8 August 2011
Filed under: Site News — Tags: Loei, Thailand — Michael @ 9:35 pm

The lobby building (left) and one of the guest wings of the resort.

"What’s a nice resort like you doing in a place like this?" This thought occurs to me quite often in my travels, especially around Thailand. I arrive in some out-of-the-way, middle-of-nowhere small town, and there it is: a completely out of place resort that’s very nice if not downright luxe. Such was the feeling I had when arriving at Phunacome Resort just outside of Dan Sai in Loei province.

Dan Sai really is a small town; not much more than a wide spot in the road, high up in the mountains near the Lao border. The only reason it’s on the tourist map at all is due to a singular annual festival called Phi Ta Khon, or the "Ghost Mask Festival". If you’re taking in the event, the resort is the best place to stay. For the rest of the year, the only reason you would come here would be to use the resort as a base for exploring the rather spectacular natural scenery of the province.

The resort is laid out in a small valley just about 10 minutes from town. The floor of the valley has been formed into a series of ponds. On one side are the standard guest rooms, lobby building, and the meeting rooms. The other side of the valley is devoted to what the resort calls its "Isaan Village", a group of medium to large traditional style wooden houses which form the resort’s suites.

The bed of the standard room at Phunacome

I had one of the standard rooms. It was very large, with wood floors, a king-size bed, balcony and large bathroom. Wireless Internet access was freely available throughout the hotel. Breakfast was served in the small dining area off the hotel lobby. There wasn’t a lot of choice, but most everything was well done. Guests could also enjoy complimentary coffee or tea at any time of day in the dining room.

The resort also had a few mountain bikes for free use by the guests. I used one on one of the days during my stay. It was easy enough to get around to the other sights of Dan Sai, although the ride back uphill to the resort is going to leave you huffing and puffing a little. During the festival, the resort offered a free shuttle serve to take guests into town and bring them back.

You can find more information and links to booking sites at the Phu Na Come Resort details page.

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Outrigger Phuket Adds New Suites

6 August 2011
Filed under: Hotels — Tags: Outrigger, Phuket, Thailand — Michael @ 1:56 pm

Outrigger Laguna Phuket, part of the huge Laguna enclave in Bangtao, has added 19 more one, two and three-bedroom suites. The added rooms are in a new self-contained ‘mountain view’ area of the resort, with its own swimming pool, pool bar, gym and restaurant.

The spacious living room of the suites at Outrigger Laguna Phuket

All of the new rooms have fully equipped kitchens, separate living rooms and private balconies. The three-bedroom top floor suites have en-suite bathrooms for each of the three bedrooms.

As an introductory offer, Outrigger is running a "Stay three, pay two" promotion. Guests booking at the best available rate for stays before 31 October 2011 will get three nights’ stay for the price of two nights. See the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort web site for more information.

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Checking In: U Inchantree Hotel, Kanchanaburi

27 July 2011
Filed under: Hotels — Tags: Kanchanburi, Thailand — Michael @ 9:06 am

The U Inchantree hotel in Kanchanaburi was the most pleasant surprise I’ve had with a hotel for quite some time. While you couldn’t really describe it as a luxury resort, it nonetheless offered just about everything I really want in a place to stay. The Inchantree was right on the river, a short walk from the famous bridge on the River Kwai. Rooms are comfortable, with all the necessities. In addition, the wireless was free, as were bicycles that guests could use to get around town.

My room at U Inchantree

The hotel has just 26 rooms, in two two-story wings arranged around a large open courtyard. The open air lobby forms another side of the courtyard, while a fourth single floor building offering meeting rooms, a library and other facilities forms the fourth. There is a pool near the river side. It’s long and narrow, making it good for laps. There’s also a riverside terrace as well as the main restaurant, which is near the pool on the river.

Rooms had all the modern conveniences: air conditioning, hot water, flat screen televisions, safe, mini-bar and hair dryer. They also had the unusual feature of an iPod with docking station for listening to music. The bed was large and comfortable, with good firm pillows. The bathroom had a large walk-in shower, but was otherwise a bit cramped. The vanity would be way too small for many people, with almost no room for your toiletries.

The riverside pool and restaurant of the U Inchantree

Breakfast was served in the riverside restaurant, which had seating both indoors and outside. There was a small buffet of fruit, pastries and juices, but the breakfast mains were cooked to order. There is a menu of five or six options you can select from – the Spanish Omelet was especially good – but you can also order exactly what you want. The coffee – or cappuccino if you preferred – was freshly brewed. It was done using a fully automatic machine, but even that is a refreshing change from the usual hotel fare.

Kanchanaburi isn’t anywhere near the top of my ‘POSH destinations’ list, but the U Inchantree is definitely a great place to stay for those visiting the historic and natural sights of the area. For more information and links to where you can book the hotel, see the U Inchantree details page.

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Checking In: Phunacome Resort, Dan Sai

Outrigger Phuket Adds New Suites

Checking In: U Inchantree Hotel, Kanchanaburi