Nai Yang Phuket & The Marriott Nai Yang

We're gearing up for our next Thai adventure in 34 days – but who's counting – so while I'm researching our new island destination, I'm reliving some of our favourite Phuket, Thailand places and moments!

I hope it will make me feel like I'm already on holiday!

If you want to drop your bags, slip on your thongs, and be carried away to a private slice of paradise, this resort and town are for you!

Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach, is a five-star sanctuary on Phuket's secluded northwest coast.

The resort is unrivalled when it comes to amenities: restaurants, pools, spa, gym, and beaches, and the staff is divine! The gardens are beautifully tendered, too, and make for a lovely private separation if you're in a pool access room from those swimming by.

Friendly, fun, cheeky, and very happy, they will cater to just about your every whim!

If you're off on the great Aussie winter retreat to Thailand and want an exquisite resort with blissful luxury, the best Thai and international food, and an expansive buffet breakfast where your eggs are cooked to order and done perfectly—yes, a buffet breakfast is a MUST for me when it comes to breakfast, and these guys have nailed it. The coffee is also amazing! They have the best lattes on the island, in fact!

This serene seafront retreat has become one of Thailand's most sought-after places to stay, dine and unwind. It's like a home away from home.

The elegant rooms, suites, and villas are luxe and beautifully adorned with artwork and sculptures. Most importantly, the luxurious bathrooms and comfortable beds are beautiful. And if you manage a second-floor room, the views of the resort, pool, or beach are spectacular from your private balcony!

You have to explore this resort after dark! The lighting of the palm trees, garden, and pool is classily exquisite.

Their restaurants and bars serve a great variety of Thai and international cuisine; every bite we had was fabulous. The food is well-balanced and flavourful, created with top-quality produce and served with a big Thai smile.

Grab a cocktail and a snack poolside, relax in the air-conditioned bar on the beachfront, or enjoy a seafood platter or a steak at the seaside Big Fish Restaurant. The kids loved the mocktail menu, and I loved that they had my fave whisky and a very decent pinot noir. Not always easy to find in Thailand; most of the good ones are Australian and on the pricey side.

This luxury resort has won many awards, and we vote for them every year, too!

Nai Yang Bay—or Nai Yan Beach, both correct—is really one of Phuket's off-the-beaten-track, undiscovered towns.

It's ridiculous to think it's only 15 mins from Phuket Airport.

But shhhh, only tell a few people, we don't want to over-populate it!

It's quiet, the bay and horseshoe beach are pleasingly clean and inviting, and they have plenty of massage shops—which are very important to me. Trust me; we tried many, sometimes two in one day.

There are also great restaurants and cafes and a lovely, quiet atmosphere where you can relax and unwind while enjoying delicious meals and a few cold drinks.

The Marriott reservations team and concierge will order a car to drive you down there, or you can meander along the beach at your own pace if you feel like a stroll. Just make sure you check the tide times before you go, or you may find yourself swimming on the way back. The tide comes in fast in this quiet, idyllic bay. There's a board in reception and near the Andaman Kitchen restaurant—the location of that fabulous buffet breakfast—that features the daily tides so you can plan your bay activities.

Don your togs at low tide and take a walk in the bay when the tide is out to visit the sea life and birds on a little island that isn't accessible when the tide is in. Head to the left of the bay out past the peak of the national park.

As you walk out into the clean, blue water, tiny fish scatter as you go. It was entertaining watching the kids try to catch them, but their mission was fruitless; those little suckers are fast, super-fast!

There's a super cool unfinished hotel cut into the mountain that I thought were ruins - turns out not! But it still makes for an impressive view.

Later in the afternoon, the fishing boats – more canoes to us - pull up, and you really do feel like you're on a secluded paradise island in a travel brochure or watercolour painting.