PAMELA MCCOURT FRANCESCONE
The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach is a haven of Swiss style and elegance on Karon Beach, on the south-western coastline of the island of Phuket. Phuket, known as the Pearl of the Andaman, is Thailand?s largest island and one of Asia?s most popular holiday destinations. The nice thing about Karon, apart from the long beach and silky white sand, is that it is a lot quieter than many other beaches on the island, although there is no shortage of shops, seafood restaurants and bars.
The Mövenpick Resort & Spa, with 194 Deluxe Ocean and Garden View Rooms, 140 elegant villas and 30 butler-serviced oceanfront apartments, has such a wide variety of accommodations that the temptation is to return again and again. And many guests do, drawn by the graciousness of the public areas, the excellence of service for which for which the Mövenpick is renowned, the magnificent tropical gardens which provide endless secluded corners in which to relax and chill out and, of course, the variety and quality of the cuisine to be enjoyed in its many restaurants.
When it comes to swimming the alternatives to Karon Beach are the resort?s four swimming pools which are scattered around the gardens, and the private plunge pools in the Deluxe Plunge Pool Rooms, Plunge Pool Villas and the Penthouse Plunge Pools Villas. These discreet and elegant Penthouses, which have a small private garden and a secluded roof-top deck with a plunge pool, are the perfect setting for sunset cocktails or just all-day lazing. Private pools always add that extra touch of luxury, but to have a plunge pool on a rooftop overlooking lush gardens, adds a new dimension to the concept of exclusive luxury.
Families are ideally catered for in the Two-bedroom Family Suites which are close to a swimming pool, and come with bunk beds for children. But for families or couples looking for the ne plus ultra in style and space the choice has to be the Two-bedroom, butler-serviced Residence apartments right on the Andaman Sea which, with fully equipped kitchenettes, spacious living rooms and oversized balconies, are the ultimate in luxurious tropical living.
The resort?s Spa is a tranquil retreat in which to restore the harmony of the body, mind and soul and for the more energetic there is a state-of-the-art Fitness Centre and a Game Lounge with snooker, billiards and table tennis. Children find their own milieu in the Play Zone, which is Phuket?s largest club for youngsters and teens, where specialised staff keep younger guests happy and entertained with outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and which also has a Playstation and Internet Room, DVD Lounge and Reading Room.
Another area in which the highest levels of Swiss excellence and attention to detail come to the fore is in the resort?s five restaurants. The Pacifica is for gracious all-day dining and theme evenings, the Café Studio is popular for the world-famous Mövenpick ice cream and afternoon teas, the Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian and Philippine specialties served in the OrientAsia are guaranteed to appeal to even the most discerning of palates, it?s not difficult to understand why the wood-fire pizzas in the Sand Bar are so popular, and the Brazilian churrascos in the El Gaucho offer a succulent choice of 15 prime cuts served on swords.
The Resort is also equipped for conferences and banquets with facilities for up to 1,340 delegates and meeting rooms for up to 800. One cannot help thinking how difficult it must be to concentrate on business in such a magnificent natural setting with so many tempting outdoor activities. But before and after such events many delegates get time to switch off, enjoy the Resort?s many leisure activities, relax and recharge their energy levels in this dream destination.
