We took off to Phuket for 5 days in November last year. In all the years that we have been married, we have never been to Phuket together, even though we have visited the island separately with friends and colleagues. So we decided to celebrate TBH’s birthday falling in August in Phuket, but unfortunately, had to postpone the trip till November due to *my* work commitments. Better late than never.
I have seen photographs of Aleenta Phuket-Phang Nga floating around on Facebook. An ex-colleague got married in that resort. More recently, my cousin stayed at Aleenta and told me how much she loved it. Then a promotional offer by the resort popped up on my Facebook news feed one day, and the offer looked too good to pass.
We chose a Loft room, paid for it in advance (a requirement to enjoy the promotional rates) and waited for August to come around. Except that by the time we actually got to the resort, it was November and the promotional offer was no longer valid, so we had to top up for the same room.
The Loft room at Aleenta is a two-floor unit, where the lower floor comprises the living room and bathroom are on the lower floor while the bed occupies the entire second floor. What is really nice (and very convenient) about this room is having an infinity pool at your doorstep. We don’t swim but I like sitting on the edge of the pool and sticking my legs in the water, while TBH likes lying by the pool-side with his book.
The infinity pool is shared by the occupants of all the Loft rooms, so from time to time, we see a neighbour swimming outside our room. So cannot wander around the living room inappropriately dressed!
^ View of the infinity pool from the living room. We get to see a little of the ocean from the room. No matter how inviting the pool looks, I will stay out of it. I hate swimming.
^ Gorgeous view of the sunset from our room.
For the entire duration of the trip, we chilled out in the resort, with a cocktail at the beachfront, or a glass of wine in the room. We had purchased two bottles of duty-free wine in the departure halls of Changi Airport, and managed to make them last for 4 days. We sipped the wine veeeery slowly. It was the perfect sort of holiday for us – nowhere to go at all, no itinerary to follow, no program to follow.
The stretch of beach at Aleenta is a public beach, but because of the secluded location of the resort, it was as good as a private beach. It wasn’t crowded, or dirty, or noisy. Every morning, we would head to the beach for a walk before breakfast. I love walking barefoot on the beach, or what I call the ‘earthing’ process, feeling the grains of sand with each step, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing, getting my feet wet in the waters and watching people play frisbee. It feels really good to step away from the hustle and bustle of city life and be close to nature, even for a few days. The sounds of the waves soothes my tense mind and body.
^ This is the pricey beach-front villa. I don’t know about others, but I would be freaked out by the villa because it looks so…exposed. Unless one draws the curtains fully, there is no privacy because it is situated right on the beach front, along a stretch where anyone could walk right up to the villa and look INTO it. I imagine waking up in the middle of the night and see a face pressed against the glass windows…
^ Breakfast! The egg white omelette was quite interesting. Instead of cooking it the traditional way like an omelette, this version was served frothy cappuccino-style in a tall cup with tomato friccasee at the bottom of the cup.
^ One thing that we liked about our stay in Aleenta is how quiet it is. We did not see big groups of tourists and families thronging the beach and the restaurants in the resort.
^ The pavillion where couples exchange marriage vows, or eat their romantic dinners by the beach.
^ This is the beach-front spot where we hang out at most afternoons for lunch and during the evenings, sipping cocktails while watching the sun go down. The sunsets at this beach are quite amazing.
