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TRAVEL
268
November14
When last did you do something meaningful for yourself, to balance
your body, calm your mind and soothe your soul? VERNE MAREE
heads off to the very first
Wellness Workshop
at the
JW Marriot
Phuket Resort & Spa
to do just that – and finds an island that is
undergoing a restoration of its own.
Phuket
Restoration
F
irst off, I’mblown away by Mai Khao beach – a full 17 kilometres of gleaming
sand and azure waters. Who knew that there was still such pristine sand
and surf on Phuket? Must be because it borders a National Nature Reserve,
I decide, but no – it’s not just happening here.
Since the May coup, explains local journalist Maurie Grant of the
Phuket Gazette
,
the military junta’s drive to improve Thailand’s image has cleared almost all the
umbrellas, sun-beds, masseuses and ticky-tacky restaurants from Patong, Karon,
Kata and other beaches. The effect is wonderful, and long may it last.
I admit to having all but written off Phuket after my last visit a couple of years ago.
The relatively unspoilt beaches I’d fallen in love with 14 years earlier had become
so overcrowded that they were no longer pleasant. And expats like us don’t travel
to tropical island resorts just for their swimming pools. Most of us live in a condo
where the pool is nearly as good – though sadly lacking a cocktail menu.
With its beaches restored, this lovely Thai island is again on my list of weekend
getaways. New government restrictions on drinking hours may be a nuisance,
though; the same goes for rumoured plans for tourists being required to wear
electronic identity bracelets – for their own protection, apparently.