Where we stayed

When I first visited Phuket some 20 years ago, it was already a popular tourist destination. The Patong Beach area where we stayed was lined with sun-loving caucasians sprawled on the beach chairs.

Blessed with magnificent coves and bays, powdery, palm-fringed white beaches, sparkling island-dotted seas, it is no surprise that tourism is Phuket's top earner. In fact, it the wealthiest province in Thailand today. There were no signs of devastation caused by the Tsunami 5 years ago. Instead, everywhere we went, we saw new hotels and luxury villas being built.

For our family vacation this time round, we took great pains to avoid the crowded beach areas. While I don't mind roughing it out when I'm traveling on my own, it's different when we travel with kids. After scouting around, we found a villa at the Outrigger Laguna Beach Resort.

The 4-bedroom villa with a private pool suited us to a tee. All eight of us could stay together under one roof without breaking the bank.

While the four boys spent their days frolicking in the pool, the adults bonded over food and wine. Best friend and I had loads of fun cooking in the well equipped kitchen. It was like a dream home!

View from our main door.

Beautiful sunset at Laguna.

After three nights in the beautiful villa, we took a ferry to Phi Phi Island where we stayed at The Long Beach for 2 nights.


While our hilltop bungalows offered spectacular views of the sea, there weren't much to do in the secluded area unless we took a longtail boat out to Phi Phi Town.

We checked out early and went back to Phuket Island to spend the rest of our vacation in Allamanda Laguna Resort.

The Laguna resort is a charming area comprising 6 resorts and villas spanning 1000 acres of tropical parkland along an 8km stretch of white sandy beach. It even boasts of a wedding chapel in a romantic setting.

Canal village.