12/2/12 - 2nd Phuket Honeymoon

Almost exactly 2 years ago we spent 11 amazing days kayaking in sea caves, riding on elephants, taking Thai cooking classes and just staring at the ocean for hours while staying at Mai Khao beach on the northwest side of Phuket for our honeymoon.  The last day we were there we spent hours walking on the beach just trying to soak it all in and hoping it wouldn't end.  I'll never forget how we were in our car headed back to the airport to fly home and we both commented how lucky we were and agreed it was probably a once in a lifetime trip.  Who would have known that 18 months later we would be living in Singapore and Thailand would suddenly be just a short flight away.  With the first semester of school finished and half of this adventurous couple getting ready to head home for the holidays it seemed like a good time to make a weekend escape, especially when it ended up being the second anniversary of our honeymoon in Thailand. 

To get there 2 years ago we had to fly from Minneapolis to Detroit to Seoul to Phuket.  It took 24 hours, but sacrifices had to be made in the name of using free tickets from Delta.  The mode of transportation was a little different this time.  I can now cross "flying in a prop" plane off my bucket list.  At least none of the mechanics were duct taping the propeller blades together like they did to the Cleveland Indians plane in Major League before take-off.  The flight was actually smoother than a regular plane and I got some sweet photos out the window so call me a fan.

We had previously stayed on the north side of the island because it is quieter and more relaxing and not nearly as developed as the southern part.  It was also the best place to use my Marriott points.  Marriott had recently opened up a brand new Renaissance about a mile down the beach from where we had stayed before so we decided to check it out.  Since we would only be spending a weekend this time it was nice to be closer to the airport and only have a 15 minute taxi ride vs.  an hour for much of the rest of the island.  Plus my gold status is on the endangered species list so we wanted to take advantage of it before the year was over.

In this case..... upgrade!  We got moved from a regular room to a villa with our own plunge pool.  We spent most of the time on the beach, but sure was nice to have it just sitting out your back porch.  One night there was music on the beach so we just opened the windows up and had our own private concert while sharing the wine we were given as part of our "2nd Honeymoon Package."  Free wine and cake - seems like we'll be having our 3rd Honeymoon there before you know it.  Can you take a 3rd Honeymoon?  Seems like a good idea to me.  We really were taken care of on this trip.  I'm almost tempted to start writing TripAdvisor reviews solely based on how well we were treated at the hotel.

We didn't do any side trips this time.  The theme for the weekend was relaxation and with hour long massages on the beach costing less than $15 you know where Sarah spent some of her time.  There was a happy hour from 5-6 so you could watch the sun go down over the Andaman Sea and then head back to the room to wash the sun and sand away.  The first night we got to dig our toes into the sand while they grilled our steak, snapper and tiger prawns 15 feet away.  The second night we were feeling extra happy so it was off to happy hour the sequel at the lobby lounge overlooking the palm trees.  It got even better with an acoustic guitar playing, lightning flashing off in the distance and was a perfect way to close out the night.  

Leaving after 48 hours was not the easiest thing to do, but it sure is nice to know it isn't a 24 hour flight away anymore.  I would say the odds are good another Phuket post will find its way in here before we permanently head home.