As a highly strung, type-A personality, born under a Virgo moon, I have developed quite the reputation amongst my circle of friends for planning trips with military precision – sunrise bikes, pinned maps, colour-coded lunch stops and regularly scheduled three-minute toilet breaks. It is often only retrospectively that I realise that aforementioned itinerary may be exactly why I come home and feel the need for another holiday…
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!However, a recent stay at the InterContinental Phuket Resort on Kamala Beach reminded me that some of the best vacations can be had without straying too far from your stay… Or in some cases, without really needing to leave it at all.
A Tale of Two Terrains
That realisation starts to settle in properly once you understand the geography of the property. The InterContinental Phuket Resort isn’t a single, linear hotel that neatly stretches along the sand, with little else to do but simply stare at the horizon (my personal idea of hell). Instead, it is split into two – beach and hillside – with a road in between that sounds way more disruptive on paper than it actually is in practice.
On one side, you have the Gatorade blue ocean. On the other hand, the lush Sprite-bottle-esque mountains of South Phuket. And somehow, at some point, I started choosing between them based on my mood, not some ambitious must-do list.
The Beach and The Beautiful
The beachfront side of InterContinental Phuket Resort opens directly onto Kamala Beach, where my room (all Byredo amenities, marble and wood decor, and an impeccably luxe sleeping situation) makes me wonder why I’ve previously always been an “I just need a clean place to sleep” kind of traveller.
Apparently, I’ve been wildly underestimating the emotional support provided by turndown service and a balcony where the swaying palms and turquoise pool below put up a respectable fight for best view in town … only in the end to be trumped by the Andaman Sea – the placement of which is so seamless that, before long, I found myself staring at my previous foe – the horizon – with alarming levels of contentment.
This is notable because, as someone who usually requires an activity, an itinerary, or at the very least a few bullet points in my iPhone Notes, I am not naturally gifted at doing nothing. Yet somehow, that’s exactly what happened.
The next morning, what began as a quick post-breakfast sit-down turned into a half-day nap, interrupted only by a phoner reminder to reapply my sunscreen. A chapter of a book became three. And a strategic dip in the pool evolved into an extended campaign of alternating between shaded daybeds, beach walks and ordering “just one more” iced drink.
The staff, meanwhile, quietly enabled my behaviour. Towels appeared before I realised I needed them. Pine Beach Bar’s hand-made pizzas delivered the perfect midday carb hit. Drinks arrived just as I decided the exact image missing from my Instagram feed was an orange cocktail. And, all the while, the service was so attentive without ever interrupting my now carefully curated schedule of absolutely nothing, that I wondered if the team had come across another tightly wound traveller or two in their time…
By day three, I had abandoned all ambitions of sightseeing. Heck, I wasn’t even trying. Because, frankly, leaving the property started to feel like an administrative burden.
Moving Mountains
Perhaps, however, sensing an impending itch to re-adjust my position from horizontal to upright, after a few days, the hillside quarters of the InterContinental Phuket Resort gently nudged me back towards curiosity. Not actual exertion, mind you. More of a sort of subtle exploration that allows you to feel adventurous while remaining within comfortable walking distance of a bubbly beverage.
Here, the paths climbed through dense greenery. Stonework became grander and more textured. And, hidden staircases appeared where I least expected them. Every turn seemed to reveal something new – a water feature, a sculpture, a temple-inspired structure tucked amongst the foliage that encouraged me to focus on my hamstrings when I next returned to the gym.
As someone who usually researches every square metre of a destination before arrival, I found the experience deeply unsettling at first. There was no route. No checklist. No carefully planned sequence of attractions.
Just wandering. And annoyingly, it turns out wandering is quite enjoyable.
The hillside leaned heavily into Thai mythology and architectural storytelling. With just enough corners and crevices to convince you that you’re embarking on a cultural expedition rather than a very leisurely stroll to dinner…
Speaking of … while options for eating after dark are abundant, my pick was Jaras, the resort’s Michelin Guide-listed restaurant, which proved every bit as memorable as the beachfront setting. Here, the menu draws heavily on Southern Thai flavours, local seafood and regional ingredients. Dishes arrive beautifully composed, balancing spice, freshness and texture, while the service of the staff lends the entire experience a distinctly Phuket sense of place.
A Balancing Act
What made the whole InterContinental Phuket Resort experience so memorable was how effortlessly the resort allowed me to oscillate between these locations. And as a result, enjoy two versions of the perfect travel itinerary … without officially even planning one.
The connector between them is an underground art passage lined with works by local artists. Functionally, it’s a walkway. Psychologically, it’s a decompression chamber.
One minute you’re by the beach, contemplating whether another swim constitutes overexertion. The next you’re heading uphill, feeling inexplicably cultured and ready to appreciate architecture.
Beach to hillside. Lounger to lookout. Professional relaxer to accidental explorer.
The shift is so natural that before long, I stopped making decisions altogether and simply followed whatever mood presented itself. Mornings belonged to the ocean. Afternoons drifted towards the mountains. The usual internal monologue about maximising every moment simply… disappeared.
Who even was I?
Duality Beyond Design
Even the service at InterContinental Phuket Resort seemed calibrated to these different moods.
Down by the beach, it operated almost invisibly. Staff appear precisely when needed and disappear just as quickly. A smart strategy that allowed me to maintain the illusion that my holiday was unfolding effortlessly. Up in the hillside precinct, the service is slightly more present, matching the more immersive nature of the surroundings, but never crossing into intrusion. It’s subtly distinct, but it speaks to the intelligence of the resort as a whole.
And, the resort’s amenities seem designed around this same push and pull between activity and surrender.
On some days, my grand plans extended no further than the buffet breakfast at Pinto – the resort’s marketplace-inspired, all-day dining venue, which delivered so much variety that the prospect of leaving the property in search of a meal started to feel wildly redundant. On others, my only priority after a lazy sleep-in was securing a prime position at Club InterContinental, where afternoon tea seamlessly rolled into sunset cocktails and I convinced myself that repeatedly accepting another canape was simply cultural immersion.
In any instance, I was confronted by a dangerous concept for someone who normally plans entire itineraries around “must-visit” restaurants.
Then there was Sati Spa. A place so serene and beautifully conceived that it finally, put feelings of FOMO to bed.
Inspired by traditional Asian wellness philosophies, it offers everything from restorative massages to more holistic wellness rituals. I arrived with every intention of “just having a quick treatment” and emerged several hours later, wondering whether adulthood could simply consist of moving permanently between spa appointments and pool loungers.
And should guilt begin creeping in after several consecutive days of doing very little, the resort has an answer for that too. Tennis courts, fitness facilities and wellness activities are available for guests seeking movement, allowing you to briefly convince yourself that this is a health retreat before promptly rewarding your efforts with another cocktail.
That, perhaps, was the real genius of the InterContinental Phuket Resort. Every version of holidaying feels equally valid here. Whether you’re chasing stillness, indulgence, exploration, or the increasingly ambitious goal of doing all three before lunch, the resort somehow accommodates it without ever feeling sprawling or overwhelming.
