Anne Lind: Getaway to Phuket

Phuket is an island on the Andaman Sea in the south of Thailand that is famous for its beaches. It is overrun with tourists during the winter. Thanks to our Hyatt membership, we had a three-night stay at the Hyatt Regency Resort. It was spectacular!

We started the trip on Saturday. I had a bad cold and was extremely uncomfortable on the flight descent. My left ear didn't recover until the next day. Fortunately, I improved rapidly; unfortunately, Dan got the cold while we were there. But we still had a good time. I pre-booked a taxi from the airport and back and was glad I did; it was quite a distance (45 minutes or so) and the online chatter about the taxis in Phuket wasn't encouraging.

I knew the resort was built on a hillside, but had no idea how steep it would be. And there were stairs everywhere, often without railings. We both managed with some care! The weather was much warmer than we've been used to in Chiang Mai, which has been very comfortable so far this year (Dan thinks it''s a bit too cold.)

The resort provided an enormous buffet breakfast. It catered to nearly every country's preferred tastes -- Thai, East Asian, Indian, and western. Hot drinks were brought by very attentive waitstaff. One thing we noticed -- we didn't see anyone else who looked over 60. It was a young crowd, with lots of families and young children. One evening we walked out of supper with three middle-aged gentlemen who were talking. I asked them what language they were speaking and they said Albanian. A first for me! They were very friendly; one had lived in Chicago and Indianapolis and was currently working in Malaysia.

The lobby was airy and lovely

Our room was up the hill in building #8 (of 15) and this was the view from our balcony, looking north.

Toward the east we could see the hills. Kamala Beach is on the inlet to the right.

These golf carts took us everywhere. When we needed to go somewhere, we called the desk and a cheerful driver appeared. They got to know us right away.