I admit I’m partial to smaller hotels; maybe it has something to do with the need for intimacy and warmth as well as my personal disdain for the cold, impersonal ambiance of larger resorts and places. At smaller hotels, I also enjoy the opportunity for a more light hearted, personal interaction with the hotel employees and staff. At large establishments, the interactions with the staff can be very impersonal and ingenuous; as you walk out the door, the bellman is always there to open the door greeting with a generic smile on their face and a generic good morning sir, good evening sir, can I help you with your bags, sir? Hotel clerks will commonly address you, as how are you sir; can I help you today, Mr. Hanumann? Kind of stiff…

One of my favorite hotels in Thailand has to be the Kamala Dreams, a small family owned apartment hotel of only 18 rooms located in the heart of the Kamala Resort area on the island of Phuket. Rooms are large and spacious, attractively and simply furnished, all very clean and proper and equipped with a small refrigerator, microwave and a set of cooking utensils. All rooms open up to a private outdoor terrace.
What makes this small hotel so special are not the rooms or the facilities but the friendliness, charm and warm hospitality of the staff. Owned and operated by a transplanted Dutchman, Jan Jacobs and his lovely Thai wife, Duan, Kamala Dreams is definitely a family affair as they utilize/employ many member’s of Duan’s family including her father, mother and her brother (and his wife).

As one enters the lobby and open air restaurant, Charoen’s Seafood, you will usually be greeted by her father, Charoen (Papasan), who is casually attired like a sleek beach boy proudly baring his tan chest or wearing a colorful tropical shirt. Her brother, Fan, is the spitting image of the father, right down to his casual beach boy attire. Fan takes care of security matters and handles a lot ‘the dirty work’ while his wife, Pia, works unseen as a cook in the kitchen. Her cousin, Joe, a runner like myself, is a young, friendly chap who works as a waiter in the restaurant. Souda, the vivacious, short and slim lady handles a number of duties- she’s the lead housekeeper and also helps out in the office. She’s quite a personality, a bundle of energy and I love to kid around with her. Duan’s mother, Somchit (Mamasan), can usually be seen, hanging around in the restaurant during the days, always with a beatific smile on her face.
Duan , who manages the hotel is a very charming and gracious lady and a real sweetheart. I find Duan always in good humor and with a smile on her face (just like her mother). Duan’s husband, Jan, has completely integrated himself into the Family and the Kamala community and impresses me as an affable man with good level head on his shoulders

Of course, Kamala Dreams as well as the Kamala community have had to endure the catastrophic impact of the monster Tsunami that rocked the area on December 26, 2004. The hotel was substantially damaged as the restaurant and all the rooms on the first floor were destroyed. Thanks to a comprehensive insurance policy, the hotel has been repaired and the facilities have been upgraded ; a small but cozy swimming pool has been added in addition to 6 more rooms. Total room count is now 18. Beyond the property damage, the Tsunami also claimed the life of one of the maids who was swept out to sea as well as the lives of four family members, an uncle and aunt, a nephew and a cousin. Yet Charoen, Duan and the family and the rest of Kamala community have had to put behind them the physical and human losses caused by the Tsunami and have moved on with their lives.
For your info, room rates start from $30USD/night during the low season, May-Nov. and from $62USD/night during the high season, November-May. Rates are for a double and include breakfast. A great value!

In November 2004, I visited Phuket for the first time, staying in the quiet resort area of Kamala. I had a great time, met a lot of the local people and I especially enjoyed my stay at Kamala Dreams, a small family run apartment hotel located in the middle of the strip. Well, shortly thereafter, on December 26 2004, a monster Tsunami originating in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Indonesia, swept thru region causing massive damage and loss of life. In Phuket, despite exaggerated media reports to the contrary, most of the resort areas escaped with minimal damage. Kamala, on the other hand, experienced the full wrath of the Tsunami and was turned completely upside down.

Returning in September 2005, Kamala had a completely different look. Initially, I had a hard time recognizing the area as so much had changed. In the village, many of the small restaurants, shops and bars had disappeared replaced by crumbled ruins, grass and vacant lots. Amazingly, some of the small bars across from Kamala Dreams including ‘Same-same but different” miraculously survived. One bar I visited had a marker on the wall showing how high the floodwaters had risen (about 5 feet high). The boardwalk, which fronted the beach, disappeared completely along with all the small restaurants, boutiques, bars and tailor shops. Devoid of all the vendor and concessions, the beach was eerily quiet and deserted and considerably more natural. Many of the vendors who survived the Tsuanami left the area and returned to their family homes in Bangkok, Issan or other parts of Thailand, never to return to Kamala.

I understand that the boardwalk will never be replaced, although some the bars and beachside restaurants are making plans to return. Kamala Dreams, the small family run hotel, had been partially destroyed by the Tsunami, but thanks to an insurance policy, the owners were able to rebuild the hotel, adding a new swimming pool and we’re in the process of building an additional 6 rooms, which will be ready for the coming high season. Everywhere in Kamala, there is building boom going on - new hotels, guesthouses, bars and restaurants are in the works; on construction sites you’ll see an equal mix of ‘male and female hard hats” furiously working into the wee hours of the morning.

The people of Kamala are rebuilding their community and are to be commended for their positive spirit and attitude. Although the memory of the deadly Tsunami remains buried in their subconscious, most of the residents of Kamala, spurred on by the need to make a living, have gotten on with their lives and have rededicated themselves to building a new and improved Kamala Beach and a better life for themselves. As Kamala Beach is totally dependent on the tourism business, I am encouraging you to discover the quiet beauty and friendliness of this small resort community. They need your tourist dollars to come back all the way!

Hanuman admits that in all his travels around the world that he has never (and I mean never) been in a Karaoke bar. Well there is always a first time and that first time was in Siem Reap, Cambodia (the gateway to the ancient city of Angkor Wat). It all started innocently enough as he was having dinner at a local restaurant on his first night in Siem Reap. The young waiter at the restaurant-cum guesthouse, struck up a conversation with ‘the big ape’, and seeing that Hanuman was all alone, suggested that I go with him to sample a little bit of the indigenous nightlife. Karaoke he asked? I said why not, I’m game. So I sponsored the young man (Mr. T) who was the nephew of the proprietor. Mr.T was very westernized and spoke English and Cambodian fluently. I knew this the whole thing was a hustle and that I would be picking up the tab, but even ’ royal monkees” like Hanumann need to have to have some fun from time to time.

So after dinner, we left on his motorbike to the other side of town (the Zona Roja) where the Karaoke club was located. Entering the club, we were escorted into a private room by the club manager. The room was very comfortable with plush sofa, red curtains, a TV monitor and sound system. You all know the set up? Soon thereafter, the manager ushered into the room a bevy of young ladies, most of them appeared to this very experienced eye to be between 18-20 years in age. My friend chose a real cutie, while after surveying the ladies, I chose the most mature gal in group(who says that Hanumann does not like older women) and who I sensed might have a good singing voice. I learned later in the evening, all the ladies/hostesses who worked at the club were from Vietnam.

Being the gracious host that I am, I ordered a round of drinks for my new found friends and a bottle of mineral water for yours truly. Now that the table was set , it was time for the games to begin.
We all chose our favorite songs from the karaoke selection. While the two Viet gals, (who spoke both Vietnamese and Cambodian) sang their favorite Vietnamese love songs and Mr. T (my buddy from the restaurant) sang a mix of Western and Cambodian tunes, “the big ham” himself, Hanumann, gave outstanding renditions of such love songs as I left my heart in San Francisco (Tony Bennett), For the Good Times (Ray Price) and Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole) in addition to such rock standards as House of the Rising Son (The Animals) , Papa was a Rolling Stone (the Temptations) and I shot the Sheriff (Bob Marley). Of course, there was a big cultural divide - the ladies had never heard of the songs I was singing and I had no absolutely no familiarity with their music. And of course, ladies did not know more than 6 words of English; that is where, Mr. T, my westernized Cambodian friend, came in handy as a translator. My hostess was very friendly and genuinely affectionate (and actually had a decent voice), but Hanumann’s big brain kept him in the control the whole time and kept the session PG

After ordering another round of drinks for Mr.T and the lovely young hostesses (and more water for myself), the action was heating up but as it was reaching Hanumann’s bedtime, his big brain decided it was time bid adieu to the young ladies and head back to the hotel for some zzzzzzs

Total damage for a night of Karaoke was about $35USD And a fun and safe time was had by all!

Harold emerged shortly before I left to Thailand in early August!