Life is a Beach - Relaxing in Phuket and Phi Phi Islands

We were in Thailand in the later part of November because we got an invite from our friends A&M to come visit them in Amphawa for the Loy Krathong or Festival of Lights. Before we went to Amphawa, Mijo and I took a detour and decided to check out the  country's most famous beaches.

We didn't only enjoy a relaxing getaway, we also enjoyed the picturesque views of the islands. Check them out here.

In Phuket, we stayed around the Patong beach area. This is a view from the southern part of Patong beach which is also fronting the Amari Coral Beach Hotel where we stayed at while in Phuket. 

 

Patong can be crazy and noisy but this part of the beach is tranquil and perfect for relaxing and yet it is just 5 to 10 minute walk to the main areas of Patong. This is the view from the hotel lobby.

 
Here is another view of the beach front of the Amari Coral Beach hotel. According to locals we talked to, this part of the island is not as badly destroyed by the tsunami of 2004 compared to the other beaches north from here.

 

Whenever we craved for a pulsating nightlife or a lively dinner, we headed to the main areas of Patong beach. This is Bangla Road which is dotted with places to eat, drink and shop.

  

One day, we took a fast ferry to see the Phi Phi Dom and Phi Phi Ley islands. Phileh Cove was our first stop. The boat stopped here and we enjoyed a refreshing dip in this protected cove.

Our second stop was Monkey beach. This is a view when we were approaching the beach.

This is Monkey Beach upclose. We were given bananas to feed the monkeys residing in the beach. I noticed some of the monkeys were rather agressive.

Next stop was Maya Beach.  I couldn't see the beach because of the tons of boats anchored around it. It seems very popular.

Maya Beach has powdery white sand very much like Boracay. This is a great place to relax only if could stay here longer and minus the multitudes of tourists.

One cannot escape this view of the Maya Bay from the Maya Beach. Isn't this so beautiful?

Finally, I found the edge of the beach. These lime stone formations are dramatic!

We were given more time to linger so we decided to take a dip. Maya Beach is overwhelmed with tourists.

After lots of swimming, it was time for lunch.

Our boat was anchored far away from the beach so we had to wade our way back to the boat. The lunch was delicious!

After the heavy lunch, it was time for siesta. Our last stop was Bamboo Island and this is where we will stay longer. Nap time!

Burn off the heavy lunch by walking the length of the beach from one end to the other and back.
I can hardly notice the large number of tourists because of the size of the island. We had a relaxing time here.

We were headed back to Phuket. Bye bye Phi Phi.

Phuket is a big island so naturally there will be places to checkout and landmarks to see. One of them is this big marble facade Buddha located in the middle part of the island. There are stairs leading to the base of the Big Buddha by going through the museum slash gift shop.

Another impressive place to see is the Chalong temple. This complex is composed of several beautiful and ornate temples. We got here one late afternoon so hardly anyone was there at the time.

This is the view from Kata View Point. Kata beach is the southernmost beach in Phuket.

Massage places dot Patong beach. Some of them have interesting names. Of course, lots of relaxing massage equals happy life.

This is the biggest mall in Phuket called Jung Ceylon. We came here to look for souvenirs and for some good iced coffee. 

Here are the some of the delicious meals we had in Phuket...

Spicy fish with lots of garlic, onions, black pepper, and chilli pepper.

This is a congee with a Thai twist. I had this at the breakfast buffet at the hotel.

Mango with sticky rice. The great thing about this is the extra sweet coconut milk on the side.

This is the local beer.

Mijo's favorite - sidewalk crepe!

When we went to old town Phuket, I chanced upon this snack store. I bought a couple of sweets. When we went back to the hotel, I discovered the cookies were sweet but very spicy.  Wow!

Phuket and Phi Phi were relaxing.  Next, we're off to Bangkok and Amphawa!  

[read my Bangkok, Amphawa and Loy Krathong blog]


~rl