Where's Johnny Jet? Hitting the Beach in Phuket, Thailand

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Sawasdee from Phuket, Thailand. This week, we escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and take a short one-hour flight to the coast. Although we're just going for a quick weekend getaway, the effects are long lasting. First, we'll check into a resort with a killer view and a private island. Then, we'll tour the beaches that were sadly made famous when they were hit by the horrific tsunami on Boxing Day, 2004. Can you believe it's been so long? We'll pay a visit to honor those who lost their lives and discover the strides that have been made since then.

Bangkok Airport

We left off last week from the exciting metropolis of Bangkok. I love Bangkok but I was really looking forward to seeing Thailand's beaches for the first time; I'd heard they're epic. My journey began when I arrived at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi International Airport 90 minutes before departure. Check-in didn't take long and since Thai Airways is a Star Alliance partner, I made sure my United Mileage Plus number was registered so I'd accrue 500 miles. Surprisingly, the domestic area of the multi billion-dollar terminal doesn't have a lot to offer ... only a handful of shops and one main place to eat before getting to security. Sky Loft Casual Dining is located upstairs in the departures terminal, in a huge, bright, colorful buffet-style restaurant, with clear views of the runways. It's set up similar to Food Life in downtown Chicago but with fewer food stations. And here, you pre-pay for the charge card, which you then use instead of cash. (They refund any money you haven't spent when you leave.) I had a reasonably priced three-dish set Thai lunch with steamed rice for 180 baht ($5.75) but the aloe vera juice looked a lot better than it tasted and it was expensive to boot at 120 baht. Disappointingly, it was nothing like the aloe juice in Curacao.

Bangkok to Phuket

At the first security checkpoint, security officials only checked passenger's tickets and identification. But the second checkpoint at the gate, was similar to what you'd find in the U.S., with the usual precautionary measures taken, though you don't need to remove your shoes. I hadn't traveled on Thailand's national carrier, Thai Airways, for a few years, and I'd forgotten how exceptional their service was, much like most other Asian carriers. Before stepping on the plane, passengers were free to grab a newspaper (available in both English and Thai) from the rack. The young, attractive flight attendants (FAs) greeted each passenger with a friendly wai and a big smile. Then, they worked their tails off on the short one-hour, 10-minute flight. Thai Airways flies wide body planes with candy-colored interiors on this route (in this case, a 777-200) and flights depart practically every hour. Passengers are allowed two bags on the plane and they don't need to be weighed beforehand. Each seat has an individual monitor with an assortment of entertainment channels, plus live cameras facing forward and below. Even with the short flight time, the FAs still managed to serve all 310 passengers. They quickly passed out lunch boxes filled with a turkey and spinach wrap, fruit punch, water and a dessert. And they still found time to come around with tea and coffee. Now that's something you just don't see on American carriers.

Phuket

Phuket is an island located in southern Thailand on the Malay Peninsula in the Andaman Sea. The name Phuket is derived from the Malay word "Bukit" meaning "hill" ... quite appropriate since hills surround the place. I didn't realize how much Phuket had grown in the past 20 years or so until I read that back then, there were no hotels or resorts. In fact, there were hardly any paved roads and just three flights a week on a small plane. Fast forward to present day: Now, it's the wealthiest province in Thailand with the highest per capita income. Tourism has replaced rubber, tin, agricultural products (like pineapples, coconuts and bananas), and fishing as the number one industry and over three million tourists visit each year. The majority are Europeans but Americans are discovering this place more and more, too. Back in the day, Phuket only offered visitors inexpensive, bare-minimum type lodgings, but not anymore. As the money came rolling in, so did the high-end resorts.

Phuket Airport to Hotel

When Natalie and I touched down, I was surprised to see how large the Phuket Airport was and even more surprised to see flights arriving from all over the world. Ten airlines now service Phuket and bring in an average of 1,200 passengers an hour. Outside of baggage claim, our driver from the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa greeted us. NOTE: When your hotel arranges for a pickup, the charge is usually triple the regular price, so check your options by calling the hotel, checking their website or asking at the airport information desk. The benefit of having a hotel staff member pick you up is that there are fewer hiccups this way and you get a comfortable, air-conditioned car for the traffic-ridden, 55-minute drive to the hotel. How disappointing to see all the cars -- but with three million tourists a year, it's no wonder they're experiencing infrastructure problems.

Evason Phuket

Pulling up to the hotel's 64 acres of beautiful, tropical, landscaped property, I was feeling pretty good about our hotel choice. But when we walked into the packed hotel lobby, I was shocked to see how busy it was. I think it was just bad timing as a tour group had just shown up. I didn't see it nearly that busy the rest of the trip. The sprawling resort has 260 rooms in five low-rise building. If you're not up for a lot of walking, there's a continuously running shuttle. This hotel is nice but definitely not five stars, as it's billed. In fact, I somehow mistook this resort for Evason's Yao Noi resort, which is more secluded and exclusive.

Given the crowd, it took a while to get checked in but the hotel's outdoor lobby area is so uniquely designed and soothing, providing an incredible view of the Andaman Sea, that it was hard to mind the wait. But after the crowd dispersed, I was really able to relax, take in the sights and enjoy the welcome drink and cold towels. To top it all off, Natalie and I were upgraded to one of Evason's 21 duplex suites with a private pool. Two floors, two balconies, two bathrooms and two desks ... it was way more than any couple needs (100 square meters of total space.)

Room Details

We had a garden room so there was no killer view of the sea. The bedrooms are located on the bottom floor along with the pool. All the rooms are air-conditioned, have an old TV with a DVD player, a mini bar, safe, hair dryer, big soft towels, and tea and coffee facilities. The rooms are built soundly but need some minor touch-up work, especially the tub and shower. The good news is that you can't hear the neighbors and with the high walls and different types of trees (which smelled wonderful, by the way) between the rooms and the path, there is some privacy ... except when the pool guy comes around unannounced. For Internet junkies like me, they do offer wireless access; prices: 214 baht for one hour or 642 baht for 24 hours. The hotel business center had free computers and no need to worry about plug adaptors; the rooms have outlets made for U.S. plugs.

Eco-Friendly Products

What's nice about the hotel is that it's eco-friendly. They grow and produce all their food themselves. They have products, like body lotion, made with lemongrass to keep bugs away, the homemade soaps in the bathroom were made from orange and had a recycled paper wrapping. In the shower were clay dispensers of shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. But according to Natalie, the conditioner was the worst she'd ever used and tangled her hair badly -- something I wouldn't know about. Instead of leaving bottled water each time the maid came in to clean (twice a day), she left large glass bottles of water by the bed.

Resort Food

There are several dining choices at the resort and they all are strategically placed facing the Andaman Sea. The first night, we dined at Into Thai. Here, the chef creates Thai specialties from various regions of Thailand and the result? The food is amazing. But the highlight was sitting there, staring out at the dark night sky, sprinkled with the bright twinkling of stars and a glorious moon that provided enough light to make out the surrounding mountainous landscape. When you shake your head and realize that you are halfway around the world, you just can't help but smile.

Breakfast Buffet

Each morning, we indulged in the killer breakfast buffet at Into The View. The choices were vast, from a wide variety of fresh exotic fruit and any style eggs/omelets to all the usual breakfast trimmings like cereal, pastries, and of course lots of Asian dishes as well. You know what? I now love dim sum for breakfast. Besides staring out at the shimmering sea on a bright, sunny morning, my favorite thing to do was sample and mix the different fruit juices. Who would ever have thought that pomelo and lychee juice would taste so good together? Into The View also offers a nightly buffet. The one time we ate here, it was Italian night. I was disappointed at first because who would think, that in a remote part of Thailand, you could get good Italian food? Wrong again. And you don't just have to trust this half-Italian ... there were a few Italian families in the dining room and no unhappy faces. The only downside was that the dinnertime staff wasn't that efficient. They didn't come around to get the dirty plates, though in their defense, I'm sure they didn't think it was humanly possible for someone to go through courses as fast as I did. The one hotel restaurant we did not try was Into The Med, which serves Mediterranean dishes.

Six Senses Spa

The resort is famous for its Six Senses Spa and the service there was much better. We were greeted immediately, offered a cold towel, seat on the deck and fruit and drink while we filled out some forms, and then were shown to the dressing rooms. There's no need to tell you how fabulous the spa is but you might like to know that it's spread over three floors, it provides a truly relaxing experience and they only use natural products.

Bon Island

The hotel doesn't have a sandy beach on their immediate property though it does have several pools, one of which is an amazing adult-only infinity pool. However, exclusively for hotel guests is Bon Island. Just hop on the free, 15-minute, long-tail boat ride (the boats run hourly), out to the 140 meters of private beach, surrounded by a terrific tropical environment. The service there is excellent and is even better if you reserve (for a fee), a daysala, which is a little open-air hut with a daybed and outdoor shower (though no hot water), a cooler stocked with drinks and a phone to order "room service" from the island kitchen. Natalie and I ordered up some delicious pad thai, a mediocre hamburger and a dry chocolate brownie. Our daybed wasn't terribly clean or comfy but the views ... well, they were spectacular. It was the perfect place to take a nap after taking a dip in the warm water, which, incidentally is filled with colorful fish that swim right up to you when you walk in. Overall, this beach makes my top 10 list of all-time favorites.

Overall

The Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa is a fine place to stay for a tropical getaway. It's family friendly and has a welcoming Thai staff. However, I will say that the staff is not as efficient as they should be. In addition to not clearing the buffet plates, the maids didn't clean the rooms very well and when we were checking out, I called to have our bags picked up and told them our car was arriving in 10 minutes; 15 minutes later they still hadn't shown up and I ended up carrying them myself. But other than those minor details, our trip was as pleasant as can be and for the amount of money, it's a much better deal than going to other tropical getaways most Americans visit. Rack rates for the lowest category room and breakfast for two people begin at just 4,500 baht but better deals can be found through a tour operator or websites like LastMinute.com. Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa, 100 Vised Road, Moo 2, Tambol Rawai, Muang District, Phuket 83130, Thailand, tel. +66 (0) 7638-1010.

Sea Caving

Natalie and I were supposed to participate in the area's most popular eco-adventure: sea kayaking inside marine limestone with lifelong environmental activist John "Caveman" Gray. Caveman is an eco-tourism pioneer who grew up in California and then moved to Hawaii where he pioneered an award-winning eco-tour operation. He now has a variety of tours in Fiji, Hawaii, Puerto Princesa (Philippines), Thailand and Vietnam. He has professional guides (who know how to swim) in each destination and groups are limited to just eight for safety, the environment and to give the best attention while teaching the natural history and exploring the caves. Since Natalie and I had been run ragged exploring Bangkok, we wanted to spend our one full day in Phuket doing nothing so we chose relaxing on Bon Island over John's Hong By Starlight specialty tour. But next time, you can bet I will be signing up with John or even taking one of his longer adventures ... from three days to two weeks. FYI: Mention Johnny Jet and get a 10% discount. John Gray's Sea Canoe, 124 Soi 1 Yaowarat Rd, Talad Yai, Phuket, tel. +66 (0) 7625-4505.

Tour of Beaches

Caveman was kind enough to pick us up in one his guide's low-rider cars (when they pick you up, it will be in a van) and tour us around the nearby beaches to learn about the Boxing Day Tsunami and the precautions that have been taken since then. First, we learned that in Phuket, there's a beach for everyone. Most are long and sandy with warm water and excellent snorkeling. Then Caveman told us about that fateful day and how he was one of the few people to feel the quake; he put a bowl of water on the floor to see the water tremble. He said because it lasted for so long (eight minutes), he knew there was going to be a tsunami. He did his best to save people by instructing all of his tour guides pick up their guests 15 minutes earlier than scheduled when the police department didn't believe him what was about to happen.

2004 Boxing Day Tsunami

To refresh your memory: On December 26, 2004, a tsunami killed at least 223,000 people and left over two million homeless in the Indian Ocean region. Thailand was not the hardest hit (though more than 5,400 died) but it did receive the most publicity since it's one of the world's most famous vacation destinations and more than 2,000 of the victims were foreigners. The beaches that were hit the hardest were Kamala Beach, Kata Beach (filled mostly with Scandinavians) and Patong Beach. Patong is the center of the handicraft and souvenir-shopping district. Today, you'll see photos from that fateful day outside the underground market where many people lost their lives when they got trapped. Here are some videos I found on YouTube.

What's Been Done

So many people lost their lives that day because there was no alert system in place. That's not the case these days. In addition to signs alerting people of tsunami hazard zones when entering low areas, there's now a two-tier, early warning system for the Indian Ocean in place. One is a high-tech network of ocean monitoring technology, which records information from pressure gauges, seismographs and wave sensors and the other is the low-tech community response drill. The likelihood of a tsunami like that happening again in the next 75 to 800 years is most unlikely but having the warning system in place makes people sleep better at night and encourages visitors to return. It took about six months for visitors to come back and many of Phuket's hotels have already been restored or rebuilt.

Kamala Beach Market

Driving around Phuket reminded me of Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia but with traffic. I knew we were relatively nearby but had no idea I would feel like I was actually there. The landscape, the people (lots of Muslims), the motorbikes (some carrying whole families), all of it was almost identical. Another reminder was the twice-weekly village market, held on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. It's about nine kilometers from Patong and is right across the street from Phuket FantaSea. It's billed as Thailand's most popular animal and leisure park, but I heard mixed reviews. But at the market, you can find all kinds of food stalls, clothing, knick-knacks, even edible bugs ... and all at a bargain price.

Phuket to Bangkok

Obviously, this trip to the beach was way too short ... aren't they all? But it was better than not experiencing it at all. A word of caution: When flying out of the Phuket Airport, be sure to give yourself enough time, as the place was a complete madhouse. The line to get all bags x-rayed was out the door, though it moved quickly. But the line to check-in for Thai Airways was long and slow. We waited 50 minutes only to learn that it was a waste of time since we weren't checking bags. We could have used one of the two un-advertised self-service kiosks that we didn't spot until walking to the security line. So, if you aren't checking bags, there's no need to get to the airport too early; security doesn't take long and they don't require laptops to come out or shoes to come off.

Note: This trip was sponsored in part by Tourism Authority of Thailand.