Since this was our last weekend to do any major sightseeing before the grand opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, we decided to make the most of it. Six of us ventured west to visit Phuket, Thailand. Most of you now know Phuket – as the horrible tsunami put this picturesque place on the map.
We were quite overwhelmed by the beauty of this city. Throughout the weekend, we all kept pinching ourselves to make sure what we were seeing was real. Words and my photos can’t begin to describe how pretty Phuket is.
Our resort had been spared by the brunt of the damage from the tsunami. In fact, one worker told us the waves only reached up to the pool area and didn’t damage any of the buildings. The resort, the JW Marriott, was unbelievably beautiful. The people of Thailand are some of the nicest I’ve ever met. They have such dedication to service and hospitality. We were greeted with traditional Thai bows and orchid lais when we arrived. Thai music was pumped through the resort, even in our rooms – it was so soothing.
One startling note – our airport shuttle was searched for bombs at the entrance to the hotel, as was our luggage. Apparently on the day we arrived there was a new security alert issued for Thailand and security was extremely tight.
I took more than 100 pictures, so obviously not all will fit on this blog. I’ll put them on in two sections. Today, you’ll see the resort and photos of our experience of a lifetime – elephant riding!
We were quite overwhelmed by the beauty of this city. Throughout the weekend, we all kept pinching ourselves to make sure what we were seeing was real. Words and my photos can’t begin to describe how pretty Phuket is.
Our resort had been spared by the brunt of the damage from the tsunami. In fact, one worker told us the waves only reached up to the pool area and didn’t damage any of the buildings. The resort, the JW Marriott, was unbelievably beautiful. The people of Thailand are some of the nicest I’ve ever met. They have such dedication to service and hospitality. We were greeted with traditional Thai bows and orchid lais when we arrived. Thai music was pumped through the resort, even in our rooms – it was so soothing.
One startling note – our airport shuttle was searched for bombs at the entrance to the hotel, as was our luggage. Apparently on the day we arrived there was a new security alert issued for Thailand and security was extremely tight.
I took more than 100 pictures, so obviously not all will fit on this blog. I’ll put them on in two sections. Today, you’ll see the resort and photos of our experience of a lifetime – elephant riding!
Mike getting his official Thai greeting and lai.
Mike, Steven, Angie, and Miguel at check-in.
This photo doesn’t do the hotel justice, but this is our wing.
In the lobby at check-in was this reflecting pool that led out to the ocean.
(At least the view, anyway.)
This is the pool – and this shot only shows half of it.
The view from our resort. It was a private beach with very rough surf. But there were massage tents set up where we could get a one-hour body massage on the beach for $10 USD.
We all got kissed by the elephants.. some took it better than others! 
This was the view from atop the elephants, on top of the mountain where we rode.
More Phuket postings later this week.
