After a few days
at Cape Panwa, on the southeast coast of Phuket (reviewed here), we headed west
to Pansea Beach. Only a 30-minute drive north from the tourist town horror of
Patong, Pansea Beach is fortunately a totally different proposition.
Sometimes known as
"millionaire's row" on account of the luxury villas, and the VIPs who
like to stay there to get away from the crowds, Pansea Beach is a scenic
enclave with clear water, fine white sand and tall tropical trees. It is a
lovely spot for a relaxing and stylish break with prices to match.
Where to Stay
The Surin Hotel
The Surin Hotel is
part of the YTL Group of Hotels of whom I am a huge fan. Recently, I was lucky
enough to stay at two of their properties in Malaysia - Pangkor Laut, the
flagship luxury resort on Pangkor Laut Island and also the elegant Cameron Highlands
Resort - reviewed here and here.
 |
| The lovely Surin, view from Pansea Beach |
Nestled away from
the crowds of Phuket on a pristine and quiet stretch of shoreline overlooking
Pansea Beach, the resort is a 25 minutes car journey from Phuket International
Airport and a 30-minutes drive from Patong Beach and historical Phuket Town.
 |
| Sunset on Pansea Beach |
Formerly known as
The Chedi, The Surin was acquired by YTL and completely renovated by Paris
based designer Ed Tuttle, one of America’s most celebrated architects. Enjoying
a tranquil beachside location, all hotel rooms are self-contained cottage suites
perched on a sloping hillside overlooking the sea with direct access onto
Pansea Beach.
With a consistent
Thai colour scheme of green, saffron, and gold set against neutral grey and
white paintwork, the rooms are tasteful befitting the hotel's membership of the
Design Hotels group of independent boutique hotels. We loved our cottage –
small but perfectly formed, it was elegant, with a beautiful and serene feel
about it and only a few metres away from the beach.
With a striking
black hexagonal shaped swimming pool overlooking the beach (sadly closed for
repairs during our stay), several bars, Thai and Italian restaurants, a gym,
spa and a stunning reading room, the hotel has all the amenities for a stylish
and relaxing stay.
 |
| Enjoying some sticky rice with mango and a chilled Singha beer at The Surin Hotel |
The Surin gym is
small but well equipped with treadmills and exercise bikes, with great views of
the sea. It is probably one of the most under-utilised gyms in the world.
 |
| Probably the most under-utilised gym you will ever see.... |
 |
| ... and this is why!... |
The dining room at
The Surin, where breakfast is served, has walls of glass, affording great views
of the swimming pool, beach and bay.
Breakfast was excellent, with an array of
tropical fruits, charcuterie, smoked salmon and cheeses, as well as yoghurts,
bread and fresh juices. There were also stations to order freshly baked
waffles, crepes and omelettes.
Where to Eat
Suay Restaurant
Situated in a
beautiful wooden house surrounded by a covered veranda in Phuket Town, Suay Restaurant is a 20-minute taxi ride from The Surin.
Suay is owned and
run by a renowned Thai chef, Tammasak Chootong who trained in Germany and worked
at the Michelin-starred Top Air Restaurant in Stuttgart. Returning to Thailand,
he worked at a number of international hotels before setting up his own
restaurant and cooking school at Suay. The restaurant, reflecting the background of its owner, has a casual if
somewhat Western feel to it, offering a range of authentic Thai and fusion
dishes to suit most palates.
We started with a
cappuccino of galangal and coconut served with grilled sea scallop on a lemongrass
skewer (£3.50). This was good, with the succulent scallop and sweet coconut
flavours counterbalanced by the astringency from the lemongrass.
Next came a
succession of dishes served simultaneously. The green papaya salad with fresh
squid strips and ground peanuts (£2.50) had a good amount of heat and partnered
well with the grilled pork neck salad (£2.20), one of the best dishes of the
evening.
The spicy salmon
carpaccio Suay style (£3.00), one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, was adequate
as was the fresh prawn spring rolls with peanut sauce (£2.80).
The roasted duck
in Thai red curry with lychee (£4.30) was flavoursome although there was little
duck to be seen.
Dishes were mostly
well made and seasoned, but we found the portions a tad ungenerous. Suay Restaurant is regarded
among the best restaurants in Phuket Town and is definitely worth a visit.
What to Do
Swimming and Water Sports
The Surin
overlooks Pansea Bay, with its stunning fine white sand, and the bay is a great
place to swim and for water sports including snorkeling and surfing. This is
also a good location from which to visit some of the neighbouring islands like
the famous Phi Phi.
Just one note of
caution - the sea on the west side of Phuket can get very rough, particularly
during the monsoon season, and every year a handful or two of foreigners drown
there. It is important to take notice of the flags indicating whether swimming
is safe or not. The Surin has lifeguards permanently at the beach during the
day, and they rescued swimmers on more than one occasion during our stay
including yours truly!
 |
| How could I have missed that red flag?!... It was nearly kaput for me. |
Spa Treatments
The spa is at the
top of a steep hill overlooking the bay within the hotel’s grounds, but
fortunately there is an electric buggy to whisk guests up for their
appointment. We had a blissful 60-minute oil massage there that got us walking
on clouds upon completion. Highly recommended.
Golfing
There are several
top quality golf courses near The Surin (including the Blue Canyon Country Club
and the Phuket Club), and the reception can book and arrange transport for
anyone interested.
Visiting Patong
This is one of the
party capitals of Asia, famous for its nightlife. There are hundreds of bars,
clubs and restaurants clustered on the beach road and Bangla Road. We spent a
couple of hours there without finding anywhere particularly good to eat or anything
worth seeing, a total nightmare of a place.
Travel Essentials
The Surin Hotel
Pansea Beach, 118
Moo 3
Cherng Talay
Talang, Phuket
83110
Thailand
Room cost varies
widely depending on season and room type. Our one-bedroom deluxe cottage cost
from around £350 per room per night.
Suay Restaurant
50/2 Takuapa Road
Talat Nuea, Mueang
Phuket, 83000
Thailand
AirAsia flights
from Bangkok to Phuket cost around £70 return per person.
No comments:
Post a Comment