A few years ago, my wife had taken up membership with the QVI Club, which allowed us several days of stay at properties across a cross section of countries, over a period of a few years. In December 2015, we made good use of this membership. My sister in law's family (consisting of her, her husband, her teenage daughter and her teenage son) was travelling from Macau (where they reside) to Phuket, because her son - a keen and aspiring footballer - was participating in an international football tournament. My wife, my 1 year old son, my mother in law and I joined them in Phuket and the entire family stayed at a QVI Club property, Patong Tower, right in the heart of Phuket. It turned out to be a memorable family holiday.
As always, I did all the research on what all to see and do, and I read up about the place's history. Phuket, Thailand’s largest island,
is one of the world’s most popular beach locations and is extremely popular
with tourists. The province of Phuket has a population of over
300,000 and an area of 576 sq km. It lies in the Andaman Sea, off the south
western coast of Thailand. Phuket used to be along the
trading route from China to India. In the 17th century, it became known in the western world because of the region’s supply of
tin. The Dutch, English and French all became trading partners. In 1785, the
Burmese attacked. The wife of the recently deceased governor and her sister mobilized forces and held off the attack – they became local heroines and were honoured by
the King of Siam! Phuket gradually became a very popular tourist destination because of its spectacular beaches and natural beauty. Some 250 people were killed in Phuket in
the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean and there was much destruction,
but within a few months, the damaged resorts were restored and life slowly got
back to normal.
The Big
Buddha is perched up on a
hill, and the large white Burmese marble statue is 45 meters high, and 25
meters wide at the base. The complex also has a smaller Buddha, a 12 meter high
one made out of brass. Though it is a fairly recent addition to Phuket, the Big Buddha has
become one of the island’s most popular attractions, as well as a pilgrimage
site.
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| Big Buddha |
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| Bronze Buddha, Big Buddha Complex |
Patong Beach
is the most popular
among Phuket’s beaches. The beach is 3 km long. The area is full of
restaurants, bars and massage parlours. Patong Beach is a favourite with swimmers and
sun bathers, and also has many water sports activities.
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| Patong Tower, Patong Beach |
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| Patong Beach |
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| Sunbathers, Patong Beach |
Kata View
Point is a popular place that offers beautiful
views of Kata Beach and Karon Beach.
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| Kata View Point |
Wat Chalong is Phuket’s most important
Buddhist temple. It is dedicated to two
monks - Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang – who led
the citizens in fighting the Chinese rebellion in 1876. They used their immense
knowledge of herbs in treating the injured.
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| Main Shrine, Wat Chalong |
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| Sculptures of Monks, Wat Chalong |
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| View from the top of the Main Shrine, Wat Chalong |
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| Bell Tower, Wat Chalong |
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| Elephant Statue, Wat Chalong |
Tiger
Kingdom has several branches
across Thailand, including one in Phuket.
Here one can have the opportunity to see tigers, and even touch
tiger cubs, under supervision. My 1 year old son enjoyed petting a sleeping tiger cub, oblivious to how dangerous tigers can potentially be. How he cried when it was time for us to leave!
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| Tiger, Tiger Kingdom |
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| Sleeping Tiger Cub, Tiger Kingdom |
There are several Elephant Camps in Phuket. One can go on elephant rides, feed elephants and get photographed
with them.
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| Elephant, Elephant Camp |
Phuket FantaSea is an entertainment
park for children. It has a large auditorium with numerous sculptures of elephants, and it features a famous show with elephants performing stunts.
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| Phuket FantaSea |
Phuket
has a lot of small but spectacular islands and rock formations in its vicinity,
and there are numerous day trips that one can take by boat to see these
beautiful islands.
Since our son was so young back then and we were nervous about taking him on a boat in the sea, my poor wife (and my mother in law) stayed in the hotel with him, while I went on the tour with my sister in law's family. Real pity that the whole family couldn't go, but I got quality bonding time with my sister in law and her family!
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James Bond Island
(The Man with the Golden Gun, 1974, was shot there) |
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| Barracuda Boat |
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| Ferry Boat |
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| Canoes, Lawa Island |
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| Panak Island |
Between its beautiful Buddhist temples, its sandy beaches, its water sports, its vibrant nightlife, its numerous eateries and bars, its serene hills, and its magnificent boat tours, Phuket has a lot for visitors and is certainly a place I enjoyed immensely and where our 5 days went by in a jiffy! A great place for a family holiday, with a good mix of relaxing places and sights in the conventional sense!
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