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Western Australia Now and Then
A few more pics from day 5.
16 hours ago | [YT] | 10
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Western Australia Now and Then
Day 5
Today was a pretty crappy day from beginning to end.
At breakfast it was obvious that it was going to be HOT and HUMID to a level we hadn't experienced before. Not a breath of wind and just one of those vile sticky days.
We booked another ride into town to have a look at a historic old mansion. 150 baht entry for foreigners. I shake my head at this stuff because I can just imagine the poop that would rain down on Australia if we tried to charge double for foreign tourists. While I do understand that we can afford it, it is just the thought of the screaming and gnashing of teeth and the cries of 'Racism' that would start if Australia tried to pull this stunt.
Chinpracha House was very worth taking the time to see. A 123 year old Chinese mansion still owned by the same family who originally came to Thailand from Penang. We even met the current owner.
Being such a hot uncomfortable day we abandoned ideas of having lunch in town and fled back to the hotel and our nice cold air-conditioner - at least that was what we thought.
Not long after getting back the air-con went out and an hour later there was no sign of it coming back on.
Thinking that it may have just been our block that was out, we decided to head down to Otto's Br, the only really comfortable place in the whole hotel with air-conditioning.
We got there to find that it wasn't just our block that had lost power but the whole hotel.
By this time it was becoming unpleasantly apparent that we had both contracted some nasty flu type bug and as usually happens with me, I was getting bouts of uncontrolled coughing.
After a couple of cocktails at the bar we made our way down to Panwa House and the seafood buffet and fire show.
For us there was a discount of 600 baht because of the i-coupon card that came with our package. That meant the seafood buffet also worked out to about $20 Au per head. Even at that price it really wasn't worth it. At full price it would be a huge rip-off.
A few blue swimmer crabs, well undersized with little meat or taste, some decent sized prawns that were not very tasty, what we thought was aquid but eventually decided it was cuttlefish because it was completely tasteless, some small cutlets of mackerel and a few other dishes that had nothing whatsoever to do with seafood. There was a range of deserts but over all it was a big disappointment.
The fire show was just one performer (not a patch on what we saw at the Pullman last month) and the breeze stubbornly refused to blow.
16 hours ago | [YT] | 5
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Western Australia Now and Then
We now have a full review of the Cape Panwa Hotel available on our website at : www.wanowandthen.com/Cape-Panwa-Hotel-Phuket.html
1 day ago | [YT] | 4
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Western Australia Now and Then
Day 4
The usual start to the day with a breakfast buffet where we just sit, take our time and enjoy the view.
Then we had a bit more of a wander around the hotel to see places we hadn't been to yet.
The sun was out again so it was another hot day. We retired to the room until lunchtime and went down to the beach pool for a swim. This is a beautiful spot to sit and relax and enjoy the stunning view.
Then it was back up the 'mountain' to our room to do some downloading and have a bit of a rest before heading out to the Chillva Market in the evening.
Don't use the English pronunciation of the name because nobody will know what you are talking about. The local pronunciation is 'Chi-wah'.
The markets are well worth checking out, not as big as Naka and mostly open air so weather will impact on them quite a bit if it rains.
Again all sorts of bits and pieces and a big selection of different food is available.
We spent a grand total of about $24 for a nice selection of BBq meat on a stick, sushi and assorted other yummy snacks.
The rides into town actually cost more than the food we buy but it is really all about the experience, not what it costs. The rides are still cheap at around $10 au one way for a 20 minute drive.
We brought the food back to the hotel and pigged out for the remainder of the evening.
Time has a habit of really racing over here and we are already over half way though this holiday. Just three full days before we have to check-out and head home.
2 days ago | [YT] | 7
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Western Australia Now and Then
Day 3
The usual breakfast routine with the exception being that today breakfast was a lot lighter than it was on the first morning. There is always a bit of a temptation to overdo things on the first day but we always pay for it later.
A bright sunny day today which meant more heat, less humidity and a bit more breeze. Again we aren't planning much during the day and are heading out in the evening so there was quite a bit of lazing around the hotel.
Lunch was back at the Andaman Cafe, again enjoyable and plentiful and the extra bit of breeze made it even better.
The plan had been for a swim in the beach pool in the afternoon but time passed so fast that by the time we thought about doing it, it was getting a bit too late.
By 6pm we were ready to head off over the hill to check out the Kantary Bay hotel, night markets and the bay. The hotel is sister to the Cape Panwa so there is a free shuttle between them. This is just as well because the hill is a beast and a half.
There is a nice big shuttle truck and a small rattly ute with an open back. Of course the one we went in was the rattly one that threw us about in the back like old sacks of potatoes. Hardly anything to hang on to and given the very steep gradient of the hill, I am amazed no one has dropped out the back of the ute.
The Kantary Bay is mostly serviced apartments and has a very small pool so guests from there come this side to use the beach.
The night markets along the esplanade were interesting with mostly Thai Muslim food on offer. It is a popular spot with the locals who gather there to relax and eat. The prices are correspondingly low as they cater for locals more than tourists.
There is a useful convenience store on the corner of the road leading to Cape Panwa that provides most things that tourists might want to stock their fridge and goodies shelf with and prices were ok, not the high markups you see in the west coast tourist beaches.
There are also a couple of currency exchanges and an ATM so all in all, quite a well catered for area that remains relaxed and quiet.
There is even a small section of beach at the northern end of the esplanade.
We didn't pick up much food as we were still pretty stuffed from lunch and only picked up some durian and some mangoes. Then is was back over the hill - making sure to wedge ourselves firmly in the back of the ute - to the Panwa Hotel.
3 days ago | [YT] | 10
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Western Australia Now and Then
Day 2
A very good night's sleep meant we were up in the morning a bit later than usual and only got down to breakfast around 8am.
The selection of food was good but not in any way comparable with the Pullman. I think staying there may have permanently ruined all other hotels we are likely to stay at, because we will forever be comparing them to the standard the Pullman set.
There is a mind set here of offering things free up to a certain level and then grubbing for more money for other items, that should be free. A couple of examples would be, ice cream here you have to pay extra for, at the Pullman ice cream was always free with the buffet. At Panwa the children's play area has NO air-conditioning and you have to pay to play games like air hockey. Also there is no staff member on hand to look after the kids - thus defeating the idea of dropping the kids off and getting some time on your own. In the room you get 2 bottles of drinking water a day free, any more you have to pay for! It all smacks of being a bit of a cheap-skate place not a 5 star hotel.
There are some good things like a bluetooth speaker in the room to play music on, two umbrellas instead of one (like the Pullman), dual sinks in the bathroom but I will go into the room facilities in a full review a bit later on. Still there are all sorts of little annoyances that need attention. One of the room keys cards does not work properly, one of the lights in the wardrobe doesn't work, one of the sinks doesn't work properly and the other one will not hold water. This is pretty poor for a hotel that calls itself 5 star.
The grounds of the hotel are lovely but be prepared to walk up and down a lot as it is set on the side of a hill. Great if you are young and fit but for old codgers like us, you work up a sweat pretty quickly. Hardly any point in cooling off at the beach and having a swim because by the time you get back to the room (our room anyway), you are bathed in sweat.
Still, the location is stunning and having what is effectively a private beach means you can avoid all the touts that frequent other very public beaches.
Although we do have an itinerary planned out, we aren't going to rush around too much and will spend quite a bit of time just relaxing - after all, that is what holidays are supposed to be for LOL.
After breakfast we retired to the room through fairly heavy rain. We had come prepared with umbrellas and certainly needed them as a long section of the trudge uphill back to our room has no shelter from rain.
As our package includes lunch or dinner and we were heading to Naka Weekend markets for dinner, we made our way back down the hill to see what was included for our lunch. We are on a 2 course lunch but there are also 2 and 4 course options available.
The pre-paid lunch options at the Andaman Restaurant all use the same menu and have a European section and a Thai section. We could select any two dishes from the 4 section in each. The selection of dishes is good so you are not likely to get bored.
After a very heavy breakfast we, (well I really) opted for a much lighter lunch of calamari for starters and Thai omelette for main course.
After lunch the rain started to clear, so we went down to the beach to check it out in daylight.
The beach area really is stunning and is the biggest draw card of the Panwa Hotel.
The Bamboo Bar on the beach caters for light lunches and drinks during the day and Panwa house serves dinner from 6:30pm to 11pm. (Closed Mondays).
The humidity was a real killer so after a wander along the beach we turned tail and ran (figuratively) back to the comfort of our air-conditioned room where we flaked out for the afternoon.
Once the sun had dropped we headed off to Naka Weekend Market. The market is fully under cover but the threat of rain have evaporated anyway so it didn't really matter.
Since I had used InDrive on the previous trip, I continued to do so on this one and the ride up to Naka (about 20 minutes) cost around 200 baht.
Our driver lived locally so it only took about 4 minutes for the ride to arrive. I had been worried that being so far out, it might be difficult to get a car, but it was ok as things turned out.
The markets are HUGE, really REALLY HUGE! There is a ton of stuff for sale but Dorothy was more interested in food than anything else. Initially we were disappointed as the section of food stalls we first found was half closed down. this was near the front of the markets on the right hand side. Eventually we found the main food hall section was at the rear of the markets and wow! was it amazing.
You do need to shop around because some items are marked up 300% in some stalls.
The non-food side is even bigger and was so overwhelming, that we didn't do much more that just walk through part of it.
Dorothy was happy as she found all sorts of little titbits to bring back to the hotel to munch on. We bought fruit, in the form of mangosteens, mangoes and bananas and then stopped in at a supermarket across the road for beer (soooo cheap in Thailand), milk and other drinks before getting a ride back to the hotel.
It was past midnight before we finally collapsed and went to sleep.
3 days ago | [YT] | 10
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Western Australia Now and Then
Day 1
An early start again as the fight times are the same as last trip, 7:30am take off means a 3:30 am ride to the airport.
This time we used the Rockingham airport taxi service. $145 fixed price so that at least gives you a budget to work with.
Taxi driver even rang and confirmed the booking the day before which was a very nice touch.
Arrived on time and got us to the airport with no fuss. Nice polite driver, modern clean car so no complaints at all.
After check-in we discovered that the flight had been put back to 8:40am! BUGGER! I hate waiting at airports!
The flight over seemed to take forever even though they made up time on the way. It wasn't until about 4pm that we finally arrived at the hotel. A long drive through some heavy traffic but the car was nice, the driver was good and the air-conditioning was nice and cool :)
Dorothy didn't get any sleep the previous night so she zonked out for a while after we had unpacked.
Our hotel room is nice but a little dated in some respects. Not enough power points where you need them and they are all old fashioned ones that don't cater for international plugs and have no USB ports. You DO need your own power adaptors here and thankfully we had brought enough.
Goof grief I hate airports and flying but is was certainly nice to finally get here and settle in.
Check-in was fast and efficient but the room was quite a walk up a number of stairs before we finally got to a lift.
We are in U wing which seems to be about as far from everything else as it is possible to get but we do have a sea view which is a bonus as our original booking was for garden view. I did request twin beds instead of a double so maybe that is why we ended up in U wing.
We have booked in tonight for dinner at Panwa House. This is a lovely old Portuguese house right on the beach that has been turned into a restaurant. Tonight is steak buffet and from what I can see, our package deal gives us about a 600 baht discount off the 1100 bah price tag. That seems pretty good.
I will go into the deal we got bit later but now it is time to grab some ice, fill glass with some Bailey's and sit back and look at the view :)
A bit later...
The dinner was very good. Because we have a package deal that includes breakfast and either lunch or dinner, we can get a discount off special meals like the steak buffet. That turned 1100 baht per head into 500. (about $20 au). Plenty of food a choice of steaks, lots of desserts and live music.
Panwa House is beautiful and obviously a historic building. The ground floor is the restaurant and the 1st floor is like a museum with some stunning old furniture and assorted items.
As it is right on the beach, it is a spectacular place to have dinner.
A very pleasant end to what was a pretty tiring day.
4 days ago | [YT] | 8
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Western Australia Now and Then
Back in Phuket for the second time in 2 months and this time staying at the laid back Cape Panwa Hotel. A looooog day to get here but now the fun begins :)
5 days ago | [YT] | 11
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Western Australia Now and Then
All our adventure series can now be found in one place so if you have missed any you can check them out at : www.wanowandthen.com/video-index-birds.html
1 week ago | [YT] | 7
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Western Australia Now and Then
Another video index page has now been fully updated : www.wanowandthen.com/video-index-birds.html
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 5
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