Phuket: A Tropical Paradise

An hour plane ride from Bangkok takes us to a tropical paradise and beach in Phuket. Our stay at the JW Marriott was a wonderful change of scenery from the urban scene we just left.

Our room was spacious with a very “king” sized bed and bathroom. Right out our door was a lovely terrace calling you to sit and lounge in the two chairs provided.

The entranceway of the lobby was airy with a reflecting pool for a view.  At 6:00 pm, this pool hosts a special tribunal show of authentic dress/dance performed by a lovely Thai woman and a native man (both in Thai garb), where he used fire in twirling fashion to the beat of the heavy drums … all inside this reflecting pool. It was very entertaining as we sipped Mai Tai cocktails in the hot, humid air.

We had a great experience at Phang Nga Bay (อ่าวพังงา). The sea kayaking adventure started out with about a 2 hour boat ride. A delicious buffet Lunch was served before we hit our first cave.

As we embarked on our kayaks (two groups … 30 and 53 peeps), we saw monkeys, walking fish and bats hanging out (the smell was a little ripe). Some very tight spaces to navigate through as you had to lie back to get thru the openings. Very cool experience and a great excursion. Totally a SU! group day with lots of laughs and closer connections made. (Hopefully the video shows up under the photos. Just click on the arrow.)

On our last day in Phuket, we enjoyed relaxing by the beach with friends. Our view of the water was stunning. The water was just the right temperature for a swim. We closed the evening at the Close to my Heart farewell dinner where some came home and others (like us) extended our trip to Chiang Mai.