Where We Be
Andaman Embrace Resort is located on the north end of Patong Beach on
the island of Phuket. We found a great rate online for just $46 per night.
Phuket, Thailand
There comes a time in every long trip when it
helps to slow down and take a breather. After
1½ months of sightseeing we were ready for
some "me time" -- ten whole days in one place,
with Thai food, pools, beaches, and ridiculously
affordable massages (~$5 US for 1 hour) taking
pride of place over tourist attractions. Andaman
Embrace Resort gave us just what we needed, a
comfortable spot to call home where we could
embrace our inner lazy selves and just relax.
After all, if you can't kick back now and again
after going to all the trouble of retiring early,
what's the point!

As you can see, the resort's pool was big and
lovely, and the swim-up bar didn't hurt either.
Patong Beach was a five-minute walk away and
we were surrounded by good food options. This
gave us time to truly unwind -- and while the
webpage might suffer a bit for our "boring"
downtime, this was a happy mini-vacation for us.
And we did go on two all-day sea tours, so we
weren't totally lazy. Phuket ("poo-KET") makes a
great base for exploring the surrounding Thai
islands exactly because it's so popular and
central. Nearly every water tour imaginable
leaves from here -- and we picked two of the
best, as covered on the following two pages.
We loved the pool and swim-up bar. The photo at right should show Robin
sipping a blue lychee frozen drink since we downed so many of them!
This was the view from our room -- #705 on the top floor.
We could see Patong Beach just a short distance away.
We don't have many beach pictures since we rarely brought our camera,
but this gives a sense of the quieter northern stretch of Patong Beach
The beach was especially lovely at sunset
Terrific food options abounded -- including a great Indian restaurant right next door called Light of India. One of our fave
places for cheap eats was Loma Market where we could sit outdoors and dine on pad thai and curry dishes for just $3 each.
Fruit smoothies only cost $1.50 each, and you could get a two whole plates
of sliced mangos, papayas, pineapple, and watermelon for $4 total
Patong Beach is famous for its night life, so you can enjoy the pool or beach
all day, have dinner, then go for a walk at night to soak up the party atmosphere
Bangla Road is where you'll find the craziest nightlife. It was a fifteen
minute walk from our hotel and made for a fun night out in Phuket.
Bangla Road only stretches for four blocks or so but it's a festival of neon lights and cheap beer.
The music is loud and there's a convivial atmosphere as bars and clubs compete for customers.