Phuket - Patong

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Amari Coral Phuket - Swank is thy name

Noelle and I spent a wonderful last morning and afternoon lounging at breakfast and the pool of the resort in Koh Samui before having to take off for the airport. "Had" because we were spending some wonderful quality time with our lovely new friends. We started the trip with Rachela, Victoria, and Lee eons ago back in Bangkok and truly bonded over some crazy adventures. And when Gill and Fabiana joined us a week ago the friendships continued. It was sad to say goodbye to them.



Arrival and check-in at the Samui airport was seamless. Surprisingly, we were treated to some nice little snacks and drinks at the departure gate. Bangkok Air - "Thailand's Boutique Airline"! The flight was less than 40 minutes and we were served drinks AND a sandwich AND a dessert! Nice. (Although, the trolleys that took us over to the aircraft did remind me of being on the trolley at the zoo :-)



Arrival and check-in at the Amari Coral Phuket Resort in Phuket was also seamless. We couldn't believe how tired we were! We arrived after dark, so weren't secure enough about our surroundings to take off for the roads and shopping or the beach, so we just enjoyed our hotel restaurant. It was our most expensive meal yet. However, my rock lobster risotto was fabulous and the ambiance of dining on the deck over the crashing waves was lovely. (Until, that is, I saw tonight just what rock lobster actually look like before being tossed to risotto! Yikers!)



Yesterday (ok, side note: don't eat the little crispy things that appear in the salted nuts unless you really like tiny bits of anchovies ;-( ) So - yesterday dawned with partly cloudy skies, but the beach was perfect. Not too hot and not too sunny to laze away the day. Noelle opted for the beach loungers and umbrellas while I took a walk to find the famous Bangla Road - or I should say "infamous". It was pretty tame at 12:00 pm - I hesitate to think what it might be like at 12:00 am :-) Although, at 9:00 pm last night it was still pretty tame. I wouldn't, however, be there with much of value or alone!



After the beach, we went back to the hotel just in time to miss the next installment of the downpour. We braved the end of the rain and opted for a meal in honor of the 4th of July - burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe. Just something you have to do :-) After dinner was a fun time wandering around the streets of Phuket, complete with some "do it yourselfers" fireworks, some haggling and shopping a little before heading back to the hotel.



This morning was still a little rainy, but I managed to talk myself into a little run/walk along the beach walk. It was great to get out after no real exercise in the past few weeks. Of course, now I can't walk 'cause my feet hurt but at least I could try the pastries at the buffet breakfast without quite so much guilt. Right as we finished breakfast, the monsoon style rain we are kinda getting to expect around here came and put a damper on our morning plans. But, it was nice to sit and rest a bit. We again braved the end of the rain storm and took off for some laundry service and a little more exploration of the area.



Our hotel has been a really nice respite from the basic hotels of the past few weeks. Live music, buffet breakfast, lovely pool, wonderful staff, TWO pillows on the perfectly firm bed, and a 45 min foot massage as part of the package! It feels like terrible luxury, and it's a pleasure!



Last day in Phuket, and the rains pelted again. We were pretty trapped until after 1:00 pm. I know, you'd think a girl who lives in a rain forest would just get out there. The rain let up a little around 1:00 so I did take off for the street along the beach to try and take at least a few pictures of the area. It was going fine for the first 30 minutes, until it started to rain again - not something you want to expose your new Nikon to. So, back to the hotel with a plastic bag I snagged off the sidewalk to keep the camera only a little damp before treating myself to a wonderful spa treatment. Nice!



Tonight was our last Thai dish - a set menu featuring my favorite: panang curry! And a little walk down the crazy busy, narrow, tourist mashup of a sidewalk - all the while being harassed by the vendors for a tuk-tuk ride, a taxi, a tailored suit, or other unmentionable here venues as we wandered down the infamous Bangla road. But, the road and it's "shows" deserved one last visit - especially festive tonight were the "girls" in their cabaret finery. Topping off our evening was a banana/nutella crepe from one of the street vendors and a ride back to the hotel along the shopping district roads in a rock music tuk-tuk - amazing speakers and bass in those little taxis. Bye-bye, Phuket. Cambodia - here we come!

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Comments

[Mary Ellen]

Great details...
Sounds like you are having a great time over there!