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Cooked 4 hours in wood-fired oven with fresh rosemary, served with roast potatoes.

Brought to worldwide attention by the 2000 Hollywood adventure drama, The Beach, the Phi Phi Islands are Thailand's superstars. The islands are a bit of a backpacker legend and a hot topic of conversation amongst many travellers. Their natural beauty is enough to entice any visitor, as the sheer and stately limestone karsts and verdant jungle views are absolutely breathtaking. However, it tends to be the allure of the party scene that brings most visitors Phi Phi.

The Phi Phi Islands are located equidistant between Phuket Island and Krabi Province on the mainland. There are a number of speedboats and ferries leaving every day at various times and any hotel or tour operator can help with buying tickets and transfers to the pier.

Phi Phi's main islands are Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Leh. Koh Phi Phi Leh is a day-tripper's paradise, and is where the majority of The Beach was filmed. Koh Phi Phi Leh is home to striking Maya Bay – the eponymous 'beach' of the movie. Sheltered on three sides by towering 100-metre-high cliffs, white-sand Maya Bay enjoys striking turquoise waters teeming with vividly coloured tropical marine life. Perfect for snorkelling, Maya Bay also has some great scuba diving.

Phuket Lobster Thermidor with mushrooms, whipping cream, white wine, served with saffron rice and flower beans with mashed potatoes

Ingredients

• 350 gm Phuket lobster
• 50 gm wild mushrooms
• 10 gm chopped onions
• VSOP cognac
• white wine
• Dijon mustard
• cooking butter

Method
Cut half of Phuket lobster. Keep head. Extract the meat from the shell. Bake the lobster meat with chopped onions, mushrooms and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Cook medium flambé with VSOP cognac.

Add whipping cream and finish with warm butter sauce topped with parmesan cheese in lobster shell.

Served with mashed potatoes with mozzarella cheese.

The oldest Chinese school in Phuket, Thai Hua School was built in 1911 and has now become the Thai Hua Museum, serving as a community and exhibition centre for Baba arts and culture. The museum is a two-storey building with the upper level balconied internally to look down on the ground floor. Many of the exhibits and artifacts relate to the art and culture of China. Some of the old schoolrooms still remain as they were in the past, with old school desks and photographs of former students. The Phuket Thai Hua Museum is on Krabi Road. It’s open on Tuesday through Friday from 1 - 8pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am - 8pm. Entrance is free. It’s certainly worth a visit.

5th-8th January 2017 at Royal Phuket Marina

Thailand's premier marine and lifestyle show hosted by The Royal Phuket Marina — at the centre of the region's finest sailing grounds; the heart of S.E. Asia; and a world renowned luxury lifestyle destination. Experience all that it has to offer at the Phuket International Boat Show — Asia's favourite boat show.

Sea bass with yellow bean curry sauce and sautéed morning glory.

Ingredients:

• 5/600 gm sea bass gutted & scaled
• 20 gm julienne ginger
• 10 gm chopped spring onion
• 5 gm julienne red chilli

Yellow bean curry paste:

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp chopped coriander root
• 2 tbsp chopped ginger
• 2 tbsp yellow bean paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp spring onion
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 100 gm morning glory
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp yellow bean paste
• 1 tbsp sliced red chilli
• 0.5 tsp soya sauce
• 0.5 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp chicken stock

Method: Cut down the backbone of the sea bass and over the rib cage, but not cutting through to tail. Remove rib cage. You’ll be left with a whole boneless sea bass with its head and tail intact. Season sea bass and place on a tray with banana leaf or greaseproof paper. Spoon the yellow bean curry paste inside the sea bass between the 2 fillets and on top. Bake in an oven at 180°C/350°F for 15 minutes. Place the julienne ginger, chopped spring onion and chilli on top of the sea bass. Place in oven for five more minutes. Sauté morning glory with garlic, yellow bean paste and chilli for 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, soya and oyster sauce; reduce for one minute.

Being in style isn't about showing off one’s wealth or taste anymore. Those who live in the tropics at least partially throughout the year know that the clothes you wear in the heat aren't just a matter of fashion; everyday attire also needs to be functional and airy. Seasonal styles aside, natural materials like cotton, silk, bamboo fibre and their mixtures – all staple fabrics in resort clothing – provide comfort in high humidity. Even those who don’t consider themselves fashionistas will admit that being comfortable and presentable in high temperatures is a matter worthy of their consideration.

With more and more brands offering pieces that blend comfort and style, choosing the right day and evening attire can be challenging for both sexes. Many ladies get tangled up in picking out matching shorts and tops, bikinis and dresses, nightgowns and sandals, and pairing them with the right jewellery and accessories. A number of gentlemen, on the other hand, feel overwhelmed by bright hues and bold patterns that seem to be a must in current male summer resort wear.

Scott Bradley of East Marine Asia is a man with a vision. He has a veritable arsenal of spectacular ideas to ensure that his vision continues to push his companies to the forefront of the yachting industry, not only in Phuket but also throughout Southeast Asia. The recent opening of an East Marine Asia branch at Ao Po Grand Marina proves that Scott’s vision is heading in the right direction.

Scott has spent his entire life around boats. At the tender age of four, while living on a boat with his father, Scott learned how to sail his first dinghy. By the age of six, he was helping to build boats and in 1988 Scott became a qualified shipwright.