Thailand has over twenty public holidays, and with so many I tend to lose track. A four day weekend suddenly appeared, and we decided to fly to get out of town. Plane and flight bookings were in short supply, but we managed to get a flight to Phuket, and rooms at the Chedi. For those of you who know Thailand, July is in the middle of the rainy season, and understandably unpopular for beach holidays to Phuket, which is why we were able to get a flight. We were supposed to leave Thursday evening, but Somchai went golfing during the day and was stuck in horrible holiday Bangkok traffic so we missed the flight. But we managed to rebook Friday, and left rainy, depressing Bangkok to arrive at rainy, depressing Phuket an hour later.
Phuket has some of the world's greatest resorts, which is frankly the only reason we go there since the island has been destroyed by tourism. The top hotels were all booked out, so we stayed at the Chedi, which is an interesting choice for the more budget conscious. It sits right next to the Amanpuri, our favorite Phuket hotel, and was designed by Ed Tuttle, the Aman's main designer, so it has a very similar design aesthetic. The public spaces and pool are actually nicer than Aman, and they've got a much nicer beach as well. There are some downsides, but overall, it costs one fifth the Aman price, which is a pretty compelling advantage.
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