A stay, for example, at the Mandarin Oriental
Bangkok, (MandarinOriental.com) the finest
hotel I have ever visited, may cost nearly
double other five-star hotels along the River of
Kings, but the experience will be unmatched.
Now, as Thai island Phuket has its own
international airport, you can reach it more
easily than before. The Emirates flight from
Cape Town to Dubai is direct and then you
have a 16-hour layover in which to do a Dubai
city tour before heading to Phuket.
Although Phuket has been long famous as
a party-non-stop island, it is so much more
than that and, as we experienced, entirely
possible never to go to Patong Beach. The
Pavilions Resort, www.thepavilions.global/
phuket/ is on a hill above Thalang Choeng
Thale and Layan Beach. There are free shuttles
down to the beach although this serenely
private resort, lushly planted with palms and
orchids, is hard to leave. A more affordable
and family-focused option is to stay near the
Sirinath National Park, on the northwest coast
right near the airport. The Dewa Nai Yang
Resort has several self-catering units and
supermarkets are within walking distance.
www.dewaphuketresort.com
ce
erside terra
Bangkok riv
Bangko
k wedd
ing ven
ue
ns pooll
Pavillio
AgriKultuur |AgriCulture
56