Mandarava

 

Photos by myself and Hee Teck Lye

I recently had the pleasure of taking a 5-day-4-night vacation with my family, where we visited Phuket, Thailand and stayed at the Mandarava Resort, a beautiful place that houses a mere 130 rooms scattered on a 7.2 acre plot. Due to the small number of guests and the wide spaces between each villa, our room was very quiet and peaceful for the entire duration of our stay. The resort is a nature wonderland, with a large variety of plants interspersed throughout man made buildings which can make a walk around the compound seem like a jungle trek. The resort also provides a free breakfast buffet each morning with Western and Thai delicacies available, and the food was so amazing in its variety and quality that I really did not mind eating it for four days straight. What I loved most about the Mandarava however, other than its idyllic views at every turn, was the SPA, which was nestled right in the middle of a pond with a bridge leading to the compound, and gardens full of flowers surrounding. The environs around the SPA were so lovely they almost stole the show from the amazing massages we got at the SPA itself. The famous Thai hospitality was not lost here either, and thanks to the friendly and soft-spoken staff we felt entirely welcome and at home in this beautiful resort. What cemented the loveliness of the trip was our driver who drove us to and from the resort from the airport at the beginning and end of our stay, an enterprising, friendly, wonderful, interesting young man who could keep up a conversation for hours throughout slow traffic without any awkward pauses or tediousness.

If you are looking for a beach resort with an emphasis on seclusion, solitude and nature, the Mandarava is the place for you. It is only a 5 minute walk from Karon Beach, with dozens of street shops and restaurants minutes away. Having had such a breathtaking experience here, I am looking forward to a return trip in the future.

Stay tuned for my fashion shoots in beautiful Phuket.