Karon Beach, Movenpick Spa, Phuket

We decided to explore Karon Beach on our third day in Phuket. The heat was still insane and we were soaked in sweat shortly after we reached Karon Beach. I also insisted on smearing a large amount of sunscreen on the boyfriend before he was allowed onto the beach. I have no idea why guys are naturally averse to applying sunscreen.

Beach umbrellas were neatly lined along Karon Beach and the beach was fairly deserted and peaceful. I like the tranquility along Karon Beach, without much activities and the milling crowd.

I wanted to book a spa session at the Cheeva Spa in the Mandarava Resort where we were staying but they were full so the boyfriend and I decided to search for a spa along Karon Beach. We found several dodgy little massage shops along Karon Beach but none looked as awesome as the Movenpick Spa. The Movenpick Spa was luxurious but exorbitant. Each of our Swedish body massage cost 2000 baht (including service charge and tax) which was really expensive. I think this was the one most expensive thing I indulged in when we were in Phuket. 

It was easy to locate the Movenpick Resort and Spa along Karon Beach. Walk down the footpath and follow the sign to the Spa.

The reception area was housed in an individual little hut and the nice lady behind the counter arranged for our massage before serving us our spicy ginger tea. The spicy ginger tea was really spicy, but felt nice and comfy in my belly. 

After we finished our tea, the masseur led us into another small hut where the massage would be. The room inside was dimly lit and there was a tiny dressing room to the side with shower facilities. They provided robes for us to change into and a wardrobe with a safe box for us to deposit our valuables.

The massage was enjoyable. It was good, skillful, and relaxing. We had the Swedish Massage and I asked for greater emphasis to be placed on my shoulders and legs which were the body parts with the most knots. The masseur kneaded my muscles in my shoulders skillfully and it was fantastic!

The masseur advised that we should not shower for 2 hours after the massage to allow our skin to absorb the essential oils. I did not believe at first, but decided that I should probably heed her advice, so we did not shower in the massage room and left. When I returned to the resort, I decided to run a google search to see if that was true, and indeed! The usual advice is that we should not shower for 2 hours after the massage to avoid rheumatism and to allow our skin to absorb the oils. So now we know.

We left Movenpick Spa and walked around searching for a restaurant with air-conditioning because it was just too hot. We found Coral Restaurant near the Karon Circle and went right inside for a quick respite from the heat. 

We ordered a Carbonara with bacon bits and a Smoked Salmon Pizza. The Carbonara was delicious. Al dente spaghetti, crispy bacon bits, and a light creamy sauce. The Smoked Salmon Pizza was not too amazing though. A terribly hard crust with slices of smoked salmon which were completely dry and tasteless. 

We returned to the Mandarava Resort after our late lunch and went for a dip in the pool with more sunset happy hour drinks.

Read about our Patong Beach adventure here and all about our resort here!

Patong Beach, Jungceylon, Phuket

After breakfast on the second day, we took a taxi to Jungceylon shopping mall at Patong Beach. The taxis plying the road between Karon and Patong were all private vehicles and the ride from Karon Beach to Jungceylon cost us 400 baht. It was impossible to bargain so we just piled into the taxi reluctantly. 

Jungceylon was huge and spanned across two buildings. A very regular shopping mall with the usual stuff we find in the malls in Singapore. 

Lunch was at Urban Food and we ordered some stir-fried dishes and rice. The broccoli with chicken was way too salty and we had to make an effort to squeeze the sauce out of the broccoli before stuffing them in our mouths. The stir-fried pepper sea bass was good though, soft and juicy. 

We also ordered a chicken skewer which was the most delicious skewer I've ever tasted! The chicken was thick and juicy, extremely well-marinated, and totally yummy. The skewer came with the opportunity to help ourselves to the salad bar so we did, but the salad bar was hardly exciting, so we kept our tummy space for huge chunks of yummy chicken. 

Caught The Amazing Spiderman at the SF Movie City which was located at the top floor of Jungceylon. We decided to go for the sofa seats which cost about 500+ baht for both of us and it was the best decision. We could recline in the large comfy sofas, curl up into a ball, and watch all the action on a huge screen in a virtually empty cinema theatre. What a difference from the usual crowd thronging the cinemas in Singapore!

We walked around Jungceylon and waited till the afternoon heat began to subside. We finally mustered the courage and energy to step out of the air-conditioned comfort of Jungceylon and into the streets of Patong in the late afternoon. We walked down Bangla Road which was deserted in the day and found ourselves at one end of Patong Beach. After a short stroll, we settled at Wine Connection at Banana Walk overlooking Patong Beach and had our usual beers and a slice of chocolate cake.

We left Wine Connection when the sun was setting to capture pictures of the beautiful sunset along the beach. Watching the ball of gold creep down the blue cloudy sky and eventually sinking into the ocean with a huge burst of orange was amazing. 

Had dinner at the Fuji Japanese Restaurant at Banana Walk which was recommended by a friend. As we were still really full from the beer and chocolate cake, we decided to order some sushi rolls for dinner. We had the Salmon Teriyaki Maki and the Crispy Spicy Tuna Roll, both of which were decent. We wanted the Caterpillar Roll as well but it was unfortunately unavailable, so we took the Avocado Pork Roll. The Avocado Pork Roll was quite interesting. A huge chunk of avocado was wrapped in a thin layer of pork and seaweed and the roll was deep-fried in tempura batter. 

Bangla Road came alive at night. Blinding neon lights, a large crowd of young people stumbling around in an alcohol-induced haze, cheap booze, ardent solicitation for sex shows, and everything a red-light district has to offer could be found along Bangla Road. Solicitation was fierce (and annoying) so we made our way along Bangla Road quickly and disappeared into the night back to our resort in a private taxi. 

Read about our stay at the Mandarava Resort here and about Karon beach here!

Mandarava Resort and Spa, Karon Beach, Phuket

The boyfriend and I decided to take leave over the Labour Day public holiday for a short getaway. It has been almost half a year since we last traveled together and this Phuket trip was a much needed break. We chose Phuket because we wanted a short trip to a beach destination and we thought Phuket would be a good choice.

The next tricky bit was to choose where we would like to stay. Patong Beach was definitely the center of all activities with a crazy nightlife, but we did not want to be too close to the action. In particular, we wanted a resort which was calm and peaceful, so that we could have some satisfactory sleep.

After much research, we decided that we wanted to stay along Karon Beach. It was about ten minutes to Patong Beach so all the activities were easily accessible. The next step was to choose a resort and we settled for Mandarava Resort because reviews on Tripadvisor were good. We took the metered taxi from the Phuket Airport to the Mandarava Resort and the hour long trip cost us 920 baht. 

Mandarava Resort was located on a hill and the climb up the hill was draining under the scorching Phuket sun. The walk from the main stretch of shops along Karon Beach to Mandarava Resort took ten minutes and we were sweating buckets each time we made the climb. This is perhaps the reason why the resort provided a free shuttle service to Karon Beach at various timings. If you are staying at Mandarava Resort, be sure to catch the free shuttle service to Karon Beach and back to avoid the long arduous walk.

Check-in was not smooth and we only managed to get our room at 3 pm even though the front desk promised us repeatedly that our room would be ready by 2 pm. The resort was tiered with some rooms located at a lower region, while others were perched at the top of the hill. Our room 2105 was located at the higher region so we were immensely grateful for the shuttle that took us from the lobby up to our room. 

The room was large and airy, with a balcony which overlooked the Mango Pool. We settled in, took a shower to rid ourselves of the sweat which had accumulated in the Phuket heat, and headed to the Mango Pool.

Happy hour at the Mango Pool was fantastic. There was a 50% discount so cocktails were 120 baht instead of the usual 240 baht. Swimming in the pool, drinking cheap cocktails and beer, and watching the setting sun was a lovely moment. 

As it was honestly really tiring to climb up the hill to the resort with the hot sun beating down on us, we made it a point not to leave the resort once we returned. This meant that we had to settle two dinners in the resort. Thankfully, the Chomtalay Restaurant in the resort served reasonably priced food which was really quite delicious. The view from the Chomtalay Restaurant at night was also breath-taking and so romantic.

We ordered a la carte items on our first night. I had a phad thai while he had a spaghetti. Both were quite delicious. On our last night in Phuket, we went for the couple set dinner which cost us 1100 baht. Not the cheapest definitely, but worth every baht. The appetizer with salad and satay was so yummy. I also really liked the stir-fried dishes and the coconut soup which was surprisingly savory. 

Breakfast was also in the Chomtalay Restaurant. A beautiful morning with the sea in the distance and the lush greenery on the slopes.

The selection for breakfast was good. There were the usual sausages, bread, pancakes, baked beans, cold cuts, and fruits. There was also an egg and bacon station, and a noodle station. I was particularly fond of the streaky bacon and hot noodle soup. 

I love the sunset happy hours in the Mango Pool, the delicious food served in Chomtalay Restaurant, and the beautiful view from the Mandarava Resort. However, the long climb to the Mandarava Resort from Karon Beach and the lacking front desk service are both sticking points. 

Read about Patong Beach here and about Karon Beach here.