The kids had planned for a week in Phuket, which is a fair while so we decided to break it up a bit. The first couple of nights were in Phuket Town, the busier and more central area, one of our rare hostel stays. It was quite cosy, but a good base for walking to the big night market where I picked up a new dress and a replacement shoulder bag (after having mine stolen in Barcelona).

For the rest of our time, we opted for a big house with three bedrooms and three bathrooms! It also had a generous lounge area with a a very comfy couch, plus kitchen, dining and pool too. It was a welcome change for us to have so much space for a few days. The kids particularly appreciated having their own rooms and bathrooms!

As you might imagine, this villa was not in the centre of any town. But it was a few minutes walk from a supermarket and some small, local restaurants, so we were happy.

Thai people seem to be quite fastidious, which is great, but when we were offered cleaning for three hours every day we declined and suggested every second day would be enough. I am not even sure how it would be possible to clean for that long each day!

The day the cleaner was supposed to come it started raining relentlessly starting about 5am. As our house was on a downhill slope, our front yard was flooded by mid-morning. Even the worms were having to swim! (Poor things, they didn’t fare well the next day when it dried up 😩)

A neighbourhood cat, who clearly didn’t check the forecast, started its day on our porch and was unable to leave. We tried to make friends but there was a bit of reluctance…

By the end of the day when the rain finally finished it was hard to tell where the pool ended and the water began. Needlessly to say, we didn’t need a swim that day, especially after Z and M braved the rain for some lunch.

Thankfully, we had already stocked up at the supermarket! ☔