Day 12: Oh Phuket!

We didn't have a super early flight out of Chiang Mai, which was nice.  Our next stop was Phuket, which is an island off the southwest of Thailand and a major tourist spot.  It suffered damage in the 2004 tsunami, but much of the touristy coastal areas have recovered to an extent.  In other words, tourism is still booming here.  When planning our trip I had contemplated other beach areas, but in the end decided on the more well known resort island of Phuket.  Plus, it's fun to say Phuket, even if it is pronounced (pu-ket).

The airport in Chiang Mai is small, so we didn't have to be there too much before our flight.  It was just enough time to find Thai Ronald.  So very Thai!  We were constantly greeted by locals this way so it was only fitting that Ronald would greet us this way too.

Anyway, we got coffee here, not food, but I was curious about the menu and some local specialties.  This is one, but after I took this picture I was quickly told I was not allowed to take pictures.  Interesting!  I have never been stopped before, but obviously in Thailand they have different rules.

Alright, next stop, Phuket!

We read about transport from Phuket to hotels online but nothing could have prepared us for the mess that awaited us right outside the door.  It was utter chaos.  We had tried to book transport in advance, but we were told just look for the Thai East company once we got there.  Easier said than done.  We never found them.  We finally just settled on what seemed to be a legit transport service.  And that was our welcome to Phuket.

Good thing the welcome at the Vijitt Resort was a little less chaotic.  Chilled towels and an herbal iced tea.

I had always wanted to stay in a beach resort that had little villas and beautiful ocean views.  So when I found this place online, I was happy to book it, even if it's location in Rawaii beach was a bit off the beaten path and at the very far tip of the island (an hour from the airport).  The villas were charming and definitely gave a the feel of being in a tropical paradise.

We were brought to our villa by golf cart.  Each villa has a private, gated entrance.

Our villa had stairs that lead up to our private hideaway.  Ok, here we go...

The main room of the villa had a desk and the bed.  There were full windows on two sides of the room, complete with balcony and lounge chairs.

Very nice bed

Nicely decorated, too

Great views from the balcony

Here was the closet and dressing area, plus mini-bar.

There was a long bench lining the sink area of the bathroom.  It was a huge bathroom.

Here is the tub.  The window opens up to an ocean view. 

Oh, and the shower was outside.  Yes, an outside shower!  Surrounded by bamboo with an awesome shower head.

We got settled in and then headed out to look around the property and find some food.  Here are some pictures from walking around the property.

At this time of day it was low tide and you could walk really far out on the sand.  It is hard to tell in this picture, but some of the others show it better.

It's a little hard to tell, but the water goes pretty far back.  The streaks you can see out there are in the sand, not water.

Here is the pool area.

We opted to eat in the outside/open dining area.  They have an enclosed dining area with AC, but since it was our first meal there and there were fans available, we decided to eat outside.

First, the brought us some peanuts.

We both enjoyed a Mai Tai.  You definitely feel the need for a fruity drink when you are here.

Then we were brought some bread and spreads.

Ryan started with a Greek salad.

I started with a shrimp tower.

Ryan had the chicken pad Thai for his entree.

For my entree, I went with the green curry and tofu.

Of course that came with some rice.  It is Thailand of course!

We sat there for a while and enjoyed our drinks and the amazing view, but after a while the dessert case nearby seemed to be calling our names.

Well, that wraps up our first day in Phuket.  For the first full day there we had reserved the driver from the hotel to take us sightseeing for a few hours.  It was really great that the hotel offered this service because we waited too long before trying to book a half day tour and by then everything was booked.   So it was off to bed to make sure we were well rested for sightseeing.

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever been to a tropical island?  Have you ever showered in an outdoor shower?