During the week-end, my team and I took a chance to visit DuangJitt Resort and Spa. Although it’s the first time for me to visit the meting place, some of my team, including my TAB president, visited this meeting place many times.
There are lots of information kept spinning in my head; that’s why after I travelled back on the Sunday night, I was inspired by myself to write this report and share what I observed from a blind person’s point of view.
The flight from Bangkok to Phuket International Airport is around 1:30 hours. I enjoyed myself and felt relaxed at Coral Executive Lounge at Don Mueang International airport. There are two lounges here; namely Miracle and Coral Executive. If you have the lounge access, please kindly try to get through.
Our team arrived at Phuket International Airport around 8:00 hours which was so early in the morning. On behalf of the organizing team, I had to focus on all infra-structures and facilities related to people with visual impairment, for example guiding block, toilets for people with disabilities, elevators, wheelchair ramp, etc.
Before exploring the airport in detail, allow me to advise our guest to request personal assistants from the airline check-in desk. When you arrive, please ask the airline personal assistant to bring you to the assembly point of WBUAP MRGA 2023, which will be located at the exit number 6 of Phuket International building.
I observe there are some guide blocks or Braille blocks for visually impaired persons; some of them are located in the building and neighboring area. There are toilets for people with disabilities which are sensor-based and also big enough for wheelchair people.
The transportation from the airport to Duangjitt Resort and Spa is about 36 KMs; that took around 1:30 hours with no traffic congestion. If you’re planning to book a return flight on the 29 of November, please consider the departure time somewhere after 20:00 hours.
There are the transportation desks for you to ask for the van rent for traveling to Duangjitt Resort and Spa; they will charge you around 1,200-1,400 THB for 10 persons. If you prefer taxi or reserve car from the mobile application, it’d cost around 700-900 THB depending on the choice of vehicles.
Of course, the organizing committees had prepared the airport pick-up service for delegates and exhibitors who reserved the premium package on 26, 29, and 30 of November; however, we encourage delegates and exhibitors to join the WBUAP MRGA 2023 until the closing remark at 16:30 hours. This implies that your return flight should be somewhere after 20:00 hours of November 29 (in case that you don’t want to join the day trip on 30).
Let’s move to our destination. For the first time when I visited Duangjitt Resort and Spa, I enjoyed myself with the welcome drink. It was a cold orange juice in a tiny bowl. The taste was a little sweet, but it helped me a lot in terms of self-refreshing and recovery.
The lobby is so huge and really beautiful. The climate is so pleasantly shady and well-decorate. Since it was a resort and spa, you may hear the sound of the environment like birds, waterfall or wind.
There was a convention hall where I think it can hold about 600-700 people maximum. On the way to the convention hall, I found an open area like a grand balcony where our exhibitors will be around. I took pictures of the buildings, exibition hall, and prepared some of them to create the tactile images.
We used electric golf buggy for convenient transport in the Duangjitt Resort and Spa. If you are in the room, you can pick up the telephone and press zero in order to request for the buggy. All drivers are trained how to support visually impaired persons and there are lots of buggies that are ready to serve you for internal transportation.
The first night at Duangjitt Resort and Spa was so impressive. The room is so big and luxurious. Allow me to spot the things that I found useful; for example, a working desk, a kettle set and coffee set, a hair blower, a safe, slippers, an umbrella, etc. The hotel provides you two sets of keycards, and there is the terrace inside the room.
Meanwhile there is a thing that I found slightly problematic for people with visual impairment; that’s the bottles of shampoo, hair conditioner, and body-wash that look 100% identical. Judging by the smell of the shampoo and hair conditioner, I cannot differentiate each of them and I’d already informed the staff about this finding the solution before the date of MRGA. Honestly, I used shampoo washing myself during that night, it smells so nice like rice milk (I’m pretty sure all of you will enjoy it).
On the Sunday morning, my team and I spotted at the dining-room. It’s the grand buffet for our new-day breakfast in the western style. It opens from 6:30 hours. There are plenty styles of foods from local to international. I’d talked to the chef. He said we’re ready to serve our guests from WBUAP MRGA 2023.
I’d walked through and observed there are various choices of foods. There are vegan foods and halal. There are salad bar, noodle station, soups, congee, and a lot more. One thing I forgot to say, their dining-room is in the hall surrounded by lawn, playground, swimming pool, coffee bar and so on.
On the way back to Phuket Airport, we spent around one and a half hour. However, en route, there is a big souvenir shop called “Mae Ju” where you can buy local snacks and crafts for yourself or the one you love. If you would like to drop by the souvenir shop, please add at least one more hour to your trip from Duangjitt Resort and Spa to Phuket International Airport.
For further information that I may miss it. Do not hesitate to contact us via the e-mail or chat vai our Facebook page. We’re ready to serve you.