It was basically a typhoon when we arrived, so we trudged from the lobby to our room in pouring rain, then trudged back for dinner. The villas are connected by an ugly walkway system, like Amankila had in Bali. The villas themselves seem unnecessarily ugly on the outside; well, not so much ugly as sad and plain. The interiors are quite similar in size and decor to Aman as well, although the bathrooms need a design makeover. Importantly, there are one hundred villas at the Chedi, many times more than at the Amanpuri, so the sense of privacy and personal service that is an Aman highlight is definitely lost. But the service is still good, food very good (except a below average breakfast) and if you haven't been spoiled by some of the other great hotels around Thailand, the Chedi would make a very good impression. (Room: 7, Facilities: 8, Service: 8, Overall: 8)

Somchai golfed most days while I hung out by the pool. The rain would usually let up during the day enough for me to turn red and Somchai to get at least a few holes in, then would come crashing down in the evening. We mostly stayed around the hotel partly due to the rain and partly due to the ugliness of Patong, Phuket's heaving nonstop party. There are actually some decent parts of Phuket, but it's a big hilly island and not that easy to get around. On some trips we stay in northern Phuket, which is too far to get to Patong and so it's developed its own restaurant/beach/bar scene, which is much quieter and more upscale. But in the southern half, all roads lead to Patong...

101. Phuket, Thailand July '03

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.