Thailand is a place that must be on almost every traveller’s bucket list. It certainly was on mine until I ticked it off with a three week holiday to Phuket. Often referred to as the Pearl of the Andaman, Phuket is Thailand’s largest island. It is a popular spot for visitors to southeast Asia. With an impressive coastline featuring long stretches of sandy beaches strung together by magnificent rock formations, it has been attracting people to its coasts for decades. What beautiful memories are instilled in my mind, ones that I will treasure forever.
Where we stayed
My husband and I chose to stay at a few 5 star resorts including the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, The Vijitt Resort Phuket and the Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa. We selected them by looking at TripAdvisor reviews and we also browsed carefully at their websites to learn about their location and offerings.
JW Marriott, Phuket Resort & Spa
The Vijitt Resort, Phuket
These three are all resorts I highly recommend for their quality of service, amenities, number of restaurants onsite, their pristine beaches and also the entertainment calendar for both adults and children. All approximately thirty minutes away from the Phuket’s shopping centres and exciting nightlife, they are all excellent hotels to stay at if you are planning a holiday here either as couples or as families. In the various resorts, we attended Thai cooking classes, enjoyed Thai massages almost every day and we also went horse-riding at sunset along the beach which was a first! Here the services are much less expensive than in Europe. It is the flights to reach the destination that are costly but once you are there, you will be surprised with how cheap everything is!
One thing we enjoyed every single day, after a morning session at the gym or jogging along the pristine beachfronts was a full breakfast blessed offering dazzling and exotic variety of fruits and squashes including watermelon, kiwi, mango, durian, mangosteen, rambutan or Lychee. It is also tradition for hotels to serve shots of fresh ginger which gives you a wonderful kick, a truly fresh start of the day!
Excursions & Nightlife
We enjoyed a morning at the Sea View Elephant Camp which is a recent addition to the Phuket elephant-trekking scene. Located on the flank of the mountain on which Kata Viewpoint is situated, on the Nai Harn side, it is a big camp also offering activities such as paintball. They have 12 elephants available for riding experiences. It was quite something riding an elephant, and trying to relax in between the excitement of it all. I do recommend it if you are not frightened of heights of course.
• For nightlife we obviously went to check out Bangla Road in Patong several times. Patong is the unquestionable nightlife centre of Phuket. From 10 pm onwards, the town gets buzzing and it does not stop until the early hours of the morning. Bangla Road is where you will find the biggest clubs, the craziest beer bars and the most interesting shows including pole dancers, karaoke shows and live singing and dancing. We went to quite a few bars but our favourite was Bar Funk where we met the Maltese owner so you can imagine the warm welcome and free drinks on the house!
Thai Food
Thailand’s food needs little introduction. Its wealth of exotic flavours and fragrances make it among the most coveted of international cuisines but we have to cover it I think! I always loved Thai food but having it in Thailand is obviously an experience at a whole new culinary level! I ‘ve listed a few dishes that I loved and perhaps you can try when you visit this blissful place.
1) Tom Yum Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
This quintessential Thai aroma! A bold, refreshing blend of fragrant lemongrass, chilli, galangal, lime leaves, shallots, lime juice and fish sauce forms this classic soup, giving it its legendary herbal kick while the succulent fresh prawns and mushrooms give it body. Its distinctive smell reminds you of exotic perfume, while it’s invigorating sour-spicy-hot taste just screams ‘Thailand’!
2) Yam Nua (Spicy Beef Salad)
You have to experience the fresh, fiery thrill of yam nua – with its vigorous mix of onion, coriander, spearmint, lime, dried chili and tender strips of beef. It perfectly embodies the invigorating in-the-mouth delight of all Thai salads, the yummy-ness of yam.
3) Gaeng Daeng (Red Curry)
Made with pieces of meat, red curry paste, smooth coconut milk and topped off with a sprinkling of finely sliced kaffir lime leaves, this rich, aromatic curry always gets those taste buds tingling. At its best when the meat is strikingly tender, it is what I would describe as mild, sweet and delicately fragrant. Oh I miss it!
4) Corn on the Cob
Eating fresh grilled corn with salted coconut cream was another idyllic snack in Thailand. For as little as 50 euro cents, we enjoyed this quick bite at the beach washed down with some fresh watermelon juice!
5) Crab Fried Rice is also a typical and much loved Thai dish, characterised by its delicate flavours. The crab is really the star of the show, so it is so tasty when served with a very little soy sauce with a hint of lime adding the perfect fresh flavour. Divine!
I visited Thailand two years ago and I think it’s about time I revisit, this time with my little girl! It was such a beautiful place with splendid views everywhere, friendly people, and so much to see and do that calls for another trip!
