Day five of this trip was a busy day ~ started with a sumptuous breakfast at The Yama Hotel where we have a good choice of local and international cuisine with hot station preparing eggs and desserts like pancakes and crepes.
After breakfast we wondered around the hotel, taking in some nice photos around the beautiful swimming pool area before heading out to the beaches.
Coming out from the hotel, we took a like a 10 minutes drive to the Karon Viewpoint where one is able to see all the beautiful beaches of Kata Noi, Kata Yai and the Karon beach. The viewpoint is easily accessible from Highway 4233 and is less than a 5 minutes drive from the Karon Beach iconic roundabout.
After spending a good 20 minutes enjoying the beautiful view from the viewpoint, we drove down to first enjoy the beach at Kata Noi where is the smallest among the three beaches and also a little quieter. From there we move to Kata Yai where you find more international and bigger resorts dotting the coastline. Finally we drop by Karon beach again to do our short video and also to have more photos with our beautiful crew.
After enjoying ourselves and getting some tan, we headed back to the hotel for a quick shower before checking out and heading to the most revered and largest Buddhist temple in Phuket – Wat Chalong or formally known as Wat Chaiyathararam. Built in 1837, the temple is known for a many tales and legend, namely how the abbot of Wat Chalong assisted the local people to fight against the Angyee which is also known as the Chinese Coolie Rebellion of 1876. After the deadly rebellion was over, King Rama V invited the Abbott Luang Phor Cham to Bangkok where he receive the title of Phra Kru Wisit Wongsacharn.
Other legend has it that Abbott Luang Phor Cham’s walking stick holds healing power a number of people were to have being cured of stomach pain after touching the stick.
Wat Chalong is also said to host a sacred relic of Lord Buddha where a bone fragment called Phra Borom Sareerikatat is kept in a glass case on top of the 60 meter high Phra Mahathat Chedi which was brought over from Sri Lanka and installed by HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Wat Chalong is opened from 7am to 5pm and there is no charge for entrance although a donation is most welcome.
After visiting Wat Chalong, we went and check-into a very beautiful Kalima Resort and Spa which sits majestically on a hillside overlooking the Patong Beach. The uber luxury 5-star resort is only a 5 minutes drive away from the north end of Patong beach but yet quiet enough to have the tranquility and privacy one looks for in Phuket.
We were given a 46sqm Honeymoon Seaview Room as well as the 267 sqm one bedroom pool villa where you have an expansive living area, a luxurious bedroom as well as an over-sized bathroom and the most interesting part of this villa is the infinity pool is accessible from either the living area, bedroom, bathroom or the outdoor sitting area. There is also a sunken lounge for you to enjoy your drinks to the lovely sunset over the Andaman Sea.
Kalima Resort and Spa also have full facilities, with two more swimming pools, a full-service 100% organic spa where our team had the pleasure to enjoy a lovely full body massage and a mini golf putting green.
For lunch, we were treated to a wonderful Thai-fusion meal at Malika Terrace where the Executive Chef personally overseas the preparation. The food were creatively prepared with hints of Thai herb but not the everyday Thai food you find. Indeed it was a pleasurable lunch.
After lunch one of our crew, Angelyn Koay had to leave us because of illness, so for the rest of the trip we missed her presence and energy ~ unfortunately things like this happened and cannot be avoided.
We spent the afternoon enjoying the resort till after sundown when we decided to head out to Jungceylon Shopping Center as well as Bangla Walking Street where we missed the night before. Weather was good and finally we got to enjoy the largest shopping mall in Phuket as well as the well-known bars and ladyboys of Bangla Walking Street.
After a hearty breakfast and a wonderful late lunch at Malika Terrace, we decided for a light dinner where we pack home some pad-thai and khao pad and some hotdogs from the street stalls. We all rested early and had a very good night rest at the wonderful Kalima Resort and Spa.
Read Roadtrippers 1.0 Day One here
Read Roadtrippers 1.0 Day Two here
Read Roadtrippers 1.0 Day Three here
Read Roadtrippers 1.0 Day Four here
