Shanti Lodge

Rooms at Shanti Lodge have either a nature view or a garden view, and they measure between 21 and 44 m². Beds run from a single queen bed to combinations of queen, single and double beds, and several rooms sleep up to four or five guests.

Several rooms have a private bathroom with a walk-in shower, while others share a bathroom. Depending on the room, there is an electric kettle, air conditioning, a flat-screen TV or a fan, and open-air bath privileges come with some garden-view rooms. Many rooms also have toiletries, towels and satellite or cable channels, so the sleeping and bathing arrangements vary from one room to the next.

Shanti Lodge has an outdoor swimming pool and an indoor swimming pool, along with a children's pool. The spa offers massage, a body scrub and a foot bath, and there is also a sauna, a steamroom and a yoga room. The garden and the library are on site too.

Dining includes restaurants, a bar, a poolside bar and room service. Breakfast is offered a la carte, with Asian, Continental and Western choices, and it can be served in the room.

For getting around, there is an airport transfer, and tours can be arranged. Activities include hiking and horseback riding, and laundry service and 24-hour security are also available. Free parking is available on site.

Chalong is a residential district in the south of Phuket, with a local feel that is quite different from the busy nightlife of Patong. Shanti Lodge is on Choafa Nok Road, among the streets of the district rather than the resort strip. A night market and a fitness centre are also within a few kilometres of the lodge.

Chaithararam Temple, better known as Wat Chalong, is one of Phuket's most important Buddhist temples and lies 1.2 km away. The Big Buddha, a large white statue on a hill, is 2.8 km away, and Karon and Kata beaches are 4.6 km away. Chalong Pier, a ferry terminal, is 2.5 km away and serves boats to the islands around Phuket. Phuket International Airport is 30.7 km away, and the lodge offers an airport transfer.

A good day could start at Wat Chalong and the Big Buddha, then move to Karon or Kata beach in the afternoon, with the Phuket FantaSea show as an evening choice. The Phuket Botanic Garden and the Phuket Bird Park are also close by. Phuket Town, with its Sino-Portuguese shophouses and old streets, is another choice for a day out, and the Phuket Seashell Museum is a further place to see on the island.