Arriving by boat, already realized that paradise awaits you: a hill which emerges from the sea, covered with lush vegetation where the bungalows are scattered, a dazzling beach, and a turquoise sea.
The island is quite long and the part reserved for the resort, stretches for about 700-800mt along the beach. The only media present on the island, electrical machines are kind of golf, which are used to carry the luggage in the rooms.
Accommodations, 120 rooms are divided into sea front (the most expensive), and "second line", they can be scattered on the hill, reachable by a hundred steps, but dominant from a wonderful sea view and island.
Council for the convenience of requiring accommodation close to central services;
the rooms are somewhat Spartan, but very spacious with a nice patio, but we must share them with some jackie, but you get used now and does not usually come into the room, because there are mosquito nets.
The beach is very beautiful, the sea transparent when moved, with a short swim, we reach a good coral reef (about 30mt from the bank) for snorkelling enjoyable, but many fish come to shore, and sometimes, towards evening There is a swimming surrounded by white Pesciotti very curious. Beyond the barrier, some have also seen the average size of sharks, we never have even seen a couple from the pier, but their little ones. In certain occasions, when the sea becomes calm as oil, are also of dolphins playing.
The beach is a bit crowded at the top of the island, where the beds are a little shorter, but going beyond the beach, we can better accommodate where it is believed, and the beds a distance of fifty meters from each other.
CUISINE: infinite choice with 4 restaurants, at noon, main restaurant with international cuisine or snack on a terrace overlooking the sea, with pizza, pasta, sushi, grilled meat and fish.
In the evening, a choice, a main buffet restaurant or, on request, thai restaurant or specialty fish restaurant, with excellent grilled shellfish and other specialties.
The resort is ALL INCLUSIVE: Free Drinks at the bar from morning to midnight.
PERIOD: the ideal period is from late December to late March, when the weather is dry and rainfall is scarce: in the summer however, the humidity rises and it rains often. We have always found good weather, except for a 15 minutes of rain and some cloud.
COST: per person a night in all-inclusive from € 75 (low season) to € 130 (August and New Year), with an average of € 110 in high season (January to March).
In short, a place where you can choose whether to stay for their facts (and no shortage of space), make friends (the clientele is mostly Italian), or, perhaps, both.
EXCURSIONS: un'escursione not to be missed, magnificent and unique, you
Phi Phi Island. Unfortunately Ventaglio is made with very expensive, especially compared to what is found in other catalogs. If I remember correctly we paid in 2 of 150. Once made the trip, however, we understood the reason for the price so exaggerated: the excursion is done by private motorboat, max 10-15 people in one hour we get to PhiPhi, then you stop at all the best beaches of the two islands, there is a stop for snorkelling, and visit the most famous bays, and I assure you, you see some of the most beautiful in the world. Then stop for lunch in the main village with marketplace and possibility to make an exhausting walk to admire the landscape from "postcard" (tiring but worth it, because the view is spectacular from above).
The traditional hiking instead, are about half, but are by boat from Phuket, which takes about 2 hours, and then lead to the main village and go on (the sea here is not exceptional), then, if you want to visit the beaches, we must take the local motorboat, but the time is no longer sufficient, and it is for this reason that before leaving I had read the negative views about this excursion.
In short, is worth the trouble to spend a little more.
To say that 12 + hours of travel cost of the flight to go to a beach are a waste, so this is a vacation together with a nice tour of Thailand.
(update 2005: The
Maiton Island Resort is no longer operating range).