Experience Sino-Portuguese luxury

The Andaman Embrace Resort & Spa, due to open in December, will be Patong’s new Sino-Portuguese resort.

It will be the four-star Club Anadaman Beach Resort revitalised. The Resort closed on 30 April after 20 years for major renovations to transform it into a more traditional style in keeping with Phuket’s colourful past.

Phuket Town, the capital, features many Sino-Portuguese style buildings, reflecting early settlement by the Chinese and the subsequent arrival of the Portuguese on Phuket to exploit the tin mining industry of those days.

But Patong, the tourist centre of Phuket, is more modern, so the new resort will bring a little of that history closer to the sea and expose its architecture to guests. Phuket T.

Renovations to the 200 guest room resort will include addition of a 570 sq.m. swimming, an independently operated spa and a new restaurant. Remaining will be the old resort’s tropical garden dotted with 18 “lotus cottages” surrounding an ornamental pond, but they will be revamped to reflect the Sino-Portuguese architectural theme.

According to the resort Managing Director Salisa Limsakul the new resort will have new staff and offer “five star services at four star prices” with low season rates through out the 2011-2012 peak season.

The resort will also feature a Sino-Portuguese style shopping arcade–a modern version of Phuket Town–with 13 boutique shops.

Ms Salisa expects 78 guest rooms on the lower floors to be operational in time for peak season guests.

Andaman Embrace – new Sino-Portuguese style resort for Patong is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

I give up. I'm confused!

Help may be in sight for those tourists wanting an early glimpse of Patong Bay when arriving in the city from the airport as city fathers debate changing its controversial one-way system…again.

At present Patong visitors coming from the north, for example the airport or Phuket Town, are essentially forced under the existing clockwise, one-way system onto Rat-U-Tit 200 Pi Road, the so called “second road,” a block back from the bustling beachfront, lined with numerous shops and including the huge Jungceylon Shopping centre and an excellent market.

Which way to Bang La road?

But for most Patong visitors this means having to go right to the end of the long road and turn right to come back along the beach, where much of the more upmarket restaurants, hotels and bars are located directly across from the beach on Taweewong Road, the so called “front” road.

So what to do? Patong authorities are now seriously contemplating reversing the one-way system to an anti-clockwise route that would take visitors along Taweewong Road as a first option, thus enabling them to get a better feel and picture of the beach and what Patong offers.

The debate rages about whether a round-about should be put at one crucial intersection leading north along beautiful and upmarket Kalim Beach. Also in the equation is whether several roads linking the front and second road should be two way. About two years ago the authorities changed these but, instead of requiring motorists to remain on the prevailing left had side of the road ?they switched to the right.

[ Thailand retains left hand road driving, reportedly because the first king of Thailand to obtain a car had a British made Rolls Royce, which, of course had the steering wheel on the right, thus requiring the driver to drive on the left for safety]

The change by Patong authorities looked a bit confusing but when considering the difficulties of turning in Patong traffic on the two main roads, it made a bit of sense–and certainly would have let those from countries who drive on the right feel right at home!

The jury is still out on a final decision on whether to go anti-clockwise, but it is looking more certain.

Patong One Way Road System Would Favour Tourists is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The Centra Ashlee

Centara Hotels & Resorts has signed a contract to manage the first property under its new budget Centra brand.

The Centra Ashlee Hotel Patong will open at the end of this year, bringing the total number of properties under Centara management in Phuket to six.

“We are very happy to announce the launch of the new Centra brand,” said Gerd Steeb, president of Centara Hotels & Resorts. “A lot of research has been undertaken and we are very confident there is a large market for hotels designed to exceed expectations but not over-deliver to a point that is not required by the guests.

“The name ‘Centra’ was chosen to be a recognisable part of Centara, yet to indicate that this is a property at the budget end of the scale, rather than the 4-5-star range of a Centara hotel or resort. Other hotels under the Centra brand will be announced very shortly.”

Centra Ashlee Hotel Patong is a newly-built eight-storey property at Patong Beach with 106 guestrooms offering a choice of king-bed or twin-bed accommodation, with a rooftop pool and Jacuzzi. Each room has its own balcony.

Room in the Centra Ashlee.

Chris Bailey, Senior Vice President for sales & marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts, said that Phuket is one of the Thai destinations on which the company is focusing. “This time last year we had three properties in Phuket, and this has been increased to six as part of our expansion policy on the island.

“Phuket is a market that has matured immensely and can be defined into a number of distinct segments. We can now offer three destinations, namely Patong, Karon and Kata, and we cover the upper budget category through to the mid five-star category.

“Within this we are also able to offer holiday styles to distinct personal preferences, such as couples, families, and independent-minded travellers who want privacy and lack of distractions.

The Centra Ashlee announcement comes in the same month as the soft-opening of the Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket at Karon Beach, a property at the top end of Centara’s branding. The resort, formerly the Central Karon Village, has 72 Thai-style guest villas, two swimming pools, two restaurants, bars and a spa.

Centara to run new Centra Ashlee ‘budget’ hotel in Patong is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Joe Conrad's a bit tied up for now - the illusionist does some magic for members of the International Business Association of Phuket, whose monthly meeting he used as the launch platform for his new theatre in Phuket

His name’s Joe Conrad. As far as we know he’s no relation of the famed writer Joseph Conrad, who wove such stunning word pictures of Southeast Asia 100 years ago.

But popular illusionist Joe is heading for Phuket’s Heart of Darkness, Patong. In fact he’s already here quite a bit of the time, overseeing creation of a 700-seat theatre in the Jungceylon complex, where he and his crew will put on two 1½-hour shows every nigh, with three on Saturday (closed Mondays).

Originally from Pittsburgh in the US, Joe started doing magic tricks when he was 13. He got his big break when he was invited to open for crooner Tom Jones on a tour of Canada in the 1970s. After that he performed on cruise ships, in night clubs and at venues such as Walt Disney World in Florida.

He came to Asia in the 1990s to redesign and perform at a magic theatre in a Korean theme park. After a long run there, he decided to stay in Asia, performing almost exclusively for casinos and for corporations – who find it handy to have a guy on hand who can make products such as cars appear or disappear with a snap of the fingers.

The Jungceylon theatre is a new level of involvement – and investment – for him (creating the theatre and performance is costing US$1.5 million). Joe promises the show will be a feast of unexpected appearances and disappearances, people being chopped, sliced and diced in different ways (and reassembled, of course), and assistants flying gracefully through the air.

The climax, Joe told the Observer with a grin, will be a disappearing elephant. Well, what a coincidence. That just happens to be the climax of the Phuket FantaSea show, too. There’s no comment on that from Joe, but there’s a bit of a wicked glitter in his eyes.

The theatre is scheduled to open on December 15. Tickets will be B900 for adults and B600 for kids. For a taster, see Joe’s show reel and other videos here.

Illusionist chooses Jungceylon as home for his magic show is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

The lingering global financial crisis, the recent political turmoil in Bangkok and the sometimes wet weather of this time of the year in Phuket all add up to leave a delightfully empty beach in Patong.

The Centara Sawaddi Patong Resort Phuket has launched a “Discover Patong Phuket – Introductory Sale” with rates starting from just B1,200++ per room-night (two people). On top of this, anyone booking the package before June 30 will also get buffet breakfast free. The offer is valid for stays before October 31.

Children under 12 stay free, with a maximum of two sharing their parents’ room and bed. An extra bed can be provided at B600++ per night.

The Centara Sawaddi Patong Resort Phuket is located a short stroll from Patong’s renowned entertainment heartland and renowned beach, the Jungceylon Shopping and Entertainment Complex and the popular Bangla Walking Street.

The resort is about 40 minutes’ drive from Phuket International Airport and about 20 minutes from the island’s capital, Phuket Town. The resort website is here.

Centara Sawaddi Patong offering very low rate for low season is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

From left, Arj Barker, Caimh McDonnel and Rob Deering.

The global climate is changing. All the animals are soon going to be extinct. We’re going to run out of water. BP is poisoning large chunks of the US coast because we all want to drive around in cars. We keep knocking over trees to build more fabulous holiday homes that no one actually needs. The air will soon be unbreatheable. And it’s all our fault. Well, the last bit is mostly China’s fault, but the rest is ours. We should all feel desperately guilty.

That’s probably why we in Phuket keep going to this never-ending series of comedy routines performed by visiting stand-ups from all over the English-speaking world. We need cheering up sometimes.

There’s another lot landing here on June 22 (a Tuesday) for a one-night stand-up at the Mercure Hotel in Patong. This time the performers are:

Arj Barker, from San Francisco. You’ll be happy to hear that Arj doesn’t think global warming is our fault. It is, he has concluded, the fault of the sun: “After all, when you burn the toast, you don’t blame the bread, do you?” He has a point. Arj is very popular in Australia, where the Melbourne Age described him thus: “Barker is an intelligent, droll comic with a dark turn of thought and a fantastic, disturbing stage persona.”

A disturbing stage persona? Just what we need when we’re all feeling guilty about making a garbage dump of our only home, the Earth. A disturbing person trying to make us laugh.

Caimh McDonnell has, according to the blurb, “a gentle yet incisive humour [that] makes any audience feel involved whilst playing with their expectations – sucking them in with his chatty, playful stage presence before metaphorically slapping them in the face with an unexpected punchline.” Oh good.

We all need a bit of slapping. But why only metaphorical? After all, with what we’ve been doiung to the Earth and continue to do, we deserve a jolly good spanking. His name, apparently, is pronounced “Queeve”. He’s London Irish.

Rob Deering, according to The Independent newspaper, is “as sharp and versatile as a Swiss Army knife”. So he’s probably got one of those things for getting stones out of a horse’s hoof.

He is also multi-accented, able to converse like a native from (in alphabetical order) the American South, Australia, Bristol, California, Cockney land, Devon, Edinburgh, Eire, Glasgow, Liverpool, London (non-Cockney), Manchester, New York, Northern Ireland, Scotland, the West Country and Yorkshire. Aye, lad.

He’s performed solo at the Edinburgh Festival not once, but six times. They like him there. He accompanies his jokes with a guitar. If you want to know more, you’ll have to go and seew the show.

Note the change of venue from the Holiday Inn “due to unforeseen circumstances”, whatever that means.Tickets are B960 in advance of B1,200 on the door. You can buy the cheap ones at any of the Woody’s Sandwich Shoppes in Chalong, Cherng Talay or Patong, plus the Royal Phuket Marina Health Club, Angus O’Tools in Karon and Arfur O’Tools in Kata.

The “Comedy Bar” at the Mercure opens at 7pm, with the show dues to start an hour later. To find the Mercure, head down Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd until you see the Hard Rock Café on your right. The Mercure is a few yards further, on the opposite side of the road. For more info, see the Comedy Club website.

If you won’t be able to make it to the show, you can still cheer yourself up by doing something good for the environment. For example, today, right now, you can help to slow the rising amounts of CO2 that are adding to the greenhouse effect, leading to global climate change. It’s simple.

Stop breathing.

More comedians? This is no laughing matter is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Boy George, photographed three years ago by Ariadne Barroso, in Brazil.

Heads up all you 40-somethings: androgynous Culture Club icon Boy George will be deejaying in Phuket on May 26, at Seduction disco, just off Soi Bangla.

The Boy – real name George Alan O’Dowd – has recently been making up for lost time following his release from prison in the UK on 11 May last year, after doing  four months of  a 15-month sentence for assault and false imprisonment.

After his release he was tagged with an ankle monitor  and placed on curfew for the remained 11 months of his sentence. Last month, as soon as the tag was off, so was he, on an exhausting world tour, deejaying in 27 countries in just over four months.

On May 23, he’ll do a gig at Lima Lima club in Pattaya, followed by Phuket and then a night at Bed Supper Club in Bangkok on the 27th.

Down in Bangla, with its myriad persons of indeterminate gender, he should be a big hit – one of his main claims to fame is his own dubious orientation, though it took him quite a while to admit he was gay. In one interview, with chat show host Russell Harty, he famously ducked the question, saying that he preferred “a nice cup of tea” to sex.

His recent spell behind bars was not his first brush with the law. He was arrested a couple of times in the UK on suspicion of  drugs possession in the 1980s, and spent five days doing community service in New York five years ago for falsely reporting a burglary.

Despite what he once referred to as his “dark periods”, he has been, and remains, a prolific artist.  Since Culture Cub disbanded in 1986, he has released eight studio albums, six deejay albums, four EPs and 56 singles. His most recent single, Amazing Grace, was released in March and he has another, The Pentonville Blues, due out any time.  He also wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music for a stage musical, Taboo, which was performed in London and New York in 2002.

Oh yes, and he still found time to write two autobiographical books, Take It Like a Man and Straight, both best-sellers. And he has his own fashion label, B-Rude.

Next month is his 49th birthday, but there’s no sign he’s slowing down at all. The one night in Phuket will be a must-go. To get on the guest list go to the Seduction Facebook page or call +66 (0) 8 1188 1230. Boy George’s MySpace page is here.

Boy George heads for Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Minimalist architecture and maximalist views: The pool at B-Lay Tong.

Over the past couple of years, Patong has been shifting gradually away from its image as the centre of down-and-dirty vacationing into something rather more chic. That’s not to say you can’t get down and very dirty if you want to – but there’s no longer the sense that that’s the only thing to do there and that, basically, if you go to Patong that’s what you have to do.

Just the place for a summit meeting - the dining table in the B-Lay Tong Presidential Suite

Now there is a rising number of chic places to go to. Places where you might have to think a bit further than flipflops, Singha T-shirt and shorts with 17 pockets. Places where you might actually feel out of place if you don’t dress up a bit.

Names in Patong that come to mind include Club Lime, Climax, BYD Lofts or White Box. Now there’s another to put on your list and in the back of your mind: Beat Club at the new 123-room B-Lay Tong Resort, at the north end of Patong Beach. It’s  just opposite the Novotel, close to the junction of the beach road and Phra Barami Rd.

Beat Club is ready – it’s just not operating full-on yet. It can, however, be booked for private parties, taking advantage of the high-tech sound system and neon-lit bar; call K. Tik at +66 (0) 76 344 999.

The resort opened quietly in March, and will have its official opening in the next few months – it’s not yet certain just when, but before the next “high” season. In the meantime everything is ready – two restaurants serving Mediterranean and Thai food, an oyster and sushi bar, the lobby bar and the pool bar, along with a library and fitness room. In-room facilities include audio system, LCD TV with satellite reception, and WiFi or LAN connection for Internet. Free.

Following the trend away from Thai temple-style roofs and a great deal of ornate woodwork, the exterior design of B-Lay Tong is starkly rectangular, with dark grey dressed concrete surfaces. Indoors, things are slick, chic minimalist with dark shades contrasting with splashes of bright colour. In the rooms, the opposite prevails, with bright white being dominant.

Beat Club - not fully open yet, but bring your private dancers for a private party.

The resort is owned by B-Resort Group of Bangkok, and is managed by the InVision Group, headed by former Marriott exec Kevin Beauvais, whose portfolio now includes such chic inns as Zeavola in Phuket along with Villa Maroc on Pranburi Beach, and Glow and Swiss Park in Bangkok. The GM of B-Lay Tong will be Daniel Meury, formerly boss of The Chedi in Phuket.

Room rates until October 31 this year run from B4,900 a night for a Superior Garden View Room to 46,900 for the Presidential Suite with its two bedrooms and enormous living/dining area, sprawling over a total of 145 sqm.

Expect B-Lay Tong to be mentioned soon by the cognoscenti in the same breath as, say, Twin Palms on Surin Beach. For more info and current special rates visit the website here.

B-Lay Tong – new place to stay and party in Patong is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Mark Billingham. Just a bit blue.

Mark Billingham, born and raised in Birmingham in the UK, worked for some years as an actor, TV writer and stand-up comedian. His first crime novel, ‘Sleepyhead’, was published in 2001. But his standup career goes back much further, to 1987.

Since that time, he’s appeared on more than 30 radio and TV shows, played every comedy club in the UK and, according to the website, has bought a new hat. As a regular performer and MC at London’s Comedy Store, Mark “talks dirty, waxes lyrical about animal husbandry and takes the p**s out of people’s shirts”.

Mike Gunn’s history is as interesting and entertaining as his comedy. A misspent youth and a series of grim jobs cultivated his cynical outlook on life and a perverse desire led him to the world of stand-up. A self-confessed pessimist, he describes himself as “not a natural choice for a career in laughter”.

Lugubrious Mike Gunn. So why's he smiling?

His lugubrious comedy has been described as “drier than a dead man’s bones”. He has a rare ability to walk close to the line of what audiences find acceptable and yet still remain likable and funny. The website notes, “His reputation for being a bit unfriendly, a touch dark and even morose is really not true. In real life he’s loving, warm and philanthropic. Just a bit misunderstood.”

He has also devised an anti-drugs show aimed at teenagers, which has received rave reviews from the teenagers, most of whom admit he gave them food for thought and cleverly reinforced the anti-drugs message without “preaching”.

Carl Donnelly is, by comparison, a newcomer, having started doing stand-up regularly only in 2005. But he quickly established himself as one of the most exciting new comics climbing the comedy ladder.

The silly youngster: Carl Donnelly.

His conversational style and silly sense of humour have seen him win a host of awards and become a regular act and MC at clubs all over Britain (and the world – he has also performed in France, Germany, Singapore, the Netherlands, Oman, Dubai, Ireland and others.

Tickets for the show can be bought for B960 each until 3pm the day before the show. remaining tickets will be for sale on the door at B1,200 apiece. Sales outlets can be seen here. So far, there is no outlet in Phuket Town. If you have a bar/restaurant/shop in Phuket Town and are interested in selling tickets, leave a comment at the foot of this story and we’ll pass it along.

Important info: Drinks at 50% off will be available from 5pm to 8pm, when the doors open. Thew show begins at 8:30pm. There will also be a “Comedy Bar” just outside the venue, selling beer at B100, wine at B120 a glass, and vodka, gin and whisky at B140.

Jokers are wild in Phuket – again is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Ladyboys go Latin. Ay caramba!

It was the ultimate Patong opening: lip-synching ladyboys galumphing around the stage, tiny skirts (on girls and boys alike) and big fronts (on the ladyboys, mostly), volume cranked up, crowds of passers-by rubbernecking to see what was going on, free drinks, balloons, flowers and an opening ceremony presided over by the deputy mayor and the deputy police chief of Phuket’s Big Play Pen.

But this was no ordinary bar opening. It was the inauguration party for the Latin House, self-described as a “restaurant, lounge, coffee, hotel and dance school.”

Warm and inviting lighting.

This is no idle boast. On the ground level is a classily-lit bar serving tables inside and outside on the veranda, while on the floor above is the main restaurant, with another bar. Above that is a dance studio – lots of floor space with plenty of mirrors – while the top two floors contain 10 rooms to let at prices from B1,000 a night. And yes, you can get coffee, too.

Owner Supaporn “Ooy” Chengkrathoh describes the Latin House as “my dream come true”, adding that she made it come true in just three months. The design is hot, sassy, dominated by reds and oranges with a splash of neon blue or yellow here and there.

Hot colours for hot Latin nights.

At the opening night, naturally, was the super-energetic designer of Latin House, Poy Ratanaphan, who recently opened her own establishment, a gay-friendly bar on Surin Beach called Buoy Bar. Did we mention she’s also about three weeks away from having a baby? We have now. A designer baby, no less. No idea how she does it all, but she does.

Proprietor Ooy’s dream encompasses a school for Latin dancing, with two professional teachers. They were on hand for a demonstration. Not as glittery as the ladyboys, but definitely not as galumphing, either. A French couple, too, stepped up for a bit of a salsa demo.

Proprietor Ooy with two of the most important men in her life - her bankers. They say they still have some money left.

The Latin House does make a change from the “dhoom-dhoom-dhoom” of the bars on most of Patong’s streets, and should attract a more discerning crowd. It also brings life to lumpy Pang Meung Sai Ko Rd, which runs behind Jungceylon, parallel to  Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd. Apart from Jungceylon the road features Banzaan Market, the Bangla Boxing Stadium and a few small businesses, but not much else.

There was plenty of energy at the opening of Latin House. All Ooy needs to do is keep that energy going and she’s probably got a winner. After all, where else you gonna mambo till waaay after dawn and then get breakfast? (Latin House serves food 24 hours a day.)

To find Latin House, go north from the back entrance of Jungceylon and look for the signs on the right side of the road about 500 metres on. It’s hard to miss. ¡Me gusta!

Latin House brightens up Patong’s back road is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.