Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, Phuket, Thailand

By Kit C. Cauw

Nestled between rocky headlands near the southwestern tip of Phuket, Nai Harn Beach has the feel of a final outpost. During the monsoon season, currents rip her coastline as surf breaks against the granite islets just offshore before smashing into her white sands. Para-gliders leap from the cliff walls at the beach's southern end, soaring in wide arcs to the beach below. The promontory of Laem Prom Thep looms in the distance, its palms lining the way to the end of the world.

Then, as the winds switch direction in high season, Nai Harn Bay smoothes over, turning a rich turquoise. A tidal river breaks through the sands, connecting the sea with a lagoon and tidal lake in the interior. Beach chairs and umbrellas come out, and local families emerge from the jungles and winding lanes to splash about in the tame surf, to walk the sun-bleached seaside. Around the beginning of December, cruising and racing sailboats start filling the cove, some to compete in the annual King's Cup Regatta, others simply to relax for a few days or weeks or months in one of Thailand's finest anchorages. Holding court over this magnificent tableau is the lone luxury resort, a boutique built into the rocky hillside of the northern end, positioned just above the waves, and festooned in regal shades of violet bougainvillea, Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club.

Actually, there are a handful of other, newer hotels, bungalows and condominiums built along the access roads, but they are invisible from nearly every vantage point here; to the casual observer, it would seem that the beach belonged to Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club. Development in Nai Harn has been markedly different from that in other parts of Phuket. Rather than a frontage road separating the shoreline from a row of hotels, restaurants and shops, a shady grove of casuarinas abuts the beach. A quiet park road winds through the trees, past a Buddhist temple, and around the tidal lake with its own picnic spot and camp site. The surrounding neighbourhood is dappled with small developments, guesthouses and local restaurants. In fact, it is one of the most integrated residential areas on the island, where long-term foreigners live side-by-side with Thais. There are few gated developments around; they run counter to the community feeling of the valley and there are no high-rise hotels or resorts. This is a memory of an older Phuket, a time-warp to the early days of Patong, the first resort community of some thirty years ago. Not surprisingly, quite a number of artists, both Thai and foreign, choose to make their homes here. Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club, a fixture on the landscape for over fifteen years, feels very much in harmony with this tone.

Though no longer an actual yacht club, Le Royal Meridien Phuket continues to host yachting events, including the annual Phuket Invitational for the superyacht community. For this year's event, held in mid-December of 2003, three sailing vessels, all over one-hundred feet in length, enjoyed friendly competition on an afternoon of brisk, 15-20 knot breeze. The classical luxury motor yacht Maid Marion played host to the afternoon's cocktail party, after which the participants and notables of Phuket's boating community gathered for a most lavish buffet of oysters on the half-shell, sushi, steamed fish, roasted chickens and numerous Thai and Western dishes.

I had the pleasure of staying at the Phuket Yacht Club near the end of rainy season, when the surf was wild, its spray in every breath I took. Remarkably, the rains held off for the entire weekend, so I walked the beach, thrashed about in the water, swirling foamy over the sandbars, and lounged on my spacious balcony. The resort is designed to feel like a ship; the restaurants feel like decks, railings along the cliffs feel like those on a luxury yacht and the bathrooms are more like staterooms from a cruise ship. One afternoon, I lazed by the pool drinking rich, thick banana milkshakes as the sun set directly in front of me, over the mountain, the deep blue sea in the background, the hazy horizon lit orange, pink, violet. As with most parts of the hotel, the papery purple and white bougainvillea flowers blanket the bulwarks, while various other tropical plants and coconut palms complete the landscape. The muted sounds of children playing, of lovers laughing, of families talking mingled with the sounds of surf and of the sculpted waterfall. Everywhere there are the scents of water, of the sea, of jungle flora.

The terraces of the Phuket Yacht Club are like open-aired living rooms. There are two areas: the first with a full set of coffee table, chairs and plush sofa, sheltered beneath a roof; the second farther out on the deck, where two lounges are set with large folding beach umbrellas. Tall cement walls separate balconies and the tasteful positioning of potted plants, including the ubiquitous bougainvillea, help to insulate sound. When the moon rises, the only light in view, and casts its silvery net across the rocks and bay, you truly appreciate the scale of your balcony.

I enjoyed dining in two of the resort's three main restaurants: The Quarterdeck and The Regatta. The former is a huge deck, open to the breeze, serving classic specials, Mediterranean dishes, Asian delights and spa cuisine. The vegetarian offerings here are extensive as well. This is the outlet for buffet extravaganzas, including breakfast, special bar-be-que feasts, Mediterranean buffets, "carving night," featuring US prime rib and steaks; seafood banquets; and the bi-weekly Thai evenings, with food, dancing and music. The Regatta is the formal dining room on the lower deck, positioned literally just above the waves. It is one of the premiere destinations on Phuket for traditional Italian fare, in one of the most romantic settings anywhere. Executive chef Peter Hatt has over twenty years experience in Asia with such renowned hotels as the Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, in Hong Kong, Beijing and Singapore. The last eight of those years have been spent right here, however. He says, "My whole life has been a journey, but I like Phuket, I like the place I work. It means a lot to me and when something means a lot to you, you better take care of it."

A member of the "Leading Hotels Of The World" club, Le Royal Meridien Phuket Yacht Club was the first luxury resort on the island. When I asked Peter Hatt what made it "Royal," what distinguishes it from the Le Meridien, a fine hotel in its own right, he said, "We are a boutique, small, personal, made for people who really want to relax and enjoy their vacation. Kids usually go to the other one, they have the big pool, more programmes for them. Here we are much more with the guests." Long-standing relationships have formed and matured between regular guests and staff, many of whom have been working here for fifteen years. "Many guests come back just to see a particular staff member." The customers are an important reason for Hatt's long tenure as executive chef. "In city hotels, the customers have no time to talk. Here, you get to know them; they want us to take care of them."

Our "Daily News & Activities" sheet informed us that Saturday morning offered a power walk, beginning at 7:00, down the rocky coastal drive to the small beach of Ao Saen, then back up and around Nai Harn. Sunday featured a market visit, to "watch how local Thai people shop and maybe do some bargaining yourself." Other activities included cycling, fruit carving and a cultural temple visit. Additionally, any number of tours to surrounding islands for day trips, dive excursions, fishing and sailing can be arranged. However, the activities that really held appeal for me were grazing through the extensive buffet, wandering along the surf, then lazily ambling back to the pool and eating again.