Nites
Wow. The Slate (https://www.theslatephuket.com/?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=Businesslisting) is truly one of the most gorgeous resorts I’ve ever experienced. The rooms are gorgeous, with extra large bathrooms and large balconies with tables and chairs and an outdoor tub. And yet everything is quiet solitude and I would return here in a heartbeat. (Oh, and the breakfast buffet in the morning is insane with all of the choices!)
Bites
If you only have one night in Phuket, and I don’t care where you are staying, you must experience Black Ginger at The Slate (https://www.theslatephuket.com/dining/black-ginger.html). This is an experience unlike anything that you will ever have the chance to indulge in. Upon arriving at Black Ginger you will check in as you would at any restaurant. The hostess makes a quick call, presumably to ensure that your table is ready, but NO, it is to let the restaurant know that you will be arriving. Because you directed to a pontoon that is pulled across a small lake, whereupon, on the other side is Black Ginger. And the food, you ask? Stunningly divine. A tasting menu with paired wines and dessert is really the only way to go. This misty, tiki torch-lit restaurant is worth every penny (and it wasn’t that expensive, I swear).
If you have a second night, which likely you will, I would run to Jampa (https://jamparestaurant.com/). I can’t adequately describe where this restaurant is located, other than to guess that it is in new development of stately homes, but when your Uber driver can’t find it to drop you off, and the restaurant has to speak to your Uber driver to go home, so they know where to go, I think you’ll agree that it’s hard to pinpoint. (And it is honestly for this reason that I say to run here, because in order to survive, I think it will have to move to a place more easily found.) But dear reader, the food was gorgeous, and the wines were well chosen and each enhanced the food, and vice versa, that only a chef and sommelier who work well together can achieve. We were fortunate to basically have the restaurant to ourselves and when my friend really didn’t like orange wine (not many do, in my humble opinion), they asked what type of wine she liked and brought her that.
Sites
A trip to Phuket really isn’t complete without a full-day tour and I would highly recommend the LetsGo tours (https://www.phuketletsgo.com/tour/full-day-real-phuket-no-shopping-sightseeing-tour-with-cocktail). Not only do they take you to all of the must-see sites, and give you background details, but the comfort of the transportation and the time allotted for each activity was just perfect. And although they promote that this is a “no shopping” tour, which it is not, the guide kindly took us to an authentic fabric store where we could buy printed fabric.
And if you haven’t had the chance to get up close to elephants, or just need more time with elephants, a short drive from The Slate (longer for hotels in the city center) is the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary (https://elephantjunglesanctuary.com/phuket/). Staffed by very kind people with a wealth of rescued elephants, the opportunity to feed them and take pictures of these majestic beasts is always a joy. (A note for my readers: they offer the opportunity to swim with the elephants, something that I wouldn’t personally recommend doing as it looks a bit murky. If you really want to swim with elephants, please go to Chiang Mai and read my post there.)
