Paresa Resort Phuket

PARESA RESORT PHUKET : TRULY HEAVEN ON EARTH

We finally had the opportunity to stay at the exclusive Paresa Resort at Phuket (courtesy of The Luxe Nomad and Fashion Valet). It was a 4D3N stay and boy, it was a once in a lifetime experience! Never before have we stayed some place where the view was just breathtaking, the atmosphere so relaxing and the service was just top notch.

Getting There

Paresa is about a 40-minute drive from Phuket International airport. It’s situated on the north part of Phuket, and nestled on the hills overlooking the Andaman sea. Paresa is not a beach resort, but the view you get from up the hill is worth every cent invested. (The nearest beach is Kamala Beach) The hilly roads still need some patching work and a tuk-tuk won’t be able to get up the hill. But our taxi was a Toyota Camry, so it did not have much of a problem climbing the winding, hilly roads.

Arrival

Once you’ve arrived, you’ll be greeted by Paresa’s friendly staff and drinks are offered upon arrival. We had arrived a bit too early due to our morning flight, but they had taken the effort to secure our room as early as possible. (Check-in time 2pm) They asked us our preference for soap (coconut scented for me, while Belacan Girl picked ‘jasmine’) which will be ready in our bathrooms once we check in. We got lucky to be greeted by the friendly Dawid Koegelenberg, the General Manager himself, and he treated us to a free breakfast. Yay! Since we had some time to kill, we went to check out the nearest beach, Kamala Beach. (Paresa provided a free shuttle to-and-fro between Kamala beach) We explored the quiet beach and some shops and got back to the hotel. It was time to check-in. Each of Paresa’s guests will be assigned an Angel, their staff who will accommodate your every whim and fancy. Ours was call Phaeng, a friendly young Thai lady. We were escorted from the check-in area down the stairs to a huge gong of sorts. We had to strike the gong to signal our arrival to ‘heaven’ and they opened a huge door to welcome us to the ‘gateway to heaven’. As we walked through the gateway, Phaeng explained the floor was made of 18K gold! We were impressed. Imagine walking on gold! From the gateway, we took an elevator down to where the restaurant was situated. A buggy was waiting to bring us to our room. Another first for us. To get anywhere in Paresa, you need to call for buggies. Since it was hilly, you may find it a bit tiring to walk up and down. A buggy is a good option, and it comes with an ever smiling driver.

(Above: The stairs to ‘Heaven’)

(Above: You need to strike the gong. A signal to welcome you to ‘Heaven’. I swear it sounded louder there. Also, yes, I strike the gong like a girl.)

(Above: Just WOW!)

(Above: Of course, you have to take photos when you’re in ‘Heaven’)

(Above: Standing on 18K gold floor. They call it the ‘Stepway to Heaven’)

(Above: Of course, we also brought dUCk to Heaven!)

The Room

The room we stayed in was called the Aqua Pool suite. The suite was gorgeously nestled between natural rocks and boulders. We were brought into the room and there were fruits made available on our arrival. And guess what? The suite comes with its own Infinity Pool! The view from the pool overlooks the Andaman Sea and you could see and hear the waves crashing on the rocks below. Ahhh… so soothing. The bathroom is divided to 2 section; his and hers, so you can have your own space. Showers are available inside and outside (if you fancy showering underneath the stars) and there’s a huge jacuzzi tub inside for you to soak your worries away. The bedroom comes with a huge king-sized bed with a flat screen TV and mini-bar. Oh yes, wifi is also provided.

The Facilities

There were many facilities there, but we didn’t get to try them all. First, there was the restaurant called Diavolo/Talung Thai where we had breakfast and meals. Check out the spread below:

Secondly, we had the chance to relax by the Infinity Pool. Both of us had a great time swimming and lounging by the pool over looking the Andaman Sea. It was as if we were swimming into the sea. We ordered a pot of jasmine tea, which they served to us in the pool.

Third, we also went to the Gym. We woke up about 6am and basically dragged ourselves onto the treadmills. (Can you blame us? The bed was so comfy!) I could only do a few minutes, but Belacan Girl was all powered-up like an Energizer Bunny! There were other weight and exercise machines around, and we tried them all. A few reps of weights later (and hopefully burnt-off a million calories), we were primed for breakfast at the Diavolo.

There were many other facilities like The Spa, The Recipe (their cooking school) and many other excursion activities, but we didn’t have the time to try them all. Maybe next time.

Overall, the experience at Paresa Resort was great. We were there for 4 days and 3 nights, but wished we could stay longer. (There were some slight hiccups, e.g we missed the transport to Patong Beach due to some miscommunication. Had to pay full fare for taxi ride there. Wasn’t cheap. Also, there was a leak coming from above the bathroom. Almost flooded the floor, but they fixed it in a jiffy.) If we had the chance again, we would definitely go for another round. You will never find a more relaxing place.