Phuket: Bensley Style
So the reason I’m in Bangkok, if you didn’t know, is because I got a job working with legendary hotel architect Bill Bensley. The guy is as eclectic as it gets, and it shows in his work. But if you think it wouldn’t show in his play, then you are sorely mistaken. After working for a month in the office, we got a month off work, and the month off was kicked off by a company weekend trip to a Bensley-designed resort on the island of Phuket. And look, I know how to play hard - I went to USC after all. But these mother fuckers man…they just know how to do it. 3 nights, 3 marvelous parties. Here’s a recap of that trip
First and foremost, we stayed at The Slate. Bill redesigned this hotel about a decade ago and transformed it into a wonderful playground. The hotel is large, with several different pools, each with their own personality. The hotel is located only a 5 minute drive from the airport (in fact, I actually went for a run on the beach all the way to the runway), so its convenient on that end BUT that also means you’re about a 45 minute drive from the main attractions of the island, which is the largest island in Thailand, mind you. Regardless, this is a Bill Bensley hotel. That makes it worth it on its own. If you are ever staying at a Bill Bensley hotel, you can expect the best of the best when it comes to design. The Slate was no exception to that. I’ll just let these photos do the talking.
So the first night was sort of the welcoming dinner, where we gathered in a beautiful bar (middle right photo in that grid), all wearing white, and mingled for about an hour. We had people walking around with Ahi Tuna, margaritas, wine glasses - you name it! It was great to just have my first social gathering with my new co-workers in a setting as ideal as this one. Everyone is on island time, no work stress, we were all just vibing and living life.
Afterwards, we were ushered downstairs for dinner. The meal was fantastic, and the performances during dinner (shirtless men in togas dancing, drag queens singing, boss giving speeches) were quite entertaining, but it was really after meal service ended that the party properly began. Co-workers-turned-friends were handing me shot after shot after champagne glass after champagne glass. The dinner table turned into a stage for the more…extroverted, we’ll say, of the office crew. Strip shows and weed and beautiful sin was in every direction you looked, and it was truly unbelievable. I mean imagine me, a 23 year old, having just started to work as a professional straight out of graduating, doing my dream job, then after only a month suddenly living this reality. It didn’t feel like reality. It had to be a dream. And yet, it wasn’t. Sure, I worked my ass off to get to this point in my life, but to be actually living it, there were no words to describe my elation, and I truly had almost never felt luckier in my entire life.
Waking up was tough though. Being the new, young kid in the office means a whole lot of people want to have some fun and take shots with you. And being the new, young kid in the office means that I of course obliged. But hey, USC teaches you how to rally, and that I did.
Well, kind of. The office went over to the Old Town of Phuket, and as I was boarding the bus, I realized there was a nice, large hole in my pants. So, back to the room I went, and I missed the bus. Never to fear, there was a bus in the afternoon anyway. This became a blessing in disguise for me, because I got to truly enjoy the hotel on my own. I went for a run on the beach which was absolutely stunning, took a dip in the swimming pool and got a bomb ass specialty drink while making friends with the bartender at the swim up bar, did some archery (I’m actually not bad honestly, but damn its a hard thing to do), then lounged in the room for a bit. It was a great day on my own at the hotel.
Eventually, I went over to the Old Town. I highly recommend being in Phuket on Sunday afternoon for the street market. The food and clothing and nick nacks are amazing, and if there’s one thing I recommend, its getting oysters. Yes, oysters on the street, and you get 4 for $3. There’s a special green sauce for seafood, so throw that on there and trust me, its the best. Also, for those with a sweet tooth, you have to go to Torry’s Ice Cream. Absolutely decedent.
Anyway, we then went for another dinner party, this time at the factory of one of our main designers, the guy who makes things like utensils or lamps or faucets - all hand crafted for our specific designs. So suffice to say, this factory was pretty badass. We were treated to another show during dinner with great singers and performers. I ended up sitting at the important people table on accident, which was definitely a little awkward, but hey, I’m a sociable man, I know how to maintain conversations, even if it is with a 70+ year old billionaire.
After some more debauchery at the factory, we called it a night a bit earlier, because the next day was a an absolute doozy. After an early wake up call and about a 30 minute drive across the island to the marina, we got on a massive boat and head north towards Ao Nang Bay. Doing a kayak trip here is a must when you visit Phuket. You’re going underneath caves, around inland lagoons, all while watching butterflies and monkeys playing in the lush green forest overhead. Plus, the water is the most beautiful emerald green and at the perfect temperature. We got our lunches delivered by ‘Angels’ from another boat, made traditional Thai flower floats, then ended the day with a beach party, complete with even more food and more drinks.
And for our last night, we partied more at the specialty restaurant at The Slate (which is only accessible via a boat across a pond). This restaurant is absolutely stunning, and the food was divine as well. We drank as much as our exhausted bodies could, then called it on what was an amazing few days.
Getting to know the office in an environment like this was truly a blessing, and I could not have imagined it going any better than it did. Plus, given I had JUST dyed my hair blonde, I was thrilled to know that everyone still recognized me and did not ridicule me (too much). This few day trip really made me feel like the luckiest person in the world, and it sort of cemented my decision to leave my life in America and move across the world to a city I had never lived in before without any friends or family. It was a scary decision, but after spending a few days in Phuket, Bensley style, I knew it was the right one.