The Travelling Life of Silvan Colani
September 2005 - Phuket, Thailand
After spending almost all of July and August in hot, rainy and humid Hong Kong it was time to escape to the beach for a long weekend. Following last December's tsunami, tourism to Phuket was still significantly affected - particularly from Hong Kong, where people are afraid to bump into the ghosts of those killed in the tragedy or to eat fish that may have nibbled on some of the dead. The upshot of this superstition is a lot of very attractive packages, so for less than HK$ 3000 per person we booked ourselves into the 5-star Chedi Hotel for 4 days/3 nights - and thus doing our little part to help tourism recover on the island.
Watching as they packed a Boeing 777 full of Hong Kong and Mainland Chinese I wondered how serious this fear of ghosts really was - clearly less than the promise of a good bargain! Whatever it was, we didn't mind as we were promptly upgraded to Business Class (not too bad for a $3000 package...).
The Chedi
is a fine resort with private cottages, sharing the small but excellent Surin beach with the exclusive Amanpuri resort, probably one of the best on the island. Located on a hillside with its small but well appointed cottages strewn all over the hill, the only downside to this place was that it meant a lot of hiking up and down a long network of stairs.
Tip: To minimize the hiking and maximize the view, request cottages 308-317 when booked into a "Superior Cottage". Avoid the cheaper "Hillside Cottages" unless you are training for a Himalayan expedition!!! (see map)
The breakfast room with tall ceilings and open windows beautifully overlooks the ocean to the far horizon. Down below, a hexagon-shaped pool leads out to the beach. The beach itself - public as all beaches in Thailand - is long enough for a decent walk but small and secluded enough to feel more private - a world away from Patong beach! This being the off-season the sea was rather rough, not ideal for swimming but perfect for body surfing! The weather was pleasant - warm and sunny (as our sun burnt bodies can attest to) with the occasional pre-sunset shower which rarely lasted longer than fifteen minutes. Perfect conditions, really.
While we spent our first full day slowly roasting on the beach, we decided to use the second day for a bit of island exploring. Phuket isn't all that large and renting a small jeep is the perfect way to see most of the island in a day. First we headed east for a bit of Elephant trekking. Mei is a big fan of these big grey giants of the jungle and we never miss an opportunity to ride one of them. Our transport of the day was "Jamboree" on whose back we headed up a stream into the woods to the encouraging shouts of our elephant driver. Rocking and rolling to the slow but steady pace of these magnificent animals you can let time - and the world at large - just slip by.
From four-leg trundle back to two-wheel drive, we headed down the east coast to Phuket Town (nothing special) and on to the southern-most point on Phromthep Cape. We had lunch at the Evason Phuket Resort & Spa, which looked nowhere near as good as the Chedi, despite being in the same price class. In fact, we passed many of Phuket's top resorts on our little tour and none of them looked more enticing than our own choice of accommodation - especially Le Medidien and Le Royal Meridien, which appeared particularly hideous! I was also amazed to find so many resorts and hotels on the wrong side of the road, i.e. not on the beach! Who wants to cross a road before jumping into the sea?
On the way back up the west coast we passed all of Phuket's more famous beaches - Kata, Karon and of course Patong. Of these more touristy beaches, Karon would be my pick to stay if on a low budget, as it has a bit more of a laid-back, cheerful feel to it.
Patong would be my last choice. Although it must be almost ten years since my initial visit there, some things seem not to have changed. Patong feels as uninviting as back then - just a lot less busy (maybe because of the season, maybe because of the tsunami). I read somewhere that the "positive" effect of the tsunami was that a lot of the 'ugliness' of the past was swept away, but I really couldn't tell (or it was already rebuilt). All the dodgy bars were still there, but having forked out 200 baht each for a beer and the promise of a sexy "Ping Pong Ball and Banana Show" it became clear that the good old days were long gone. The show was more bizarre than entertaining with a complete lack of enthusiasm on the part of the performer - a far cry from the fond memories of my first Banana Show!!!
The damage of the tsunami was more apparent in some places than others. A number of beach front properties (including those at the Chedi) were still under reconstruction and some - like Club Med - looked brand new. The raod along the beach was in excellent condition and life in general seemed to go on as normal. I also didn't see any ghosts...
Back at the Chedi we treated ourselves to afternoon tea on our private perch before the daily dose of rain forced us back inside. Dinner at a local restaurant was non-descript with better Thai food on offer in Wanchai. But dinner the previous two nights was superb - at considerable higher cost. You get what you pay for, I guess!
All-in-all, a great weekend at excellent value-for-money. I suggest you make use of these offers while they last and enjoy the beautiful side of Phuket. You can give Patong a miss - unless you have never seen a banana-and-balloon-shooting-show before...
P.S. Which one is your favorite bond girl...? I know which one is mine!
P.S. P.S. The End...
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