A few weeks ago I entered a photo contest in Bangkok and…I won! The grand prize: a stay at the seaside Impiana Resort on Patong Beach in Phuket, an island I have been wanting to visit for the longest time.
Since Sam and I had plans to fly down to Penang, Malaysia for a visa run at the start of July, we decided to make a little stopover in Phuket and turn the trip into a little holiday.
Now, I would normally show you the sights and all the fun things you can do around the island, however, this weekend was about pure relaxation and I hardly ended up leaving the hotel grounds. There was no sightseeing, no island hopping, and there was certainly no Patong nightlife, so instead I’ll be giving you a tour of my little oasis for two days.
The Room
We got a spacious cabana located not far from the swimming pool. The bedroom had a large king sized bed as well as a day bed which acted as a nice little reading nook. Every morning we were greeted with a bowl of fresh tropical fruits in addition to the breakfast buffet.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served every morning at the hotel’s Sala Bua Restaurant right by the sea.
The open buffet had an assortment of fresh baked breads and pastries with a variety of spreads – including nutella! Tropical fruits and cereals abounded, as did an array of cheeses and deli meats. Some stations specialized in Thai food, while others served up Western favourites like omelettes (made to order), waffles, pancakes and bacon.
Don’t let my small portions fool you; I went back for seconds and thirds.
The Pool
Of course the highlight of my stay was this beautiful pool which overlooked the Andaman Sea. Suffice it to say that I spent most of my time either lounging on a chair with a Kindle in hand, or swimming the length of the pool.
The Beach
The highlight of any visit to Phuket is beach time and many travellers choose to take tours to the famed shores of Maya Beach in Ko Phi Phi Leh (which was the set for the film The Beach) or to Ko Khao Phing Kan (which was the set for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun). I went to neither of those.
The thing about a place like Phuket is that it is very crowded, and since I only had a few days on the island I wanted to have a relaxed stay and make the most of my time at the resort. Rather than taking the big tours to nearby islands, I chose to hang out on this quieter stretch of beach, which in my opinion was quite scenic. I may have missed out on some really popular beaches, but at the end of the day, I enjoyed having a low-key holiday without a busy agenda.
Have you ever spent a holiday just lounging rather than sightseeing?
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