When trying to conjure up images of the best place for sun, relaxation and romance it’s hard to go past Thailand. With that in mind, the decision for Peter and myself to go to Phuket for our 10 day honeymoon was a relatively easy one. Deciding which resort to stay in however, was a little more difficult. There were so many choices of beautiful romantic looking resorts with breathtaking views, incredible looking restaurants and rooms ranging from cosy to decadent that it took us a little while to finally settle on our resort destination, The Mövenpick Resort and Spa at Karon Beach.
We hoped we’d chosen the right resort and the night we turned up, we knew we had. Despite our long day traveling from Hobart (Tasmania) to Phuket we were so excited to arrive and were greeted at the resort by the beautiful Thai staff who gave us warm tea and flower bracelets and showed us to our ‘plunge pool villa’ room.
We walked in to see the bed decorated with rose petals in the shape of a heart and a tropical fruit platter placed delicately next to the bed. The deep spa bath was also dusted with rose petals and there were robes laid out for us in the bathroom. So many lovely touches made us feel we were truly on our honeymoon.
The next day we got up to explore the resort and its surroundings. The beach is located within a five minute walking distance, although you have to get there early to reserve a spot, and there’s a fee to use the deck chairs.
Although the beach was beautiful and we enjoyed taking a dip in the turquoise water, it was extremely crowded and we found the pool at the resort to be a more relaxing and chilled atmosphere. We were particularly happy when we saw a swim up bar! We spent the first couple of days of our honeymoon relaxing, reading, swimming and chatting and it was an amazing feeling to unwind after what was a very busy time leading up to the wedding.
We decided that although tempting to not leave the resort, we had to get out there to see some more of this amazing country so we booked in a few day trips, including seeing the wonderful rescue gibbons at the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, with the concierge at the resort.
The most romantic of these day trips was a snorkeling trip out to Phi Phi Islands. We met up with the group early in the morning and after some safety chats and some ‘don’t worry there are no sharks around there’ pep talks (addressed mainly to me…) we took off by speed boat to the first of the islands. We stopped at a bay with water so clear it was sparkling and dove into the salty sea for a quick dip.
Peter and I were clearly the honeymooners as we clung to each other and blissfully bobbed around the beautiful waters. We were then taken to Maya Beach where ‘The Beach’ was filmed and we swam and snorkelled our way around the island. The fish were of course beautiful and in abundance so it took a while to get used to them swimming and brushing up around our legs. We visited a total of four islands that day, each more gorgeous than the next.
We were lucky enough to have Valentines Day on our honeymoon, and the resort put on a very special night. There were around 20 tables situated around a large open area, and every table was decorated beautifully. On arrival we were given a glass of Moët, and I was given a long stemmed red rose and a red heart balloon – sitting outside on a warm evening listening to the live band, it really was the epitome of romance for us honeymooners. We were served a decadent seven course meal including sorbet served in ice sculptures. It was one of the most memorable moments of our honeymoon.
We fit in a lot during our time at Mövenpick, including visiting the resort’s spa where we were treated to a wonderful couple’s massage including a body scrub and spa bath soak.
In terms of honeymoon romance, Phuket is a pretty perfect destination with a mix of beauty, relaxation and plenty of fun day trips. We plan on heading back there for an anniversary to relive all our wonderful memories….
Ms Polka Dot says: What a beautiful place Phuket is – yes, we always knew it – but to swim in that beautiful water and watch that gorgeous sunset – pure bliss! Thank you Claudia and Peter for sharing your honeymoon story with us.
Photography by Claudia and Peter
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