Paradise



sunset at Racha Island



What an amazing wedding. Our main reason for travelling down to Phuket was to be guests at our friends wedding celebrations on a island about 35min speed boat ride off the coast of Phuket called Racha Island. There are no roads on this island so the only vehicles were the carts and leisure bikes of the islands resorts and guests. There are 3 resorts on this island, the best of which was the one we were staying at called The Racha. This place consisted of about 100 or more individual bungalows and villas with 3 swimming pools and 5 restaurants and facing amazing aqua blue waters of the Adaman Sea with fine white sandy beaches that felt like soft sponges when we walked on them. Unfortunately the change in weather patterns recently in Thailand meant that the surf was up at our beach but calm on the other side further away so snorkeling was out and swimming for the kids was definitely out as it was just too rough. But this did nothing to dampen our stay. Our villa was right behind one of the pools so we were able to put the kids to sleep and still remain in eyesight while we swam and had drinks by the pool, my idea of heaven. Comparing this resort to the one we just left back at Karon Beach it was like comparing a 1 star to a 10 star. The service was impeccable, I could not fault them on anything. Every need was catered for, every desire. The bride and groom to be were assisted in putting on a private bbq in their upgraded villa with full wait staff, chef and drinks provided. We had bbq lobsters, prawns, fish, pork, lamb loin chops, Thai salads and rice and even baked potatoes, it was amazing.

Each guest received a welcome package from the bride and groom on our beds when we checked in and in ours was some toys for the kids and Judd got a rubber lizard that he instantly became attached to. While at the bbq he was playing with another little girl, the flower girl, and she accidentally flicked it into the garden below the villa balcony. Marcus and I tried to comfort Judd and tell him that we would look for it when the sun came up the next day but amazingly about 5 of the guests and 2 of the resort staff spent ages down crawling around the bushes looking for his lost toy in the dark with torches! They didn't find it but it was such a nice thing to see these people, most of whom we only just met, scratching around looking for a $2 toy for our son. The very next morning the bride and her maid of honour went for another look but when they got down there they found about 6 gardeners looking through the bushes for it. One of the wait staff must have told them. How nice. In the end they found it about 5 meters from where everyone was looking the night before and the bride came down to deliver it to Judd.

This is the perfect way to describe the feeling of the weekend and of the entire wedding itself, relaxed, friendly, calm and very very welcoming and everyone was patient with our kids. Even when during the ceremony itself Judd decided he was hot and itchy from his shirt so he took it off and sat shirtless the whole time, then about mid way he decided he was thirsty and wandered off to find a waiter to get him a drink of water. I was mortified but the bride and groom either didn't notice at the time or didn't mind. I like to think that they were far to caught up in their special moment than to worry about what my 2 monsters were up to. Lillie couldn't sit still, she wanted to play with every ones cameras and she even ended up being held by Marcus at the alter, he was a groomsmen, and we have some wonderful photos of the two of them watching and listening to the couples vows. It was a tear jerker too, the groom caught himself tearing up as his bride walked down the isle of carefully laid rose and flower petals in red and white stripes. As there were only about 15 guests it was incredibly intimate and we could hear and see every emotion and tear.

The ceremony was followed by drinks then a reception with a 7 course dinner! We had prawns, soup, lobster, steak, sorbet, chocolate wedding cake and some fancy custard I cant remember the name of, speeches and toasts of Moet Champagne followed by more cocktails and karaoke in the Ice Bar. It was small, intimate and an amazing wedding and we felt honoured to have been invited and be able to attend and share their special day with them.

We arranged a babysitter for the evening so we could relax and not be concerned with tired cranky kids, she was a kindly older Thai lady who politely sat on our couch in the dark while the kids slept. I imagine she slept too, I know I would. I had no hesitation at all in leaving the kids in her care, that is how relaxed and comfortable we felt on this island. Marcus has even mentioned that he would like to visit again one day and when we were leaving this morning the general manager of the resort, Gerrard from Singapore, came and gave us his personal card and email and said he would take care of us if we wanted to return again. He took such good care of the wedding, giving upgrades and discounts and with a click of his fingers the bride had anything she needed. I will definitely be going back to stay longer and enjoy the many many more fun things the island and the resort has to offer.

View of the beach from one of the bars

After our dismal hotel in Phuket for our first stay last week we decided to cancel our second booking and find somewhere much more suitable. I searched the web again and came across a Hotel called Patong Paragon and it was cheaper and looked nice but I was concerned because the other one looked amazing on the website too but upon arrival we got a real shock. Luckily this second hotel has turned out perfect. We have direct pool access rooms, with enough space for Judd to have a bed set up and Lillie to have a cot. The pool is amazing, huge and clean. We have a small patio with a gate allowing us private access to the public pool anytime we want which is awesome while the kids sleep. And the best part is that it is back in Patong where all the action is and it is about $40 cheaper a night. I feel much better staying here, even though we are in a studio room rather than an apartment, the facilities make up for the smaller space.

So we have 4 nights here to relax, shop, eat and check out some more tourist sights. Tomorrow (Saturday) Marcus has arranged a taxi driver to take us to the Phuket Zoo, a snake show, Big Buddah and some shopping all in one day for only 400 baht! It is so cheap I am sceptical, everything in Phuket so far has been double the price of Pattaya but it should make for an interesting day.