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.

A short luxurious weekend getaway to Krabi Thailand

Deciding between Krabi and Phuket was a tough one for me. Given that I have been to Phuket quite a few times and wanted the familiarity of a holiday destination, it was for the sake of a new blog entry that I decided on a Krabi holiday trip.

I went to Krabi in the tail end of the monsoon period. This meant cheaper flights and less crowds. Unlike the usual leave on Thursday and come back on Sunday, I did a leave on Saturday and come back on Tuesday. This proved more relaxing as most tourists would have headed home on a Sunday, leaving the resort relatively quiet.

I found that if one desires a quieter laid back and less commercial feel, heading to Krabi is definitely a better option that Phuket. However, food, massage, and shopping wise, Phuket still has more to offer.

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

Bangkok - a 4 day 3 night sightseeing and shopping holiday with family

In my recent trip to Bangkok, I took a very relaxed approach and decided to not to rush around Bangkok and maximise my time, but to take things easy. As I was with my parents during this holiday, I thought it was best to include a little of everything - eating at a nice restaurant, shopping, and a little bit of sightseeing as well.

Here is my Travel Itinerary for a 4 days 3 nights stay in Bangkok:

Vie Hotel Bangkok

Bangkok a shopping, eating and massage paradise

I recently returned to Bangkok, Thailand after a 4 year break. This time it was mostly a shopping trip with the gals. And where would the best shopping be? Of course, it's none other than at Platinum Fashion Mall. You could easily get a dress from between 360B to 460B and that is without bargaining. Their fashion is now much more updated than it was 3 years ago, following the trends of Hong Kong and Korean styles. Sizes tend to be small, fitting those size 4 to 10 perfectly. There are still clothes for the larger size, but limited. Levels 4 and below are all the clothes, and Level 5 of Platinum Fashion Mall has been transformed to an accessory floor. Recently they expanded with a new wing, just next door, and Levels 4 and 5 of the new wing is filled with shoes like flats, platforms, heels, boots of every conceivable color and style. A friend of mine who is really into shoes had such a wonderful time shopping!

Platinum Fashion Mall