The both of us returned to Singapore pretty close to midnight on the 17th from Phuket, pretty exhausted and deadbeat, but strangely still exhilarated from the incredible 4 day stay at the Ayara Hilltops.
The boutique resort is located at a relatively secluded part of Phuket; specifically the western side of the island along Surin Beach. Heck, the place was so quiet that during our stay we didn’t see any swimmers and just a small handful of beach goers and surfers on the last day, though I think the strong waves forbade any sort of actual swimming to begin with. Moreover, June is the low season for Phuket, so there weren’t many tourists on the island altogether and even fewer in the resort. I’m guessing that the resort was perhaps less than a quarter full.
The resort itself is fairly new at just 4 years old. Apparently, it was built shortly before the tsunami hit in December 2004, though from what the front desk manager told us the resort was fortunately spared of devastation. I couldn’t help but detect the tinge of sadness in her when she mentioned the tsunami. While no sign of the disaster remains on the island (aside from numerous signposts of tsuanmi evacuation routes), it was an incident that still strickens the locals there.
The suite we stayed in has quite a mouthful for a name; Jamboree Super Deluxe Sea View suite, and it had a balcony with a magnificent view of the Andaman sea and Surin beach, and the more popular Bang Tao beach some distance away. Better still, we had our own jacuzzi, which we soaked in a few times after spending the day out in the sun.
The resort itself is built on a steep hill with the concierge and dining areas at the hill base, and suites and rooms at the top. The journeys both ways are facilitated by a permanently on-call buggy service that ferries passengers up and down the hill. The walk down was really pleasant and made easy through landscaped and prettily manicured gardens and stoned pathways, so we usually did that instead of calling for the buggy.
We had our daily breakfasts at the terrace restaurant. The spread was a mix of international and Thai cuisine, including smoked salmon, various pastries and salads, juices, cereals, fruits and fare that’s more common on main courses. Breakfasts were really quiet affairs since we typically woke up early each morning. But on one or two mornings (obviously) Singaporean families came in with their entire broods, and the place started sounding more like a foodcourt. Sort of spoilt the quiet romantic atmosphere, but typically by then we would already been done by then.
There was a really nice surprise for us too on the last day of our stay. The front desk called to inform that we had a complimentary dinner at the poolside restaurant. Till now we still can’t figure out how come we got that, as that wasn’t an item included in our Tradewinds package. We’re guessing it’s bonafide complimentary given the low season and exemplary of Thai hospitality, or it came with the suite we stayed in.
Either way, it was an exquisitely prepared meal where we had the whole restaurant to ourselves and were served by the floor captain. We were treated like royalty. Neither of us could finish dinner though; there was just too much food!
The last photo here in this entry is a panoramic shot of the poolside and terrace restaurants, taken at around 7 pm. The rest of the photos are at the usual photo page here.:)
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