rayjade

Thanks for the heads up mate … just cancelled my next trip , going to Benidorm instead  

Just checked in here after my first three nights in town at the Mercure.
I did some contact work this year and was in a Marriot hotel for about two months. This gave me enough points to become a Marriot Bonvoy Platinum member and I’m using all those points to stay here for eight days.
My first impressions are very good. Seems quite nice and has a good vibe to it. Check in was fine, but my room was waiting for final inspection so I’m writing this as I wait for it.
 I’m not sure if it’s because of my status or because I had to wait for my room to be made up, but they gave me a voucher for a free drink at the pool bar.
The pool bar area is nice, but quite small. I estimate the pool is at least 20 metres, so I can get some laps in (provided I’m the only one using it, but I probably will be as I like to swim in the mornings).  It gets all the morning sun too which is a bonus…the Mercure pool area is a lot bigger, but doesn’t get sun until the afternoon.
I was expecting a basic drink as my freebie, but the bartender Nan made me a legit Long Island iced tea. So far so good. There isn’t a smoking area on the pool floor (10) so I came down to the eighth floor for that.  
I’ll add more to this review as I check out my room and the gym and what not…I just wanted to get it started while I’m waiting.
Oh, and here’s a bonus…taking a lovely lady home from the CIB Christmas party is going to be a quick trip, lol
 

https://phuket-go.com/phuket-news/national-news/45-day-visa-waiver-finished-back-to-30-days-on-arrival/

I took a Ladyboy from Obsession's back to citrus suites, we had intended to use the NEP rooms but they were still closed after the pandemic,  she was wearing just enough to 
cover her modesty as she hadn't put civilian clothing on. The guy on reception was brilliant and gave us both a big welcome smile....the Indian couple however, who he had
just checked in glared at me like I had  asked if I could shit in her handbag.....made my night that did!

I see no problem with carryon only.  I've been doing 3-4 week trips that way for 25 years.  There is always a local wash and fold for laundry.  And if not, I can freshen my clothes in the bathroom sink with shampoo and they are dry by morning.  I've only checked bags a couple of times and in every case, my luggage arrived a day or two after me.  Also, no waiting at the carousel for a bag.  I was in a taxi 20 minutes after I got off the plane, including going through immigration, change some money, and grabbing something to eat.  And in today's chaotic travel scene, carryon only gives you much more flexibility to change plans due to delays or cancellations.  If you need a big bag for a couple weeks, you need to learn how to travel and pack efficiently.  
The only time I'll ever check a bag is if my clothes-horse wife travels with me.  Fortunately, that is a rare event

Scratch that....download an older version or try one of the others.......
I stopped using firefox a long time ago (too unstable and it crashes like crazy) . Just found out their new versions don't support java which is what you will need to post pictures
 
  Quote "Due to security issues, current versions of Firefox do not support Java, nor will future versions. To enable Java content, you'll have to install an old, 32-bit version of Firefox and then manually add the Java plugin. This is possible on Windows computers,"