New Turkish Brand To Boost Russian Visitors?

A NEW resort brand from Turkey is headed to take over the old Sofitel Magic Lagoon Resort and Spa, near Khao Lak in Phang Nga. The 300-room Rixos Premium will be taking bookings from August and is set to open in November.

It will be the first all-inclusive accommodation in the region, presumably along the lines of Club Med on Phuket. A wellness centre will form part of the resort.

Some residents of Khao Lak have heard that more Russians are likely to visit Phang Nga and are not especially pleased.

We came across a review of the 'seven-star' Rixos Premium Hotel Belek, in Turkey, that appeared in Britain's Observer newspaper in 2007.

The writer, Gemma Bowes, noted the scale of the resort, raved about the private pool villas, and added that quite a few Russians enjoyed the resort:

''The tranquillity of the indoor pool is disrupted somewhat by the raucous group of Russian businessmen who delight in dive-bombing each other and screaming down the slide.

''Some of the drunker ones turn up at the excellent gym clutching cans of beer, and one falls flat on his face off the running machine after trying to mount it on full speed.''

-- Full report at www.phuketwan.com