Tennis in Thailand, Anyone?
A nice place to stay…probably not the best place to play (tennis that is)
Tennis in Thailand, Anyone?
One of the things I’m most excited to talk about in this newsletter is tennis travel! My husband and I recently took a trip to Phuket, Thailand and when we researched the vacation, we started looking for tennis resorts. We were celebrating a big birthday (won’t say how big!) as well as our belated honeymoon, since we got married during the Pandemic and couldn’t travel.
Because of all that, this was not necessarily a tennis vacation. The focus was more on food, adventure, and wellness. But if we came across the opportunity to play, we weren't going to pass it up. And wellness is a part of the tennis life, so I thought I would share about it here and pass along what I learned.
The destination is beautiful. Phuket is a beach-focused island, but we spent our first few days at Keemala resort and spa. It was truly like a dream. Even without a singe tennis court!
Keemala has 38 individual pool villas nestled in lush green trees. The design is amazing, and based on four fictional clans. We decided if we had millions we would want our house to took just like these rooms. It’s probably the most Insta-worthy place I’ve ever seen.
The yoga and spa delivered on their promises to help us rejuvenate. There is a cool meditation cave under a waterfall. Yoga and meditation are great tennis tools, so even though we weren't hitting, we did feel we were doing our game some good.
After Keemala we moved to a different hotel that I won't write about because it was nothing special and I would avoid it.
I will recommend the third hotel we stayed at (our trip got prolonged unexpectedly due to Covid). We stayed at the Sun Prime Hotel right on Kamala Beach area (and yes I did think of our Vice President more than once during our stay at the beach with her name). In case you’re curious, Kamala was actually a Hindu goddess otherwise known as Lakshme "she who leads to one's goal."
The rooms at the Sun Prime are not that great, but we spent all our waking hours lounging by one of their four beautiful pools with swim-up bars and ocean views. We also sat out on the beach to read and relax. The prices there are quite affordable.
A few must-see tourist attractions are the Big Buddha, old Town, The Chillva Night market, the Phuket Pearl Factory. We rented a car with driver for a day and that was an excellent way to get around. Beware of the monkeys at the Big Buddha! They often swipe food right out of tourists’ hands. One of the monkeys lunged at my husband’s water bottle and with both paws tried pulling it from his hand. After a short tug of war he was able to shake the monkey off. Whew!
There are a few places to stay that have tennis courts if you are set on getting some games in.
I have not been to these, but here is a list of hotels with tennis courts:
Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa
Sri Panwa Phuket Luxury Pool Villa Hotel
And a few great tennis players like Paradorn Srichapan have come out of Thailand!
Would I go to Phuket again just for tennis? The heat and humidity make it tough to play and more conducive to chilling. There’s enough to enjoy with the sights, sounds, tastes and history. My advice? Leave your rackets at home and focus on some serious meditation, yoga, and spa treatments.