Phuket Evason Resort and Spa

Update May 2012. It seems the Evason has closed. News Story.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...

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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...

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Phuket in Bloom - Orchids

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...

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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...

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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, and thought that Baan Krating looks like a great place to stay if you want a bit...

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A fantastic view from Phromthep Meditation Centre

I can't believe we never found this place before. We have driven many times around the Cape Phromthep / Rawai Beach area, and it's a great part of Phuket to explore, but somehow we missed this one... We found a great viewpoint at a Buddhist Meditation centre/temple between Rawai and Phromthep, with a lovely view of Cape Phromthep from the south and also looking across the sea to Koh Kaew Yai, a small island with a golden Buddha statue on the shore....

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Chalong Jetty (Chalong Bay)

On Sunday evening we took a walk along Chalong Jetty. It may not sound very exciting, but in the evening there are a lot of local folk walking or jogging here, getting fresh air and exercise. You get some lovely views across Chalong Bay to some of the offshore islands such as Koh Lone, Koh Bon and Koh Racha Yai, and there are hundreds of boats in the bay – everything from dive boats to catamarans to speedboats and a couple of huge sunset cruise boats.The...

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Loy Krathong - 5th November

Note : this post was from 2006. We always do something for Loy Krathong and I have blogged several times about the festival ..• Loy Krathong 2008• How to make a Krathong• Loy Krathong 2007Loy Krathong is one of Thailand's more famous celebrations, a festival with ancient roots which (for me) boils down to saying thanks for the water and letting your bad luck drift away. It's not a huge celebration here in Phuket, but nevertheless just about everyone...

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