Last I was in Phuket, it was the sunny Christmas of 2013. I had just moved to Hong Kong and was still waiting on my work visa to be issued, so why not? It was a short 4 or 5 day trip with a very intense itinerary of 2 boat trips in a row. Needless to say, I was like a wounded soldier back from war, just absolutely wiped out from the exhausting heat, salt, sunburns, sores in my mouth from lack of sleep and spicy food. I guess it was the first proper beach holiday I’ve been on, and I learned it the hard way.
It’s
been 3 years or more now, and I have another almost 20 countries under my belt.
However, I’m tackling it with a 15 people group as a part of a company paid
trip to reward top performers. As I’m known for my planning skills (from my
trips, the corporate Christmas Parties, kickoffs etc), I was the designated
coordinator. The days leading up to the trip was a blur, scrambling to book an
ATV tour, a private speed boat, 2 dinners, and transportation. Also information
on some of the other activities that people might do on the last day during
free time.
We were on an early flight, and I had to leave before the sun even came up. But that left a good amount of the day to be enjoyed in Phuket. The drive from the airport to Patong beach was a good hour, through winding mountainous roads. Near the Patong, I swear every street looks the same – lots of motorbikes, tuk tuks, too many wires hanging off the poles, short buildings in a cramped row and all sorts of shops and travel agencies. It wasn’t as warm as I remembered it to be, but then again it was a partly cloudy day. We’re lucky, because if it were clear skies we’d be burning our skins off on the ATV tour.
We were on an early flight, and I had to leave before the sun even came up. But that left a good amount of the day to be enjoyed in Phuket. The drive from the airport to Patong beach was a good hour, through winding mountainous roads. Near the Patong, I swear every street looks the same – lots of motorbikes, tuk tuks, too many wires hanging off the poles, short buildings in a cramped row and all sorts of shops and travel agencies. It wasn’t as warm as I remembered it to be, but then again it was a partly cloudy day. We’re lucky, because if it were clear skies we’d be burning our skins off on the ATV tour.
Impiana
Resort, Patong was well prepared. 15 envelopes with a welcome letter,
resort map, print out of names and room numbers, towel cards, and the keys were
in our rooms ready for us. Considering that we had between 1:45pm – 2:15pm to
get settled and grab food, I’m very glad our hotel was well organized. I practically breathed in my pad thai and then hurried off to the van picking us up for ATV. It was around a 30 minute drive.
Impiana
sits at the heart of the Patong beach front, with a quiet section of the sandy
white beach. Just one street down is the famous Bangla road which comes alive
at night with all sorts of interesting
night life entertainment. There’s also endless options for food and shopping
all around the resort.
The ATV ride was such a blast. We rode through the forest, passing by elephants. Then on the road up a hill to a fantastic lookout of the area. We then continued onto the Big Buddha statue. It was around a 90 minute ride with the stops, just about perfect I think! One hour would've been too short.
*The ATV ride was booked with phuketalltours.com
For dinner, I've booked for the group to dine at Avista Hideaway resort. It's a very secluded resort, hidden up the hill. The interior design of the hotel took me to somewhere like the North African Mediterranean feel, almost like Morocco. We ordered the whole entire page of Thai dishes so get the full range of taste that Thailand had to offer. I can agree with the restaurant's high rank on Trip Advisor, would definitely recommend it.
Day 2 in Phuket, we'll be going to the Phi Phi Islands via a private boat. It's as beautiful as I remembered it.
The ATV ride was such a blast. We rode through the forest, passing by elephants. Then on the road up a hill to a fantastic lookout of the area. We then continued onto the Big Buddha statue. It was around a 90 minute ride with the stops, just about perfect I think! One hour would've been too short.
*The ATV ride was booked with phuketalltours.com
For dinner, I've booked for the group to dine at Avista Hideaway resort. It's a very secluded resort, hidden up the hill. The interior design of the hotel took me to somewhere like the North African Mediterranean feel, almost like Morocco. We ordered the whole entire page of Thai dishes so get the full range of taste that Thailand had to offer. I can agree with the restaurant's high rank on Trip Advisor, would definitely recommend it.
Day 2 in Phuket, we'll be going to the Phi Phi Islands via a private boat. It's as beautiful as I remembered it.
Boat:
Phuket easy tour . com
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