After a few days in Singapore, my friends and I flew to Phuket. We stayed at Splash Beach Resort in Mai Khao in the north of the island. The hotel was lovely, very green with gardens, a pond, and lots of trees.
The accommodation was nicely spaced out, so it didn’t seem very crowded. In fact, we hardly saw anyone except in the restaurant for breakfast.
We went in August, right in the middle of the rainy season, so the hotel was not at full capacity. There was supposed to be a water park, more than one restaurant, and entertainment, but we were told because it was out of season, these things were not available. We even struggled to find restaurants outside the hotel that were open.
We still had a great time.
When we arrived, we took a walk through the hotel complex and found Mai Khao beach – a lovely long expanse of sand.
We also found out that because of the season, the water was too rough to go swimming. Even just paddling in the shallows, we felt the force of the water. We discussed changing to a hotel on the other side of the island where the sea wouldn’t be so rough and where we could go swimming, but we decided against it and made use of the two hotel pools.
We went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant – which would become our go to for the duration of the ten days we were there. I had Pad Kha Pao Kai Dow, one of my favourite Thai dishes – pork and rice with a fried egg on top. I even remembered how to ask for it in Thai!
Afterwards, we walked to a store across the road and bought some beers which we took back to our room and drank them on our balcony. A lovely way to spend our first evening – and for me – back on home soil.
The next day, I took a walk along the beach after breakfast and took some photos while enjoying the breeze and the freshness of the air.
My friends and I took a taxi to the nearby Anantara hotel and found a lovely little beachside restaurant where we had lunch and a few afternoon beers. I had fresh coconut juice and Somtam. I loved being reminded of some of the food and drink I used to enjoy when I lived in Thailand.
Later, after dinner, back at the hotel, we went to the beach to watch the sunset in all its glory.
The following day, we went on a trip to the Phi Phi Islands. I’d been there before, so it was great to return.
The speed boat stopped in a lagoon surrounded by karst rocks, so we could get into the water to snorkel and swim with the fish!
We got back on the boat and went to Maya Bay which was closed to tourists, so we had to admire it from afar. When I visited before, we spent time on the beach and even back then it was swarming with tourists. Now, the Thai authorities close the bay for two months every year for conservation purposes.
Our next stop was Kho Khai Nok, a small island in stark contrast to Maya Bay – full of boats out in the bay and tourists doing the same thing as us.
We had a couple of hours there, and with little else to do, we spent it at Blue Ray Bar.
Our hotel was a stone’s throw from the airport, so most days we would take a short walk along the beach where we could see the planes just after they’d landed.
And, even more exciting, where we stood was right beneath their flight path after they’d taken off.
We went to Patong for the day. Compared to Mai Khao, it was full of life.
We were due to meet someone later in the evening for drinks, so we wandered around, had something to eat and a few drinks. As the day went on, I felt more and more exhausted – more exhausted than usual – and I just wanted to sleep! My friends went off to have a massage, so I went to the beach and laid down. It was then I noticed I had a rash on my legs, but didn’t think anything of it. Because I was so tired, I wondered how I was going to last the night – I just wanted to go back to the hotel. I managed to make it through, and eventually we got back to the hotel and I slept… and slept.
I didn’t do much over the next couple of days – I still felt exhausted and didn’t feel well, so I chilled by the pool.
Feeling slightly better, we went to the Tha Chatchai Nature Trail in the very north of the island. We took a taxi which dropped us off at the entrance and we spent some time there walking along the boardwalk through the mangrove forest.
We were literally in the middle of nowhere. We came out of the nature trail and followed the road until we came to a restaurant near the beach. We were the only customers. We ordered some drinks and the staff had to go to the nearest shop to get them! It was that remote! Not another soul in sight.
I did manage to find some wildlife.
Our attempts to call a taxi failed, so the kind owners of the restaurant drove us back to our hotel. Thai people are so accommodating and will do anything to help.
I still wasn’t feeling well, so I took a COVID test and I tested positive – I was shocked, I thought I’d got away with it! And of all places! This was the reason I’d felt so exhausted, unnaturally so. I also found out that the rash on my legs was also a symptom.
I spent the last three days of my holiday in bed.
Despite getting COVID, I’d had the most wonderful holiday with my friends. I was so happy that I’d had the chance to get back to Thailand and I will always remember the time spent with good friends.
