Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year was in February this year and it gave us 2 days off work and a four day weekend.  So, we made plans to go back to Phuket, Thailand with Charlie and Ruth.  We really enjoyed ourselves the first time we were here and were looking forward to our return trip.  Unlike the last time we visited, when we stayed on the west coast near Patong, this time we stayed on the east coast near Phuket Town.  The hotel we picked was the Westin Siray Bay, a new hotel that opened just a few months earlier.  Built on a hillside overlooking the water and a beautiful beach, we were immediately impressed.

After enjoying a welcome drink in the lobby we made our way to our rooms, which thanks to the rather steep hillside, we negotiated by golf cart.  Our room overlooked the water and also had an overhead view of one of the pools which was located directly below our room.  After leaving our bags in our room,  we made our way up to the highest point on the property, where we enjoyed a nice lunch and went swimming in the glass sided infinity pool.  And talk about hot!   If we were craving the sun and the heat, we certainly found it.

We spent the next couple of days lazing around the hotel  and enjoying all the amenities it had to offer.  Lisa and I would use the gym each morning and then we would spend the afternoons lounging at one of the two pools or we would head down to the beach.   At the beach, we went kayaking and I did some windsurfing.

After that we napped in hammocks.  What a rough life!  

After enjoying the delicious, but expensive hotel food, we decided to go into Phuket Town for dinner each night.  Although somewhat intimidated by the hustle and bustle on the streets, we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless and found some good places to eat.  We also did a little bit of shopping at a local mall and bought some stuff from street vendors who were selling knockoffs of most designer brands including Gucci, Coach, Polo, Lacoste and Quicksilver to name but a few.

Next, we set our eyes on adventure.   Off the east coast of Phuket are a group of islands known as the Phi Phi (pronounced Pee-Pee) Islands,  a group of towering limestone islands that are world renowned for their beauty and as a destination for snorkeling and scuba diving.  We planned a day long excursion out to the islands for a tour of some of the various islands and to do some swimming and snorkeling.  It was the highlight of the trip and I daresay the highlight of all of the experiences we have had here in south-east Asia.  Being out on the crystal clear water in the beautiful sunshine among the islands was truly awe inspiring.

We packed an awful lot into our four day trip and enjoyed our time in Phuket tremendously.   There were beautiful sunsets each night that proved to be the perfect photo op.   In fact, there were so many great photo ops that we took over 250 pics during our short trip.  Check 'em out and we're sure you'll agree that they were all worthwhile.  

Thanks to Charlie and Ruth for the visit and thank you Phuket!