A six hour flight from Bejing to Phuket may not seem that long of a flight. However, if you recall that the start of the trip was in Los Angeles (14-hours earlier) and that I didn’t really eat much, then six hours in the air is much longer than I would like. I was finally in Phuket with Alicia and Brittney and although I had slept through the entire flight, I was jet lagged and eager to get to the hotel. The only thing standing in the way of us and our rooms at the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong  was a line of people trying to find their bags. It was in this very moment that I questioned why I didn’t buy a white suitcase. “Everyone in the planet owns a black suitcase, why didn’t I buy a white one?” After minutes of irrelevant self-argument, I found my bag. Once we all had our things, we made our way out of the airport to our cab. Prior to leaving Los Angeles, I made arrangements to have the hotel cab pick us up which was a great decision. It meant we didn’t have to figure out which cab was the cheapest or the most reliable especially at two o’clock in the morning. We simply found the gentleman holding up my last name on a card and hopped in the van. Our driver, Nut, was extremely sweet at such an ungodly hour. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he was cranky considering the time of day, but he was such a sweetheart during our hour drive from the airport to the hotel.

The Grand Mercure Hotel Phuket Patong is a new hotel to the small city and it was beautiful even this late in the morning. The entire layout of the entryway was open and inviting making me feel like the day of traveling to this point was completely worth it. Although it was dark, the lighting throughout the check-in was relaxing and calming. I loved the architecture, the color selection, the furniture, and the way that it all came together. It was in this moment that I was elated that this was the hotel we would stay in for the next week. I hoped that the rooms would match the appeal of the hotel.

The staff was so helpful when checking us in. We signed a few papers and received our keys. But before Nut helped us to our rooms, they gave us the customary butterfly pea juice and pastry. I didn’t think I had the energy to eat anything, but once I saw Brittney devour hers I thought it had to be good. I took a sip of the juice and it was delicious. I initially thought it was strange that it wasn’t ice-cold (considering how humid it was), but the fact that it wasn’t freezing made me feel like my body was stabilized to the temperature. The pastry on the other hand was divine. A small puff pastry was filled with a vanilla custard and covered with a frosting from their traditional fruit. I inhaled it. I’m pretty sure I ate Alicia’s too. And I asked for another one (no shame in my game). The woman who checked us in giggled, but I was serious—it was so good I wanted another one. Thankfully, she let us know that the deli shop across from us, Chou Chou, sells it every day. I made a mental note about that:  “Go to Chou Chou every day.”

As I licked the crumbs off my fingers, Nut showed us to our rooms. Alicia and Brittney were staying in a room together. Monique would meet us later in the day and the game plan was she would stay in the room with me. Since she was travellng into Phuket with her boyfriend, she may not stay with me. In that case, I would simply push the two double beds together. An elevator ride a few floors up Nut showed me to my room. While the hotel is new, I still had no expectation as to how it would really look. As I slid my key into the lock I spoke quickly to Jesus, “Please let it be nice, please let it be nice”.

Once I opened the door, I felt the Lord answer with “You’re welcome.” As I stepped into the room the first thing I noticed was the air conditioning. Considering how humid Phuket is, it felt like every fresh breath gum commercial when I stepped inside. It was a perfect escape from the hot world that I came from. While the room was quaint, it was charming. I loved the colorful backsplash outlining the bathroom mirror, the large sink, brand new fixtures, and the very sexy shower that peaked into the bedroom. It’s definitely the type of shower for couples! Since I might be sharing the room with Monique, the privacy screen would stay on for sure.

I loved the view of the pool from the small balcony outside the room, but wasn’t crazy about how quickly my camera fogged up when I opened the door to take a picture. The beds were soft and the pillows were plush. The room does not have enough closet space for two women, so that would be the single drawback. But what I did love about the closet was the safe. Before I left LA, I had debated whether or not to bring my laptop, but after getting the measurements from the hotel staff, I brought it along with me. This made it easy for me to blog if I experienced a night or two where I could not fall asleep.

After thanking Nut for bringing up my luggage and taking a quick tour of the room, my face finally hit the pillow and I fell asleep. I did not plan to wake up early for anything. Then I remembered the butterfly pea pastry. Actually, I’ll wake up early for that.

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Address:1 Soi Ratuthit 200 Pi 2 Road, Patong Beach Kathu District, 83150, Thailand
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