Rooms come in 4 varieties: Studio, Junior Suite, 1 Bedroom Suite, and Honeymoon Suite. Some of the larger rooms include sofas and oversized bathtubs. High season Prices range from 1,600 per night for a Studio room to B3,500 for the Honeymoon Suite (inclusive of breakfast, taxes, and service charge). Green season (surf season!) rates are even more attractive, ranging from B1,200 to B3,000. Guests will find that the fun atmosphere extends to common areas as well. The huge, multi leveled pool is surrounded by long, padded sofas with colorful pillows allowing guests to unwind to the max. For sunbathers, there are deckchairs sitting directly in the water of the “low tide” area of the pool making basking in the sun a more refreshing experience. Other features include an in-pool jacuzzi and a moderndesign waterfall plunging directly into the inviting waters. Not far from there, you’ll find Dara’s chic bar and restaurant as well as a comfortable meeting room available for guest use. Overlooking the pool and accessed by a spiral staircase is a wide open roof garden where you can watch the action below during the day or enjoy a good view of live poolside entertainment from above at night. One hotel feature TSM found especially cool is a proper 3 wheeled Thai tuk tuk offered free for guests. What better way to explore Old Town in Phuket, go shopping, or hit the golf course than via an authentic, open aired tuk tuk? Khun Boat plans on adding more features to Dara in the near future including an acrylic stage that can be lowered directly into the pool offering a unique setting for live bands, fashion shows, and other parties and presentations. Contrary to popular belief, the name “Dara” (which can mean “movie star” in Thai) has nothing to do with the hotel’s chic, hip, and trendy atmosphere. Nor did it come from the fact that the Central Festival traffic crossing is also known as the Darasamut Intersection (another nice coincidence). The hotel is actually named after Khun Boat’s mother, Khun Dararat. In this sense, Dara means Shining Star and, unlike movie stars that fade away as quickly as they shine, Khun Boat believes that the auspicious name will bring luck, longevity, and good fortune to the Hotel for a long time to come just like the heavenly bodies it is named after. Khun Boat, who originally worked in the auto industry as an industrial engineer, was drawn to the hotel business by brothers, sisters, and cousins who were already
involved in the industry in locations around Phuket. Their knowledge and support have helped Khun Boat to realize his fantastic creation. Having only opened 6 months ago, Dara is already catching on through word of mouth amongst businessmen and the young, hip, and trendy crowd from Bangkok and neighboring Asian countries. The hotel’s central location, being one of the best positions from which to explore ALL of the island, is also starting to catch the eye of Western visitors looking for a different experience from the usual Phuket beach resort. TSM thinks Dara has all the ingredients for success: great prices, comfortable rooms, generous amenities, and of course, the unique, colorful, hip, and trendy modern living atmosphere. Definitely worth checking out on your next visit to Phuket.
Dara Hotel
14/18 Moo 4, Chaofa Road, Vichit, Muang, Phuket 83000 Tel: +66 (0) 7661 2846-49 Fax: +66 (0) 7661 2850 E-mail: info@daraphuket.com www.daraphuket.com 13