It’s Chinese New Year... this means big holiday in Singapore, yippee!
To make it even better, the company I work for announced a week-long shutdown, so I was free for that span of time. What better way to celebrate CNY, and by coincidence Valentine’s day, than to travel and have my much needed escape to "THE BEACH". Remember the movie with that title? Yes, we went to that beach... Phi Phi Island in Phuket, Thailand.
We booked a ticket to Phuket a few weeks before CNY for Feb 13 to 16. We reserved a a room at Patong Premier resort - a few minutes walk from the popular Patong beach. That beach was recommended by a friend because of the variety of activities and nightlife.
We got there Feb 13 about 10AM. The flight from Singapore was only 2 hours. We took a minibus from the airport to the resort, which was about an hour ride.
As we were not able to prepare much for this trip, we availed the first package tour that was offered to us. We did not want to waste time searching for other offers. We know our priority, it’s the beach. Phuket, being a well-known tourist destination, has a lot of travel and tour agencies - but they basically offer the same activities and destinations.
Feb 13: Island Safari
A few hours after we checked-in, we proceeded to Island Safari. Our only goal was simply to ride an elephant, as we feel it’s a must when you visit Thailand. They also have other activities and animal shows but this place would be more enjoyable for kids. For adults, this is a bit boring.
We then visited Wat Chalong, a Buddhist temple about 30 minutes from Island Safari. We just walked around the temples and flee market then headed back to the resort.
When night came, we strolled around Patong to see what the lively street has to offer. The streets were filled with tourists, and since it’s the eve of Valentines, several flower vendors. We passed by the bars and did a little shopping.
Feb 14: Phang Nga Bay
Our Valentine’s day was spent island hoping. We first visited James Bond Island, where "Man with a Golden Gun" was shot 40 years ago, for picture-taking. Next stop was Hong and Panak island where we went kayaking. We entered the bat cave in Panak Island and we had to lie down on the kayak as the ceiling was pretty low and the tide was high. Last stop of the tour was Lawa island were we did a little swimming.
Once back in the resort, we relaxed in the resort’s pool. What I like best about the pool is the falling Kalachuchi flowers that give it a spa feel.
We capped the day with a simple Valentines dinner, pasta and pizza and some souvenir shopping for friends.
Feb 15: Nui Bay
Day 3 was for the beaches and Phi Phi island was first on the itinerary. The boat first stopped at Maya Bay so we can do some snorkelling. There were few fishes so I didn’t stay long - didn’t quite meet my expectation. From Maya Bay, we went to the beach, where "The Beach", was filmed. It was hard to take a good picture though because there were a lot of tourists. By lunchtime, we left the area, quickly passed by Monkey Beach and Viking Cave, before heading to Phi Phi Don where we had our buffet lunch. We spent the afternoon at another beach at Khai Island, relaxing and swimming.
Feb 16: Patong Beach
We started our last day in Phuket with an early morning swim in Patong beach. It’s better to go there in the morning. Come noon, the tide is already high and the beach is filled with sunbathing tourist. Then we had our final dip in the resort’s relaxing pool.
By noon, it was time to say goodbye to Phuket... and go back to Singapore - back to reality.
Phuket is a convenient place for a quick getaway if you live in Singapore. The prices were a bit high for me, but this was already expected as it is a highly commercialized tourist destination. And this is probably my most expensive trip to date.
Shopping was challenging because you really need to haggle a lot. The first price they’ll give you is around 4 times the actual price! If you’ll shop there, buy a lot of swimwear - it’s worth it.
I enjoyed Thai food, such as Tom Yum and Pad Thai. There were a lot of street foods around Wat Chalong, including fried insects. I didn’t have the courage to try them though.
And finally, the Thai people are very polite. Sawasdee khap!
If you have the extra budget, and a few days to escape the urban life, Phuket is place to try.
Trivia: Feb 13 to 16, this group went on our first backpack trip to Caramoan - the trip that started it all. Looking back, it was still the best adventure that I had, with the best Valentine's day, so far.
