Twin Palms or Dusit Laguna

We%26#39;ve been to Phuket couple of times before and stayed at Kata Thani which we loved although found it a little quiet at night unless you took a tuk tuk into Kata itself, but wanted to do something a little different and looking at either Twin Palms or Dusit Laguna for Jan/Feb. The Twin Palms hotel itself really appeals as we like a smaller modern hotel, but we love a good beach and the option to wander around the shops and have some options of restaurants at night within walking distance and worried the beach may not be as good we had at Kata Thani and wouldn%26#39;t want anything quite as quiet as that area whereas Laguna beach looks great and has more options on shopping/restaurants, but then worried Dusit will have too much of a big feel resort to it and be too corporate and lose the Thai culture. Does anyone have any insights based on what we like?

Twin Palms or Dusit Laguna

Please look at my response in the thread ';Dusit Laguna'; sent today 20/11. I am afraid I can%26#39;t make any comparisons, since I don%26#39;t know Twin Palms.

You can get an idea about the Dusit in my missive and I can highly recommend the beach, however the following caveat:

Although there is a shopping area (Canal Village) the Laguna complex is fairly quiet (which suits us). If you are looking for shopping and entertainment (other than food) in the vicinity, the Dusit may not be what you are looking for.

Good luck!

Twin Palms or Dusit Laguna

Surin Beach is a favorite of Thais and the local expats who live in the area. The Twin Palms is quite a special place - and to the left and right as you exit Twin Palms you will find quite a few small shops and good restaurants. During high season there will be at least 20-25 beach shack restaurants right on Surin Beach - plenty of choices! Not too much night life in the immediate area though a couple of the small bars might have live music. However, a 12-15 minute walk would take up us the main street to Silk - a quite upscale restaurant that sometimes has live music.

On Bang Tao Beach, the Dusit has a special appeal and a lot of people who go there are regulars. I like the area (I live a few minutes walk from the Dusit) and the golf course is great for early morning birdwatching. Yes, Canal Village is very quiet! However a 12 minute walk to the entrance of the resorts area will bring you to several restaurants (one with live music - Fusion) and quite a few shops. Another 5-8 minute walk along that road will take you to a very lively area where most of the expats who live in the area hang out - lots of pubs, restaurants, shops etc. Somewhere there WILL have live music.

Down on Bang Tao Beach there are several small bars among the bigger beach restaurants - but not really a significant night life. On into Cherng Talay (heading out of town towards Bang Tao and Surin) - the Red Room regularly has live music on Friday nights.

Hope that helps.

Uh . . . just to clarify . . .

Let me modify that ';very lively area'; to just lively.

This area is not a Patong type area and has a very different flavor to it. I am not always sure what people are looking for - but the expat area where Peppers, Supper Club, Tatonka, Totos, and many more of the local favorites are located is a busy area. But - it is not the Soi Bangla type scene. And, it is probably more expat than tourist. More farang than Thai.

The first area of restaurants and shops mentioned above (heading out of Laguna) is certainly more tourist than expat - and will also have more Thai tourists and Thai shops.

I bet that confused you even more!

Thanks very much for the replies. Definitely not looking for Patong lively and just to have something in the area and from what you have both described, I think there seems enough around the Twin Palms to wander around and we were particularly keen on this hotel - just didn%26#39;t want it to be deserted. I guess both areas are close enough to have a look at the other while we are there as we have never headed that way in Phuket and certainly be nice to see Laguna too. Thanks for all your help.

We stayed at the TwinPalms in late October and thoroughly enjoyed it. The beach is lovely -- clean and quiet, but with quite a few beach shack restaraunts and massage tables. The night scene is pretty quiet. We did walk over to Silk one evening for a lovely dinner -- expensive by Thai standards, but not by Western, and if you make a reservation, they%26#39;ll pick you up at your hotel (we got a free lift back from them).

We stayed in the Dusit April 2005, and we are returning April 2007and taking our brother and sister inlaw mainly because my wife who originally was a bit dubious about going to Thailand for a holiday thought it was the most amazing and beautiful spot on earth ( the beach location that is) she just cant wait to get back to that hotel because it was peaceful but within 20 mins you could get to Patong if you wanted a bit of nightlife. The place is heaven. Roll on April 7th.