Amy Adejokun
Section editor
Welcome to the Indigo Pearl world! What a pleasure to discover an establishment with its own identity, where the keyword of the decoration is originality. Once arrived, you will not enter in an ordinary hotel, but in another world. The designer Bill Bensley is unquestionably a genius. A real favourite!
The Slate - © Christophe Hiltgen / EASYVOYAGE
The Slate - © Christophe Hiltgen / EASYVOYAGE
The Indigo Pearl is 3 miles from the airport of Phuket, which is around 12 minutes to get there. The capital of the island, Phuket Town, is 15.5 miles away. Count a little less than half an hour to get there.
The 227 rooms of the hotel are divided in different buildings arranged in an arc of circle. There are six different room categories, from the standard to the villa. The furniture and decoration perfectly combine different materials. The grey of the concrete walls blends very well with the metal furniture. The king-size bed is a real pleasure: once you lay down, the mattresses and pillows follow your body shape, a real cocoon! The sitting area with fuchsia cushions gives a touch of colour to the place, arranged opposite a flat screen. All rooms have a terrace or a balcony overlooking mainly the luxurious garden. Outside you will also find a relaxation bed for your nap. The luckiest can dispose of a private swimming pool on the ground floor, accompanied by two beach chairs, a sunshade and an outdoor bathtub. Half of the basin is covered by a pergola in case the sun is too strong... With regard to the equipment, nothing to say: TV, air conditioning, minibar filled with tea and coffee kit, direct international line, hairdryer and 24 hour room service. The bathroom of the standard room is of reasonable size. It includes welcome products and bathrobes. But its advantage is to be simply separated from the room by a big bay window. You can then have shower while contemplating the outside landscape.
Expect to be surprised the first time you arrive at the Indigo Pearl. The decoration is very destabilising but so captivating... Finally here we are, not in a hotel but in a real factory. Iron structures and sculptures are disposed here and there in the hotel, on a 12.5 acre area. As ornaments, there are paper presses on the reception's tables... All the space is open but protected by a wooden roof. Here it is also worth mentioning a statue of the king of Thailand. In the entrance hall the blue tones, such as the electric blue of the sofa, dominate, and the soft light softens the corners. You will then find the reception but also the concierge service. The hotel offers three different swimming pools, each one nicer than the other. They perfectly match with the decoration. In addition, one of them is decorated by a sculpture realised with car tyres... unbelievable! Another has a bar at the water level which allows to have a drink in the swimming pool. The third one, surrounded by vegetation, is an infinity pool...
The Indigo Spa of the hotel has six treatment rooms, four of which are individual and two for couples. Other rooms were in construction in September 2007. Jacuzzi, ensuite shower, outdoor shower...
The Indigo Pearl disposes of two bars, three pools bar, a beach bar and three restaurants. The Tin mine is the main restaurant, situated outdoor. The breakfast is served buffet style there. Lunch and dinner are a la carte. Once more, the decoration is splendid and the least detail is linked to the factory: you will find spanner shapes! The international cuisine is delicious there; you will eat dishes for all tastes at fair prices. The Rivet Grill is a real restaurant for carnivores: impressive and delicious pieces of meat are offered. For those who do not like meat, there are also other dishes. The setting is design and again, there are big leather shell-shaped sofas. However, the restaurant is open only for dinner. Finally, the Black Ginger is worth its name: all the inside is black! Here the chef offers Thai cuisine. You can dine either indoor or on the terrace, everything is on stilts. For the gourmands or for a snack, the Underground cafe has sandwiches, ice-creams... It can also prepare pic-nic during the day. For billiard and happy-hour lovers, meet at the Tongkah Tin Syndicate...
Note that the hotel is not directly by the sea. You need to cross a small road to go to the beach. For the moment, the hotel has a few beach chairs installed on the beach, just opposite the establishment. The hotel will implement a free touk-touk service to get there. The sand is fine, the sea is clear and no worries for the waves, the beach is quite well sheltered.
Open since December 2006, the hotel is not very famous yet: take advantange now that you still can! Note that Arnaud, the hotel manager, is French!
You will obviously need to take a cab to go to town, unless you like walking... Note also that there are a few shops outside the hotel. A few bars and boutiques are also available by the beach, just opposite the establishment.
Parents can relax in total tranquillity while children will perform all sort of activities, supervisioned by the hotel staff: videogames, batik classes, yoga classes...
spa, massage, beauty salon, keep fit, sauna, Turkish bath, wellness
gym, aqua gym, aerobics, tennis, fitness, golf, bums and tums
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