Nestled amongst the dense forest, Avista hideaway really does live up to it’s name. Hidden amongst the thick greenery overlooking the crashing blue waves on the horizon, you really couldn’t wish for a better place to spend your time in Thailand.

Think 5* honeymoon destination but for all of the family.

It was our first time staying in the resort, and with its 100+ rooms finding our way around at first was somewhat complicated, but the incredibly accommodating staff at Avista quickly took us on a tour via golf buggy ~ how exciting.

Not only does the Hideaway house 3 luxury swimming pools (one being adult only), but has also made space for two beautiful restaurants, one rooftop bar, a fully-fitted air conditioned gym, library, mini golf AND virtual golf, plus the most beautiful spa.

Our Room:

For the duration of our stay, we were comfortably situated in one of their Executive rooms – a beautifully furnished double room with a balcony overlooking the forest and wonderful views of the sea. The large bathroom containing both a waterfall shower and modern bath creating the perfect setting for some much needed R&R.

The amenities in the room itself providing all of the necessities including a large fridge and microwave to cater for inevitable midnight hunger. To control the comfort of the room, a master lighting panel situated behind the bed head had buttons for lighting options, room temperature, room service, a world clock and alarm functions too. All set, right?

The Food:

The main restaurant in the hotel; ‘Avista’, was located within a grand dining hall equipped with decorative floor to ceiling pillars and blue lighting for an uplifting ambiance.

During the more summery days a chance to dine out on the beautiful balcony was also available. The menu itself provides a hybrid of western and asian cuisine catering for all food preferences. Whether you’re looking to try a traditional Thai curry or noodle dish, or wanting to opt for something safer such as a burger or chef’s salad, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what they have to offer here.

The Avista restaurant is also the home of the breakfast buffet. Once again our offerings were endless. With the western influence certainly prominent here, for breakfast you can expect fresh fruit, bread of all sorts, eggs to order, pancakes, yoghurt and muesli, plus a handful of hot savoury dishes and a station serving a different traditional thai delicacy each day. During our stay we were able to try their sweet coconut pancakes and rice dumplings containing crunchy nuts…delicious!

The Avista isn’t the only restaurant here, though. During the summer months and warmer nights, make your way up to the Sizzle steakhouse on the fourth floor. If the views alone aren’t a big enough reason to go, I don’t know what is.

For our avid seafood lovers, the surf and turf menu at sizzle will be a delight. Serving up fresh seafood and beautiful garnishes, exciting flavour combinations along with a handful of traditional influences making their way onto the table.

Our meal at Sizzle was one to remember, not only for the food, but because of the friendly and attentive staff, the overlooking views of the setting sun and the freshly shaken cocktails to keep our evening alive.

Cooking Lesson:

After trying a handful of the traditional Thai dishes on the Avista menu, our fingers were itching to get involved and to find out just how the explosion of flavours were made. For our fellow foodies, you’ll be excited to know that here at Avista Hideaway they offer afternoon cooking lessons to teach you the ropes…how exciting! Healthy Jon, Heather and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in and chose three dishes that we were keen to recreate: Thai Green Curry, Tom Yum soup (with prawns) and Spicy Chicken Cashew stir fry.

We quickly adorned ourselves with aprons and chef hats before jumping behind the stove to get involved. One of the lovely head chef’s at the restaurant took us through the steps, explaining to us how to slice each fresh vegetable correctly, how to season each dish to perfection, and also how to apply similar cooking techniques when looking to experiment in our own homes. After each dish was lovingly made, we took to the dining room to enjoy each dish with smiles on our faces and huge appreciation for the meal; how delightful.

The Spa:

It wasn’t long before the breathtaking spa caught our attention and had us keen to try out one of the treatments. Situated down the hill from the bulk of the hotel, the architecturally designed spa space with it’s beautiful shallow pools and water features really does set the mood for a good pamper. The three of us tried out a 30 minutes full body massage in two of the beautiful treatment rooms. The lovely ladies doing our treatments looking after us with kindness and infectious smiles.

After our beautiful treatments were over, we took a few moments to relax poolside with fresh jasmine towels, ginger tea and beautifully crunchy biscuits. A real recipe for some down time.

The spa menu itself offers treatments from a simple foot massage to a full-body ginger scrub or mud wrap. You can even treat yourself to the royal package consisting of the Coconut ginger scrub, White Mud Wrap, Herbal Tea Treatment, Thai Massage and Herbal Bath if you’re wanting to go all out…(next time!)

Location:

Vista Hideaway is located only a short drive from the centre of Patong. A bustling city with an equally vibrant nightlife. The hundreds of cafes and market stalls being a prime destination for those of you looking to explore and come home with a bag packed with souvenirs and camel printed baggy trousers (you know the ones).

As well as the shopping area, Patong is also home to a wide white sand beach with clear turquoise waters. As you can imagine, the perfect spot for the holiday photos you’ve been lusting over.

Why you should go: 

Why SHOULDN’T you go. Seriously, our stay here at Avista Hideaway has been gold star. By far our favourite hotel stay to date with beaming staff to match our equally beaming smiles. It’s not every day that you find yourself wanting to opt to stay in the hotel rather than wanting to go out exploring, and I really do think that is a reflection of the quality of care here at the Hideaway. The impeccable service and really down to earth vibe of the whole hotel leaving us longing to back and relive our stay over and over again.

Dear Wan, thank you SO much for making this time so enjoyable. We really couldn’t have had a better time and can’t show how grateful we are for such a blissful stay.