– 1 –– – – – – – 1 1 1 11 –––––

ISSUE 5 February 2010

The newsletter is named Otterʼs Tales after Bobby the friendly Otter who was a resident of the Cape Panwa Hotel for nearly 10 years

Sam Wilkinson - Your editor

What’s on in Phuket

- Land of Plastics

- Phuket’s night time

Thai Traditions

- Thais ADORE Children

- Thai Fruit

Cape Happenings

- Miss Belgium 2010

- Christmas &

‘ New Year’s at

Cape Panwa

Hotel Happenings

- Swiss Society

Happy Birtday’s Guest

- Ms.Randyskova Smarda

Wedding

- Tatyana and Grigoriy

- Scott and Donna

2

3

4

5

6

7

Guest Fest

- George & Leonore

English

Crosswords

Meet a guest

- Boxing with

Khun Chris & Khun Tiff

Meet a member

of staff

- Boonsong

Welcome New staff

- Kriengsak

9 Questions

- Sandy

Cape Panwa on

Social Media &

Up and Coming

- More privileges

Welcome to this, edition number five of Cape Panwa Hotel’s

newsletter. We’re ready to jive in Phuket’s most alive seaside resort. The Big

Question is: Are you?

In this issue we feature hotel-based weddings, parties, as well as tongue-in-

cheek Phuket events and news. We also highlight the nautical advantages

of being a regular guest – think luxury yachting – hotel happenings and

our usual monthly articles, such as Thai Traditions and Thai Fruits.

Oh gosh, Tim’s golf has definitely not improved so there’s nothing about

his swing in this edition (sigh of relief) but he has concocted a couple of

puzzles for you – all to do with Thailand. And can someone please gently

inform him that his form with word links is better than his golf links form?

That’d put him out of his misery. If you do, maybe I’ll be in the privileged

position to thank you for it at our fortnightly ‘meet the GM’ Saturday-

evenings’ meetings.

We also had a bevy of Belgium beauties staying at the hotel; all vying for

the Miss Belgium beauty contest. Lucky girls, they stayed in the well-ap-

pointed, brand-new Cape Suites. What they got up to in this sort of luxury

is classified information.

Updates regarding your favourite staff members, along with a smorgas-

bord of Panwa-related events all feature here. Where were you at Christ-

mas and New Year’s Eve? If you weren’t here you’ll see who was…

Introducing our new Cape Suites...

Suite Perfection!

– 2 –– 2 –

Fruit of the month: Pineapple

W h a t ’ s o nI N P H U K E T

The Night time’s the Right time?For many years, Phuket Town’s residents have been happy to

have their own form of nightlife, consisting of clubs and pubs on

the perimeter of town and as far removed from Patong’s racy and

raucous night scene as a Daihatsu delivery van from a Ferrari. But

recently several night joints have opened downtown Phuket and

residents of the famed Old Town are most certainly not pleased.

Angrily complaining to the Governor of people peeing in the

streets and worse, they cited such scandalous factors as

cigarette smoke drifting into their front rooms! Perhaps

sensing certain exaggerations, the ever-popular and

hard-working Governor responded by promising to

don a wig and Ray Bans and go to ‘investigate’ the

problem. One is tempted to entertain the thought

that he didn’t quite take the complaints that seriously.

T h a iT R A D I T I O N S

Thais ADORE Children Not so much a tradition as a way of life: Thai people – from the hardest-looking dudes

to the granny looking after her daughter’s brood – all adore children. And given that

Thai toddlers and youngsters are among the world’s cutest, who can blame them? But

it doesn’t stop there: The language of love is universal and any baby is up for grabs for a

cuddling session in Thailand. Don’t be surprised if your little one is openly admired, coo-ed

at and coddled in Thai society; what better way can hosts pay a compliment to

visitors than by admiring their kiddies? Here, it comes naturally.

Does a pineapple need an introduction?

Not really, as we are all familiar with the

bulky, juicy fruit. But Phuket’s pineapples

are another matter. Extra sweet and juicy,

Phuket’s pineapples are in great demand

amongst the many airlines that fly in

and out of the kingdom because of their

uniqueness and are considered a specialty

with those in the know. You’ll see many

grown in the fields in the north of the

island – and rubber-tree farmers

like to cultivate them amongst

the younger trees as there is

enough sunlight reaching them

to ensure that crisp, to-die-for

freshness that has put them in

the world’s pineapple elite. Go

for them at breakfast, lunch

and dinner. Vitamin C at its

tastiest.

The Land of the Plastic BagTo first-time visitors, Phuket seems to be in the middle of a Plastic

Bag Festival. The amount of packaging here in supermarkets and

corner stores is simply astounding; so much so that it seems that

you cannot purchase a single item – except perhaps a motor

vehicle or a pet dog/cat – without it coming wrapped in several

layers of plastic then presented in guess what? – a plastic bag.

That’s why it was good to hear recently that an agreement to

charge a small fee for plastic bags was signed by most of the is-

land’s major retailers, with Tesco-Lotus and 7-Eleven the only major

retailers holding out on the idea. It is hoped that it will lead to a

source reduction in solid waste. Garbage separation is still a

relatively new idea in Phuket. Cape Panwa’s pragmatic answer to

all the controversy is to pack cotton shopping bags in your luggage

to help towards an environmentally-friendly holiday in Phuket.

Greeting a baby by touching is

very common in Thailand

It’s hard to keep our hands off cute little things like babies

– 3 –– 3 –

Cape PanwaH A P P E N I N G S

At Christmas the staff all got dressed up

as Bollywood dancers, but unlike (most)

Bollywood dancers we sang carols! Father

Christmas dropped by riding an elephant,

a fire-juggler performed for us and singed

his eyebrows, lots of games were played

and great fun was had by all. On New

Year’s Eve we held a celebration focusing

on the different cultures of Phuket, then

lit flying lanterns and watched them float

higher and higher up into the night sky

before playing some games all together.

Then a troupe of ladyboys joined us to

shake their stuff and confuse first-time

visitors to Thailand. Finally, we had an

end-of-the-year fireworks show. All in all it

was unforgettable stuff.

Christmas & New Year at C a p e P a n w a

essed up

e (most

Miss Belgium 2010 Contestants visit

Cape Panwa Hotel On November 16 a group of 20 Belgium beauties arrived amidst much fanfare at Cape

Panwa Hotel. Traditional Thai dancers, an elephant and a large contingent of (mostly

male) staff members were on hand to greet them and help them with their bags. The

Miss Belgium 2010 contestants stayed with us for the week in our newly completed

Cape Suites – all equipped with iPod docking stations, wall-mounted flat-screen

televisions and whirlpool baths on every balcony. If truth be known, Cape Panwa has

hosted many glamorous movie stars, big names and models in the past but this was a

different kettle of fish: these girls were lovely – every one of them.

Our genial GM Claude Sauter grudgingly undertook (not!) to interview two of the

beauties during their stay (video posted on youtube). The girls undertook a great

number of activities including elephant riding, bathing, sea-kayaking, spa treatments,

donning Thai dress and visiting Wat Chalong and a Thai market. On their final night a

farewell, white-themed party took place at the beachside Panwa House Restaurant with

dancing, a live band and a barbecue. It was a pleasure having them and we hope to be

welcoming them all back again in the near future.

Let the party begin

– 4 –– 4 ––– 4 4 –––– 44 ––

H o t e lH A P P E N I N G S

Happy couple

Make a wish, Smarda!

Dr Joseph Smarda

wishes his wife Randys-

kova a happy birthday

at Top of the Reef

Restaurant. Of course,

we’re not letting on

how old Randyskova

is BUT the number of

years involved adds

up to more than their

Gold Card Privilege

number!

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y

>> Click here for photographs of more weddings at Cape Panwa.

Wai - The Thai Greeting

December

Thai Weddings at Cape Panwa Hoteltel

We have just had two very special Thai-Style Weddings

at Cape Panwa Hotel. Our congratulations go to a

young Russian couple Tatyana and Grigoriy – they

had a beautiful day and happily their photographs

turned out superb.

The next Thai-style wedding was that of a young couple from England; Scott and

Donna – their family came with them and they had a very special day with laughter

and smiles.

This was then followed by a trip on the Panwa Princess Yatch to local

islands which involved snorkeling, fun in the onboard Jacuzzi and more swimming.

Congratulations and best wishes to you all from the Cape PanwaTeam

ece

C P H l

The Thai traditional way

Welcome Ambassadors

Swiss Society in PhuketThe Swiss Society of Phuket recently chose to mark their 10th an-

niversary at Cape Panwa Hotel with lots of ‘ompha-ompha’ music

and yodeling. And what better place to celebrate than down at

magnificent Panwa House, with the moonlight shining on the

waves and palms of the hotel’s beach? The evening’s entertain-

ment included Swiss folk music, alpenhorns and accordion music,

Thai traditional dancing and a local band. The party was joined

by the Swiss Ambassador from Bangkok.

On the Yatch

A Walk to Remember

Tatyana & Grigority

– 5 –– 5 –

Mr.

Win & Prizes: Please post or email your answers to us and we will announce the winners in our next Otter’s Tales. Prizes

include T-Shirts, baseball caps and more and can be collected on your next visit or email Tim to have it posted out to you.

Thailand - General knowledge

Where to stay in Thailand

Across 2. What MUST you remove before entering a Buddhist Religious place?4. A Buddhist monastery and community centre6. A person belonging to the most popular region in Thailand. 9. A building that contains a relic (hair or bone) of the Buddha or ashes of the King.11. The smallest currency in Thailand.12. A Thai traditional greeting.14. The main river in Bangkok.Down1. The largest Island in Thailand3. Thai Boxing.5. A very popular Thai drink (in the small brown bottles).7. A traditional large wooden public bus.8. The most popular Thai beer.10. What is the world in Thai which foreigner AND a fruit?13. In Phuket what side of the road do you drive on?

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

Phuket

Hua Hin

Chiang Mai

Bangkok

Sriracha

Ayutthaya

Kabinburi

Rayong

G u e s tF E S T

1

2 3

4

5

6 7

8 9

10

11 12 13

14

Mr.

Hand in hand for home sweet home

CROSSWORD & QUIZ

Home sweet homeGeorge and Lenore English stayed with us at Cape Panwa Hotel in one of the

new Cape Panwa Suites on their recent visit to Thailand.

It was not the only place that they stayed however. They also went up to Chi-

ang Mai to help build homes with the Habitat for Humanity Project! Supported

by ex US president Jimmy Carter and his wife, who were also in Chiang Mai to

lend a helping hand, the project aims to build homes for up to 82 disadvan-

taged families in the area. Many volunteers from around

the world came to help, many staying at our sister

hotel, Kantary Hills Hotel, Chiang Mai.

>> Click here for more information about Habitat Humanity Project

– 6 –– 6 –

MEET A MEMBER OF

S T A F F

W

W E L C O M E N E W

S T A F F

Welcome Khun

KriengsakAs mentioned in Newsletter # 4, our old

friend Khun Rochidee has been promoted

to GM of Kameo House in Rayong!

Well, who’s the lucky guy who has

replaced him? It’s Khun Kriengsak, our new

Front Office Manager and here’s a photo

of him with some staff members - all ready

for the Christmas Party.

He has come from Khao Lak and he is

single!

– 6 –– 6 –

Q What things do you do when you’re

here?

A Relaxation on the beach is at the top

of our list but first we always visit the local

Thai Boxing Training Camp. It is actually

run by a bell boy at Cape Panwa ! We run

‘Kicks’, a Martial Arts Gym in Brighton and

it is fascinating to come to Cape Panwa

and see how the local Thai people teach

it. Locally speaking, we like to visit a small

café called 1425 - the people who live in

that area are our friends - it is wonderful to

take a holiday and to be made to feel so

welcome. We have already organised our

next trip for 2010!

Q Where do you like to visit in Phuket?

A We like to visit Phuket Old Town to

explore the Chinese Temple, the old market

and finish up at the Tunka Café (on the top

of Rang Hill – the views are splendid Ed).

Q Where are the must-visit places on

the island?

A People really should visit Wat Chalong,

the Big Buddah and eat local restaurants in

the (Chalong) area - our favourite is Parlai

Seafood, past the zoo.

Q Why do you choose Cape Panwa?

A The beach is wonderful, the gardens

are well kept and feature a Sino-Portuguese

Mansion called Panwa House which is a

wonderful building oozing with history - it

really needs a blog written about it!!!

M E E T A

G U E S T

Boxing Chris and Tiff are definitely not the sort

of people you’d want to get into a tussle

with. They run ‘Kicks’ – a Martial Arts

Centre in Brighton. This chat took place

on their third stay with us and they’re

already planning their fourth for

this year!

Urr...Tiff may want to kick a little higher

U

Chris is getting some tips

Coffee break - More caffein for the next round

W ll Kh

Khun Kriengsak seems to be a bit

“overwhelmed” here

thtththththththiiiisisiiiis y y y y yy yy eaeaeaeaeaeeaeeae r!r!!r

“Blend” in with the locals

Boonsong –

Home and AwayThis is Khun Boonsong.

He has been with us since

May 2008 and the Christmas before last he

created an absolute sensation for his artistic

direction of the ‘Lion Dancing Show’ –

wiggles, thrusts and all. However this year

he was a lot quieter and we wondered just

why. After some sleuthing and investiga-

tive snooping around we discovered the

reason: Boonsong was recently married to

Khun Pikaju – they say marriage mellows

you out but taming a wild cat? Wow!

– 7 –– 7 –You can contribute, too! Please send us your holiday photos and we’ll post them in

Otter’s Tales. Please post to am@capepanwa.com

›› Cape Panwa Happenings - A trip on Panwa Princess

›› Hotel Happenings - Valentines @ Cape Panwa

›› What’s on in Phuket - Chinese New Year

›› Thai Traditions - Wedding - the Thai traditional way

U p &C O M I N G

PRIVILEGESC A R D

Private Trip on

PANWA PRINCESS

Did you know that if you have stayed 10

times at Cape Panwa you can have a free

private cruise on Panwa Princess Yatch, a

beautiful new state-of-the-art yacht

featuring unparalleled levels of luxury and

comfort combined with first class service and

sumptuous food and drink? Discover the

surrounding paradisiacal islands in style on

an unforgettable tropical cruise.

Sandy has worked for us for more than 10 years and is an integral part of the

beach team

Q What can you tell me about yourself that I don’t know already?

Sandy: That I am the most beautiful girl on the beach – (giggles) apart from the guests of

course…

Q What do you think about the Lottery? (gambling being illegal in

Thailand)

Sandy: I never buy a ticket but I keep thinking that if I win I would never have to work

again!

Q What is your dream?

Sandy: I would like a mini-mart and to live above it.

Q Where in the world would you like to travel?

Sandy: Nowhere – I like to stay at home with my family.

Q Where is the best place to eat in Phuket?

Sandy: My house and my mum is the best cook in Phuket.

Q Come on, you must have a guilty pleasure?

Sandy: There is a noodle shop on the corner that I like to visit, but don’t tell mum.

Q Why did you choose to work at Cape Panwa?

Sandy: It is not far from my home. (laughing)

Q Why do you stay at the Cape Panwa Hotel?

Sandy: Because of the customers who come and take care of me every year

Q Why do they come to Cape Panwa?

Sandy: To see me! (more giggles) They like the private beach.

u e s t i o n s

with Sandy T H E H E A R T O F T H E B E A C H

Cape Panwa O N S O C I A L M E D I A

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