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PHUKET TRAVEL DIARY | by @djtigerlily

Hop in @djtigerlilly’s suitcase and travel to Thailand with the Australian DJ! From the best luxury resorts and Phuket must-do’s to island day trips – if you’re planning a Thailand escape, this is a must-read!

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TwinPalms Phuket

Whenever I come back to Thailand the one thing that always gets me first is the beautiful people. I know, I know, everyone says this, but really their warm smiles and willingness to help makes this country one of my favourites to visit.
I arrived in Phuket rather late in the evening after a very long day of travel from Kyoto in Japan. On arrival at TwinPalms Phuket it’s hard to take your eyes of the beautiful architecture of the entrance building and the oversized swimming pool glistening as a backdrop. Despite the incredible surroundings, sleep was on my mind, and sleep (in the most magnificent bedroom ever) is what I got. After crafting my room by choosing our pillows, flowers and aromatherapy scents, I finally collapsed into a cloud (bed) and drifted into slumber!

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tp4

The first day at Twin Palms was all about relaxing. I woke up rather late and just made it in time for breakfast which I am very glad that I didn’t miss. Being vegan, it’s often hard to find options when travelling, however the breakfast at TwinPalms was perfect. Not only did they have options for meat eaters, but sugar-free, gluten-free and animal product-free options were also readily available.

After a quick whirl in the hotel gym, which I might add was very comprehensive, I climbed to the third storey of my villa and took some time out in the sunshine to read my book and dip in the crystal clear private pool.

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When I’m at home I rarely take baths, but when I’m on holidays it’s a different story. The bath in my room at Twin Palms was about double the size of mine at home, and so before dinner I took advantage of this, and sunk in for an hour or so for the first time in a long time!
I had dinner at Phuket’s famous Cash Beach Club, where once again, I was very well looked after in the food department. I definitely recommend the spinach salad, as well as crafting the pad thai dish (without egg and prawn) to make it vegan friendly! I was very impressed as they had some beautiful Australian wines on the wine list which made me feel right at home. Getting to Cash Beach Club (which is owned by TwinPalms) was very easy. A shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes from the hotel to the venue!

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On Day 2 I slipped down to Surin Beach nice and early to avoid the hot sun and tourists. Surin Beach is absolutely spectacular and is a 2-minute walk from TwinPalms Resort. The water is crystal clear and the beach is lined with palm trees and banana trees.
Heading back to the resort was a must so I didn’t miss breakfast (literally this buffet was amazing) and then it was time to pack my bags and head on my way.
I had such a beautiful time at The TwinPalms Resort in Phuket! Thank you to all the incredibly attentive and kind staff that looked after me during my stay.

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Phi Phi Islands Day Trip

When I look back on my life there are a few days in particular that really stand out to me as being amazing. One of them was when I went exploring the Phi Phi Islands when I was  19… so almost 6 years ago! Because I had such fond memories of this day of exploring the ocean and beaches, I decided that Chris and I must go again as it was just so beautiful.
We booked a tour with Laguna Tours (through TwinPalms Phuket) and I’m really glad we did as we had a fantastic day.

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We were picked up at 9am at our hotel and driven for about 40 minutes to the Marina where the boat would leave. There was a group of 10 of us which was nice and intimate and we were on a rather luxurious speed boat. When I went on my Phi Phi Island adventure years ago we did it on one of the small, traditional boats, which are long and skinny and rather beautiful. However this time we had a lot of expensive camera gear so I opted for a slightly less wet and rocky option.
The boat ride from Phuket to Phi Phi is just under an hour and we chose a day that was a little bumpy which Chris and I quite liked, but some of the other island hoppers didn’t seem too happy about.

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Our first stop was to Phi Phi Don Island at Monkey Beach. This is by far one of the most spectacular places I’ve been to. The water is this incredible light blue/green colour and it’s so clear it’s almost like looking through glass. When you step on the sand it’s so soft it sinks down and feels almost like silk. Families of monkeys live in the trees above this beach so they are regularly there, but we arrived at high tide and as a result there were no monkeys to be seen.
Next up we cruised over to Phi Phi Lei and visited the Viking Cave which actually houses local people who search for Birds Nests to make Birds Nest Soup (ewww – not sure if our guide was kidding)! Then onto Pi Lei Cove and Maya Bay which were both stand outs. The water here was so clear that all of the  boats around us looked as if they were floating on air! The only downside to this was the Maya Bay, the location where the infamous movie ‘The Beach’ with Leo Di Caprio was filmed. There was a good thousand people trying to get onto the beach to take the token tourist selfie.

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Snorkelling in the afternoon was at Camel Rock. Our guide threw in small pieces of banana and the fish seemed to love them, swimming about in a rush to get a bite! I was surprised at the diversity of fish in a rather small cove, all shapes and sizes and colours, and it was beautiful swimming around with them for an hour.
We picnicked for lunch on Bamboo Island and I was very happy to see my lunchbox appear from under the hull of the boat. I had a vegetable fried rice without the egg  and a packet of chips (oops not very healthy), and some pineapple and watermelon.
Cruising around Phi Phi Islands by boat is such a brilliant way to travel. If you have a little bit of extra time and money while in Phuket it’s definitely worthwhile. Not only is it nice to get out of busy and bustling Phuket, but it’s also wonderful to experience parts of this world that are still relatively untouched and pristine.

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Sri Panwa

After spending two days in Phuket Thailand, we decided to up the accommodation anti and head down to the most southern point of the island to Sri Panwa. This luxury resort is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced. I know. Big call. But it was out of this world. One of those places where things appear before you realise you need them, and the attention to detail is spot on.

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Chris and I arrived rather late in the evening and were greeted by the most spectacular candy floss sunset. As we wiped our face with ice cold peppermint towels and sipped on a traditional Thai iced tea, we bid the sun goodbye and headed to our villa. Sri Panwa is a huge resort and as a result they have come up with a genius system where there are tuk tuks on call to drive guests around. If you don’t know what a tuk tuk is, think of a little van with no doors, and long seats in the back!

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My jaw dropped to the floor when we entered the villa and we were overwhelmed with the beauty and design of the place. After my eyes popping out of my head for a few minutes and swanning around the place pretending I lived there, we sent ourselves to bed as it had been a long day.

My bedroom was floating over the private pool of our villa, and so I slept with the curtains open so I could see the turquoise light from the pool all night – it was very calming. I woke with no alarm, which is a not so secret pleasure of mine, and gasped at the view in front of me that we weren’t able to see the night before as it was so dark. Take a look…

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Chris came and joined me on my bed and he proceeded to teach me the Wim Hoff breathing method for the first time which was extremely interesting. We did this because the day before on our boat tour of the Phi Phi Islands, I was trying quite unsuccessfully to hold my breath under water for a long time! Chris then showed me some basic movements to get the blood rushing to your joints and all through your body, which made me feel like I’d just had the most amazing coffee!

Breakfast on the cards today boasted, once again, a beautiful buffet. We didn’t have dinner the night before because we were so tired, so breaking the fast was very rewarding! We filled our plates with salad, fruit, roasted mushroom and tomatoes, avocado, hash browns… you name it, we ate it. But far better than the food (which is something you won’t hear me say too often), was the view…

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When I’m travelling it’s always a little bit tricky to keep a routine consistent, especially when it comes to finding time to sit down and work. After breakfast Chris and I dedicated a few hours to sitting down and smashing through emails, edits, uploads, Skype calls etc. I love sitting down for a few hours and being really productive and feeling a sense of achievement and accomplishment by the end.

After a dip in our beautiful pool, we decided it was time to give my drone a whirl. We threw it up into the sky (and by threw I mean gingerly flew it), and took some pretty beautiful footage of the resort. However, 5 minutes in, much to our disappointment, we were called by reception and told that we weren’t allowed to fly drones on the premises. This is totally fair enough but I apologise for the lack of sweeping drone shots.

sp2The afternoon was warm and balmy so it called for a little exploration of the hotel. We walked up to a building home to Babas Nest. Sri Panwa is renown for this beautiful spot to watch the sunset and have a cocktail. Climbing up four stories of the building gets you to the top most point of the resort and what have become known as Babas Nest. This place is straight out of a story book. It almost looks like a floating platform speckled with cushions and small tables and boasts a 360 degree view of the ocean and surround forrest land. I drank a cocktail called the ‘Love Potion’ seeing as it was Valentines Day, and I was feeling sad that my Valentine was home in Australia. We followed our cocktails up with a traditional Thai meal. I really recommend the potato spring rolls for entire – they were to die for. And the yellow curry for main (however I made it vegan by taking out all the animal product and adding in vegetables and tofu).

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Falling asleep once again on my floating cloud bed was just magical. Despite the fact we had to leave early the next morning it was a delightful two nights and if you do stay in Phuket Thailand, I would really recommend spending time at this wonderful resort!

Tigerlily xxx

My Travel Essentials
  • Sunscreen
  • Bikini
  • A good book
sp10
Must-Do’s in Phuket
  • Get a massage at TwinPalms Phuket
  • Take a speedboat to the Phi Phi Islands
  • Drink a cocktail atop of BabasNest at Sri Panwa
My Insider Travel Tips
  • Skip the taxi and jump in a tuk tuk
  • Many Thai dishes can be made vegan, just a matter of asking and exploring the menu
  • Coconuts are a great way to stay hydrated throughout the day

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This Phuket Diary was written by @djtigerlily for @theasia.collective.
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