Marriott | lifeisacelebration

Tag Archive: Marriott

Logging Off In Bali

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

June 9, 2025

Visited some touristy spots for 2 straight days, hitting ground as soon as we touched down. Then we decided to spend the next 2 days just lazing around in Marriott Vacation Club in Nusa Dua. Enough to do around the complex where shuttle vans and buggies are on standby to bring us to the beach or the shops and restaurants. Within the MVC Compound itself, there are 4 dining outlets worth checking out like Steaksmith where we had a fine steak dinner. We also love the beach bar where we drank our mojitos and Bintang beers to pair with spicy chicken satay, pork ribs and the more traditional cheese burgers for those who aren’t big fans of hot and spicy.

The beach area is where we spent nearly 5 hours. We took turns with a pair of massage therapists on beach beds and chairs. There was also a shopping area near the beach so we certainly didn’t waste time. To add, bigger shops lie between the beach and the hotel so that option was likewise not wasted 😉 Spa. Shopping. Swim. Steak. Marriott does not disappoint. Our villa has a plunge pool too – perfect for dips after a sweaty afternoon.

And just a few meters from our door is the steak house where we had a wonderful tomahawk dinner. A welcome break from all the Balinese meals we’ve had. Enough nasi goreng, nasi camphor, bebek, ayam goreng, spicy pork ribs etc that we feasted on non-stop since we arrived. It remains to be seen if we’d have Babi Guling (roast pig) for our last dinner here. Or perhaps seafood in Jimbaran. There’s still time (🤭) but let’s see. The options are many.

Tags: asian holidays, Bali, Family Travel, Food Trip, Indonesia, Marriott, Marriott Bali Nusa Dua, Musings and Ramblings, Nusa Dua, Renaissance Marriott, Steaksmith, Travel, Travels

Comment

Family Staycation in Mai Khao

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

October 6, 2023

We hit the ground running upon touchdown. Our OZ family and Thai in-laws were waiting to fetch us as soon as we landed in Phuket. Lunch in Nam Yoi in Phuket Town was the best we’ve had, nvm that it’s spicy. Serving local cuisine, sans airconditioning but truly yum even for those who aren’t fans of red chillies. Nothing a pitcher of water can’t remedy. Felt like that meal totally cleared my sinuses. 😝

Two branches of our OZ family + Thai inlaws

We decided to cancel one day trip and simply settle in at the vacation resort we were staying in for a day and a half. Enjoyed the Mai Khao Beach but spent more time at the resort’s pool starting with aqua aerobics for the adults and enjoying a pizza lunch at one of the cabanas. The Marriott Play Lounge was an excellent spot for both adults and kids to enjoy snooker, mahjong or simply watching soccer games on a wide screen. The afternoon siesta prepped us for the Fire Fest at the poolside by sundown. I enjoyed it from our room balcony while the rest went down for a closer look. Then, we walked towards the adjacent Turtle Village for dinner and some ice cream. Turned out to be an early celebration of my birthday a good 2 weeks away. It was a day well spent at the resort. Much to do within the complex and some really good restaurants and shops a short distance away. There were even buggies to drive us to other Marriott and Anantara hotels and resorts. But no luck swimming at the beach because the red flag is up as the waves and currents were strong.

No need to step out of the resort hotel.

This trip was planned for my OZ family and their Thai family. At the last minute, a niece and her hubby decided to join the trip from Sydney to the shores of Phuket. At an even later minute, my sobrina and I opted to join the beach holiday even for just a few days. I’m glad we did. Some spur-of-the-moment decisions are tops especially when it means spending time with family to create happy memories. Opportunities best not wasted. The only thing firm about this trip was the reservations at the resort. All else were firmed up as we went along. Everything turned out near-perfect. Even when we grew exhausted to step out for dinner and settled for meals from the nearby convenience store. The villa kitchenette went busy as we prepared sandwiches and fruit and salad platters while the washing machine was spinning and the coffee machine dripping.

Tags: Asia, Family, Family Travel, Mai Khao, Marriott, Musings and Ramblings, Phuket, Thailand, Travel, Travels

Comment

Sunday Street Market in Old Phuket Town (Thailand)

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — 2 Comments

October 4, 2023

On my first visit here years ago, I was with friends and the trip was really a spur-of-the-moment thing. We were invited to spend 3 nights in the island and all we wanted to do then was to enjoy the island life. The sun. The sand. The speedboat. The beer. The spicy food. The fruits. Oh, the fruits! At the time, Phuket was simply a tropical holiday destination for us. Island-hopping seemed like a must-do in this corner of the world. A beach holiday, if you will.

We arrived here in Phuket on a Sunday so we didn’t waste time and checked out the Old Phuket Town Market. The Sunday Street Market was teeming with tourists eager to try local snacks, especially the local fruits, as well as shop for local clothes and souvenir items. Trendy, cheap and vibrant. I love the houses lining the Thalang Street here. The Sino-Portuguese architecture with bright lights and street performances by musical groups give the street market a festive atmosphere. Tons of photo opportunities. Lotsa shopping options. No wonder it’s a popular attraction among the tourists. It’s also a welcome break after some trips to nearby islands for those beach adventures.

Thalang Street Market in Old Phuket Town

Thalang Street is right smack in the center of the historical part of town. The Old Phuket Town. All of 360 meters, it is open only on Sundays from 4pm to 10pm. The shophouses beautifully display the Chinese and Portuguese influences. Reminded me of the Peranakan influence expressed in the Penang architecture in Malaysia. Shops on the ground floor, living quarters on the upper floor. If there was time, it would have been interesting to explore beyond this street market to see the Peranakan heritage houses and mansions as well as a couple of museums in the old town.

There was a park at the end of the street market with shade trees and less crowd.

Before coming here, we had a good lunch elsewhere. If not for sated cravings and full bellies, we would have given in to all those tempting street food. Pork barbecue for 20 baht a stick? A pack of pineapple minis for 60 baht? I found packed meals for less than 100 baht here. Prices were reasonable and I saw many locals buying street food to take away. Beats cooking dinner, I guess. Or one may opt to “eat in” or eat while walking the street market while listening to the blaring music from street buskers. As it turned out, we managed to buy more food to stock the refs in our hotel room. We had way too many of those micro pineapples to eat for the entire 4 days and 3 nights we stayed in Phuket. 🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍

They’re like mini crepes that’s crispy. .

Tags: Food Trip, Marriott, Phuket, Thailand, Travel, Travels

Comment

Till Our Return, Sri Lanka!

Filed under: Africa, Asian Holidays, Food Trip — 5 Comments

March 20, 2018

Yes. It’s a wrap. All of 8 days and 7 nights. As someone in our group said, “Sri Lanka was a revelation”. There were some mishaps, some missed sites, some meals not making the grade, a few frustrations, but this trip was just marvelous. Sri Lanka has much to offer. I do not think they’re there yet in terms of promoting their country best but it should get a lot of attention soon. Hopefully too, tourism promotion does not adversely affect the character of the people here — smiling, helpful, charming.

We feel this trip deserves a repeat. I enjoyed the safari but won’t do it again unless my family is going with me. (Birdwatchers would!) Instead, I’d return to Nuwara Eliya in time for tea harvest, do a bit of hiking in Ella to view the Nine Arches Bridge and Adam’s Peak, climb Sigiraya Rock, visit the Royal Botanical Garden in Kandy’s Peradeniya (we missed it as we lacked time), take another scenic train ride, spend more time in Weligama and stay in the same Jetwing and Marriott Hotels we booked including those in Negombo and Kaduruketha! I’d also enjoy the same hotel breakfasts and dinners there and make sure to do better for our midday nourishment. 💕💕💕

Thank you, Sri Lanka.

(Just click on the links)

Last Day in Colombo

Travel buddies, young & old

Different folks, Different strokes

Foodies, shoppers, culture vultures

Tell me, do we hold a future?

Morning strolls, cocktails by dusk

Chatting each day’s highlights in a flash

Oh what a journey with these peeps

As we discover food, places & pet peeves.

Tags: Asia, Asian Safari, Ceylon, Colombo, dambulla, Ella, Jetwing, Kaduruketha, Marriott, Nuwara Eliya, Rock Caves, Sigiriya, sri Lanka, Sri Lankan Blogs, Tea Plantations, Travel, travels, Travels, Weligama

Comment

A SUMMER BREAK IN PHUKET

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Travel, travels — 4 Comments

May 16, 2013

Whenever I thought of Phuket back then, I thought it was just a single destination area where one chooses which beach corner to claim for a getaway. I didn’t realize that Phuket is Thailand’s largest island and that there is a variety of beach resorts to choose from. Neither did I know that it is the jump-off point for smaller islands like Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Lei, James Bond Island, Maya Beach, Koh Lanta, Monkey Island, etc.

Marriott Vacation Club in Mai Khao, Phuket.

JW Marriott Hotel and Spa

We stayed in Marriott Vacation Club in Mai Khao Beach which is near the airport. It is nearly an hour away from where the action is (Patong Beach, Karon Beach, Kata Beach, NaiYang Beach, etc) but we don’t mind as you have everything you need in this more quiet corner of the island. Perhaps not so for the party crowd and the shoppers, but we’re neither so the “remoteness” is perfect for us. Besides, there’s a free shuttle to the sister-hotel (JW Marriott Phuket Club) where one can enjoy charming sunset views. For retail therapy and other dining outlets, just a stroll away is the Turtle Village. We highly recommend the Coffee Club here not just for the coffee and desserts, but also for their Pad Thai, Thai Prawn Rice and Curry Dishes. We went there for 2 consecutive dinners. And guess what, we ordered nearly the same dishes.

Check out these links:

Holy Cow, We’re in Mai Khao

Oh, So ChiChi in Ko Phi Phi

Sunsets In Phuket

Prawn Rice. Ohhhhh such goodness!

Lunch was in this place with this view in Phi Phi Don.

We devoted an entire day visiting some islands on a speedboat. Booked the tour online via AsiaWeb. No hassles. They picked us up from our hotel, brought us to the Royal Phuket Marina, enjoyed unlimited drinks and fruits on the boat, had an authentic Thai lunch in Phi Phi Don, snorkeled and enjoyed the islands. Some may still have the energy to shop and party later that night, but not us. After a good dinner at Turtle Village, we just wanted to crawl into our beds.

Snorkelers Haven

Just another beach.

AsiaWeb bundled up the speedboat tour with a choice of airport transfers, or a city tour or a night with the ladyboys. We chose the city tour where we had the van & driver all to ourselves visiting temples, the old part of town and about 4 beach areas. The beach resorts especially Patong Beach underwhelmed us. Overhyped, if you ask me. But maybe I’m saying this because I’m extremely biased in favor of our Boracay (yes, despite the rowdy crowd and the trash), the islands of El Nido and other parts of Visayas. But I love how the Thais do this tourism business nearly seamlessly.

In the end, we simply breezed through the beaches. Declaring ourselves beach-fatigued, we skipped the stroll on the sandy shores and only managed one temple visit and a drive around the old town. No need to get sand between our toes. We had enough of that when we did the islands. As for shopping, we were just interested in food items! Can you blame us?

Tags: Karon, Mai Khao, Marriott, Patong, Phi Phi, Phuket, Thailand

Comment

Holy Cow, We’re in Mai Khao!

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Travel, travels — 4 Comments

May 7, 2013

Monday delights. Left Manila at noon via Thai Airways, made a brief stop in Bangkok, then flew onwards to Phuket. It’s the biggest island in Thailand and we found our retreat here in Mai Khao. The beach resort is blessedly isolated and away from the tourist crowd. Very much self-contained with an option to do some retail therapy in the nearby TurtleVillage. But who wants to get out? A 2-room villa with its own plunge pool tempts you to stay in. In fact, we opted to dine in and used the well-appointed kitchen to cook our pasta pomodoro dinner to go with a bottle of good shiraz. L.U.X.U.R.Y. Pure luxury. This is the life! Happiness 🙂

JW Marriott Phuket

It is tempting to just stay IN in JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa

In the end, we decided to skip the shiraz. It can wait till tomorrow. We turned in early to prep for a whole day of activities tomorrow. The stroll around the lovely resort hotel can wait too….. and so with a dip in the plunge pool. It could have been perfect. Four friends around the pool, each holding a glass of wine, chatting like there’s no tomorrow, while keeping their heads dry and the rest soaking in the pool. Holy cow! We must be getting old. All we wanted to do after dinner is to climb into our heavenly beds.

One of 2 villa bedrooms in Marriott Vacation Club in Mai Khao, Phuket.

That’s the plunge pool right outside the room in Marriott Vacation Club

This is NOT an advert. But MARRIOTT VACATION CLUB in Mai Khao, Phuket is a lovely place to stay in. The 2 bedroom villa with a well-appointed kitchen is a sanctuary for weary bodies and tired souls. The plunge pool is a bonus. Easily, the villa can accommodate 6 pax. Maybe even 8 pax. Best for families or good friends. You can even choose to stay in, buy your supplies from the nearby Turtle Village, cook and dine in. Tonight, that’s exactly what we did. Tomorrow and days after, we’d be in serious search for Pad Thai and some curries. 🙂