said as our car stopped in front of the modern building
that served as the reception area for the Anantara Vacation Club near Mai Khao beach in Thailand, only 15 minutes
from Phuket International Airport but definitely an
entire world away in feeling.
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| Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand |
Immediately, smiling
attendants bearing orchids and cold drinks came to greet
us, and thus began our one-week family holiday
in Thailand.
Anantara is a famous name in the international hospitality industry,
with luxury properties all over the world.
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| Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand |
But the
Anantara Vacation Club, a unique shared ownership
concept, is a relatively recent offering, and the Anantara Vacation Club Phuket (AVC Phuket) is brand new. Having stayed at
other Anantara resorts before, all with good memories,
we decided to try this new resort in Phuket without hesitation.
DESIGNED FOR HAPPINESS
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| Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand |
We entered the Anantara Vacation Club Phuket (AVC Phuket), a large property filled with a
hotel building on one side and villas in neat
rows. When we reached our two-bedroom
villa with a private swimming pool, I was
amazed by its spaciousness as well as by its
excellent contemporary design.
 |
| Anantara Vacation Club, Mai Khao, Phuket |
With 260
square meters to enjoy, it suited our needs
completely. In fact, it’s the kind of villa I’d
want to own, if I had the chance. The Anantara Vacation Club Phuket (AVC Phuket) villa had one bedroom on each
side and a combined living space with
a long kitchen counter and an equally
long solid wood dining table in the
middle.
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| Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand |
From here, we had a view of
our pool. Meanwhile, our two bedrooms
each had a bathroom, and the master
bedroom – which also had a sliding door
on one side that opened directly onto the
swimming pool – had a massive bathroom with a high ceiling that’s larger than most
hotel rooms. Every feature of our villa
was luxurious, tasteful, and extremely
comfortable.
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| Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand |
Of course, Annika loved the 34-square
meter swimming pool, with one end
practically flowing into the master
bedroom. This was where we began and
ended each day, with me doing my daily
exercise laps, my husband reading a book
on a floater, and Annika splashing around
everywhere.
IN PHUKET
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| Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand |
In between, there were enough activities
to fill our days. Annika attended the Jakka
Children’s Club which offered lessons and
games all day, including a rock-climbing
tutorial and a batik painting class with fun
and friendly instructors.
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| The spa at the Anantara Phuket |
Meanwhile, I took these opportunities to fit in some much
needed “me time” at the spa of the Anantara Resort next
door, the sister property of AVC Phuket. The award-winning
spa of the Anantara Resort, set amidst a jungle
with lily ponds and giant ferns, is simply wonderful, and
it was here that I had one of the best energizing massages
I’ve had in my life.
One afternoon, Annika and I even
signed up for a mother-daughter spa afternoon. I had an
Elemis brightening facial while Annika had a bubble bath
in the spa’s outdoor tub and a kiddie manicure.
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| The spa at the Anantara Phuket |
I also indulged in a private yoga class in our villa while
everyone else was out. My instructor would arrive everyday
with yoga mats and an MP3 player, and we would go
through a series of specific yoga poses for an hour in the
outdoor terrace.
Meanwhile, my husband delighted in working out at the
fitness center next to the Jakka Children’s Club with a
private trainer, and in walking along beautiful Mai Khao
beach, the longest stretch of golden sand in Phuket, feeling
the breezes coming in from the Andaman Sea.
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| Anantara Vacation Club, Mai Khao, Phuket |
Every evening also provided something
delightful.
One night, AVC Phuket
organized a movie night by the main
swimming pool. We all swam in the pool
or sat on the lounge beds with fresh juice
drinks and appetizers as a family-friendly
science fiction film played on a giant
inflated screen at one end of the pool.
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| Anantara Vacation Club, Mai Khao, Phuket |
On
another evening, we joined in the fun at the
Chaam restaurant, where a colorful street
food buffet was set up in the patio, enabling
us to dine al fresco and to sample various
local specialties.
 |
|
Seafood grill by the pool at the
Anantara Vacation Club Phuket in Thailand
|
On our last evening at the AVC Phuket,
however, we arranged a special private
barbecue in our villa. There are three
options for this, and we decided on the
“Ultimate Andaman Seafood Grill” since
this seemed most appropriate for our
wonderful setting.
The AVC Phuket team set up a buffet table
and a grill right by the swimming pool, and
at sundown, the Chaam restaurant’s head
chef arrived to grill the food himself. The
table was laden with various fresh seafood
and meat, and all we had to do was pick
what we wanted for grilling.
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| Pad Thai at the Anantara Vacation Club in Phuket |
Then, while waiting for our choices on the grill, we helped ourselves to salads and cold dishes from our own buffet table and dined on a lovely table by the pool.
“I love the Anantara Vacation Club,”
Annika exclaimed that night, as we feasted
on an entire sea bass stuffed with special herbs by the master
chef. “Can we come here again next year?”
We all smiled at each other. We were
certainly all in agreement on this point.
