Hotel Recommendations: Sabana Resort

Note: Sabana Resort is now called the All Seasons Naiharn Resort.

I tend to recommend hotels away from the main beaches, though there are some quiet spots even in Patong. One of our favourite areas in Phuket is the Chalong/Rawai/Naiharn triangle, in the South West of the island. You'll find many posts on this blog relating to places around here such as Chalong Temple and the Baan Krating Jungle Beach Resort. The All Seasons Resort is located just off Naiharn Beach, which is to the south of Kata and just North of Phromthep Cape.

The All Seasons Naiharn Resort price is very good for what you get. Nice rooms, lots of facilities, a great location. Of course if you want more dining or shopping options you'll need a taxi or your own vehicle. Kata is about 15 minutes away, Patong 30 minutes.

Naiharn beach is never going to be that busy since most of the land is owned by a temple and monastery behind the beach. The roads in this area are narrow and winding, with lots of hidden views. The road down to Naiharn is not a big one, so as far as Phuket goes, you're off the beaten track. Nevertheless the beach can be a bit crowded during the day, as Naiharn is often touted as a good place to get away from the crowds, so the crowds do sometimes flock here to get away from themselves. If you want really quiet, in the same area you have Laem Ka Beach plus Ao Sane and Yanui beaches. Ao Sane is just a couple of minutes away but it's location is well hidden as you must go through the Meridien Yacht Club Resort to get there!

All Seasons Naiharn Resort - Booking and Reviews

• All Seasons Resort Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• All Seasons Resort Reviews


All Seasons Naiharn Resort - Photos










• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Phuket Restaurant Tips: Danang Seafood

Update August 2008 - Danang Seafood is closed, not sure if forever or just for low season. But never mind, next door is Kan Eang Seafood, which is still one of our favourite spots.

Danang Seafood is a place we have eaten many many times, one of many seafood restaurants around Chalong Bay. Right next door is Kan Eang Seafood. These restaurants are close to Chalong Jetty. The entry road is just a couple of hundred meters down Chao Fa road from Chalong Circle (towards Phuket Town) - see location on Google Earth.





Danang is hardly ever busy unless they are doing a wedding or something, and it does tend to be more locals eating there than tourists, though its not as "local" as the seafood retaurants near Phuket Zoo (such as Palai Seafood, Tang Kae Seafood, Pran Talee Seafood) or Laem Hin Seafood on the east coast. There are tables right by the sea and others undercover, though still open air. We will normally go for a seafront table, though the lighting is a bit dim at night. The view is over Chalong Bay, lots of boats, Chalong Jetty and some of the islands.

The food is good, inexpensive, service is normally fast. I'd say don't eat the beef - always seems to be very chewy, but anything with fish or prawns is good. I tend to eat things like Thai salads (Yam Gung Seab is a favourite - dried shrimp salad), but a whole fried fish with lemongrass is a nice treat! There are also chicken and pork dishes, but not a lot if you are a veggie. Sitting there with a satisfied belly and a cold beer looking over the bay is relaxing and peaceful.

I always suggest people get off the main tourist beaches sometimes for lunch or dinner, it can be worth the effort! Phuket is still 10% tourist, 90% local. You don't need to go far, but you do need to go!

Recommended Hotels: Pineapple Guesthouse (Karon Beach)

Phuket is blessed with many fine hotels and resorts, and these have somewhat taken over much of the beachfront property on the main beaches. Gone (long ago) are the days spoken of by Tony Wheeler in his intro to my well-thumbed Lonely Planet South East Asia On a Shoestring - he says Patong (in 1974) had no resorts but had "an open shelter where you could camp for 3 Baht a night". Well, every dog has it's day, and you can't stop progress. It's the same story all over the world. Backpackers discover a place, then guesthouses, beach huts, restaurants, bars and all the essential services quickly mushroom, then the place is found by "flashpackers", then independent (but not poor) travelers, then all hell breaks loose and Lo! You have a tourist resort, much hated by the common backpacker.

Thailand is all this and more, amplified 100 fold. Thailand is the original Lonely Planet Destination, and is still far and away the most popular backpacker destination in the world, although as Alex Garland wrote - "One of these days I'm going to find one of those Lonely Planet writers and I'm going to ask him, 'What's so f***ing lonely about Khao San Road?'"

Phuket is considered too expensive and too "touristy" for backpackers. Personally, as a resident who stays away from the tourist areas, I disagree, but as a resident you have a rather different perspective. Personally I find Koh Tao and certainly Phi Phi more touristy than Phuket in that there is nothing there other than tourism. Phuket has a large local population and was already a busy and relatively well off province before any tourists arrived. What backpackers mean by "touristy" is "a place too upmarket for a low budget traveler". But we are all tourists. I am a tourist and I have been here since 1999.

Excuse the rambling prelude. Accommodation prices in Phuket do tend to be a little high for your average backpacker, but there are options, especially in Phuket Town, where the On On still has a flourishing trade and there's a hostel near the market. Near the beach is a bit trickier and you may have to pay 10 dollars a night (wow!) for a cheaper room. In the Karon Plaza area at the Southern end of Karon Beach are several options like the Boost Guesthouse, Kangaroo Guesthouse and more. Also here you can find the Pineapple Guesthouse, which is run by Steve, a very nice English guy and his wife Lek.

• Pineapple Guesthouse - location on Google Earth

 

Karon Plaza is built around a small temple, and can be a little hard to find! From the beach, head up the road past the Orchid Resort and you'll find the entrance to the Plaza next to a tailors. Pineapple is just round the corner from the little temple next door to Mama Noi restaurant, opposite the Siam Commercial Bank. The rooms are fairly simple, but all have bathroom, and all aircon rooms have cable TV, a fridge and minibar. The prices start at just 450 Baht in high season, and way lower in low season. You can always try asking for a long stay discount too. A dormitory was opened in 2009 - beds at 180 Baht per night!

   

Karon Plaza is a quiet area. I would recommend Pineapple if you like early nights but also like to be near a bit of life. Near Pineapple is a great little bar/cafe/art gallery called Nakonnai, run by the original Thai Bob Marley (his name is Mon). He built the place himself. Also in the plaza is Sunrise Divers, where I am the manager.

So, if you want a good lower price option in Phuket, I suggest you try the Pineapple Guesthouse. It's just 5 minutes walk from the beach and there are loads of places to eat around the area, including Mama Noi (next door to Pineapple 2). You can get a very good full English breakfast and other English style dishes like Egg, Bacon, Chips and Beans right there at the guesthouse, and Thai dishes too (but only in high season). There are a number of small local restaurants on the back road nearby and there are always stalls selling fruit, fried chicken, drinks, corn, somtam and more depending on the time of day.

For full information and booking, you can visit the Pineapple Guesthouse website:

• Pineapple Guesthouse Website
• Pineapple Guesthouse on Facebook
• Pineapple Guesthouse Online Booking @ Hostel World

Other guesthouses and low price accommodation in Phuket @ BookHostels.com:

• BookHostels (book low budget accommodation online)

• Low Budget Places to Stay in Phuket (on my We Love Phuket blog) - good listing of guesthouses

• More Hotels in Phuket - Agoda.com - LateStays.com

Koh Sirey Temple

We had time this afternoon for a drive around once the clouds had cleared, and I decided to head for Koh Sirey, a rather forgotten corner of Phuket, located to the east of Phuket Town, over a small bridge near the Rassada Ferry Terminal (from where you get boats to Phi Phi and Krabi).

 

Koh Sirey is rather undeveloped with lots of rubber plantations, coconut trees, a sea gyspy village, a few big houses, a school, a fair number of locals and a temple on the hill. The temple is just past the school. You pass through an entrance by the road up a slight hill to an open area, turn right and the road carries on up. Not much parking space (park where you like, it is unlikely to be busy) and head up the steps lined by 2 dragons. Inside the temple (if it's open) you find a large reclining Buddha. I have been several times and only saw the Buddha on my last visit - the photos below were added to this post in December 2008.





You can also walk around the outside, which is surrounded by other Buddha images and has some great views. A few other visitors came along, but it's a quiet place.





We have been to Koh Sirey a number of times and have eaten in a couple of different small beachfront restaurants there (just drive around the island and you'll find where to eat). The Sea Gypsy village is rather dirty, and there is a row of new houses built after the tsunami, with piles of garbage all around. You know I was in Malaysia last week and saw a sea gyspy village on Mabul Island (Sabah) which looked almost exactly the same, especially with the garbage. These people don't seem to have figured out what to do with their rubbish!







Koh Sirey is well worth a trip. You can have a nice lunch there, see the temple, get some views, see the sea gypsy village and get a feel for the Phuket that exists outside the tourist zones.

• More about Koh Sirey Island
• Koh Sirey Temple location on Google Earth

Hotel Recommendations: Metropole (Phuket Town)

Note added 2009: Checking the reviews recently seems this place may not be the best in town! Gone a bit downhill. (see link below) - I would say based on these recent reviews I can't totally recommend this hotel now!

Online booking with Agoda for some better Phuket Town Hotels:

• The Taste Phuket Hotel
• Pearl Hotel
• Phuket Merlin Hotel

Most visitors to Phuket naturally want to stay by the beach, which tends to make the beach areas rather overpopulated in some areas (Patong in particular). Now, there are many quieter beach areas, but some of the quiet beaches have very limited accommodation choices. The town (now officially called a city) of Phuket has a number of good value places to stay, where you are a short bus ride from the beach, but out of tourism central. Phuket town is where normal local life goes on, and is for example a great base if you come for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, or if you're just stopping over a night before traveling on to Phi Phi, Krabi or Koh Lanta by ferry. Also, since it's not by the beach, you get a good hotel for a good price.

• A walk around Phuket Town

Leaving aside the backpacker places such as On On (a miracle it doesn't fall down) or the Backpacker Hostel by the market, there are many good mid price hotels such as the Merlin, Pearl, The Taste and more.



The Metropole Hotel is located in central Phuket Town (see on Google Earth), and has 248 guest rooms. Dining options available to guests include the Fortuna Pavilion Chinese Restaurant, the Metropole Cafe serving International and Thai dishes, the Lobby Lounge with live entertainment, the poolside bar, and the executive cocktail lounge. You're also close to plenty of local restaurants, bars and shopping centers. Recreational facilities at the Metropole Hotel include a swimming pool, traditional massage center, and fitness center.

Metropole Hotel - Booking Links

• Metropole Hotel Reviews on TripAdvisor
• Metropole Hotel Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com

• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Views from the air

Well, time to get blogging again. I've spent a week away in Malaysia, diving at Sipadan with the turtles. It's worth getting your camera out on the flight, and if you fly these local routes with Malaysia Airlines, try to get seat 14A or 14F which are behind the emergency exit and have extra legroom, and are window seats so you can get some great views. Here's a few below...







Back on solid ground now, back to work and not much time for blogging. Hopefully we'll go exploring this weekend. On the photo above of Northern Phuket, in between Bang Tao and Naithon, is another beach, which I believe is called Layan beach. I want to go there....in the meantime, I'll try to add on a couple of hotel recommendations. We're in peak season now, and the weather is great. But a week of travel and diving has left me tired.

If you get the chance, I do recommend a stay at Borneo Divers Resort in Mabul. Air Asia has some great deals from Phuket to Kota Kinabalu at the start of next year, and from there it's just a short hop to Tawau, from where you are looked after. I'd like to go back with my wife.

Update November 2008...

More views from the air here... we took a seaplane flight to Phi Phi and back..

• Flying from Phuket to Phi Phi Island

Hotel Recommendations: Evason Resort and Spa

We drove past the entrance to the Evason a few days ago while on the way to Laem Ka Beach. In fact, unsure of where to find the small, unmarked road to Laem Ka, we drove up to the entrance of the Evason, where a friendly security guard told us where to find what we needed.

The Evason is another well hidden resort. Located near Rawai beach, away from all the main beaches, it has it's own private sands. The rooms are open and airy with open style bathrooms. The idea is that the rooms are open to the views rather than being a box with a window! It's not a cheap place, and has the facilities to back up the price - everything from high speed internet in the rooms to tennis courts to half a dozen on site restaurants and bars. One of those resorts you don't really want to leave!

The location (see on Google Earth) is great. You're close to many of my favourite parts of Phuket down in the SW corner of the island. You can find quiet beaches, great views, temples and more within 15 minutes drive. The airport is about an hour away, Phuket town about 20 minutes.

Evason Resort - Booking and Reviews

• Evason Resort Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Evason Resort - Reviews


Evason Resort Photos








• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Quiet Beaches - Laem Ka Beach

Another small, quiet beach in Phuket, not very well known and mainly only visited by locals is Laem Ka beach. It's just north east of Rawai beach, between Rawai and Chalong and is not well signposted at all. We had never been there before today despite countless drives around the Rawai area. We first started to drive up the road to the Evason resort, but this only goes to the hotel. The friendly security guard told us to carry on towards Rawai and turn left after the 7-11. There's no sign to Laem Ka beach, as it is undeveloped and basically off the tourist radar.. but you can find it on Google Earth now :)

Its a small road which goes across the headland (the word Laem in Thai means Cape or headland) - very nice area full of coconut trees, but is mostly private land. Owned by who? Whoever it is has put up a rather odd scarecrow at one point to make it quite obvious that you do NOT want to go this way:



Just above Laem Ka beach is a small parking area, and one small building selling some drinks and BBQ pork with sticky rice. You have to go down a few steps to the beach which has some sandy areas separated by rocks and stretches for about 400m I would guess. There were only a few people there, so we found ourselves a little private beach!





There are views across the water (which looked nice and clear) to some of the islands just offshore - Koh Bon, Koh Lone, Koh He, and there were sailing boats out on the sea racing from Chalong. Maybe practicing for the well known Kings Cup which starts next weekend.





We had come for a quick look but had a paddle and let the kids play with the sand and splash around. It was very nice indeed and I think we'll go back next weekend with a picnic and more suitable swimwear for all of us! It's peak season and all the main beaches are busy, but here we had all the time in the world, the sun on our shoulders and great views.

Phuket in Bloom

It's now getting into the "high" season in Phuket, with sunny skies, occasional thunderstorms at night and light winds. The "low" season ended a month or so ago. The summer months are also called the Green Season since the rain (while not being so welcome for tourists) is lapped up by trees, bushes, grass and flowers. Even with all the development, Phuket is a very green island (not that you'd believe it if you're walking through Patong). You can find countless photos on this blog showing green hills, palm trees, rubber plantations and forests. There are also lots of flowers. People here love to have plants around the house and garden and you'll find many garden shops in Phuket selling everything from trees to stones to garden furniture, and lots of orchids...

The variety of orchids is amazing. We have more than 20 species around our garden - sounds like a lot....but it's estimated there are more than 25,000 orchid species! And they sure are purty lil' things. Now I'm no gardener, and my wife tends to buy the plants and make things look nice, but I certainly appreciate orchids. Thanks to Google power, I just found out that orchids get their name from the Greek orchis, meaning "testicle". Not a lot of people know that.

So, without further ado, without any delay, here's some photos of flowers in our garden, some of them being orchids. Enjoy.

 

Hotel Recommendations: Cape Panwa Hotel

Cape Panwa is a favourite quiet corner of Phuket. Despite being home to the Phuket Aquarium and Marine Biological Centre, not many visitors head down to the far SE corner of Phuket. It's a bit of a drive from the main beaches, but if you have time and can rent a car or bike, it's a nice area to explore - lots of backroads. In this area you can also find Khao Khad viewpoint. Panwa is a quiet, mostly muslim area. The main road from town to the cape is well kept and pleasantly rolling, and there are many side roads worth following for the views. There is also a smaller road which runs along the west side of the cape, on the east side of Chalong Bay.

Right at the end of the road, near the aquarium, you can find the Cape Panwa Hotel. A great little hideaway, right on the beach and away from all the crowds on Phuket's main beaches. With all the facilities the hotel has you hardly need to leave. There are no less than 5 different restaurants and 5 bars! You're about 15 minutes drive from Phuket town, but note that its a good hour or maybe more to the airport, which is up in the north of Phuket. Cape Panwa Hotel is one of the Top 10 Hotels in Phuket.

Cape Panwa Hotel - Booking and Reviews

• Cape Panwa Hotel Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Cape Panwa Hotel Reviews


Cape Panwa Hotel Photos










• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations

Hotel Recommendations: Baan Krating Jungle Beach Resort

Phuket has many hidden corners, many quiet hideaways and some excellent hotels can be found on their own beaches, or balanced on the edge of a jungly cliff a million miles from the crowds. The Baan Krating Jungle Beach Hotel is found near Ao Sane beach, which is round the corner and along a tiny cliffside road from Naiharn beach. I've been to Ao Sane beach a few times (read about it here - Quiet Beaches in Phuket), and though that Baan Krating looks like a great place to stay if you want a bit of peace and quiet. See location on Google Earth.

Guests at this resort enjoy a mix of jungle and beach, with the 30 chalets set in the trees above a small private beach. There's also a beachside pool. The restaurant serves the usual Thai-Western mix. If you want more food options, you'll need to get to Naiharn and beyond. The Naiharn/Rawai area has a fair number of expat residents and there are a number of western restaurants such as Don's Cafe and Mimi's.

Baan Krating Jungle Beach - Booking and Reviews

• Baan Krating Rates and Reservations at Agoda.com
• Baan Krating Hotel Reviews


Baan Krating Photos

 

 


• More Hotels in Phuket - Phuket Hotels at Agoda.com
• Last minute Phuket hotels - LateStays.com
• More Phuket Hotel Recommendations