Le Royal Meridian Phuket Yacht Club

Royal Yacht Club 

The entrance to the Le Meredien Royal Phuket Yacht ClubThe Le Royal Meridian Phuket Yacht Club and Royal Spa is one of the premier hotels on the island of Phuket, an island off the coast of Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea. The tsunami of December 26, 2004 swept from the south of the Andaman Sea, ghosting past the hotel which, as shown in the photo above, is located on a terraced hillside parallel to the direction of the killer waves. The beach shown in the bottom of the photo was the tsunami's entryway to the low-lying areas around the hotel. The Le Meridian was left relatively unscathed, receiving only damage to its beach level restaurant, which has still not reopened. The rest of the hotel, however, reopened in early September, and we took advantage of the low off-season reopening prices to spend our three-day fall break at this beautiful hotel. Located at the southernmost tip of Phuket Island, the hotel offers stunning sea views from every room, and a beautiful and secluded white sand beach just below the hotel. It was the perfect place to unwind from the hectic pace of the first five weeks of school, our last real respite until Thanksgiving. The photo above right shows the pagoda that adorns the entrance to the hotel, located up a hilly incline from the beach below. The photo to the upper right shows the flags that ring the driveway, perched on a promenade overlooking the azure Andaman Sea. At the base of the pagoda is the entrance and reception area, a very traditional Thai-style affair finished in local teak and dark tile. The staff is unfailing cheerful and work diligently to accommodate any request. Their English is fair, and they fortunately know when they need to grab a colleague with better language skills to help you out. The room are all located on the eight terraced levels above the lobby. It can be accessed by the stairs shown in the photo at the lower right or, thankfully, via an elevator.
 

  



Our room was on the fifth floor, and afforded a wonderful view of the Andaman Sea. Built as they are in terraced fashion, every room at the Meridian Royal Phuket Yacht club has a sea-facing view. Starting about the fourth floor, however, one escapes the low-lying trees and gets a much more panoramic view of the Andaman Sea and Nai Harn Bay. The rooms themselves are very modern yet possess a distinctly Thai touch. The beige walls offer a nice balance to the extensive use of Thai teak. The entryway has a wooden ceiling, as well as lattice-work wooden doors on the wardrobe. The sleeping area has a bed with a light wood headboard, which contrasts nicely with the slightly darker wood found in the television cabinet, the wooden desk, and sitting chair. We were fortunate enough to get an upgraded room, and the upgrade has a terrace that is double the size of the standard room. The photo at the lower right shows the extent of the terrace area. It has a sitting area with couch chairs and coffee table, with a large circulating fan overhead, as well as the lounge areas with two teak loungers with umbrella. The photo at the bottom left shows the view of the bay from the terrace. As you may expect, all the usual amenities: the bathroom was well-stocked and thick towels were plentiful. The bed was nice and firm, attractively done up with Thai silk pillows and runner. The only thing lacking was CNN, which would have been welcomed this time around as we were here during Rita's onslaught of the Gulf Coast. We never did get round to playing any of the many CD's, or making use of the DVD player...which isn't surprising, when you have this to look at! There wasn't one time of day during which this view failed to amaze. Just when you think it couldn't get better, a couple of hours later, it seems to have done so. Two nights/three days just wasn't long enough to feel we'd spent sufficient time -- everywhere! The poolside area beckoned almost as compellingly as did the stretch of beach below, and having only one dinner at the Quarterdeck seemed short shrift! On our second night we couldn't resist going out to a local seafood hang-out, which didn't disappoint (and was full of members of the local population, a sure sign we were in the right place). .








Next to the lobby area is a large veranda that overlooks the bay. It is done in traditional Thai style, with large pillars and carved wooden ceilings. Suspended from the ceilings are traditional boats. The deck is divided into two areas. To the left, nearest the entrance, is a reading area and smoking lounge, which overlooks the hotel entrance. It also has a good view of Nai Harn Bay. The photo to the right shows the lounge area from its entrance, as well as the ocean backdrop, while the view to the left shows the length of the  lounge area, looking toward the entrance. Adjacent to the lounge 
area, separated by a bar, is the Quarterdeck, an alfresco dining area. It was the only main dining room open for all meals during our stay; there is a small Italian restaurant one floor below open on Tuesdays and Fridays with a set meal, and the pool snack bar as well. The room, shown in the photo at the lower left is spectacular, large and open. Light streams in through three large rectangular windows, with a Thai boat suspended between them. The back of the restaurant features a mirrored wall that reflects the beautiful views of the bay, giving it an even more spacious look. We had great sandwiches there at lunchtime, and they feature a very well-stocked breakfast buffet. Dining, however, was the highlight, with delicious butterflied king prawns and fried rice. The food was as spectacular as the setting.





As one would with expect of a Leading Hotel of the World, the Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club (wow, that's a mouthful) has the usual amenities one would expect. Next to the dining area is a two-level pool area. The pool is a large oval infinity pool whose waters merge with the Andaman Sea in the background, as the photo at the left shows. Below the pool there is a second terrace of lounge chairs overlooking the bay, an even more secluded spot for sun bathers. Next to the pool area is the Le Meridien's spa. The photo to the lower left shows the very contemporary spa. Featuring many different types of massage, it offers three indoor air conditioned rooms with message beds and jacuzzi, and one outdoor room. Tracy opted for the latter, and had a wonderfully relaxing massage just as the sun was going down Saturday evening. Like the rest of the hotel staff, the spa ladies were friendly, and great at their job! Two levels up from the spa is the hotel's fitness room. With full-length windows overlooking Nai Harn Bay, it is a great place to work up a sweat! The gym features two treadmills, an exercise cycle, a cross-trainer and a universal gym.






While the hotel is spectacular, it still pales beside Nai Harn beach. Although a public beach, it is located in a secluded spot, and shared with two other resorts. The beach is fairly wet, with the waves coming up nearly to where the beach chairs are set. The sand is white and the water is clear--you can see your feet on the bottom, even in a meter of water. With its southern exposure, Nai Harn beach receives its share of waves during this, the monsoon season, and they tend to break close to the beach. With its warm water and clear sandy beach, it is hard to resist the charms of this hotel and beach. These two photos, facing east and west, show how deserted the beach is, even on a Saturday afternoon.

 

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