My experience in Club Med Phuket, Thailand

Believe it or not, I’ve never been to a Thai girl show. Never.

fire

I’ve lived in the Red Light District in Amsterdam, risked life and limb while backpacking Eastern Europe to follow a couple of guys I just met to see the darker side of Georgia, but as for Thai girl shows, it still remains on my bucket list.

I’ve been to Thailand a lot of times. It was just a series of unfortunate events that made me miss the famous shows our neighboring country has to offer.

This is my fifth trip to Thailand.

water yoga

I was there to check out the newly renovated and revamped Club Med Phuket in Thailand last month. This is my very first time at a Club Med resort and the legendary Club Med hospitality with the GOs interacting with the guests was a pleasant surprise for me.

beach

You don’t feel like you’re in Phuket (which can get a bit rowdy) at all. You’re greeted at the airport and as a GE, whisked away to the village. The serenity in Club Med makes it insular – in a good way, since you can always head out to the low end party scene of Bangla Road whenever you want and come back to the lap of luxury. πŸ˜‰

trident

I like the little touches at the resort – the Club Med trident in the ash trays are so much like cappuccino art, with a fresh orchid.

bar

This is the poolside bar where you can order whatever you want. Club Med is all-inclusive, that’s part of the appeal – you can eat and drink as much as you want – it’s all included in the price.

pool

The Oval Concept Bar is a great place to chill out – there’s an awesome view of the ocean and most of the resort, including the swimming pool.

water

The main pool is the hub of lots of water activities like water yoga. It’s a great place to lounge and chat with fellow guests and GOs too! πŸ™‚

refreshment bars

There’s fresh coconut juice and snacks in thoughtfully placed refreshment stations as you stroll about the huge resort…

snacks

I’ve even come across desserts at tea-time which I took the opportunity to sample. I ate a lot during my stay at Club Med. If it wasn’t for all the activities, I’ll have gained quite a few kgs by the time I got back. Heh.

cold towel

There were even cold towels handed out by the friendly GEs to wipe yourself with in the humid temperature of Phuket.

You just cannot beat that.

golf

There are also activities that you can participate in every day – everything from golf lessons to snorkeling, whatever rocks your boat. Pun intended.

flying trapeze knee hang

I made it my personal mission to master the flying trapeze. You can see my efforts here and during the 4D/6N (we flew in at night) I’ve only missed my lessons once.

I got to know the Circus GOs (which stands for Gentils Organisateurs, or Gracious Organizers) and finally managed to do backflips and catches, which was worth all the pain of waking up with aching muscles.

cert

I still have my certificate!

smaller boat

We also went snorkeling on the very last morning. The GO offered us Dramamine pills for sea sickness – individually wrapped – again, it’s the little touches like this that makes you feel welcome.

larger boat

We went from a small longboat to a large ship before anchoring at a nice spot…

boat

…and spent a good 45 minutes under the water.

snorkling

I really liked that too – the water wasn’t very clear that day, but it was fun! I love being in the water – it’s so peaceful.

archery

There are a lot of free activities in Club Med Phuket – one thing you won’t be while you’re there is bored.

paths

The adults-only Zen Pool is a new addition which offers a view of Kata Bay.

zen pool

Yes, you can swim inside, it was officially opened when we were there. You can also get cocktails and lounge by the relatively quiet poolside while reading a book or just enjoying the ambiance.

payot spa

I had a massage right after I got my flying trapeze certificate – a very apt reward. πŸ™‚

club med payot

The new Club Med Spa by Payot makes you feel relaxed just by walking in.

club med spa

I was quite impressed that the spa of the Club Med village in Phuket is one of the few that’s done by Payot. Payot is a French luxury brand and their spas are legendary.

massage

The masseuse worked through all my sore muscles and the spa only use Payot products.

roses

There’s singles and couples massages with a wide range of treatments. It’s part of the newly completed renovation and a very welcome addition. πŸ™‚

chu da

We had dinner in conjunction with the launch of the newly renovated Club Med Phuket at Chu-Da restaurant. It’s a completely new 98-seater restaurant and we all got a purple scarf as the theme of the night.

person

Chu-Da is a specialty restaurant that’s also free but requires booking and is adults-only. It’s perfect as a more private dining experience and the pavilions at the al-fresco dining area is very comfortable. I saw a person in a boat of the Zen pool inside the restaurant and thought it was a prop…but no, it was an actual person. Heh.

I gorged myself on Alaskan King Crab that night.

longest domino cocktail

This is probably the longest domino cocktail I’ve ever seen.

Watch it fall!

Club Med is also famous for their nightly performances. These can range from heavily themed circus acts to parties.

beach party

My personal favorite was the beach party.

fire twirling

There were fire twirlers…

wish

…and lanterns you can send off into the skies with a wish!

My wish didn’t come true, but I like to think of it as it *hasn’t* come true yet. Thanks for helping me record an emo personal moment Ji San. Haha. πŸ™‚

phuket 2012

It was the perfect way to end a perfect trip. πŸ™‚

P/S – A bunch of us went out to Bangla Road on the very last night but it was closed due to it being Buddha Day. It was like a ghost town. Thus, the Thai girl show experience is still in my bucket list.

club med

Nevertheless, it was an awesome and unforgettable experience at Club Med Phuket. There are a lot of resorts coming up with similar concepts but nothing beats the original Club Med hospitality. Thanks Kelsey, Kelly and all the GOs from Club Med and Ji San, Kenny, May Kay, Celia and Charlotte who came on the trip! I had a blast! πŸ˜€

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35 thoughts on “My experience in Club Med Phuket, Thailand”

  1. Wow! I have been to Phuket but not the Club Med there. The place looks beautiful.
    It looks like you had a great time HB. πŸ™‚
    How much is it per night? Thinking of bringing the wife there.
    Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    • Hello Sean! πŸ™‚

      The rates differ according to which season it is. You can check on their site. Anyway, the Club Med experience is calculated per person, not per night, if you’re bringing your wife there.

      Enjoy the trip! πŸ˜€

      Reply
    • Yeah, you certainly won’t be bored when you’re in Club Med Phuket. πŸ™‚

      The flying trapeze is a lot of fun! πŸ˜€

      Reply
  2. Ahh I think we were in Phuket around the same time. I left a day after the Buddha day πŸ™‚

    Phuket Club Med looks much better than ours in Cherating. I’ve been to the latter, was so-so.

    Reply
    • Oh we left a day after Buddha Day too! πŸ™‚

      It was in the morning and man, was Phuket International Airport busy. It took us quite a while to get though – good thing the Club Med GO was still with us. πŸ™‚

      I haven’t been to the one in Cherating but I hear the one in Phuket is much better too.

      Reply
  3. Always wanted to go to Club Med since they opened one at Cherating but never got round to doing it. Guess I’ve gone past my time now… πŸ™

    Mmmm…they strip you stark naked for the massage kah? πŸ˜‰

    Reply
    • No way, you can always still go. πŸ™‚

      There are heaps of people from 8-80 in Club Med that I’ve seen. πŸ˜€

      Haha! Nope, I’m wearing the provided disposable underwear. I guess it didn’t fit me all that well. πŸ˜‰

      Reply
    • Nice! I didn’t go for either coz it was Buddha Day (which is observed even by the pubs and clubs) so no alcohol was served and no Thai girl shows were on.

      Reply
  4. Cool!
    I’ve been to Club Med Cherating and Club Med Bali. Club Med Phuket looks like it’s benefiting a lot from the new renovations. Was the snorkeling trip included in the price? Do they have scuba diving as well?
    Phuket is a great place for scuba diving…..

    Reply
    • Nice, you’ve been to a lot more Club Meds that I have. πŸ™‚

      Yup, snorkling is free and there are diving trips which you can sign up for, but it’s a separate charge. I’ve heard of the legendary Phuket diving scene too, last time I was in Thailand, I went very close to Phuket – Krabi, then Ton Sai then Phi Phi Don. πŸ˜€

      Reply
    • Haha! Yeah, come to think of it, the disposable underwear didn’t fit quite well.

      I should have gone for a larger one, underestimated my waist size. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  5. wah i can see half your butt. Lol.. Looks like Phuket is more fun than Bali! I wanted to make a trip there but then again couldn’t find the right time. It’s fun right?!!

    Reply
    • Yup, I really loved it! πŸ™‚

      There’s a flying trapeze in Club Med Bali too right?

      Did you go on it? I loved it, it was the highlight of my vacation. πŸ˜€

      Reply
  6. dude wat was in the cocktail?
    looks like u had a blast bro.
    i’m going to check club med phuket out.
    beach party looks like its rockin’!

    Reply
    • The contents of the cocktail is apparently a secret but it tasted good and it had alcohol in it. I finally got the recipe but promptly forgot it. Haha!

      The beach party was the best night – there were rugs, pavilions, pillows on the sandy beach with Tiki torches providing the light and Pina Coladas being served. πŸ™‚

      Reply
    • I thought so too but the first time I went to Thailand was to surprise my ex-gf. She was at a pharmacist convention in Bangkok.

      She forbade me to go. I really loved her so I didn’t. Oh well. πŸ™‚

      Reply
  7. nice ass shot! haha. Yeah, this is the sort of plc that just makes you want to spread your arms like in ur 1st photo. The trapeze moves were impressive! You deserve the cert. well done!

    Reply
    • Indeed! I remember that Club Med song that autoplays on their website a couple of years back – it made me want to go on a holiday right away.

      It went something like “…to a holiday, etc etc”. I don’t know the lyrics, I can hum it to you.

      The original was in French and there was an English version for download. I loved that song – it was the official Club Med song for a while. πŸ™‚

      Thanks Mei! πŸ˜€

      Reply
  8. club med. wished I had the chance to go there too! πŸ™‚ you really captured the experience there

    lol, couldn’t help but notice your butt.. sounds wrong eh, but..

    Reply
    • Thanks bro! πŸ™‚

      Yeah, it’s a lot of fun – all the activities, the friendly GOs, the awesome ambiance. I loved my stay at Club Med.

      As the Terminator said…I’ll be back! πŸ˜€

      Reply

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