We traveled to Mai Khao, Phuket for the first time in August 2019. Hotels, beaches, spas, a one-day boat trip to Phi Phi and Bamboo islands, local restaurants, and more. We summarized our trip so anyone considering a trip to Phuket can get a good idea of how to spend their best times there.
Our trip in summary
| City | Phuket, Thailand |
| Date | August 24-28, 2019 |
| Companion | Remi and Koichi |
| Purpose | summer vacation! to get out of the concrete jungle |
| Total cost | roughly ¥100,000 per person (flight & hotel ¥70,000) |
| Overall | ★★★★★ |
| Thoughts | highly recommend JW Marriott Phuket, would love to revisit! |
We will break down our whole trip, but if you are looking for something specific, jump to whichever section. If you don’t have time, jump to “Overall thoughts and recommendations” where I summarize the trip.
Day 1
flight and hotel
| 14:25 | Air Asia Tokyo(Narita) 14:25 → Bangkok(DMK) 19:10 duration of flight: 6h 45min |
| 19:10 | ~2h35m layover~ |
| 21:45 | Air Asia Bangkok(DMK) 21:45 → Phuket(HKT) 23:00 |
| 23:00 | via taxi Phuket(HKT) → JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa |
| 23:30 | hotel check-in |
- make sure you do online check-in, so it saves a lot of time because you can avoid group tourists checking-in at the counter, all you have to do is drop off the luggage (probably not only for Air Asia though)
- the Air Asia check-in counter in Narita was a little apart from other airlines so you might want to search beforehand
- it is an LCC so of course, there are no screens at the back of the chair. if you can’t sleep on the plane, you would want to download Netflix or Amazon prime before you get onboard…
- we took an official taxi from Phuket airport to the hotel. they have a fixed price from the airport to the hotel. we arrived late at 23:00 but there seemed to be plenty of vacant taxi cabs.
- even though it was a very late check-in, the staff was very polite and welcoming
Day 2
hotel rooms, hotel pools, fancy restaurants
| 10:00 | brunch at the hotel restaurant |
| 12:00 | chilling in hotel rooms, exploring the hotel |
| 15:00 | a little dip in the hotel outside pool |
| 19:00 | dinner at Sea Fire Salt |
| 21:00 | drinks at the hotel bar |
hotel breakfast
- the optional hotel breakfast was great, buffet style, lots of local Thai food and western food
- there are a few places to get food outside of the hotel but during the rainy season, you probably wouldn’t even want to go out…so the optional hotel breakfast is highly recommended!
- but 10:00 was pretty late for breakfast apparently, so we had to wait about 30min to get seated (only if jetlag didn’t hit you so hard… )
inside the hotel
- we got a “Deluxe Room, 1 King Bed, Garden View” room. it was cheaper than the ocean view room, and the garden view was good enough for us
- the inside and outside is exactly how it is pictured here, very clean, spacious, luxurious!
- the rooms, services, food, staff, everything was high-quality!
the hotel pool
- there was an adult pool(↑the one on the right) and kids pool(↑the one on the left). although it is not that big, if you want to lay down and enjoy the serenity, I recommend the adult pool(it just means no kids)
- the staff there will give you complimentary towels and the parasols and chairs are free too, so you wouldn’t need to bring your hotel room towels
- as pictured on the map above, the beach is literally 3min walk from the hotel. we would have been out on this beach more if it weren’t for the monsoon season…:(
local seafood restaurant
- I booked us the fanciest (research conducted by me) restaurant in the vicinity(about 5min by foot from JW Marriott), “Sea Fire Salt“
- the location, food, cocktails, and service were great, but maybe a little overpriced…? I am not a food critic so let’s leave it at that…for restaurant reviews on Tripadvisor, click here!
the hotel bar
- the hotel bar served great cocktails. highly recommend the one with coconut!
Day 3
Mandara Spa and Patong beach
| 10:00 | brunch at the hotel restaurant |
| 12:00 | spa at the hotel spa (Mandara Spa) |
| 15:00 | a little visit to Patong beach via taxi |
| 18:00 | dinner at a local Thai food restaurant |
| 21:00 | taxi ride back to the hotel |
Mandara Spa
- since it was rainy and cloudy, we decided to book a spa at the hotel Mandara spa(one of the best indoor activities/experiences during the rainy season I think).
- it was a little pricy, but considering the exquisite experience, followed by complimentary Chai tea, fruit, and souvenirs(body scrubs and aroma body oil) after the treatment, I think it was totally worth it! a very calm, serene, peaceful, relaxing time.
Patong beach
- the rain stopped in the afternoon so we went to Patong beach, where it was said to be one of the hot spots in Phuket.
- we took a taxi from the hotel, and it also had a fixed price this time too. it was about an hour’s ride. quite unexpected, but there was a lot of traffic, the afternoon through the night seemed to be the busiest time.
- to be honest, I don’t think it was worth the time and money for us. it was crowded, noisy, loud, lots of traffic, like Shibuya or Shinjuku-Nichoume if you know what I mean. it probably wasn’t the wisest choice for someone who just came from those places.
Day 4
one day boat tour to Phi Phi and Bamboo island
| 04:30 | pick up at the hotel lobby to Royal Phuket Marina |
| 06:00 | boat ride to the Phi Phi island and Bamboo island |
| 07:30 | 2 or 3 snorkeling spots |
| 11:00 | lunch at Phi Phi island |
| 12:30 | one hour free time at Bamboo island |
| 15:00 | back ride back to the Royal Phuket Marina |
| 16:00 | a little dip in the hotel outside pool to cool our severely sunburnt skin lol |
| 18:00 | dinner at a hotel deli |
the boat
- we booked our tour via Veltra one or two days before. click here for the specific tour we booked. there were some similar tours you can book at the hotel, but we wanted to see reviews, so we booked through one of those websites.
- here is the summary of this tour; terrible terrible boat ride, but beautiful islands/beaches.
- there seemed to have been two options for the boat; a big but slow one, or a small and fast one. ours was the latter, it was fast for sure, but the ride was deadly… it crashes and bumps to the waves so hard, it literally makes us float from the seat, and this torture continues for an hour. it comes down to this; would you take a torturous boat ride over time or not.
snorkeling and islands
- the boat stopped at a couple of snorkeling spots, which the water was very clear and can find lots of fishes
- they lent us snorkeling goggles(I’m not sure what you call them lol) and even life jackets if you ask.
- Phi Phi island and Bamboo island was for sure very beautiful. we would have wanted a little more than one hour of free time…
- the guides spoke good English, and were very kind and caring, made sure everyone was having fun throughout the tour
- overall, I will definitely recommend a boat tour to one of the nearby islands. it definitely has more clear beaches than the main island
Day 5
going home 🙁
| 06:00 | taxi ride to the airport |
| 08:00 | Air Asia Phuket → Bangkok(DMK) 9:25 |
| 09:25 | ~1h40min layover ~ |
| 11:05 | Bangkok(DMK) → Tokyo(Narita) 19:25 duration of flight: 5h 50min |
| 19:25 | back to reality 🙁 |
- if you are leaving early, you may want to book a taxi beforehand
- the taxis only take cash(as I recall) so make sure you have some left!
- if you’re out of cash, JW Marriott has an ATM so don’t worry!
- we took a flight to Bangkok first, then from Bangkok to Tokyo, so we weren’t sure if we were supposed to go to the domestic or international terminal…turns out you have to go to the international terminal!!! lol luckily they weren’t so apart, but those who are going back to their home countries via Bangkok, please go to the international terminal lol
Overall thoughts and recommendations
Our first time in Phuket turned out to be exactly what we wanted; a serene, luxurious resort, where we can forget the reality and the always busy city life.
The Thai food was great, the local people were very kind, the hotel was more than expected…but would have enjoyed more if we had more sunshine! We would love to revisit during the dry season next time!
JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa
- highly recommended for those who are looking for a quiet, luxurious stay, this is the one! also recommended for those who have an early flight out or a late arrival flight. it is very close to the airport, about a 30 min taxi ride
- the room was clean, the service was great, would love to revisit during the dry season! probably couldn’t afford this during the dry season lol
- I think there is another Marriott hotel in Phuket(Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin beach), but make sure its the JW Marriott by the Mai Khao beach!
flower petals! 
loved these little details
Mandara Spa
- a little pricy, but if you want a professional relaxing spa, then go for it! it is also great during the rainy season for indoor activities
Patong beach
- one of the busiest spots of Phuket, but it is not for people looking for a quiet resort
Boat tour to Phi Phi island and Bamboo island
- Phi Phi island and Bamboo island were both very beautiful islands, the water is much clearer than the main island
- if you don’t mind the boat ride, then I would highly recommend one of these tours!
- if you get seasick easily, please take the bigger boat! thank me later!
- the early morning tour is recommended, the islands will get more crowded during the lunch and afternoon time!
Other tips
- the sunlight is much stronger than what you feel in Japan, so be prepared to get a severe sunburn! if you get sunburnt easily, please trust me and put on A LOT OF sunscreen(and aloe), because it will go from a cute tan to aching and swelling up and regretting real fast!
- I think the taxis only accepted cash, so make sure you leave some cash for your ride to the airport!
Here’s a Google Map, for reference
On a personal note…
This is my first ever travel blog, still figuring out how to do this thing…
When I do research for trips myself, I also read some of these travel blogs and it had helped me a lot. But I also realized that there aren’t so many that share their itineraries or schedules, which helps you plan out or gives you an image of your whole trip. So this was my go.
And as you have probably figured by now, I am pretty picky about the flights, accommodations, food or any experiences because let’s face it, traveling is not cheap and I don’t want to waste money on something that is not worth it…or probably just my anxiety that makes me want to know every little detail beforehand? lol.
So especially for someone like me, who wants to make the best out of their well-deserved day-offs, I just hope this post will give peer travelers a nice image or an idea for their next travel!
Lastly, if you haven’t already, please consider Japan as your next destination!
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