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The best of Thailand's beaches
![conde nast traveller phuket 8. Thailand](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869db797d0116fd436a/16:9/w_320%2Cc_limit/Aerial-View-of-Phang-Nga-Bay-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Best undiscovered Thai island
A land of free-diving sea gypsies, leafy cashew farms, Champagne-coloured sand and mint-green water: it is actually still possible to find unspoilt parts of Thailand . Until recently, almost no one had heard of the mellow island of Koh Phayam, on the Thai border with Burma - and those who had were unlikely to want to make the nine-hour slog on the night bus from Bangkok to get there. But Koh Phayam's fortunes are set to change (for better or worse) now the low-cost Thai airline Nok Air has started direct 90-minute flights from the capital. Get there before every hippy and hipster worth their pink Himalayan salt finds out about it. www.nokair.com
Best beach bar
Koh phangan.
The Flip Flop Pharmacy in Koh Phangan exemplifies the hidden side of the island's north-east with its chilled-out vibe a million miles from the Full Moon parties this place has become known for. Here, instead, is a pavilion with worn-smooth floorboards, a drinks menu that would make any mixologist proud and a mellow soundtrack. But the best bits are the slouchy pillows, low tables and candlelit lanterns beneath a sky that changes from pink to starlit in the time it takes to sip a cocktail. +66 77 445081
You'll need to get here early or hang late to get the postcard-worthy photo-op at Nangyuan beach near Koh Tao , a silvery sliver of a sandbar that connects three small islands linked by thigh-deep, crystal-clear water and a fishbowl-effect of tropical marine life.
![conde nast traveller phuket Best of Thailand's beaches | Where to stay eat drink and party](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869a954a4e571f6ebbe/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Ko-Miang-Island-Similan-Islands-Andaman-Sea-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-20nov15-alamy.jpg)
Best snorkelling
Similan islands.
Grab a mask and head to the Similan Islands , a national park west of Khao Lak that's well worth its designation as one of the world's best diving sites. After discovering the shoals of rich coral reefs and the spectacular limestone islands, the squeaky soft beaches are just the spot for a picnic.
The rooftop bar with the best views
At sunset everyone heads to Baba Nest for a rum-drenched My Thai Lady. Suspended up high, cut into the rocks of Phuket's Cape Panwa peninsula , the rooftop bar of the Baba Poolclub at Sri Panwa has knock-your-socks-off views over the Andaman Sea. The vibe is low-key, with sunken seats for flopping onto after a swim in the infinity pool. Come earlier in the day for lunch and order the sake-sashimi salad, salt-and-pepper calamari and tiger prawns, alongside a Piña Colada or the non-alcoholic Baba Punch with fresh orange, hibiscus juice and lime. www.sripanwa.com
Wildest beach clubs
Koh samui & phuket.
For some, a perfect evening in Thailand is a great cocktail and a mean green curry, preferably while wearing just flip-flops and a kaftan. But for others, it's a much more raucous event. The European-style beach clubs here include bottle service and a glammed-up crowd. At Koh Samui 's Nikki Beach, for example, sushi, Champagne and international DJs are the draw (the more low-key Wednesday film nights are pretty popular too), and at Phuket's Catch Beach Club on Surin Beach (one of the island's better stetches of sand) the parties turn into a rave as the night goes on. www.nikkibeach.com ; www.catchbeachclub.com
Best Thai massage (and it's only £10)
Forget the brightly lit storefront massage parlours that are a dime a dozen in Thailand . Tanaporn Massage House on Koh Phangan somehow combines an authentic atmosphere (flowering gardens, gentle music, hushed surroundings) with bargain prices (less than £10 an hour) and therapists who make your body as limber as your 18-year-old best again. If you're lucky with your timing (in the earlier months of the year), the owner's mother-in-law might be in town; the deceivingly slight lady can make men cry - her hands are that strong. www.tanaporn.com
Best street food
Blending Indian, Malaysian and Chinese influences, the food of southern Thailand is intense, hyper-fragrant and the spiciest of the country's already spicy regional cuisines. Get your fix in Phuket Old Town, a former enclave of 19th-century Chinese and Portuguese traders, where umbrella-covered stalls sizzle outside pastel-coloured shophouses strung with red lanterns. Lunch might come in plastic bags but it is the most authentic you'll find on the island. It's also the cheapest. Feast on local specialities - soupy seafood hokkien noodles, skewers of sizzling sausages, oyster omelettes, piping-hot roti and velvety curries - for less than £1 a dish.
Most fabulous new villas
Koh Samui is heaving with heavyweight hotels - Banyan Tree, Four Seasons, W, Belmond Napasai - but giving them a run for their money are a new breed of houses to rent with vast amounts of space, spectacular design and privacy. Check out the modernist cubes of Samujana, cleaved into the hillside above Choeng Mon beach . Each comes with its own butlers, chefs, drivers and swimming pools, as well as Muay Thai boxers for personal training. Or try the Panacea's Praana Residence, which sprawls over 50,000sq ft and needs a staff of 20 to keep its six suites, cinema room, two infinity pools, gym, spa, nursery and nightclub ticking over. www.samujana.com ; www.panaceasamui.com
Best coffee in the islands
Casa Lapin x Samui has just opened at Fisherman's Village , right on Koh Samui 's fashionable Bophut Beach . The brainchild of architect-owner Surapan Tanta, one of Thailand's niche coffee pioneers, it continues the industrial-chic style of the Bangkok original - exposed brick walls with bare floorboards and a decked terrace. Here you'll find skilled baristas serving the best coffee on the island, as well as a range of smoothies, detox juices and punchy cocktails, alongside seafood platters piled high with lobster, prawns, oysters and scallops.
Coolest café bars
Ella Phuket in Patong Beach is a temple to urban industrial minimalism with bare bulbs, polished concrete, iced mochas and guestrooms upstairs. At the opposite end of the style spectrum is China Inn Café in Phuket Town . A hundred years ago the shophouse was used as a money brokerage firm; now its beautifully restored rooms are filled with colourful textiles, lacquered antiques and vintage Chinese advertising posters, and there's a great courtyard restaurant. www.theellagroup.org ; China Inn (+66 76 356239)
Totally under-rated but wonderful island
Thailand's fourth-largest - but least-visited - island, Ko Kood, sits in a pristine marine sanctuary near the Cambodian border. Largely mountainous, with thick jungle ringed by immaculate sandy bays, it feels totally off-grid. Stay in a straw hut at Neverland, the little beach houses at Shantaa Resort or in one of the largest hotel villas in the world at sybaritic Soneva Kiri, a beautiful spot with environmentally friendly design and authentic Thai touches. www.neverlandresort.com ; from about £30 per night. www.shantaakohkood.com ; from about £50 per night. www.soneva.com ; doubles from about £595
Most interesting place to visit
Thai Hua Museum is one of the finest examples of Sino-Portuguese architecture in Phuket . Formerly a Chinese-language school, the building in the Old Town now holds exhibitions of local history, which is influenced by the Chinese diaspora who came to the island for tin mining. The displays are informative, using original artefacts as props and mini mock-ups to show what life was like in the 19th century. +66 76 211224
The most incredible location in Thailand
Phang nga bay.
Phang Nga Bay is hard to beat. Get here in a traditional longtail fishing boat to explore transparent waters, white-sand coves that are great for a lunch stop or a quick swim, and limestone islands that provide an epic setting (they featured in the 1974 James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun : the fiendish Scaramanga was a resident in these parts).
![conde nast traveller phuket Point Yamu Hotel Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869a106ea5ed309a2a7/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/La-Sirena-Restaurant-at-point-yamu-by-COMO-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Best hotel shop
What stands out most at Phuket's Point Yamu by COMO are the impeccable details, from the antique Buddha hands repurposed as door handles to the vintage cart serving organic ice cream. At the hotel's boutique, masterminded by owner Christina Ong, the edit is small but flawless. The shop's version of Thai trousers favoured by gap-year travellers comes cut in dashing silk, and the swimsuit selection includes pin-up numbers by London-based Prism. Other must-buys include gold bangles, which look great stacked on a tanned arm. www.comohotels.com
Best late-night party
As soon as the plates of curries and green-mango salad have been cleared at Ka Jok See , a restaurant and cabaret bar in Phuket Old Town , a ladyboy in glittery platforms and a sequined dress belts out 'It's Raining Men'. Everyone joins in, banging on bongos and tambourines, putting on cowboy hats and pink, plastic, heart-shaped sunglasses. It's eccentric to say the least, and dancing on tabletops is absolutely encouraged, as is initiating a conga line with the rest of the guests. Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell have been spotted kicking up their heels here. +66 76 217903
Buzziest new hang-out
If you spy a frenzy of paparazzi and a private jet when you land at Phuket International, chances are its passengers are heading to Iniala Beach House. A mix of modern architecture, MoMA-worthy art and a white-sand beach has made it one of Asia's most talked-about openings in the past few years. If it's a stretch to pay £10,000 a night to rent it all out, dip into the jetset life at restaurant Pärla. The dishes by Seumas Smith offer a unique mix of Scandinavian and Hebridean flavours with a strong focus on seafood and fresh produce. Maybe this is your chance for a selfie with a Kardashian. www.iniala.com . Tasting menu at Pärla about £107. Suites from about £654
Best clubbing
When Koh Samui 's beachside Gecko Village was destroyed by fire, the owners relocated to Bophut Hills . Gone are the Bali-style interiors: the Gecko Bar & Supper Club , as it's now known, is slick with polished concrete, soaring ceilings and an infinity pool. By night, it's a different creature. Techno and house fans spill in for the Sunday sessions that are now legendary thanks to the famous names that play, including Dirty Vegas.
![conde nast traveller phuket Kamalaya Koh Samui](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be8686ab96bf3ecf1ec43/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/kamalaya-spa-koh-samui-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Best spa retreat
Scattered through dense bird-filled jungle on the edge of a boulder-strewn beach, Thai wellness institution Kamalaya changed the spa scene when it opened 10 years ago. This results-driven holistic hotspot on the island of Koh Samui is built around an ancient monk's cave, and its therapists are some of the best in the world. Recharge your physical and emotional batteries on one of three different stress- and burnout-therapy programmes, which include invigorating yoga, Chinese acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine and Thai massage. www.kamalaya.com . Doubles from about £140
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Best interiors shopping
Known for his industrial-leaning designs, John Underwood creates copper ceiling fans, ornate steel screens and stone-carved bathtubs that can be seen in some of Asia's slickest hotels, including Indigo Pearl in Phuket. Find his furniture and sculptures at the Underwood Art Factory under Phuket's Mu Ban bypass . www.underwood-phuket.com
Loveliest hidden beach retreat
Ask any Bangkok insider where to escape the city's chaos and totally unwind and Railei Beach Club in Krabi is bound to come up. On an idyllic bay bookended by limestone cliffs and fronted by a crystal sea with bobbing fishing boats, the Robinson Crusoe-styled wooden bungalows are set just back from the water and are a refuge for expat and well-heeled locals who happily rent them out to visitors when they're not in residence. The beach bar is not to be missed (try the passion-fruit Margarita) and the chefs adopt a market-to-table approach when they come and cook for you. The only drawback? The word is out, so book early in high season, especially for Christmas and New Year, when a seven-night minimum is required. www.raileibeachclub.com . From about £65 per night
![conde nast traveller phuket Keemala Hotel Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869042ccafe9a9adb32/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Birds-Nest-Pool-Bathroom-keemala-hotel-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Quirkiest places to stay
All eyes are on Phuket this December, when the fantastical Keemala finally opens its recycled wooden doors. The hotel looks like a cross between Avatar 's Pandora and The Hobbit 's Middle-earth, and you can choose to stay in mushroom-shaped clay cottages, billowing tented suites, bird's-nest villas or bamboo houses looped into the palm trees like massive Christmas baubles. Vegetables in the restaurants will come straight from the kitchen gardens and fruit will be plucked from the surrounding orchards. The spa has therapies including vibrational attunement and Tibetan singing bowls. Expectations couldn't be higher. www.keemala.com . Doubles from about £355
For the best sleep of your life
Getting a good night's sleep is serious business at the dreamy Six Senses Yao Noi. Tucked away on a sparsely populated island sandwiched between Krabi and Phuket, this do-gooding, eco-luxe hotel has always been a den of tranquility, but its Yogic Sleep programme takes snoozing to new levels. Guided meditation sessions, calming qi gong classes, yoga nidra - learning how to achieve a kind of conscious dream state - are combined with dream-catcher head massages, pandan -scented steams and detoxing scrubs, all under the guidance of doe-eyed yoga master Dorelal Singh from India. www.sixsenses.com . Doubles from about £280
Most amazing outdoor bathrooms
On Mai Khao beach in the quiet north-west of the island, Sala Phuket is peaceful and private, and completely removed from the party scene. The design is contemporary and sleek: lots of lime-washed wood, pale grey and taupe linen, and daybeds piled high with cushions. Most of the 79 suites and villas come with their own swimming pool but all of them have an open-air shower and a huge, egg-shaped marble bath outside for breezy evening bathing. www.salaresorts.com . Doubles from about £80
Best seafood
It may be off the beaten track but the pier at Bang Bao , a village in southern Koh Chang , has the most fantastic fish. It doesn't matter which restaurant you pick, though if you want to choose your seafood specifically, Lom Talay and Chow Lay have large tanks teeming with various knobbly crustaceans. Local specialities include grilled mantis shrimp ( kung pao ) and stir-fried spider crab in red curry sauce ( boo paht pong karee ).
Most aromatic place to stay
Koh Samui meets colonial Indochina at The Scent Hotel on Bang Rak beach , where Provençal-style armchairs sit beside apothecary dressers. Choose your room fragrance on arrival. www.thescenthotel.com . Doubles from about £65
Best reinvention
The town of Pattaya, on the east coast, is cleaning up its act. Forget the sleazy girlie bars, ear-splitting music and seedy massage parlours, it now has chic cafés, bars and restaurants. Check out A' La Campagne with its French-style interiors, modern European food and amazing coffee. Pop next door to Somtum Villa for a cracking green-papaya salad and end the day with sunset drinks at Silver Lining on the beach. For healthy smoothies, head to the Spa Café in nearby Chon Buri, and the funky Conpanno Café has delicious ice cream.
For bespoke itineraries to Thailand and personalised service, contact Cleveland Collection +44 20 3111 0805; www.clevelandcollection.co.uk
Contributors: Lee Cobaj, Ondine Cohane, Anna Chittenden, Michael Paul
This feature was first published in Condé Nast Traveller December 2015
Read our feature on more of the best winter sun destinations [SkyScanner]
![conde nast traveller phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be8676ab96bf3ecf1ec3e/16:9/w_1600%2Cc_limit/thai.jpg)
Kamalaya Spa, Koh Samui
![conde nast traveller phuket Pool at Soneva Kiri Ko Kood](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be868d5b6f5a4a3deefd0/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/Private-Cliff-Pool-Reserve-Villa-61-soneva-kiri-ko-kood-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-Jerome-Kelagopian.jpg)
Pool at Soneva Kiri, Ko Kood
![conde nast traveller phuket Soneva Kiri Ko Kood](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be8688c1b7286f1c113b9/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/Private-Cliff-Pool-Reserve-Villa-63-soneva-kiri-ko-kood-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Soneva Kiri, Ko Kood
![conde nast traveller phuket Villa at Samujana Koh Samui](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be8684e09f53b437327ad/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/samujana-koh-samui-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Villa at Samujana, Koh Samui
![conde nast traveller phuket View from the den at Six Senses Yao Noi](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be868a106ea5ed309a2a3/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/View-From-The-Den-Six-Senses-Yao-Noi-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
View from the den at Six Senses Yao Noi
![conde nast traveller phuket The Aziamendi restaurant at Iniala Beach House Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be8684e09f53b437327ab/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/Aziamendi-restaurant-iniala-beach-house-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
The Aziamendi restaurant at Iniala Beach House, Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket Villa Siam at Iniala Beach House Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be868db797d0116fd4363/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/villa-siam-at-iniala-beach-house-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Villa Siam at Iniala Beach House, Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket The presidential suite at SALA Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be868628f4910ed101afe/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/SALA-Phuket-Presidential-suite-mai-khao-beach-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
The presidential suite at SALA Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket The Scent Hotel Koh Samui](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be868a954a4e571f6ebb8/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/the-scent-hotel-bang-rak-beach-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
The Scent Hotel, Koh Samui
![conde nast traveller phuket A' La Campagne restaurant in Pattaya](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be868ab1fb48d7ae603cb/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/a-la-campagne-pattaya-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
A' La Campagne restaurant in Pattaya
![conde nast traveller phuket Drinks at A' La Campagne Pattaya](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be86924f18e2bd3cbdf94/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/drinks-at-a-la-campagne-pattaya-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Drinks at A' La Campagne, Pattaya
![conde nast traveller phuket La Sirena restaurant at Point Yamu Hotel Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869a106ea5ed309a2a7/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/La-Sirena-Restaurant-at-point-yamu-by-COMO-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
La Sirena restaurant at Point Yamu Hotel, Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket Sunset at Baba Nest Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869a954a4e571f6ebbc/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/Baba-Nest-cape-panwa-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Sunset at Baba Nest, Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket Bathroom at Keemala Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869042ccafe9a9adb32/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/Birds-Nest-Pool-Bathroom-keemala-hotel-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Bathroom at Keemala, Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket Catch Beach Club Phuket](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869ab1fb48d7ae603d1/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/catch-beach-club-surin-beach-phuket-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Catch Beach Club, Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket 8. Thailand](https://media.cntraveller.com/photos/611be869db797d0116fd436a/master/w_320%2Cc_limit/Aerial-View-of-Phang-Nga-Bay-thailand-conde-nast-traveller-10nov15-pr.jpg)
Phang Nga Bay
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Luxury Hotels, Spas and Venues in Phuket
See our selection of luxury hotels in Phuket, Thailand . The Condé Nast Johansens team of Local Experts inspects each property year-on-year, so you can be sure to receive a premium experience.
Trendy Phuket, off the Andaman Coast, is Thailand’s largest and one of its most popular islands. Despite the heavy flow of tourism, the island remains blessed with shimmering white sand beaches and warm, turquoise waters. You’ll also find a sublime selection of luxury resorts, glamorous drinking spots and high-end restaurants. Off the shores of Phuket wonderful diving and snorkelling is available with beautiful reefs, walls and banks hailed as some of the finest in the world.
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Amatara Welleisure™ Resort
Phuket , Thailand , Phuket , Thailand
![conde nast traveller phuket Amatara Welleisure™ Resort](https://www.johansens.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Thailand-Amatara-Welleisure-Resort-7.jpg)
From the very edge of Phuket’s southeast corner in Cape Panwa, Amatara Welleisure™ Resort presides on a peninsula above a pretty beach lapped by the turquoise Andaman Sea. Each one of its luxurious rooms, suites and villas overlooks this endless watery vista, which is also ever-present through floor-to-ceiling windows of studios and open-air pavilions where various exercise, yoga and... More info
V Villas Phuket MGallery Collection
Phuket , Thailand
![conde nast traveller phuket V Villas Phuket MGallery Collection](https://www.johansens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Thailand-V-Villas-Phuket-MGallery-Collection-735.jpg)
Purposely built to enjoy the majestic Andaman Sea view, V Villas Phuket - MGallery Collection sits on a private hilltop surveying the natural beauty of Ao Yon Bay below and beyond. The resort’s gourmet Yon|Ocean House restaurant, rooftop AKOYA|Star Lounge and communal infinity pool all take in this uninterrupted watery scene; so do many of the 19 private villas where butler service is at... More info
![conde nast traveller phuket Keemala](https://www.johansens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Thailand-Phuket-Keemala-7-e1641567946246.jpg)
A little bit eccentric, uniquely awesome and wholeheartedly sustainable, Keemala is an otherworldly realm ensconced in lush tropical rain forest. Pioneering, opulent design is its theme and warm, all-embracing Thai hospitality is the philosophy. The inspiration for this architectural wonder came from the surrounding landscape, and there is nothing else quite like it. Managing to be all-at-once... More info
![conde nast traveller phuket A pavilion facing the sea containing two people practising yoga](https://www.johansens.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Thailand-Amatara-Welleisure-Resort-7-555x370.jpg)
Amatara Welleisure™ Resort Spa
![conde nast traveller phuket 2024-WINNER-LOGO](https://www.johansens.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2024-WINNER-LOGO-150x150.png)
Keemala Hotel
![conde nast traveller phuket A woman looking out from a sea-facing infinity pool at V Villas Phuket - MGallery Collection](https://www.johansens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Thailand-V-Villas-Phuket-MGallery-Collection-735-555x348.jpg)
V Villas Phuket MGallery Collection Hotel · Villa
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Top 5 family resorts in Phuket
![conde nast traveller phuket Top 5 family resorts in Phuket](https://assets.cntraveller.in/photos/60b9f24845469a6a570b1838/16:9/w_1024%2Cc_limit/JW-Marriott-Phuket3-563885670-1366x768.jpg)
Snooze, sun, sand and sea during a vacation with kids: sounds too good to be true?
With our list of child-friendly resorts in Thailand’s popular tourist island Phuket, you can peacefully unwind as entertaining activities distract and engage your kids. Circus-training programmes, kid's yoga, cafes and spa treatments – these resorts have left no stone unturned in ensuring that both your kids and you have the holiday of a lifetime. Babysitting services are available in all the listed properties.
Holiday Inn Resort Phuket
Don't be surprised if your kids throw a tantrum over taking home a room from this resort; they can hardly be blamed for making such demands. The rooms come in jungle or pirate themes with bunk-beds or boat-shaped beds, a television, DVD, Xbox and toy box. Family suites consist of a superior room connected to a kid's room that can sleep the whole family together.
Kids between 5-12 years have access to the Kid's Club that has a wide array of daily activities ranging from introduction to Thai greetings to tuna sandwich-making as well as arts and crafts sessions, games and videos. The 'parent-free' Club 12+ caters to teenagers where they have access to videos, games, internet, karaoke and Playstation.
This resort has a special family pool that comes with a toddler pool as well as a kid's activity pool, complete with water caves, sliders, water guns and water spouts.
Kid’s menus are available and children under 12 eat free at the breakfast and dinner buffet.
Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, 52 Thaweewong Road, Patong Beach, Phuket 83150, Thailand (076 370 200; www.ichotelsgroup.com ) Doubles from Rs 12,155
JW Marriott Resort and Spa Phuket
The kid's club at this property is open from 9 am to 8 pm, giving parents a complete day to rejuvenate. Children from 4-12 years can learn hair braiding, Thai dancing, kid's yoga and simple science experiments. Teens are not forgotten, with yoga, pilates, t-shirt batik painting, Muay Thai boxing and origami, amongst a long list of activities to select from.
This resort also offers a long list of activities that the entire family can enjoy together. Family Thai cooking classes at the Ginja cooking school, t-shirt batik painting and snorkeling are just some of these.
And now for the piece de resistance – an actual circus training and flying trapeze programme run by Kidz Sole. Children, under the expert guidance of Kidz Sole, can learn the arts of circus training such as the big trampoline, pyramid building and much more. Teens, adults and families can try their hand at the flying trapeze.
Your tots can also go wild in the children's pool with a water slide, statues of turtles and a bubble pool.
JW Marriott Resort and Spa Phuket, 231 Moo 3 Mai Khao,Talang Phuket 83110, Thailand (076 338 000; www.marriott.com ) Doubles from Rs 10,181
Angsana Laguna Phuket
Your little cherub will feel like royalty at this paradise hotel that has spa treatments designed especially for children, including nail art, hair braiding, body polish and even massages.
The property’s kids club is built around a unique tree house concept for teens up to the age of 16. The Tree House Kid’s Club is spread over two stories and features its very own check-in area for little ones. The club has four separate areas including a library, arts and crafts laboratory, a cafe serving treats like hot dogs and milkshakes as well an internet and video corner with laystation and Kinect Xbox (always a hit with the older lot).
The club offers more than 60 educational classes and enrichment programmes including Muay Thai instruction, Thai cooking and coconut leaf folding.
There is also a performance area where the children display their newly acquired skills on stage, dressed in traditional Thai costumes.
Also, watch them squeal with joy when the resort's in-house baby elephants Lucky and Joey drop in everyday to say hello.
For outdoor fun, nature walks are organised and telescopes are provided on a regular basis. Kids can also plant trees and adopt them.
Angsana Laguna, 10 Moo 4 Srisoonthorn Road, Phuket 83110, Thailand (+66 76 324 101; www.angsana.com ) Doubles from Rs 11,061
Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort
The property encourages kids to go to its Penguin Club after they drop you off by the pool. Talk about a role reversal.
The Penguin Club is choc-a-bloc full of fun activities for your little tykes; it includes sports like basketball, swimming and tennis, creative pursuits like card designing and flower making, games for building that team spirit and Thai dancing for the ones that simply cannot sit still.
Housed in a large room strewn with toys and an assortment of fun little trinkets, the Penguin Club at Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort is sure to keep your kids entertained while you and your spouse spend some much needed alone time.
Additionally, being a part of Starwood Hotels, Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort accepts the SPG Kids Pass entitles those under 12 to access a selection of dining options including special children’s menus.
Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort, 29 Soi Karon Nui, Tambon Karon, Amphur Muang Phuket, 83100, Thailand (+66 76 370 100; www.starwoodhotels.com ) Doubles from Rs 7,833.
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa
What does being a child at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa entail? To begin with, the property extends its child-friendly arm by way of multiple services including babysitting and a child care centre within its Kidz Paradise Club, apart from organising a host of children’s activities.
The Kidz Paradize Club is housed in an entirely separate building, ensuring that your kids can shout and scream and run about as much as they want without you having to worry about them bothering adult guests at the hotel.
There is a shaded playground, a sandpit for younger guests and a host of electronics like Playstations and DVDs for cool, sheltered fun. Hilton staff actively organises fun workshops and activities like batik painting, sculpting, sand art and more.
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, 333 Patak Road, Karon Beach, Muang, Phuket, 83100, Thailand (+66 76 396 433; http://www1.hilton.com ) Doubles from Rs 5,353
This story was originally published on 4 May 2012
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Review: Amanpuri, Thailand
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An A-list favourite, with an enviable vantage point on a quiet peninsula of Phuket bay, Amanpuri is well known for offering transformative experiences. Retreats combine Thai healing practices with Chinese medicine sessions and modern science to offer bespoke holistic treatments. Movement is a big focus here too; learn Muay Thai boxing in a professional ring or perfect your serve thanks to tennis pro Philippe Dupuy. The resort, which is made up of 40 private, traditional Thai style pavilions, revels in its location by the quiet waters of Andaman Sea, so if water sports are more your thing, there’s plenty to try to keep moving off land.
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The Rebirth of Phuket
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Never doubt the bankability of Leonardo DiCaprio. When the 2000 film The Beach, starring a young Leo as an American backpacker looking for paradise lost, hit theaters, it might as well have been a promo video for Thai tourism. The promise of untouched beaches prompted hordes to descend on Koh Phi Phi, where the movie was filmed, and anything in its vicinity, particularly nearby Phuket. “When the movie came out, everyone was looking for that utopia. It was a double-edged sword, because it brought business to the island but it also killed some of the charm,” says Wan Issara, managing director of Sri Panwa , a luxury hotel in southeastern Phuket that opened in 2010 and unveiled a new enclave of rooms in 2016.
The year the movie came out, the total number of visitors to Phuket leapt by more than a quarter of a million visitors, mostly foreign. Everyone wanted a sliver of that pearly sand and emerald ocean—until there was hardly any pearly sand left to roll out your beach towel . But in 2004, the western coast of Phuket—along with much of Thailand, and countries throughout the Indian Ocean—faced a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and resulting tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters on record . Tourism plummeted.
Despite the grave circumstances, the government was quick to get involved and implement rescue and recovery efforts, which ultimately, helped change the landscape of Phuket tourism. “The tsunami put Phuket on the map in the wrong way,” says Issara. “It was quiet for a year, but Phuket rebuilt itself fairly quickly, and the following December, the island was full again."
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The new Rosewood Phuket is set to open before the end of 2017, in the largely undeveloped southeastern part of the island.
Today, Phuket continues to rebuild itself and reclaim the limelight, but this time, as a luxury destination. Long known as an island lined with all-inclusive resorts and colorful nightlife, Phuket has never had a hard time attracting entry-level tourists . With this constant stream of travelers comes serious traffic management problems that the island is currently attempting to solve. The government has allocated $2 billion to the infrastructure of Phuket province, which will fund the opening of new international and domestic terminals at the airport and the implementation of a 12-lane express highway and light rail project set to be completed in five to ten years.
With these upgrades on the horizon, Phuket is starting to rebrand itself as well—and luxury hotels are looking to the island as an accessible emerging destination. Baba Beach Club , a swanky 40-bedroom and 16-villa hotel and beach club inspired by the famed beach clubs of Ibiza , will open before the end of 2017, as well as a Rosewood Phuket , which will have 71 villas and pavilions overlooking Emerald Bay in southeastern Phuket. There are an astonishing 33 other hotels set to roll out across the island in the next few years, including an Anayara Retreat Panwa, a beachfront property overlooking Chalong Bay slated to open in December, and an Anantara Vacation Club Mai Khao, which will have 97 luxury apartments and pool villas in northwest Phuket; it's set to open toward the end of 2018.
For those who go to tourist hubs like Patong, their experience of Phuket will indeed be one filled with all-you-can-eat buffets, bro-packed bars, and umbrella-crammed beaches. But for those who venture to the less discovered northern part (where Baba Beach Club will open) or the less-developed southeastern coastline (where the Rosewood is set to open and Sri Panwa is located), their experience will be markedly different. The southeastern coastline has cliffside peninsulas with views of the ocean, flecked with small islands and long-tail boats. The sense of tranquility and privacy overwhelms and the only sound that breaks the silence is the periodical chirp of cicadas. “Phuket has been perceived incorrectly,” says Issara. “Yes, there are parts that are touristy, but there are many other parts that are also undiscovered.”
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One of the best—and priciest—places to bed down in Phuket is Trisara, an ultra-luxe hotel set on its own cape on the northwest side of the island. Its 39 secluded villas are as pretty as they ...
Amanpuri. Featured in our Gold List of the best hotels in the world 2024. The original outpost of the globe-spanning Aman empire, this Phuket location was initially intended as a holiday home for Indonesian hotel guru Adrian Zecha. Eventually, he expanded the blueprint into a small boutique resort that opened in 1988.
Amanpuri. Despite its age, Amanpuri still tops the list as one of the best hotels in Thailand, as spectacular as it was when it opened on a coconut grove on Phuket's west coast back in 1988. It was the first name in a collection that would go on to change the parameters of luxury travel and hotel design; coming here has become a rite of ...
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Find Rosewood Phuket, Patong, Phuket, Thailand ratings, photos, prices, expert advice, traveler reviews and tips, and more information from Condé Nast Traveler.
The best hotels in Phuket. From wallet-friendly boutiques to splurge-worthy beach resorts. By Chris Schalkx. 13 December 2023. The Best Hotels and Resorts in Asia: The Gold List 2024 ... For hotels recommended by the editors of Condé Nast Traveller, see our edit of the best hotels in Asia. By Condé Nast Traveller. 3 October 2023. Ask a Local ...
Phuket is also home to a sizeable Muslim population, most of whom are of Malay descent. Most significant, however, is the influence of the Chinese. ... as well as features and original photography drawn from Conde Nast Traveller Middle East magazine. Contact. Contact the Editors; How to pitch Condé Nast Traveller Middle East ... Condé Nast ...
Koh Yao islands. Best islands in Thailand for: off-the-beaten-track adventures and empty sands. Despite their proximity to lively Phuket (just a 30-minute speedboat ride away), the twin islands of Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi couldn't be more different. Instead of glitzy beach clubs, there are sleepy fishing villages lining the shores, and ...
Sala Phuket, part of the homegrown Sala Hospitality Group, wins rave reviews for its indigenous Sino-Portuguese architecture, minimalist décor and award-winning spa. The latter is a lemongrass-scented sanctuary where pebbled water features inevitably create a mildly meditative state, setting the tone for the R&R that follows. Opt for the Sala ...
Find Amanpuri, Phuket, Thailand, ratings, photos, prices, expert advice, traveler reviews and tips, and more information from Condé Nast Traveler.
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Neung Roi, New Delhi, #49 on Top Restaurant Awards 2017 list. For Thai food beyond red and green curry. By Jasreen Mayal Khanna. 20 December 2017. Find the latest stories about Phuket, plus travel ideas, products, expert advice, and more from Condé Nast Traveller India.
The must-try dishes at this modern European restaurant are the sea bass, pork belly, and fish pie. 19/1 Moo 1, Lagoon Road, Thalang, Cherngtalay; +66-935869828. Brasserie Yacht Club @ Ao Yon Beach, Phuket. The glam location alone is worth the long drive to the south of the island (25mins from Old Phuket town, 45mins from Patong, an hour from ...
PHUKET. On Mai Khao beach in the quiet north-west of the island, Sala Phuket is peaceful and private, and completely removed from the party scene. The design is contemporary and sleek: lots of lime-washed wood, pale grey and taupe linen, and daybeds piled high with cushions.
The 11 Best Hotels in Phuket, From Oceanside Villas to Wellness Retreats ... Condé Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our ...
The Slate Nai Yang Beach 116 Moo 1, Sakhu, Thalang Phuket 83110, Thailand. E: [email protected] T: +6676 327 006 Reservations: +6676 327 383
See our selection of luxury hotels in Phuket, Thailand. The Condé Nast Johansens team of Local Experts inspects each property year-on-year, so you can be sure to receive a premium experience. Trendy Phuket, off the Andaman Coast, is Thailand's largest and one of its most popular islands. Despite the heavy flow of tourism, the island remains blessed with shimmering white sand beaches and ...
Kid's menus are available and children under 12 eat free at the breakfast and dinner buffet. Holiday Inn Resort Phuket, 52 Thaweewong Road, Patong Beach, Phuket 83150, Thailand (076 370 200; www.ichotelsgroup.com) Doubles from Rs 12,155. JW Marriott Resort and Spa Phuket. The kid's club at this property is open from 9 am to 8 pm, giving ...
Phuket without the tourist trimmings is a fascinating blend of culture, history, and gorgeous sights. ... Condé Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through ...
An A-list favourite, with an enviable vantage point on a quiet peninsula of Phuket bay, Amanpuri is well known for offering transformative experiences. ... as well as features and original photography drawn from Conde Nast Traveller Middle East magazine. Contact. Contact the Editors; How to pitch Condé Nast Traveller Middle East ; Careers ...
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Teaser trailer The White Lotus musim ketiga dirilis beberapa waktu lalu. Tak banyak yang terungkap namun yang dapat dikenali adalah lokasi syutingnya yang berlatar di Thailand, tepatnya di Koh Samui.. The White Lotus musim ketiga rencananya akan tayang tahun 2025. Beberapa pemerannya antara lain Natasha Rothwell, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah ...
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Baba Beach Club, a swanky 40-bedroom and 16-villa hotel and beach club inspired by the famed beach clubs of Ibiza, will open before the end of 2017, as well as a Rosewood Phuket, which will have ...