Two Good Phuket Hotels November 3, 2001
Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club is a marvelous first class hotel on a beautiful location, one of those hidden-gem sort of places, and highly recommended for a tranquil, restful getaway. The hotel's name is a mouthful and a misnomer, since Nai Harn bay on which the hotel sits was boat-less, harbor-less, and yacht-less, at least while we were there. Wish I had a picture for you, but I'm still camera-less, so it's the thousand-word approach instead.
Up the steps from the guarded, unassuming driveway there's a narrow landing, tiled in terra cotta with an elegant and simple, cherry/pecan-colored large wooden front desk. The English-speaking staff (really the over-staff, as is typical in Thailand given the low cost of labor) are attractive, friendly, and solicitous. At first glance, it's impossible to get a sense of the hotel: it seems like there's not much here. Unlike most fancy hotels, there's little to see from the entryway.
Le Royal Meridien is built into a hillside, spread out on nine levels. Rooms are laid out in columns of narrow, stepped pyramids, climbing upwards, just two adjacent rooms per column at each level. Between the columns, there are blooming tropical plants and palm trees, or open-air stairways attractively surrounded by more flowering plants and palms. (Note: there are steps everywhere; not at all handicap-friendly.) Our large "standard" room (all I can attest to) was nicely decorated and well-appointed (except that it lacked good reading light). The bathroom had a mirrored sit-down vanity and came supplied fresh, soft cotton robes and more towels than you'll need (and I need lots!) Each room also has a huge (15x40 ft), partially-covered, totally-private balcony (suitable for nude sun- or shade-bathing). The balcony comes complete with two padded wooden chaise lounges and a side table; a large sun umbrella and stand; a 3-pillowed couch; two cushioned rattan armchairs; a coffee table; a side table; a large decorative urn/lamp; and a square table with two comfortable chairs for private dining. And the balcony was still roomy!
The view is one of the room's, the balcony's, and the hotel's best features. Three large terra cotta flower pots full of bright pink bougainvilleas define the balcony edge, behind lays the sparkling blue water, the other side of the bay, an island, and more hills and more water off in the background. The landscape is tropical, verdant, overgrown, the outline of jagged hillsides sprouting the occasional palm tree sticking up like a lollipop. A narrow inlet draws your eye around the island and through the waterway into the distance. VERY nice.
The restaurants, bar, spa, and exercise room are covered, open-air or air-conditioned, each facing the bay below -- lapping waves transformed into a quiet beating pulse. A fine sandy beach sits 50 yards on the left; water, horizon, clouds extend to the right. A good-sized pool offers sun or shade and the staff comes by with iced towelettes at mid-day. The hotel clearly mingles elegance and grace with a sense of privacy and solitude. There are 110 rooms, but the place seemed much smaller, more intimate.
It's fortunate that the hotel food is excellent, since there aren't any restaurants nearby. The choices include Italian (done a bit weirdly,) vegetarian, Thai, seafood and more. Nightly there's a scrumptious different buffet dinner with live music. It runs about $35/pp with wine; ala carte can run considerably less.
The tranquil "spa" is small, no central area, just individual rooms with private steam and Jacuzzi to order. Like everywhere here, the personnel are exceptionally friendly and attentive. We sampled the Swedish and Thai massages side by side in a smart double room with "the view." Very r e l a x i n g, though after a few days here, we were already pretty darn relaxed. :)
Prices at Le Royal Meredien can be a steep, though our TUI package, which included a wonderful American buffet breakfast, was very reasonable at $126/day for 2, tax and 10% service included. We stayed the last week in October, right before high season (November through March). The next week the cost of the same TUI package more than doubled! Book this one well in advance.
The Allamanda at Laguna Beach -- My buddy, Bob Shullaw, recommended both the resort and the travel agent who booked it for us (at a better price than I could find elsewhere). The Allamanda comprises three 3-story buildings with spacious one- and two-bedroom apartments, (I think they're also RCI timeshares) each with balcony, and daily maid service (unfortunately providing rather skimpy towels). There's a nice swimming pool for each building, and two casual family restaurants. One downside: the long sandy beach is on the other side of the lagoon, so it's a long walk, or a boat- or jitney ride away.
Allamanda Phuket, along with the Dusit Laguna, Banyon Tree Phuket, Laguna Beach Club, and Sheraton Grande Laguna Beach make up "Laguna, Phuket". This man-made resort complex was built during the late 80's and early 90's on tin-mining wasteland that had been previously characterized as "lifeless and devastated" land, "too environmentally damaged to have any development potential." Now there are five interconnected resorts (free jitney service every few minutes), three of them very upscale and pricey, all of them 5-star. There's also a large lagoon (with boat service between resorts every 20-30 minutes) used for kayaking, wind-surfing and sailing, as well as the 18-hole championship Banyon Tree Golf Club (fees were about $67, including the caddie fee and suggested tip.) Obviously it was an amazing transformation, although today it just looks like another piece of natural paradise.
There's a little shopping center in the complex with about a dozen gift shops, a small mini-mart and a good, inexpensive restaurant. And of course, with 5 resorts there are 18 hotel restaurants (all with signing privileges) and a few more on the beach. We had dinner at the unassociated Lotus Restaurant on the beach. Eight (eight!) huge tanks full of fish, lobsters, tiger prawns and clams were part of the dinner show and tell. Excellent and definitely recommended.
A reduced room rate can be obtained through a Thai travel agency, Variety International Co., Ltd (e-mail: variety@samart.co.th .) I dealt with Khun Toom. Our one-bedroom condo ran $100 off-season, and $130/day in season including 7% tax and 10% service. Lagoon views run a little more. The Allamanda was not as nice as the Yacht Club, but it's very good value in high season and great for families or couples sharing (the two bedroom units) or for people who just prefer the space of an apartment over a luxury hotel room.