Le Royal Meridian Phuket Yacht Club
The 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.
