A private beach at Phuket, Paradise at Phi Phi and luxury in Bangkok.
 

We flew Thai Airways from Heathrow to Bangkok, then on to Phuket, arriving some fifteen hours after leaving London. We had pre-booked a car for transfer to our hotel and as we left the arrivals hall, the driver was waiting for us and twenty minutes later, we arrived at our hotel. The Andaman White Beach Resort.
Immigration formalities were done at Bangkok on this occasion and this seemed to work much better than doing it at Phuket as has always been the way on our many previous trips.
Lynda and I are very much beach people…..but quiet beaches please. We selected this hotel for its quiet location, very good looking beach, decent accommodation and smallish size.
The blurb on the resort website claims that its beach is private, and yes I know, there is no such thing as a private beach in Thailand, but, the only land access to it is through the hotel grounds and with the beach being enclosed by cliffs at ether end, the only other way to it is from the sea. So it certainly felt like a private beach. Very, very quiet, beautiful fine powdery sand and crystal clear water.

We stayed in a Seaview Deluxe room with outdoor Jacuzzi. Very nice room with both indoor and outdoor shower. Sitting in the Jacuzzi with a glass of wine watching the sunset was just magical.
There is some decent snorkelling to be had at a beautiful little island, which is about a ten minute boat ride away. Easily organised through the hotel and cheap enough at 1000baht.

The resort has a decent selection of eating options offering good quality food.

We stayed here for three nights and will certainly consider visiting this hotel again.

http://www.andamanwhitebeach.com/

Suitably unwound and relaxed, our next destination was Phi Phi……and there’s loads of news to come from there !

Don't leave me hanging, Leigh!

Sounds delightful! More please.

Nice start! I want to hear more!

not cheap however i note

So, time to head for Phi Phi.
Having spent some time in Phuket, we could easily have gone for the ferry. But speedboat transfer has become part of the experience for us, and that’s the way we went.
I arranged it all before we left London and received a fax at White Beach confirming all the details. H.I. sent us the name of the boat, the boat drivers name and his cell phone number in case of any delays. We were picked up from the hotel at 11.00a.m. and arrived at Rassada Pier just before noon. The speedboat was there waiting for us.
The journey was as exciting as ever. A little bumpy, but quite comfortable. We know from experience that looking behind us and waiting for Phuket to just about disappear is the moment when Phi Phi comes into view ahead. The unmistakeable shapes of the two main islands, particularly the unique outline of Phi Phi Ley. Mosquitoe and Bamboo Islands soon come into vision and then before we know it we are skirting round the northern headland, past Phi Phi Natural, the engine revs are reduced and we just drift right up to the beach at H.I. The little landing jetty is wheeled out to us, we paddle the last few steps and we’re on the beach, surrounded by familiar faces and an unforgettable welcome. Cold flannels and drinks await us at the open air reception area and we are very quickly checked in. By one o’clock, we were sitting on our veranda enjoying the complimentary bottle of wine which was sitting in an ice bucket in our room. We were once again given our favourite bungalow…..116, which I believe is the best bungalow at the resort, and utterly unique. It was built as a prototype for the design of the new bungalows and has lots of features that are not present in any of the other rooms. And its location is just perfect. It didn’t take long for us to grab our snorkels and take the five paces or so from bungalow to sea and check out the condition of the water and the coral. We were not disappointed! The water was crystal clear and there was abundant, beautiful sea life.
We were having our second dip when the 13.30 ferry from Phuket arrived at around 16.45. So we spent fifteen minutes or so just bobbing around in the sea, watching the local longtails servicing the ferry. Transferring passengers and luggage to the shore and unloading provisions for the resorts. It’s an activity we’ve seen many times before but one that I never tire of watching.
For dinner on our first night of ten, we headed off down the beach to Jasmins. A rustic little beach restaurant run by the local sea gypsys. Beautifully fresh fish cooked right in front of us and served in a fabulous location. Bare feet in the sand looking out to sea, past the longtails and with the horizon a mass of twinkling lights from the squid fishing boats. A black clear sky filled with billions of stars. Yes……we’re back……to a little piece of paradise! And we have nine more nights to go.

Having been to Phi Phi (but not your same resort) I felt as though I was with you on that boatride, watching for the islands to appear!

For me, ten nights on Phi Phi would be overkill to the nth degree.... but I'm not that much of a beach person. A few days goes a l-o-n-g way towards making me happy. Give me the activity and shopping of BANGKOK.

But I'm still enjoying your report!

Carol

Bob you're quite right! White Beach is not cheap...but we felt it was good value for money. It's a classy little resort.

Carol, yes I know ten days is too much for many people, but we have done it many times....and longer too. We just don't tire of it. For non beach folks, it would probably be too long. On the other hand, we had three nights in Bangkok at the end of our trip,(full report on that to come),and to be honest two nights and I'd had enough. The activity and shopping, well, that's not really our thing. We've got London for that. I LOVE Bangkok when I arrive, but very quickly want to move on. But I always look forward to a short stay there.
Different strokes for different folks, but in the end, I think we're all travelholics on this forum and we all have different preferences.
I'm afraid there are still nine more days of Phi Phi to come before I hit the Bangkok section. I hope I don't bore everyone too much with it, but I haven't done a full trip report on Phi Phi before now, and this time it's coming......day by day!!!

Can I have a quick pre-view: where are you staying in Bangkok. Loving your report btw.

Sue, our Bangkok hotel choice was Shangri-La, Krungthep wing.

Day 2, after breakfast we set off to explore the new development at the southern end of the resort. This is a project to build some additional bungalows and has been ongoing since 2003. We knew that big progress had been made since our last visit but were mightily surprised to see that 10 of the new units were occupied and the new swimming pool was going to be in use within a few days. These new rooms are gorgeous and have been constructed in such a way that they look like they have always been there. When it’s completed there will also be a new bar and restaurant down at this end. I must say at this point that the construction going on has no negative impact on the resort.
We decided to keep walking south and make our customary visit to Island Village. This walk takes around half an hour and the pathway is nearly all paved now. After having some tea with the gypsys at the rear of this resort, we headed up to the end to check out the new swimming pool. WOW! Big changes here. This swimming pool has to be the most spectacular one I’ve ever seen. Island Village really is a lovely resort, set in beautiful grounds. There is a much better selection of accommodation here than that which is available at H.I. and the landscape enveloping the bay takes your breath away.
We walked through the coconut plantation at the rear, to swim at Lanah Bay before heading back to H.I. Absolutely deserted here! Not one other person in the sea or the bay. A beautiful tropical paradise location and nobody there?
Heading back to the path we bought some cold water to take to the workers who were paving the footpath. When we reached the area where they were working, we gave them all some water and sat down for a chat. It turned out that the work gang were two families. Mum, Dad and kids…..all working together. They have been working on this path, with very, very basic equipment, since 2006. Backbreaking work and in searing heat. When I suggested that they must be sick of the sight of the path and the paving, a huge smile accompanied the reply of ‘oh no, we are so happy we have work’ !

After more snorkelling, and a few glasses of fine malt, taken on our veranda, we had dinner at H.I. We took the traditional Thai buffet which was excellent. During our many visits to this resort the food has often been good and sometimes not so good. On this occasion however I have to say it was excellent. There is a new management team in place who are making some subtle but definite improvements. More about that later.

Oh, Leigh, you're killing me. I can envision the walk between HI and PPIV like it was yesterday. I love that Lanah Bay is still deserted. Each time we'd walk across the bridge and down the path to it we were convinced that we'd arrive to hordes of folks from our resort who had discovered it--but always found it completely deserted...quite a magical place at sunset as well!

I wish I could see what the new pool @ PPIV looks like. I thought the old one (when we were there in 06) was not too shabby, so I can only imagine how nice this one is.

10 days for me on any beach would be hard--but if I could ever manage it, it would definitely be on Phi Phi...no question about that!

Glad you two had a lovely time as always. Would you expect anything else? :)

Fear not Will, once I have sorted out our photos, you will be able to see the new pool.

Some photos and videos from Andaman White Beach on link below.

http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/576862681kBffiL

Beautiful! So peaceful! I enjoyed your several videos at the end of the slide show... I thought you were going to tip over there once... careful now!

Anxious to see the Phi Phi resort for comparison.

great pics... i just threw up on my computer from sea sickness

Day three began with a surprise. I jumped out of bed pulled on swimming shorts and headed for the sea. After a few strokes I was aware that every time I pulled my arms back I seemed to get a handful of what felt like grape seeds. Treading water to investigate, I found that I appeared to be swimming in a sea of tapioca ! The water was just full of little jelly like cylinders, about an inch long, and half an inch wide, and with a little black bit in the middle ! YIKES !! I swam to the left, to the right, closer to shore and further out to sea. There was no escape. The sea was just absolutely full of them….millions…probably billions. It was around seven a.m. and not another soul in the water. Slightly un-nerved I headed back to the shore where I found the sand full of these little things, some pulsing away like little hearts and others totally lifeless. Looking back at the sea I could now see that it had become very slightly milky, not the crystal clear that it normally is.
After a longer than normal shower we headed off to breakfast, passing the dive centre where we bumped into Suwit, who has worked here for as long as we have been visiting. Hey Suwit, what’s happened to the sea?
As yes John, this happens every year, once a year. Don’t worry they are harmless baby squid. They will all be gone in two days. And they were.
In all the trips we’ve made to this island I’ve never seen anything like it, nor even heard of it. But apparently it happens every year, sometime in January or February.
Completely harmless, but it is quite unpleasant swimming with them. I tried a few times but just didn’t like the feel of them.

So with the sea being like that, to-day was a good day to visit Tonsai Village. We hired a longtail and driver from the gypsy village and made our way round the northern headland, passing Lanah Bay, Nui Bay, Monkey Beach and right in to Loh Dalhum Bay. We had to paddle the last twenty or thirty yards to reach the beach.
Coming in to the bay, it was very clear that new building has been progressing at a pace very untypical of Phi Phi. Lots of concrete, which is understandable, but for the first time since the start of the post-tsunami re-build, I felt that Tonsai Village has become a different place.
Absolutely full of backpackers and day-trippers and even during the day….too much loud music. Not our thing at all. We spent two or three hours there, doing a bit of shopping, checking out a couple of the new hotels and of course, we always visit the Tsunami Memorial Garden which I’m delighted to say, is still being beautifully maintained.
For our return longtail trip, we left from the Tonsai Bay side and travelled back up the east coast, passing Long Beach, Rantee Bay and Loh Bakao Bay.
Just in time for us to wander up to the viewpoint at H.I. for a couple of cocktails whilst watching the sunset.
For dinner we again sat barefoot in sand, but this time at Sawadee Restaurant, which is adjacent to Zeavola. More lovely fresh seafood…….Thai style…..fab.

The baby squid thing sounds yucky... glad they were harmless. Dinner with your bare feet in the sand... ahhh

Is that an 'oh how awful ahhh' or a 'wow this is great ahhh' ?

Your photos of the Andaman White Beach Resort are lovely.