We arrived in Karon
Beach, Phuket on Dec 3 and will stay until approximately Jan 12. Karon is
typical of what is both good and bad about Phuket and tourist Thailand in
general. On the good side, the weather, beaches and food are great; Thai culture
is evident in the active wats (temples) located everywhere; people are
friendly; and despite the odd scam (mostly carried out by foreigners) it is
very safe to be here. On the bad side, the tourists outnumber the Thais, and
most Thais in Karon make their living selling something to the tourists. But
interestingly, from our balcony we can observe a little oasis of true Thai culture.
We see daily family life, simple houses, an open kitchen, a few tourist
bungalows they rent and well tended gardens with papaya, mango, lime and banana
trees as well as various flowering plants.
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| Mango on the left, lime tree and bananas on the right. |
No Star Accommodation
Our guest house,
Harmony Guest House, is very simple with a total of 9 rooms on 3 floors. There are few
amenities: no elevator, restaurant, pool, gift shop, variety store, phone, or
24 hour reception. However, we have everything we need: very comfortable king
size, bathroom with LOTS of hot water, fridge, air conditioner, fan, great
balcony with a great view, free wifi, a TV with limited channels (a good
thing!), two blocks from the beach, and a great price ~$45/night.
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| Lance enjoying our balcony. |
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| Lance on the beach. |
Five Star Luxury
In addition to our “no
star” guest house, we now have access to the luxurious 5 star
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. The resort covers 75 acres and has four pools, 5
restaurants, lush tropical gardens, and a lots of shaded walking paths. For $75
each, we joined the Hilton’s fitness club for one month. Membership includes
access to all of the fitness equipment, sauna, steam, change rooms, towels, and
four outdoor pools with lounge chairs and attendants who wander around handing
out free fruit or cold wash clothes occasionally. It is a true respite. Not
sure what the rooms cost, but I know there is a charge for the wifi – so we
have one up on the Hilton rooms.
