Not really a JBR... :(

Well, let me start by saying that when I first arrived to Phuket, I had in my mind that I was going to write a great JBR, filled with loads of info for you guys, however this was not the case.

To cut a long story short, we got there on the 17th of September, spent a few AMAZING days exploring our hotel (Cape Panwa), its surroundings, a bit of Phuket town and a bit of Patong... The next days which followed included the pains in my stomach getting more and more unbearable that I ended up spending the last 3 days of our holiday (including my 21st birthday) in Phuket Hospital (due to a really severe case of the evil stomach bug)! And let me note that we only booked for an 8 day trip! So 4 out of 8 I didnt get to do ANYTHING! :(

Ive put this %26#39;JBR%26#39; on hold because obviously Ive been suffering from a REALLY bad case of %26#39;post-holiday depression.%26#39; Im okay now, just a bit unsure and confused about what and how it all happened! I wanted to do all the touristy things you%26#39;re suppose to do but instead was confined to a hospital bed on a beautiful island!! Oh well, next time!!

Well Ive had my rant, now let me tell you about the things that I did get to see and do...

Flight -

With Tiger Airways from Perth, were quite happy with them overall. They were on time and everything went smoothly, their planes are small and cramped, but you get what you pay for! Next time, we will definitely pay the extra for the exit rows, just to have a bit more leg room.

Cape Panwa Resort and Spa-

We had an early 11am check in, no problems with that. The room we had (which was in F block) was beautiful! I couldnt have asked for more, they had everything you need. The air-con worked perfectly, it had great views of the beach. AMAZING!! :) Only things is that a lot of the staff didnt seem to know much english, which was tough.

Yes it is a bit far from Patong but the location made up for any of that. It was a bit frustrating for us though because it was our first time to Phuket and so we relied on drivers, the hotel staff etc for direction. So maybe not a good choice for first timers...

Sawasdee Restraurant - great value. Great prices and good food. It is located at the bottom of the hill.

Home Massage - great group of girls, really friendly. My boyfriend and I both got full body massages (1 hour) for 300 baht each! Located up the hill, nearer to the hotel.

Phuket Town -

Didnt really see much of the town. Went to Ocean Plaza, not that great, just needed some supplies. Went to Phuket night markets, stocked up on chanel and mac make up. Great prices (eg. chanel lip stick and lip gloss - 100 baht, mac eye makeup - 200 baht). Otherwise, the range of stuff they have there isnt as good as Patong. However, the stuff is cheaper.

Patong -

Great shopping. Annoying and pestering sales people.

Bit overwhelming at first. Got used to bartering really fast. All I can say is DO NOT back down. If you say this is all you will pay, and they still dont accept, WALK AWAY! Most of the time they will accept. lol

Prices -

Chanel handbag - 2000 baht (fantastic quality)

LV handbag - 2000 baht (fantastic quality)

Fendi handbag - 1500 baht (fantastic quality)

DVDs Mr Noons - 50 baht each (bought 30, all worked well).

So thats the end of my long long report! Sorry if I went on a bit. Theres probably things I have missed so if you have any questions please ask! Im more than happy to help (with what I can! lol) Thanks everyone for all your help! I will try to post pictures!!

x Marie x :)

Not really a JBR... :(

Oh no , poor you! Was it something you had eaten do you think? Such a shame when you only had such a short trip. We are going to Bangkok and Koh Tao in Feb and we too only have a short trip, due to family and work commitments. It does worry me the dreaded tummy bug! Hope you get to return soon x

Not really a JBR... :(

Marie, At least you got a bit of shopping done before you got sick and being in hospital.I feel for you. I got the tummy bug the day before we flew back to Abu Dhabi. Husband told the hosties I had morning sickness and my two daughters looked at him strange with the look ';Yeh Right';.I%26#39;m still not feeln good. But there is next year to return.

Hey Marie, you poor old sausage. What a terrible way to spend your holiday. Any idea what made you crook?

Maybe you could do a jbr on the hospital?

Do you know if you have a regular job in Oz, you can claim sick leave if you are sick while you are on holidays? Unless that has been changed recently. Might be worth looking into. Means the next holidays will come sooner.

I hope you are all over it now.

Better luck next time.

Mark.

Hi Marie, I really do commiserate with you as I suffered a really bad stomach bug. Fortunately, our holiday was a lot longer than 8 days. I hope you%26#39;re now fit and well and organising another trip to do all the things you missed out on this time.

We%26#39;re also travelling Tiger and I%26#39;m so pleased we made the decision to book the exit row seats. I%26#39;m dreading turning up at the airport and finding they%26#39;ve somehow been allocated elsewhere.

Well done with your shopping - at least you have something to show that you actually did travel.

Hi Marie

I really feel for you. Both our boys (6 %26amp; 8) got sick on our second day in Phuket and we had to stay in the room for two days. We took them to a doctor and got them medicine which helped. Hubby and I were going crazy sitting in a hotel room.

Colesy

PS Jo are you sure it wasn%26#39;t the wine that made you sick????

Oh Marie, you poor thing, I hope you are feeling heaps better now.

We are only going for 9 days in November, fingers crossed that we avoid that dreaded bug.

Marie you poor thing, so sorry you were ill. I have heard however if your going to get sick that is the place to do it as the hospitals are wonderful there. Just what I was told from a work collegue.

Hope your back on your feet now.

Mark that was very interesting about the sick leave, something I would never have thought of.

Cheers

Tink

Colesy, Wish I could say it was the Wine because I can recover from that quicker. Wat a Shockn G%26#39;Final.

Tell me about it....Craig didn%26#39;t bother with the second half. The first two games were better. Did you end up getting your hair done at the shop I told you about before you left Phuket?

Hi Marie,

I really felt for you when I read your post -the same thing happened to me when we went to Turkey and I ended up in Turkish hospital on a drip, but like you I did quite a bit of sightseeing and shopping before it happened!!!

We are off in November to Phuket and fingers crossed we don%26#39;t get a bug or food poisioning - once you have had it once it makes you a bit paranoid what you eat when you%26#39;re away!

Glad to hear you%26#39;re now on mend and have at least some happy memories of your holiday.

ps was that copy makeup you bought?