Tag: Phuket

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Phuket Guide

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Phuket’s Vibrant Vegetarian Festival: A Blend of Chinese Heritage and Local Celebrations

Phuket, Thailand’s tropical island paradise, is world-renowned for its stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and luxurious villas offering breathtaking sea views. Yet, beyond the well-known attractions, Phuket is steeped in history and culture. One of the island’s most intriguing and colorful events is the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, deeply rooted in Phuket-Chinese traditions. This festival offers an incredible spectacle for visitors, blending awe-inspiring rituals with delicious vegetarian cuisine.

The Historical Significance and Chinese Influence
The origins of Phuket’s Vegetarian Festival trace back to the early 19th century. As legend has it, a wandering opera troupe from China visited Phuket and fell seriously ill. To restore their health, they decided to abstain from consuming meat, alcohol, and other vices, committing themselves to the Nine Emperor gods and adhering strictly to a vegetarian diet. Miraculously, their health improved.

Witnessing this transformation, the local community was inspired to adopt this practice, hoping to achieve good health and spiritual cleansing. The Chinese influence is evident not only in the festival’s origins but also in the many processions, rituals, and ceremonies paying homage to Chinese deities.

How the Festival is Celebrated

For nine days and nights, usually during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, Phuket undergoes a mesmerizing transformation. Participants wear white attire, symbolizing purity, and strictly adhere to a vegetarian or vegan diet.
The festival’s highlights include:
• Street Processions: Parades snake through the streets with participants carrying images of Chinese gods, shrines, and other religious symbols.
• Piercing Rituals: Devotees demonstrate their faith by undergoing various forms of body piercings, from small skewers to more elaborate objects. Though not for the faint of heart, these rituals are a testament to their dedication and belief in the healing and protective powers of the deities.
• Fire-Walking: In some ceremonies, participants walk barefoot over hot coals to prove their faith and cleanse their spirits.
• Cultural Performances: Dragon dances, lion dances, and traditional music enliven the streets, adding a touch of festivity.
• Delicious Cuisine: The festival is a food lover’s paradise, with stalls everywhere offering a plethora of vegetarian dishes. The cuisine is influenced by Chinese cooking but also carries a distinctive Phuket touch.

Experience the Festival

As the festivities take over the town, retreat to your luxurious hideaway, where you can absorb the rich tapestry of sights and sounds from a comfortable distance.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is more than just a celebration of vegetarianism. It’s a profound cultural event that showcases the island’s rich history, influenced by Chinese traditions and beliefs. For those planning a trip to Phuket during the festival, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is both spiritually uplifting and visually spectacular.
Considering a stay in Phuket? Enhance your experience by choosing one of our luxurious villas. Experience the festival, then retreat to comfort, luxury, and an unparalleled view of the Andaman Sea.

by Alice Na Takuatung

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Property

Katamanda – Villa Makata

Villa Makata is located within walking distance to Kata Noi Beach, the villa is part of the prestigious Katamanda Estate.

With three spacious bedrooms spread over two levels, high wood-beamed ceilings and stunning Balinese furniture. Villa Makata 1 is truly a beautiful villa with a charming aesthetic. the villa is a luxury home away from home for those seeking a tropical holiday in Phuket.

There’s a plush L-shaped sofa in the living room and the modern kitchen features an island worktop. The open-plan kitchen has sliding glass doors and the dining room is fully air-conditioned.

Each of the three bedrooms of Villa Makata 1 are charming. However, the Master Bedroom truly shines with its tropical bath with boasts an outdoor bathtub as well as a rain shower. Guest Bedroom 1 has twin beds, while Guest Bedroom 2 has a king-size bed. Both guest bedrooms offer generous ensuite bathrooms with rain showers.

Villa Makata features a lavish 10-meter pool which is sheltered on three sides for paramount privacy. The outdoor area is the perfect spot to indulge in a bit of Phuket’s glorious sunshine.

Guests of Villa Makata can enjoy exclusive access to the on-site clubhouse. These includes a fitness center, tennis court and outdoor swimming pool. This luxury villa in Phuket is located within close proximity to both Kata and Kata Noi beaches as well as a variety of dining, entertainment and shopping options.

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Phuket Guide

Surf season, Kata beach Phuket

Surf season, Phuket Thailand

Phuket is famous for its beautiful beaches and clam ocean from November to April each year, This Pearl of the Andaman Sea welcoming millions of tourists on its beaches. However the green season in Phuket has more to offer, in the past decade, some already know that it is one of the best surf destination in Thailand.

Surf scene has been in Phuket since 2005 and getting more and more popular, from May to October considering the best time to surf in Phuket. These three months offer non-crowded beaches because there are more rainy days than a clear blue sky. The southwest monsoon, wind and waves come from the southwest and since Phuket exposed to the west waves hitting the popular beaches of Phuket, make swimming difficult but create the surf scene around, drawing the other group of visitors to the island.

Kata beach is one of the most popular beach to surf in Phuket. Kata beach welcomes all surfer levels, there are plenty of surf board shops and surf schools available on the beach, some offer class with equipment rental included in their rates, or if you are an experience surfer and only want to rent the board, there are different rates for 1-2 hours or all day rental. Some shop will train you before you hit the waves and try it out for the first time. However don’t expect Phuket waves to be like those waves in other professional surfing destination. Kata waves are good for beginner who want to try it out and enjoy the waves.

Before hitting Kata beach for surf season, you might want to equip yourself with rip current and how get out of it. While the ocean is great for surfer, some swimming skills is always good to have under your sleeves.

Luxe Villa’s properties are located within walking distant to Kata beach, the popular surf scene in Phuket. Enjoy special hotel rates during the so call ‘low season’ of Phuket and kick your surf skills up a notch with Luxe villas. For more information, please send your enquiry on the contact page.

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Phuket Guide

Pa Hin Dam and Nui beach – Pin it for your next trip to Phuket

Phuket visitors often ask themselves, where can they go that out of the beaten tourist tracks. Most would have thought, there should not be places people never set their foot on this famous island of Thailand. Although Phuket is a well known tourist destination for both hemispheres, it never seized to amaze me with new hidden corners of this island called the Pearl of Andaman Sea.

If you happened to be on the south side of Phuket, along Kata and Karon beaches. One of the best kept secret of southern Phuket gem is Pa Hin Dam or the Black Rock viewpoint. Not many people know about it that it was discovered, still not many people actually visited, it might be because both Pa Hin Dam and Nui beach required a healthy physical person. You do not need to be an athlete, however being physically fit will be required. There is a dirt road entrance and more than a kilometer walk down and up the steep hill, and this is why it was been kept untouched for a long time, otherwise it would have been discovered by public long ago.

Actually getting there is not pretty straight forward, from Kata Karon viewpoint on 4030 road, drive south 400 meters, you will find parking for the entrance to Nui Beach and Pa Hin Dam on your right. Here is where your adventure begin. The dirt road leading to both attractions, get off your vehicle and walk along that road for about a kilometer then you will find a three-way intersection, right to Nui beach, left to Pa Hin Dam, choice is yours.

To Nui beach, one of the most exclusive beach on the island. Enjoy your physical exercise down to the beach and there are small shop selling drink on the beach to quench your thirst. Locals are friendly and you can spend your time worshiping the sun there as long as you want, just make sure that you have enough time to walk back before it is too dark since there is no accommodation available.

Getting to Pa Hin Dam use the road on the left at the intersection or hike up from Nui beach, once you are there, the spectacular panoramic view of Phuket beaches and small islands will make you forget all those sweats along the way. You will have an impressive view of the famous Promthep cape, the southern tip of Phuket where most people go to watch the sunset. If you would like to stay and watch the sunset from this view point, make sure to carry a flash light with you, because after sunset the path out can be quite dark.

Luxe-villas properties are located within 4-5 kilometers to Pa Hin Dam, less than 2 minutes drive to the parking at the entrance of Nui beach and Pa Hin Dam. You can enjoy the hidden Phuket gem while staying with us. For more information, please send your enquiry on the contact page.