A luxury beach holiday in Phuket with friends

It has been a while since I last visited Phuket, Thailand. There was a period of time when I would go there often since its less than a 2 hour flight from Singapore. Since my gym trainer was organising a sports retreat for his clients with a group of more than 10 persons, I decided to experience what it was like to travel with so many people and also stay in a luxurious villa. 

We booked our Phuket villa on HomeAway Singapore, my first time doing so! After deciding between 5 luxurious villa properties we settled for a villa at Layang Beach with 7 bedrooms, 3 pools, with multiple lounge areas. The pictures on HomeAway looked as luxurious as how it was when we checked in. We must have taken a good half hour to explore the area and every room. In addition, the villa manager arranged for airport transfer, in-villa massage, as well as a in-villa chef to cook for us, which was super useful since we had such a big group. The experience of having home cooked Thai food in a huge villa was lovely, a personal feel indeed.

All about Phuket chain hotels at Patong Beach, Phuket, Thailand

I did it! I have stayed in quite a number of chain hotels along Patong Beach, Phuket. My thoughts? It really depends on what you are looking for. I don't know why I keep coming back to Phuket, perhaps because of its proximity to Singapore, with just a couple of hours of flying time you get to enjoy fresh sea breeze and authentic Thai food. The best time to go to Phuket is in December, when it is cool and windy, it is also the most busy period with Europeans flocking here to spend their winter months.

Millenium Resort Patong Phuket
- Most convenient as it is next to Juncelyon Mall where you can shop and eat and have decent massages
- Best spa and lovely guest rooms
- Great pool for laps with a fabulous gym
- No view of the beach, a 20 min walk away
- The hotel is so lovely you just want to stay indoors really

Shopping in Phuket

The great thing about Phuket is the fact that there is something for everyone. If you are a beach person, you can enjoy either hanging out at Patong beach, or taking a boat ride out to visit the islands. If you are a spa person, you have an endless selection of spas to choose from. The only thing lacking perhaps would be time. And for those who would not find a holiday complete without shopping, you're almost spoilt for choice here at Phuket. Of course, you would not expect to find the same variety of fashion that you would Bangkok, but at least some shopping is better than none at all!

Get to experience their street side shopping in Patong Beach which opens from morning till late at night. It might be best to shop along the streets later in the day when it is cooler. The best items to get would be your beach wear such as sundresses, bikinis, and surf shorts. Expect to pay for a sundress at USD10 to USD30 depending on the material and bikinis at USD10 and above.

Apart from the street side shopping, Jungceylon is definitely the mall you must visit when you are at Phuket. It is the largest and newest mall located at Patong Beach.

Things to look out for if you are coming from Asia – Carrefour carries toiletries at a much cheaper rate as brands. Look out for brands such as Neutrogena, Oil of Olay, Johnson & Johnson. Carrefour is also the place to shop for all types of tom yum paste, curry chicken paste, Thai instant noodle to bring back to your home country. Boots, a popular personal care chain store from UK can also be found at the mall. I just love their Botanicals range!

The basement of Jungceylon mall is an interesting enclave. It is a must for those who cannot bare the heat of the street side shopping. Look out for interesting local crafts, souvenirs, and clothes. If shopping does not interest you, you might also consider going for Thai massage or foot reflexology at decent rates.

An afternoon at Patong Beach, Phuket

In my first trip to Phuket, I merely stood at Patong beach for a whole 5 minutes and waked away. I was not impressed as it did not have the pristine white sands or crystal clear waters to captivate me. All I saw were endless rows of deck chairs. It was just too commercialized.

Patong beach - cramped with deck chairs!

Mecure Patong Phuket, Thailand

December in Phuket is simply gorgeous with the most perfect weather! It's breezy, yet sunny at the same time! This totally differs from the usual hot and humid tropical Asian climate!

I stayed at Mecure Patong Phuket during this trip. The criteria for choosing a hotel was based on affordability, cleanliness, and being equipped with a decent gym and pool.  A friend recommended this Mecure Patong and as it was within budget, I decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed at all! The only disadvantage is that it is slightly off the busy stretch of Patong beach, so it is a bit of a walk to everywhere. It took us about 15min to walk to Patong beach (yup we did get distracted with the stalls along the way) and about 25min to walk to Jungceylon - the largest and newest mall in Phuket, and of course, the only mall in Patong.

Mecure Patong

Mecure Patong guest room

We got a Deluxe room that was shared with 2 other girl friends. It is a typical resort-styled room with tiled floors with an adjoining bathroom with a glass window that overlooks the bedroom. The bathroom comes with a bathtub for that much needed soak, bathroom robes and slippers (the little extra luxuries that we enjoy) We did not get much of a view, since the rooms were mainly for us to rest, it did not really matter.

What I like about the Mecure Patong is the free form swimming pool. As the pool is surrounded by the hotel, you can almost forget about getting a suntan here. It is more a place to rest and cool down after a hot afternoon at the beach. For fitness enthusiasts like myself, you can swim laps till you make everyone watching you dizzy. And outdoor massage or drink to quench your thirst is also easily available.