A few weeks ago I entered a photo contest in Bangkok and…I won! The grand prize: a stay at the seaside Impiana Resort on Patong Beach in Phuket, an island I have been wanting to visit for the longest time.
Since Sam and I had plans to fly down to Penang, Malaysia for a visa run at the start of July, we decided to make a little stopover in Phuket and turn the trip into a little holiday.
Now, I would normally show you the sights and all the fun things you can do around the island, however, this weekend was about pure relaxation and I hardly ended up leaving the hotel grounds. There was no sightseeing, no island hopping, and there was certainly no Patong nightlife, so instead I’ll be giving you a tour of my little oasis for two days.
The Room
We got a spacious cabana located not far from the swimming pool. The bedroom had a large king sized bed as well as a day bed which acted as a nice little reading nook. Every morning we were greeted with a bowl of fresh tropical fruits in addition to the breakfast buffet.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served every morning at the hotel’s Sala Bua Restaurant right by the sea.
The open buffet had an assortment of fresh baked breads and pastries with a variety of spreads – including nutella! Tropical fruits and cereals abounded, as did an array of cheeses and deli meats. Some stations specialized in Thai food, while others served up Western favourites like omelettes (made to order), waffles, pancakes and bacon.
Don’t let my small portions fool you; I went back for seconds and thirds.
The Pool
Of course the highlight of my stay was this beautiful pool which overlooked the Andaman Sea. Suffice it to say that I spent most of my time either lounging on a chair with a Kindle in hand, or swimming the length of the pool.
The Beach
The highlight of any visit to Phuket is beach time and many travellers choose to take tours to the famed shores of Maya Beach in Ko Phi Phi Leh (which was the set for the film The Beach) or to Ko Khao Phing Kan (which was the set for the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun). I went to neither of those.
The thing about a place like Phuket is that it is very crowded, and since I only had a few days on the island I wanted to have a relaxed stay and make the most of my time at the resort. Rather than taking the big tours to nearby islands, I chose to hang out on this quieter stretch of beach, which in my opinion was quite scenic. I may have missed out on some really popular beaches, but at the end of the day, I enjoyed having a low-key holiday without a busy agenda.
Have you ever spent a holiday just lounging rather than sightseeing?
Well I’m officially jeals – looks gorgeous!
This hotel looks delightful. I’ll have to keep it in mind the next time we get to Phuket.
Woah, so cool that you won such a sweet prize! The scenery looks gorgeous, but that breakfast food is killing me! Bread, nutella, jam, cereal, fruits, ahhhh! What a treat!
Congratulations on winning the photo contest! I do think you both deserve a ‘holiday’ – meaning not moving much and just to relax 😀 I’ve done that recently and didn’t go online for two days.
I would like to visit Phuket soon too 😀
What an awesome prize! Congrats.
This place looks like a dream and only makes me want to visit Thailand more now.
I think it’s so important to have a relaxing holiday every now and again. Sightseeing is great but sometimes you just want to lay by the pool with a good book and unplug from the world!
Congrats on the Photo Contest! Looks like a pretty epic prize! I don’t blame you for chillin’ by the pool. I would have done the same 😛 We stayed in a pretty nice place in Lombok, Indonesia. It’s a pretty small community and our time there mostly consisted of sitting on lounge chairs and surfboards 🙂
This looks lush Audrey – I love the look of that breakfast spread. Congrats on winning the contest 🙂
Awesome and congrats on winning the contest!!
Phuket is lovely, it can also be very relaxing!!
I can see why you didn’t venture further than the hotel grounds most of the time. Congrats to winning the contest!
Beautiful place! I totally understand your wish not to leave the property of the hotel!
Have I ever spent a holiday just lounging rather than sightseeing? All the time! But it really depends on the hotel or the resort and how much there is to do on site. At some properties, you just want to sleep there. At others, you never want to leave.
Hehe, glad I’m not the only one. This was the kind of resort where it’s really hard to leave the poolside. 😉
well, I can see why you won. Those are mighty pretty photos!
The resort looks beautiful and relaxing. It’s so nice to slow down and take a break from time to time. Your photos are also stunning! 🙂
Your break looks delightful. Last year I won flights, a **** hotel (we never stay in them) and Go Do vouchers in Melbourne. I don’t think I will ever win anything again! It was great not having to worry about how much everything was costing. I would have done just the same as you and lounged by the pool, enjoying everything 🙂
Hell yes, sometimes it’s the best thing there is to do! Lounging is one of my favorite things to do in the whole world.
Congrats on winning the photo contest Audrey! Can you give us a link to your entry into the contest? I wanna check out your prize-winning photography skills
It was a photo of traffic in Bangkok with a select focus on a few pedestrians who were weaving their way through traffic. The photo was shared on the FB page for ‘Smiling Albino’ a few weeks back.
We went to Thailand for three weeks, with the first two/thirds of the trip spent exploring Bangkok, Sukhothai and Chiang Mai. After all that we headed to Koh Lanta where we passed five blissful days at our hotel’s pool. We never saw any of the island except for what was right around our hotel, and I was okay with that. Sometimes you just need to relax and enjoy the simple things, like a good book and chilled fruit juice. Congrats on winning the contest!
Your holiday in Koh Lanta sounds blissful. Sometimes the best thing you can do an a relaxing holiday is to just hang around the beach or the pool, and lounge for hours on end. 😉
Congrats on winning! Sometimes it’s really nice just to spend a holiday relaxing– a hard thing to do as a travel blogger!
Thanks Beth. It was nice not to ‘travel’ around the island just this once. 😉
Looks lovely Audrey!!!
I would like to be there right now! 🙂
What a fab prize! I would have just lounged around, too. 🙂
That looks like pure bliss. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else either. Why do I never win holidays like that? 😉
Wow! That’s breathtakingly beautiful. Congrats to you!
Thank you.
Beautiful place and amazing photograph. Congrats to you!
Congrats, beautiful pics, beach and pool both are very beautiful..
Well done! It looks amazing! Just shows you should enter every competition you come across!
It was such a nice surprise to win! 🙂
If this was your first stay in Phuket, Patong wasn’t a great choice, although I suppose you didn’t have a choice. It’s not a good representation of the island as a whole. Bang Tao or Surin to the north of Patong or Kata south of Patong are much better choices imo. They are less busy and dirty and sleazy as Patong. Congratulations on winning the contest though, the resort you stayed at does seem like one of the better ones in Patong. Only thing, you forgot to show us the photo that won you the competition!
I love your Blog ?? With that being said I need your help! My fiancé and I are planning on getting married in Thailand and then starting at least a 3 month Southeast Asia backpacking trip and I have no idea where to start? First thing first any places come to mind for a wedding? You seem to have spent some time there so any input would be great! Thanks!
Hi Audrey. Thank you for sharing this article. I totally agree with you, Phuket really is very crowded. Especially nowadays there is a Chinese invasion. I think seaside areas like Kata, Karon, Patong are busier than other places. I stay in Phuket Town, and it actually has a lot to offer. Great food, great bars and restaurants. And definitely way cheaper than other areas. Maybe next time you should give Phuket Town a chance.