Our heavenly holiday to Thailand – Phuket Part 1, The Shore Hotel

Six years ago I fell in love with Thailand on a holiday to Bangkok and Koh Samui. I’d always wanted to return to that beautiful country and this year I had my chance for my next Thai adventure. After a thirteen hour flight, four hour wait at Bangkok airport, another 1 hour flight and a 1 hour’s drive we arrived at our first destination. The Shore hotel in Phuket.

Phuket is Thailand’s largest island and is just off the west coast of the country in the Andaman sea. Our hotel, the Shore, was situated on Kata Noi Beach, a beach near the main tourist area of Patong but far enough away to offer seclusion and tranquility. The Shore itself is part of the larger Katathani Beach Resort and all guests have access to the facilities there. The Shore is exclusively for residents’ use only in order to give it a more luxurious feel. Our room was a beach front pool villa and the size and the space really was excellent value for money. In the typical Thai style we were greeted at the hotel with floral garlands and welcome drinks. As we entered the room a sweet arrangement of swans adorned the bed.

Here are some more photos of the room:

 

The villa was incredibly spacious with it own infinity pool and stunning beach views. Unfortunately, the rooms were a little shabby with signs of wear and tear. The Shore was a charming hotel and excellent value for money but it doesn’t fall into the five star plus bracket of other Thai hotels. However, the service is still excellent and there is no denying the beauty of the location. Here are some more photos of the hotel, infinity pool and the surrounding beach.

 

We ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, The Harbour, twice where the menu included both Thai and Modern European options. The food was pleasing but not 5 star quality, fish was slightly over cooked and the bellinis were clearly made of Orangina… However, again the service was faultless.

 

 

 

A real highlight of the Shore
experience is the room service breakfast.

 

A huge spread is provided with excellent attention to detail, though unfortunately the food itself falls short. The bread and pastries were not freshly baked and Mr Silver reported the meat as a little tough. I give them 10 / 10 for thought though, with a cute fried egg in the shape of a heart and delicious Thai fruits.
There are two restaurants highly recommended in Kata Beach and Mr Silver and I dined in both on different nights. The Boathouse offers a highly useful pick up and take home service (wemade use of the former but not the latter). The restaurant is well placed on the beach front but the décor is a little retro and due to bad weather we missed out on a table with a view as we couldn’t sit on the terrace. The menu
offers both Thai and French cuisine, as it was our first proper night out we opted for Thai. Considering this is one of the top restaurants in Phuket, the food was again a disappointment. The fish did not taste fresh, which was strange as were right by the Andaman sea, and the texture was a little rubbery. On a more positive note, I was very excited to wear my new dress by Needle and Thread.

Rather better was Mom Tri’s Kitchen at the Villa Royale. Décor was traditional Thai, views were superb and food delicious. The meal was the best we had while staying on Kata beach and
the restaurant gorgeously romantic.

Nightlife is a little sparse on Kata beach as Patong is the main tourist hangout but we did find a cute bar right on the rocks called Ska Bar. Wine in Thailand can be hit and miss but this Jamaican themed bar served a decent Pinot!
When visiting Phuket or any other Thai beach resort I would also highly recommend a day of island hopping. Mr Silver and I had an amazing day on board the N’Joy with a tour provided by Andaman cruises.
 As ever Thai service was second to none. We were greeted with a bottle of bubbly and constantly refreshed with cold towels, fresh fruit and other nibbles. The cruise allowed us to take in the
beautiful sights of Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Island and Krabi. Here’s some pics!

It was a full day excursion with a stop off at the Six Senses Yao Noi for lunch. The hotel is a 5 star island retreat which combines all natural material to create a luxurious but eco-friendly environment. There are several dining options available and we ate in The Living Room which offers Thai and Western cuisine and many healthy options. Food here was delicious but location was everything
as you can see from the photos.

Best of all they gave us free ice-cream from the little ice-cream parlour above the restaurant serving all different gorgeous flavours which we clearly had to sample several of.So ended our four days at The Shore and it was time to move on to our next location in Phuket, Trisara.