“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to the beach” is a sentence you often hear in Phuket. Not from tourists of course, who come to the island first and foremost to spend time of on sand, by the sea. But those who stay in Phuket long term, tend to take the availability of the beach for granted and…forget to visit. But what if all they needed was a little excuse, a push in the right direction? If that is so, then here is one – XANA Beach Club Fun Sunday Brunch.
Located on Phuket’s second longest beach, XANA is one of the few beach clubs to survive the government led wipeout of beachside businesses a while back – largely thanks to its location within the premises of Angsana Laguna Phuket resort. Offering dining, drinking and pool splashing during the day, and world class clubbing during its regular after-dark parties, XANA is as much a favorite of tourists as it is of Phuket locals, and the mixed, international crowd attending its regular XANA Beach Club Fun Sunday Brunch, proves this point.
For such a diverse group, a diverse food offering is in order, and XANA brunch delivers very time. Each Sunday, the club’s spacious lawn adjacent to the beach and sided by XANA’s alluring blue pool, becomes dotted with live cooking stations, representing a selection of cuisines from around the globe.
Walking between them feels very much like world travel – a stop at the Japanese station for some freshly made sushi and sashimi is followed by a pause at the French corner, where a dozen or so cheeses await; while you’re waiting for your burgers and hot dogs to come of the smoking American grill, roti bread is filled with tender chicken at the Indian station; few steps away fresh seafood of your selection is grilled to perfection by attentive staff, lobster meat is chopped, seasoned and fried, a succulent pig gets roasted over an open fire and oysters await on ice. You want it, you name it and you’ll get it.
Seems like a lot? Luckily, you don’t have to hurry. This is not one of those dining events which ends the moment you stop eating. At XANA Fun Brunch, the fun continues beyond the dessert. With the live band providing the soundtrack, kids safely tucked away in the kids’ corner and XANA’s beach lounges just a few steps away, it’s an event that invites you to take your time and relax. Wines – sparkling, red and white – flow freely, so do the club’s signature cocktails (our favorite Dark & Stormy was perfectly contrasted with Phuket’s deep-blue high-season skies overhead), and so does time. So don’t rush, make one more trip to the dessert station (“this one really is the last one” we heard ourselves saying more than once) and then chill out, cocktail in hand, by the beach, and make a Sunday of it. This is what beach life should be like.
