Selina Serenity Rawai Phuket, a true gem on the tropical Island of Phuket

Selina Serenity is quite possibly the nearest you can get to a real paradise resort on Phuket’s southeast coastline. The great location and chill vibe made us feel right at home during our weeklong stay and we rarely had a reason to venture beyond the resort.

This is our fourth Selina and we continue to be impressed by the vibrant appeal and the staff’s ability to fill the needs of their guests with the right mix of comfort, good food, excellent service and thoughtful convenience.

We opted to stay in one of the resort’s big apartments where we had a large bedroom with an en-suite bathroom (shower and huge bathtub), a smaller bedroom with adjacent bathroom, a kitchenette, sizable living room and a generous terrace overlooking a gorgeous tropical garden.

The resort’s gym is just a short walk from the pool and lounge area down by the sea. And though not very big, it did have all of the equipment we needed for a good morning workout.

Above the bar is a rooftop Sala where a variety of activities take place during the week, including several yoga classes.

The view from Serenity Selina’s beachfront is absolutely stunning. This is where you’ll enjoy breakfast, lunch, dinner or just a snack at either the bar or the outdoor dining lounge. And they even offer a dedicated co-working room nearby for us digital nomads.

But regardless of where you choose to relax, eat, drink or work, you’ll have this absolutely wonderful view of the sea and islands across the bay. The resort is really postcard picturesque and the perfect destination for a calming, enjoyable stay in Phuket.

The Standard Hua Hin – a gorgeous seaside retreat in Thailand

After just a couple of nights at The Standard Hua Hin, we actually felt a little sad about having to check out. The resort’s alluring tropical milieu had a remarkably calming effect on us and the gorgeous beach, adjacent to the tiled pool, outdoor, mushroom shaped bar and lounge area, complimented the hotel’s relaxed vibe seamlessly. The beach was never crowded and long enough for a extended walk or, an early morning/late afternoon run.

The Standard Dining Experience

During our 48 hour stay, we enjoyed a sumptuous, late afternoon lunch at Lido, the Standard’s Italian restaurant, a full-moon dinner at their Thai restaurant Praça and two very satisfying breakfasts with a grandiose selection of Chinese, Thai and tasty western breakfast staples in an airy dining room (next to the aforementioned Lido).

If I had to choose, I’d say that our Thai meal at Praça was the most outstanding. We both love Italian cuisine, but the Thai dishes we were served were all extraordinarily flavorful with (for us) unique combinations and textures that made our dinner at Praça most memorable.

Here’s what we ate:

Miang Kham
Crispy catfish, shallots, coriander, betel leaves, coconut flakes, ginger, tamarin. Kind of like tacos. Spicy, but not overwhelmingly so.

Esan Tuna
Raw tuna mixed in a spicy and sour crunchy dressing wrapped in butterhead lettuce leaves and served with black rice crackers. This might be a bit on the hot side for some. We loved it, though.

Pla Kapong Dong
Salted white sea bass, lemongrass, kaffir lime. Absolutely delightful!

Gaeng Kua Bai Cha Ploo Pooh
Soft shell crab, betel leaves, curry and kaffir lime. Delicious – creamy and crunch all at once.

Goong Yang- Gaeng Penang
Grilled prawn, lychee panang dip and crispy betel leaves. Tender, succulent and chewy.

Desert: Bua Loy Nam King
Black sesame rice balls in ginger tea. Think tender, chewy dough dumplings stuffed with a sweet, nutty sesame filler. This was an amazing feature for our palettes. Sweet and savoury and wonderfully nutty.

Regardless of where we ate, all of our meals were promptly and neatly served and pleasantly presented by a team of cheerful servers and chefs.

A lot of thought and genuine love for hospitality has clearly gone into designing this seaside resort. Everything from the refined, art deco inspired architecture, luscious landscaping, the soulful music (not to mention the recordings of bird song heard throughout the property), to the always polite, smiling staff, always made us feel right at home.

All the visually pleasing details, high service level, delicious food, laid-back atmosphere and cozy comfort by the beach, the pool and in our spacious room (#520), made me realize that I will inevitably be measuring all future hotel experiences with our most enjoyable stay at The Standard Hua Hin.

Website: www.standardhotels.com/hua-hin/properties/hua-hin

Two other great hotel on the same beautiful beach