Lounge lizards

Between courses, Trisara's general manager Antoine Melon dropped by our table to ensure that we had everything we needed. I noticed that due to the 10 pm curfew imposed by the Thai government, many tables were filled by 8 pm as other Trisara guests returned to spend the rest of the evening back at their villas. While this may be hurting the nightlife along Patong Beach, we appreciated being able to thoroughly enjoy all that our resort had to offer.

Early the next morning, we greeted the day with sun salutations on our terrace. Trisara normally offers yoga in its beachfront sala, but it can also accommodate small groups with a private instructor in their villa. I was sweating profusely after the first 15 minutes, and really enjoyed the stretches at the start of the day.

Afterward, we drove into Phuket town for breakfast at Boon Rat Dim Sum, a local joint that dishes up Thai-style dim sum. We were fascinated by how different the same dumplings could be in Thailand.

We learned that cashews were a big export for Phuket, and dropped into Methee Phuket to browse its endless shelves of cashew products. Settling on seaweed and sesame flavors to take home after taste-testing them, we happily strolled deeper into Phuket's Chinatown.

Thalang Road marks the origins of Phuket's urban center, and its architecture consists of picturesque Sino-Portuguese two-story shop houses in a riot of colors. We marveled at the deft hand of a Malay cook frying up delicious smelling roti, but diligently saved our stomaches for lunch at The Boathouse's Wine & Grill.