For entertainment, the hotel has only two small rooftop pools with sun loungers and umbrellas with pleasant city views and free internet. There is a minigolf club 50 meters from the hotel. And on the beaches of Kata or Padong, the whole range of water sports.
Also in Kata lovers of successful shopping can take their souls. In addition to stores of well-known chains, the area also has many authentic markets and retail outlets with local interests. Tourists buy mainly spices, spices, fruits that can be brought, dried fruits, sweets, essential oils.
The Blue Pearl Kata. Tourists reviews
Guest reviews are a rich source of information that helps inexperienced guests form an opinion about resorts and hotels that they have not been to. One should only soberly perceive the information gleaned from such recommendations. Naturally, the opinion of most tourists is very subjective.
As for the The Blue Pearl Kata 3 * hotel, the reviews about it are mostly positive, but there are quite contradictory and frankly negative ones.
The authors of positive reviews point out a good combination of price / quality in terms of services, the availability of Russian-speaking staff, excellent location, stylish design, free internet, use of a safe, and friendly staff.
In negative reviews, travelers complain about poor food, slow service, small rooms, a tiny pool, the quality of cleaning, which is slightly improved in accordance with the size of the tip. Also, the authors of negative reviews rightly noted that the rooms of even one category and the same in price can significantly differ in quality and design.