Coral Island – a magical Thai island close to Cape Panwa

Many of our guests choose to take a day trip to nearby Coral Island aboard our  speedboat the Panwa Princess III and the outing ranks as one of the best activities to do whilst staying with us.

Coral Island is a small verdant isle to the south of Phuket with two gorgeous beaches and a host of water sport activities. When you are sitting in the office dreaming of a tropical island, this is what you are thinking of!

And it’s not named Coral Island for nothing: You can swim in the crystal-clear waters, scuba dive or snorkel to discover a wonderful underwater world, have lunch, windsurf, parasail – or simply relax on the beach.

Some people opt for trekking through the jungle from Coral Island Beach to Banana Beach and back. If you choose to do this you should make sure to bring good shoes as the walk is a little challenging (but fun!).

     

Italian Ice Cream at Cape Panwa!

Cape Panwa welcomed 12 new guests this month - in the form of 12 different flavours of traditional Italian ice cream and we hope that they will become permanent residents at the Cafe Andaman.

But this ice cream is different - it blends Italian creamy nectar with the fragrances of Thailand. 

If you would like to check out all the different flavours, click here.

To add to the pleasure of this ice cream experience don't forget to have a very special coffee along with it - vanilla bean ice cream together with an espresso is one of life's sweetest treats.

     

Christmas and New Year at the Cape Panwa Hotel….. Swirling dresses and reminiscence

Christmas came with a swirling of dresses and Father Christmas riding in on a samlor (three-wheeled Thai bike) behind Nadia the baby elephant!
All enjoyed our Bollywood theme for Christmas – the staff looked wonderful in their costumes and their dancing was second to none.

Children reminded us that it was Christmas as they sung some beautiful Christmas Carols; and then there were the games – Pass the Parcel, Limbo and Daddy is a Christmas Tree.

We then had a fire dancer who amazed us with his fire juggling and fire breathing act!!

A Phuket themed New Year’s party followed these Xmas celebrations. There was a traditional Baba (Chinese / Thai Wedding) on the stage whilst Spirit Balloons were lit on the beach – a wonderful site to see.

More games were played and a guest who had recently received their Gold Privilege Card won the Lucky Draw for a day cruise with friends on the Panwa Princess Yacht!  See you later this year!

THEN we were embraced by a number of Ladyboys dancing on the stage – swiftly followed by very loud fireworks and more dancing until the early hours……...

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The beach at Cape Panwa.

The beach at Cape Panwa is sheltered, an ideal place to sit in the shade with a cocktail or a cold beer, plus it’s lots of fun for children. You won’t see red warning flags flying here as the rip tides and dangerous currents of Phuket’s west coast are non existent in this southeastern secluded spot. 

One thing that is very important to staff members at Cape Panwa is the state of our beach. That’s why we have regular beach clean ups. 

It’s hard work but we have a lot of fun doing it and it’s rewarding to see the result.

December Thai Weddings at the Cape Panwa Hotel

We have just had two very special Thai-Style Weddings at Cape Panwa Hotel.

Our congratulations go to a young Russian couple Tatyana and Grigoriy – they had a beautiful day and their photographs were superb.


The next Thai Wedding was of a young couple from England; Scott and Donna - their family came with them and they had a very special day with laughter and smiles. 

This was then followed by a trip on the Panwa Princess to local islands which involved snorkeling, fun in the onboard Jacuzzi and more swimming.

Congratulations and best wishes to you all from the Cape Panwa team

Click here for photographs of more weddings at Cape Panwa.

Click here for information about the Panwa Princess.

Christmas is coming

The Spirit of Christmas entered our lives in a big way last week - the Hotel’s Christmas tree was put up in the lobby, heavy with gold and silver decorations and festooned with lights

Christmas started two weeks ago for the staff with the sound of drums and chanting. It sounded as if Bollywood was visiting Cape Panwa Hotel but it was only the staff rehearsing their Christmas show. It seems like this year’s show will outstrip last year’s ‘Tigers in a Cage’ extravaganza!

The Christmas Carols start next week, costumes are dusted off and all the goodies ready – all we need now is for Santa to drop by.

Privileges and Sunshine Village

As a guest of Kantary Bay who has attained Gold Privilege Card status for her repeat visits, Jean Wall is allowed to use the Cape Panwa limousine. 

What Jean chose to do with her time with the limousine proved to be very special.  

Jean chose to use the limousine to take her on a visit to Sunshine Village. 

Sunshine Village was initially set up to support and provide a home to children who lost their families in the tsunami but now helps a greater number of families that need support in the Phuket area.  

Jean brought lots of goodies with her from England to donate to the charity including teddy bears for all of the children. She was very happy with her experience and already has plans to visit again on her next trip to Phuket.

Sharing Thai food at Laem Panwa

Traditionally when you sit down to dine Thai-style, everybody has a bit of each other's dinner. This means that the table is covered with an array of plates and bowls and yes (to my mother's horror) people lean over to get food.
 
They will also lean over to take food from your serving plate - so BE WARNED for the next time that you go out to dine Thai-style with a group of friends.

At the Laem Panwa Restaurant at Kantary Bay we have two 'sharing' menus for you to choose from.

There is an Introductory Menu; an appetizer, a soup, two main courses, side dishes and a dessert. Then there is also a Classic Menu; with two appetizers, soup, two main courses, two side dishes and a dessert. Click here for a look at this selection.

Just choose which dishes to share and GO FOR IT!

Whoops, nearly forgot - if you are in a four-person group, you'll only be charged for three.

For amateur video of Laem Panwa please click here.