Twinpalms Phuket

Rooms

All of the rooms and suites have a contemporary tropical feel with parquet floors, bespoke furnishings in tones of cream, cappuccino and chocolate, and vivid original art - commissioned from local artists - adorning the walls. Big bouncy kingsize beds with fat pillows folded like Pitons have cockpit controls for everything that can be turned on or off electronically.

Indulgent bathrooms are kitted out with His and Hers sinks, luxurious toiletries in generous jars, and loads of sumptuous towels. Delightful in-room extras include a cafetiere for fresh espresso, beach sandals (which everyone falls back on in the tropical rain), chocolates and fruit. But best of all are the shady terraces that overlook the sparkling pool. There’s room for 2 to sprawl and snooze on the sofas, a fan to keep you cool and soft lighting so you can sit out with your Travel Scrabble and a glass of Montrachet long after the moon’s in the sky.

Grand Deluxe Rooms have shuttered terraces for added privacy and Jacuzzi baths as well as rain showers. The Suites are even more luxurious with spacious terraces and smart sitting rooms, and also benefit from butler service.

The real luxury, however, is to be found in the celebrity price-tagged newer residences. These are the 1- and 2-Bedroom Duplex Pool Suites, 1- and 2-Bedroom Lagoon Pool Suites and the Penthouses. These are set back from the main hotel area, and are, strictly speaking, the kind of place you want to live in. Forever. Designs vary but expect egg-shaped granite baths, double-height sitting rooms, and some even have wine cellars, cigar humidors and a courtyard, garden or rooftop plunge pool! The views, however, can be disappointing with some windows facing walls or an unloved patch of ground next door. If looking out matters more than what’s inside, specify when booking.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Minibar/fridge
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast at the Oriental Spoon Grill & Bar is a western-style buffet - patisserie, fruit, Bircher muesli, fresh juices and cold cuts - with hot food cooked to order by a brigade of pleasantly chatty chefs. If you’re there on a Sunday, save yourself for the incredibly popular brunch, which features a huge range of fresh seafood. Join Phuket’s ex-pat business community and regular visitors to graze on smoked salmon, roasts, cheeses and seafood. Finish off with berries, chocolate fondue and crème brulee.

In the evening, the restaurant morphs into a sophisticated, back-lit eatery serving imported seafood (such as Sydney rock oysters) alongside indigenous black and blue crab, tiger prawns and white snapper. You’ll also find some beef and chicken dishes on the Asian-inspired menu. If you need to rest your taste buds, resort to familiar pasta and pizza options.

The pool bar is open throughout the day and features a menu of international and Thai lunches and light snacks which are served up by super-friendly staff. If you're into your wine then you're in luck, as the Wine Room has over 200 labels and 3,000 bottles available to sample, and it won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Meanwhile, down on Surin, Catch Beach Club is open for drinks, lunch, dinner and twice-weekly beach barbecues. It's so hip it slithers. Wear high heels, no matter how impractical. There’s also a chilled out wooden shack, otherwise known as the Bongo Rum Bar which, as the name would suggest, serves a range of rums. If you’d rather unwind somewhere a little livelier, head to Bimi Beach Club, Phuket’s only all day beach club (open 10am-7pm) to sip cocktails.

Outside the hotel, particularly in high season, you’ll find plenty of cheap fish restaurants on the beach. We liked Taste and Twin Brothers), or for a phenomenal Thai meal, try Silk, a restaurant in a shopping mall (honestly) just round the corner from Twinpalms. Even vegetarians will be spoilt for choice.

Features include:

• Children's meals
• Minibar/fridge
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Wander down to casuarina-fringed Surin beach, with its beach masseuses, bars, cafes and sunbeds: it’s great for swimming in high season (December to March), paddling in low season, and exploring rock pools at any time. Check out Pia Beach at the left end, too - it has great cafes
  
• Relax in the Sun Spa Esthederm and achieve a deep sense of wellbeing with organic treatments including Oriental foot rituals, body wraps, massages and facials. There's also a comprehensive fitness schedule of jogging, yoga, weights, aerobics and Thai boxing workouts
  
• Watch a nightly sunset that’ll blow your socks off
  
• Take a day trip to Ko Racha Yai on Twinpalms’ speedboat, Catch One, with lunch at The Racha
  
• Twinpalms also has a 76' motor yacht available for day or longer charter cruises; explore National Parks such as Phi Phi Le with its limestone karsts, or snorkel around beautiful islands
  
• Your Guest Relations Officer can arrange activities and excursions including deep sea fishing, golf, horse riding and any number of watersports (kayaking, waterskiing, surfing and diving). Catch Beach Club can arrange non-motorised watersports
  
• Try your hand at batik painting, basic Thai or lotus flower folding lessons; cooking classes are available on request - learn how to create 3 signature Thai dishes
  
• Get married in the hotel or in a flower-decked arbour on the beach
  
• Chill by the pool on a semi-submerged lounger - staff provide fruit kebabs to save you from dehydration
  
• Cruise at your own pace through local villages in a hired Toyota Yaris (great value when compared to taxi fares)
  
• Browse the Soul of Asia gallery (10 minutes away on the Cherng Talay road) for stunning sculptures, 20th-century European masters (Chagall, Picasso) and post-Mao Asian art
  
• Take an early morning trip to Phuket’s Butterfly Garden, just north of Phuket Town
  
• Light spirit lanterns and watch them float like ghosts across the bay
  
• For spicier nights out, book seats at the Simon Cabaret for a not entirely tasteless lip-synching extravaganza by Phuket’s ladyboys

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cooking classes
• Fishing
• Golf
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Nightlife
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Surfing
• Yoga

Kids

Children are accepted by special arrangement (cots are available, and babysitting can be organised). But, because of the lagoons, high stairwells and generally grown-up atmosphere, we’d say Twinpalms isn’t the right place for families with young children.

Best for:

Children (4-12 years), Teens (over 12)

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms can fit children under 12 in the existing bed for free, as well as being able to accommodate a baby cot. If you are a larger family, we'd opt for the Duplex Family Loft as it has 2 double bedrooms as well as more space and privacy.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Twinpalms is just off Surin Beach on the west coast of Phuket in central Thailand.

By Air:
From Bangkok, take an internal flight to Phuket (25km): flight connections are made easily through Bangkok's Don Muang (1hr 20 mins). Phuket can also be reached from most of the Asian hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
It's a 25-minute drive from Phuket airport – Twinpalms can organise a limousine transfer (maximum 3 people) as well as a private mini-van for larger groups (maximum 6 people) or take a taxi - see Rates.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

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