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Travel | Phuket, Thailand | Indigo Pearl Luxury Resort |Review 1 of 3 | Hotel & Accommodation

Photo credit: Seashellsonthepalm

Travel

It’s easy with Emirates going direct to resort towns like Phuket and Bali.  We are now spoilt for choice with flights from Dubai.  This summer we head to Phuket to try Indigo Pearl Luxury Resort, which is an easy 6.5 hours from Dubai via Emirates Airlines.  There are easy day flights landing in Phuket at 8pm, which is just perfect for the children to go to bed after a quick room service.

The hotel can arrange transfers from the Phuket International Airport to the hotel – a mini van if need be, and we were surprised that the journey is only 10 minutes.  We were concerned with hotel being so close to the airport that we would hear the planes but it was very quiet and peaceful.

Weather

We travelled during rainy season but in Phuket this is not really a problem.  The dry season runs from December to March but we had sunny days during out stay here.  Our kids loved the rain – a novelty for Dubai kids.

Hotel

The hotel is privately owned by the Na-Ranong family who accumulated their wealth and success on their ancestors’ investment in tin mine known as ‘black gold’ back in 1932, which in turn created a flourishing Phuket economy, but today there are only three tin mining sites still active in Phuket. The current owner and Managing Director, Wichit Na-Ranong, used the hotel to attribute memories to his family’s history in the tin mine industry as part of the inspiration to create hotel’s unique designs.

The industrial chic boutique resort set within a jungle landscape was designed by the American architect designer Bill Bensley.  The Lobby with its open air unique design is welcoming with its metallic blue tones overlooking the open air Tin Mine breakfast room with cutlery designed to represent wrenches that can be bought as a memory of your stay.

Bensley creates each suite to remind us of the family’s history in the tin mining industry with metallic features at every turn and large compounds of concrete and breeze blocks.  In contrast to all the metal, are soft and extremely comfortable beds, and there is little or no reminder that you are in Thailand.  The hotel was last renovated in 2006 but the upper tier rooms are still well kept, and the gorgeous  pool villas were only built in 2012.

SOTP experienced two room categories…

#1 night in the D-Buk suite.  This is their lower & affordable category of suites and during off-peak you might only pay AED900 ++ night. We advise you to take rooms which are not on the ground floor, and if you are travelling with young children note that the lower tiers do not have interconnecting rooms.

#4 nights in the Pearl Shell Suite – there are 7 of these stunning rooms, and they can be arranged in a 2 or 3 bedroom formation.  They must be booked in advanced because even in low season they are mostly sold out.

SOTP Recommends: Take the top three luxury tiers: The Pearl Shell Suite, Private Pool Villas or Coqoon Spa Suite.  We also recommend booking with the Lightfoot Travel Team in Dubai who have great relations with this hotel for seamless travel.

Indigo Pearl Facilities for families Review 2/3 – Read more…

Indigo Pearl Food & Beverage for families Review 3/3 – Read more…

Travel Ideas | Kids travelling in style with Beatrix NY

How to carry children’s stuff

Most mothers are getting jittery about what to pack, what to carry, and how to entertain kids on long travels.  We love Beatrix NY because their bags are light weight, and foldable, and my children don’t mind having it on their backs.  Beatrix NY is also a favourite with celebrity families such as Victoria and David Beckham’s daughter Harper and Katie Holmes’, Suri Cruise. We are heading out to the Far East so we need to ensure that the kids have water bottles in hand for the heat, and they can carry their own, plus one or two toys on board to amuse them at the airport.  Also, when you are walking around the resorts/cities that we will also feature this summer, the bags come in handy for the children to stuff their choice of toys to term them to keep them entertained on car journeys and at restaurants.  Then, come September these items are useful as part of your ‘Back to School’ kit especially the brilliant cozy can water bottles that look like cans which my children love the novelty of.

If you are in the mad rush you can purchase them online www.babysouk.com or instore at Hamleys UAE Dubai Mall and Mirfiff City Centre and all Dbabies Stores and Bumble Bee Dubai Mall.

What to stuff inside these bags

We have have started purchasing reading books for my soon-to-be FS2 daughter as she is keen just to blend a few words like ‘cat, sat and mat’, and Papa has the duty to do some Italian flashcards with the children.  Usborne is a pretty recognised brand that produces affordable books and educational games to bring along on holiday, and these items can be purchased as Book World in Dubai Mall, Bookworm Stores, and Borders.

Coco Crush | Chanel’s exclusive fine jewellery collection sold at Net-a-Porter

Chanel has launched a fine jewellery collection, called Coco Crush, and for the first time the pieces are available through e-commerce.

From April 15 and for three weeks only you can have a chance to buy pieces of Coco Crush via the high-end online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter at a special Chanel’s Digital Pop -up shop. The collection comprises one cuff and five rings and features the brand’s signature and iconic quilting details across the 18-karat white and yellow gold designs.

“We are thrilled that Chanel has decided to work with Net-A-Porter on this exclusive initiative. Chanel is a brand that we admire greatly and we are incredibly honored and proud to partner with them on their first ever fine jewelry, ecommerce project. This fabulous collection completely embodies the unequivocal chic CHANEL spirit – classic, modern and timeless – that is sure to resonate with the Net-A-Porter customer.” Said Alison Loehnis, President, Net-A-Porter.com.

www.net-a-porter.com