Three nights away from Krungthep was just what we (and our guests!) needed.  We stayed at the Andaman Opera Suite located on Mai Khao Beach on the far north end of Phuket island.  A year ago October we stayed at this three-unit condo which we knew as the Black Pearl.  It turns out that each of the units, which are owned by a trio of couples, has a different name.  The Black Pearl is one of the downstairs units and the Andaman Opera Suite is the the upstairs unit.

Since the Black Pearl was unavailable, its owners suggested we call the agent that handles the Andaman Opera Suite.  It turned out to be a great move and was plenty of room for five adults, although the master bedroom suite (in which the three guests stayed) has only a sheer curtain between the bedroom and the shower portion of the bathroom, so this required a little coordination.

Here are photos from the website.  I figured they are so much nicer than anything I could shoot, so why duplicate efforts?

The kitchen turned out to be rather well-stocked, enough to prepare a couple of meals at home.

Mixed grill – dry brined pork chops and a variety of German sausages.

Brownies!  I cheated and used a mix.  Seemed silly to buy cocoa powder just for one batch.

For our third evening, we stopped at the local market and picked up some fresh seafood, herbs, and vegetables to make a nice dinner.

Before and after: a snapper-like fish stuffed with lemongrass, dill, and galangal root, with kaffir lime leaves and a butter-soy-lime sauce.  Wrapped in foil and baked 25 minutes.

Chicken biryani from one of the vendors at the market.  Tasty!

Tawn’s own contribution: tom yum goong soup, a spicy chili-tamarand shrimp soup with coconut milk and herbs.  Tawn held back on the chili to spare the guests.

Before we chow down for dinner on our final night: me, Tawn, Jack, Craig, and Matt.