Perfect haven away from home

Throughout our stay, the whole place was filled with the smell of lemongrass. The bathroom amenities, the front desk—everywhere we went, we could sense the refreshing smell of it. Although we were not sure why, lemongrass is a well known deterrent of mosquitoes, and I am happy for that to be the reason alone. Other thing I noticed is that the place has a very good staff-to-guest ratio, ensuring that all our needs were being met, rather than as a reaction to what went wrong. Everything was thought-out in advance and planned for, with almost military precision, but without a military feel. If there was one thing that stood out, it was the personal and prompt attention we received from Twinpalms’ staff.

Tanya Sooksombatisatian

With dinner you can choose five different type of rice! These four or Jasmine rice. I must say it was a tough decision.

The food here was also memorable. We had our dinner at the Oriental Spoon, the hotel’s main restaurant that doubles as a place for breakfast. Dinner was mainly Thai food, spicy enough to still show the real flavour of Thailand, but not so spicy to send guests running. The star dish was yum som o and pla tuna, or pomelo and tuna salad. As chef Toi’s specialty, it is a fusion of Thai and Japanese cuisine and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Tanya Sooksombatisatian

The bakery at breakfast.

Breakfast was also excellent, especially the bakery items, but you could find whatever style you felt like, be it continental, cooked, or Asian. The staff, again, were there to get your lattes ready for you and have a chat about your day’s plans if you wanted their attention.

The Catch Beach Club is another Twinpalms highlight, situated at the end of a 175 m walkway through a public park. Once you are there, you are again transformed into your own world, away from the bustle of town. We were lucky enough to be there for the sunset barbecue dinner. The seafood was fresh and made hot and cold to everyone’s liking. The chocolate fountain, where you could make your own chocolate-covered fruit was fun, even for grown-ups. The sunset was memorable and the view was spectacular.

The bar itself gives out the feeling of being the place to be, with cool music and a blue hue radiating from the bar itself. The only problem were the black ants that seemed to take over our plates as soon as we were finished with each meal. However, the staff were also there to take the plates away nearly as rapidly.



Tanya Sooksombatisatian

Barbecue night at the Catch Beach Club.

During the whole stay, one thing I found is that I felt very safe. In fact, safe enough that I didn’t feel the need to lock my bags when I left the room, a habit I have acquired over years of travelling. Even at dinner, I felt safe enough to just leave my bags at the table while I went to the buffet.

Down to the last detail, the staff and all that make up Twinpalms Phuket do not leave anything to chance. The stay was bliss and felt almost like being pampered in your own home.

We could find no fault with the welcome letter that came with the welcome Twinpalms-logo-shaped chocolate, that said that the staff would make the resort your home away from home. They definitely did not disappoint: Twinpalms was and will be my home away from home. •

Tanya Sooksombatisatian

Guest seating at the beach.


Twinpalms

Catch Beach Club, the place to be.


Tanya Sooksombatisatian

Twinpalms BBQ night.


Twinpalms

Beach view.


Tanya Sooksombatisatian

The view from my deck. Just enough plants to not be so exposed but yet, not too excluded.


Twinpalms

Indoors at the Catch Beach Club.


Twinpalms

Spacious rooms.


Tanya Sooksombatisatian

Surin beach’s famous sunset.

Twinpalms

The pool bar, ready when you are.


Tanya Sooksombatisatian

Twinpalms Beach.

Jane Sooksombatisatian is a guest correspondent for Lucire.
Tanya Sooksombatisatian is head designer for the print editions of Lucire.