Phuket, Thailand November 3, 2001
It's almost axiomatic that airline travel promotes colds and other maladies, but we'd both managed to avoid this drawback since starting our adventure two years ago. However, a trip to Phuket (silent "h"), a tropical island off the west coast of Thailand, is a long haul, even from Europe. From Istanbul, it was 3 plane segments and nearly 24 hours climaxed by 30 minutes in a slow-moving immigration line at Phuket's airport and a 40 minute taxi ride to our hotel. Somewhere along the way, a bug (probably radical Islamic) got through my formidable defenses and symptoms began to appear. But, if you gotta have a cold, Phuket is a great spot!
Phuket is a warm, lushly green island with beautiful sandy beaches, ragged mountains, and lovely, clear bays. The island is large enough to have more than a dozen distinct resorts areas, each boasting fancy hotels and restaurants. We did it up and sampled two of the best, spending almost two weeks between Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club and The Allamanda at Laguna Beach (click for reviews and information on how to get a good deal at each).
Since I was feeling pretty sluggish, we didn't do as much as we otherwise might have. The malady was a good excuse for lazy days spent sleeping in, savoring an excellent breakfast buffet, reading by the pool, taking a nap, snacking, playing games of UpWords, perusing the endlessly amusing news in the Thai newspaper, dining in the open air with live background music, and finishing the day off with a little TV.
Had I been up to it, there was plenty to do. Guided trips to smaller nearby islands for snorkeling, diving, sea kayaking, fishing or just viewing the beautiful volcanic rock formations sounded like fun, though most start quite early and consume the entire day. There are also three ornate, colorful wats (Buddhist temples) to visit, elephant trekking to enjoy and the PhantaSea entertainment extravaganza to ogle. If you're adventurous, a week driving around the island and neighboring parts of Thailand (there's a bridge to the mainland) could be a great idea. Staying on the left side of the road and dodging way too many crazy motorcyclists weaving in and out of traffic on narrow roads can be special. Better, and likely cheaper, is to hire a taxi or a car with driver and let someone who knows the ropes take care of escorting you around.
Phuket boasts four 18-hole golf courses. However, the thought of getting drenched -- either by a heavy downpour or just from walking in the humid heat for 4 hours, especially if the sun were shining -- made reading by the pool or walking along the soft sandy beach seem preferable. We did get as far as breakfasting at the Banyan Tree Golf Club. Early starting players making the turn were clearly hot and looked tired, even though they had caddies (Thai women totally covered over in sun-protective, hot-looking uniforms) pulling their golf bags. The course was empty, mostly singles and twosomes, at least that day.
Toward the end of our stay, I was feeling spunkier, so we headed into town for a night out. Our evening at Patong Beach was enjoyable and fun, though the traffic getting there was a mess. We arrived in the late afternoon on November 1, which turned out to be the first day of the Patong Carnival. Surprisingly, neither of our hotels had mentioned this event. A parade along the waterfront accounted for the snarling traffic. It also accounted for the a grand, colorful Thai show that happened later, the reward for the traffic wait.
Once we finally got dropped off, we ambled down the beach. Outlines of anchored power- and sail boats and dogs frolicking in the surf were backlit by a brilliant sunset. (Sorry, still no camera!). The main street had festive arches of colored lights and balloons overhead. There were shops, massage parlors (foot and other types) and restaurant galore. We had a delicious, reasonably-priced dinner at Chez la Thailandaise, a Thai-French restaurant with a counterpart in St. Moritz. It had great ambiance, friendly service and not a single other customer!
One reason to go into town is for the ever-ubiquitous shopping and souvenir hunting opportunities. The shops and stalls bustle day and night, people hawking their goods and trying to get you into their stalls or restaurants. Many were anxious for business -- tourism in Thailand is way down. Thailand has wonderful silks and hand-crafted items, all priced right. Even I bought something -- two small handmade, punched-out "paintings" on light buffalo leather, a Thai king and a queen. Perfect for our "hubby" collection.
We enjoy the hustle-bustle of towns like Patong. However, we all see things differently. At the hotel swimming pool the next day I overheard one women tell another that she (like us) had been to Patong Beach the previous day. She wouldn't recommend it. Perhaps she'd taken her 4-year old along? Or maybe the town is less enchanting in the afternoon sun? Or ??? Who knows.
Vacations in the tropics have similarities: hot, humid weather broken into by occasional heavy rains; warm and inviting water; a languid pace. Differences tend to be in the food, the friendliness of the natives, the splendor of the scenery, the activities on offer and the bang for the buck. Phuket is good in all these spheres, and we definitely would recommend a visit. But remember, it pays to know the preferences and predilections of your recommender.