ห้องพัก • Our private garden.
They are Magicians at the Restauranthttps://youtu.be/9QHAoUs8F0I
https://fb.watch/7GDfV5IbW7/
Being secluded and having the sky pouring, it seemed all the guests chose to dine inhouse. The restaurant by the beach offered ala-carte, the other a buffet. We went to Big Fish, the one by the beach. They were supposed to have a fire show and a bonfire going on the beach, but it was raining. Big Fish was packed like a big sardine can. We had to wait, so did many others who turned up without reservations. Because the wait was also equally long for our orders, the staffs here amazingly doubles up as magicians going around the tables performing small tricks. They made a little crumble of paper vanish and appear behind my daughter’s ear. These small acts really pacified children on the verge of throwing hunger induced tantrums. Some of the staff also struck up pleasant conversation with other tables during the wait. I could hear them chatting about hidden gems on the island and elaborating on the attractions here and there. The staffs were all very knowledgeable, they are excellent travel advisors.
The culinary experience. My fish and chips… in my standard, was a disappointment. It was soggy. One of those cases of either a miscalculated batter mix, or wrong oil temperature, or it got soaked by rain on the way to the table, or it got left alone too long before being served. The meat was however succulent, it was no dory and that was important. Breakfast, you can be assured it is scrumptious and all your effort on diet will fail. In all my Marriott experiences, their breakfast had always been excellent. It is of the same consistency and quality here. There will always be some kind of local featured food in a Marriott’s breakfast, and over here it was fresh green coconut with the husk and all. One will be max for most, more and you will have wobbly legs for the rest of the day.
After breakfast and in between rain, strolling the grounds here was therapeutic. The backdrop of the hotel is a small hill. It was releasing fog that raised and joined the low clouds up. The theme of Marriott is, consistently, shades of bold industrial grey and in between, some refreshing green foliage. Over here, there is one more story to it which I did not quite get yet. Birds. On arrival in the grand lobby, you will be greeted by a large round sculpture of bird bath complete with running water and small sculptures of birds. I am no bird person, but I know they are no crows, not silly pigeons and definitely not chickens. On the several walls in our villa, there are large circular Chinese looking bird murals. And then there are these bird figurines rooted here and there throughout the resort. I spotted one on the roof. It was like discovering easter eggs in a Marvel movie and you can make a game out of it with children.
Activities for children. The pool in our villa of course. But because it rained and rained, the water had turned unappealing slightly murky. And it was nipple hardening cold. The big common pool between the Big Fish restaurant buildings, it looks out into the sea. It was charming and an excellent place to throw your child into. But again, it was cold. We did not swim, the rain was on. Still, there were a small handful of families with kids defying the rain and splashing about in there. No pool for my kid, the kid’s club was next. We were delighted when we learned we can send our kid there and come to collect her later. We jumped at it of course. The kid’s club has both an indoor and an outdoor area. Outside, they have a pirate ship themed playground and a wet area with water cannons. The cannons were not working sadly. That one hour that we were liberated from our kid, we went for a foot massage at the spa. After that, I wanted to conveniently forget about picking up my daughter but was met with wrath of the wife. The rain stopped. Back at the kids’ club, we decided to go strolling on the sandy bay next. When the staffs heard we were going to the beach, they brought out some beach toys for us. It was supered excellent hospitality.
I was here only for one night. This hotel is huge, but unfortunately, I did not have the time to explore and indulge in her full potential. This was largely because it rained all day while I was here. October, the onset of winter. When the rain comes, it does not stop for days. Lesson learned, October bad. Marriott Nai Yang is located on the western shores of Phuket just south of the airport. Getting here, we drove over rural roads, some parts flooded with water. It is indeed secluded. Away from the city and away from all the bustle, it is a sanctuary.
October, the waves comes in strong from the south west. Most west side beaches will be assaulted by high rolling waves but not here. The hotel is situated in a sheltered shallow bay. When the tide is low, you can walk out far from the shoreline. A few village boats were moored there, and they stood on sand. Many families were out strolling in the bay. Kids were building sandcastles. Some were spotting little sea life in the shallow water. We were busy playing with hermit crabs. A lone beach buggy was on its round. The crew from the hotel disembarked and picked up any rubbish they could find. Black trash bags got filled as they made their stops here and there. This is a public bay and there was no need of such dedication for a cleanup. The municipal should be taking care of it. I was impressed. The corporate social responsibility of Marriott is outstanding. I was inspired. I too started picking up bits of plastic. It is little actions like these that can save the ocean.
And then the rain came, all dashed towards shore and into the resort. For us, it was a direct dash onto the beach, over a hidden corridor among tall bushes and into our beachfront villa. There are 5 of these Beachfront 2 Bedroom Villas in the resort. And they are lavishly luxurious. At 370 square meters, there is a garden dotted with several sunbathing chairs. There is an outdoor pavilion that has a large round table and a daybed. Beside the connecting walkway to the room, is a plunge pool tiled in emerald green. When we made our choice for 2 bedrooms, we were expecting the standard 2 rooms configuration under one roof. 2 bedrooms here is not the standard. It is actually 2 separated self-contained houses each with their own bedroom. The main house has a generous bathroom. It has 2 separated vanity counters, one bathtub, a shower room and another for the loo. Decked out in white marble, brightly lit, it was extravagant. The bedroom is where the exceptionally comfortable king-sized bed is. It faces a large flatscreen that you can watch movies all day in. In this bedroom, there is a sofa right by the window that overlooks the pool outside. Between the bedroom and the living room, a compartment where the dressing counter and the coffee table is. And the living room itself is huge with a hefty sofa facing an equally hefty screen. Open the large glass doors and there is a narrow pond that separates the 2 houses. And in the other house, 2 queen-sized beds, another large screen TV and a bathroom of its own. This villa is rated with a max occupancy of 6, but I think you can have 26. Easily, it can accommodate 3 generations of your family all under one unit.
3 generations of a family, we saw several of those on the long weekend we were here. The resort is considered crowded when it is supposed to be desolated this Covid period. There were almost no foreigners, all the guests were domestic travelers. This again, the successful signs of effective adapt and recover strategy. Hotels offering great bargains that locals can’t resist. Good on you Marriott, this is the way to survive and we don’t want you to go away anytime soon, because this hotel is just fantastic.
We checked out of the hotel reluctantly at noon. There was so much to do but our short stint did not allow. I longed for another trip to Phuket in the future and to really spend some time here. And I did make a booking for Jan 2021 to return. Overseas and locally, business or holidays, all my Marriott stays have been remarkable. One last look out the car window over the bird bath sculpture into the horizon beyond, stepped on the gas and out the fabulous sanctuary. Over to the next Bonvoy destination we headed that is on an island nearby.
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