The Thai island of Phuket packs a lot into its borders, including a dizzying range of white-sand beaches and low to high-end hotels.
It’s also easy to get to. The international airport offers good links to or from Bangkok on Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways, which has a code-share with Eva Air and from November 1 will operate six flights a day on the route.
Away from the busy tourist hub of Patong, swanky all-villa properties such as Vijitt Resort in Rawai, Anantara Phuket Villas, Sri Panwa, with its Sri Panwa Cool Spa, and The Shore at Katathani grace secluded spots, making Phuket a great place for couples.
The weddings and honeymoons market is also strong, despite couples having to do paperwork in advance in Bangkok. There is an array of venues, from beachfront locations to the over-lagoon wedding chapel at the 1,000-acre Laguna Phuket, whose seven core properties include the Banyan Tree and Dusit, as well as an 18-hole golf course and five spas.
Family options include Centara’s Karon Resort Phuket, which opened two waterslides last month, and Centara Kata Resort Phuket. By the year-end, it will have six Phuket properties, including the recently opened five-star Grand Beach Resort Phuket on Karon beach.
Activities
The white-sand beaches and stunning bays of the Greater Phuket region are instantly recognisable. Limestone khast outcrops jut from the sea, while lush jungles and waterfalls draw guests inland. Boat tours ply the waters around Phang Nga bay, immortalised in the James Bond movie The Man With The Golden Gun, and the Phi Phi Islands, where The Beach was filmed.
The breathtaking Similan Islands are a diver’s and snorkeller’s paradise. Currently closed for the rainy season, they reopen on November 1.
On Phuket, tour highlights include old Phuket town, the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project and Bang Rong, a small Muslim community. On the mainland, rainforest treks and elephants are a big draw.
I visited Elephant Hills, whose tours in the surrounding Khao Sok National Park are featured by the likes of Travel 2, Premier Holidays and Audley Travel.
This luxury safari-style camp has 30 tents and guests typically stay two or four days, which costs £250 and £410 a night all-inclusive, excluding alcohol.
The focus on soft adventure makes it suitable for families (extra beds can be added in the tents). Options include treks, canoe safaris on the Sok river, and trips on a Burmese junk on Cheow Larn lake, where the company is building 10 luxury floating tents (due to open in January 2011).
When guests have explored the parks, there is a growing range of beachfront accommodation on the mainland, clustered around centres such as Khao Lak. The beach is home to hotels ranging from the new three-star-plus, 64-room FuramaXpress Bangniang Beach to a family-friendly Le Meridien to upmarket offerings such as the Sarojin (page 56) and recently opened Casa de la Flora.
Hotel review: The Sarojin, Khao Lak
The Sarojin, set in Khao Lak amid 10 acres of tropical gardens that roll on to the beach, is a good bet for couples. Its 56 spacious residences, comprising ground-floor pool and garden residences and first-floor villas (from £280, £415 and £480 a night respectively) are dotted around the lush, manicured grounds, home to lily ponds and a pool area.
Customer service is a big focus (there are about 200 staff), as is food and beverage. The main restaurant, Ficus, set in the grounds under a fig tree, and the beachfront Edge, serve Asian and western dishes, backed by a well-stocked wine cellar, while private dining options include candlelit dinners at a nearby waterfall.
Wedding packages (from £1,350) can be tailored to suit clients’ needs, as can a range of excursions, from riverbank cooking classes to charters on the hotel’s boat Lady Sarojin.
Back on site, couples can lose any remaining tensions at the sumptuous Pathways Spa. From October 31 until December 20, guests receive one free night for every five booked.
Sample package: Virgin Holidays has seven nights’ room-only at the Sarojin for £1,468 per person, for November departures, based on two adults sharing a standard room. The price includes transfers and Thai Airways flights from Heathrow to Phuket. vhols4agents.co.uk, 0844 557 3982
