Snared by island romance: Ann & Jan Von Hildebrand

Ann & Jan Von Hildebrand

When Jan Von Hildebrand landed in Phuket a few year ago, he had no idea that love was lying in wait for him. The native of Lausanne, Switzerland, initially joined the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket as a hotel trainee, working his way up to resort events manager.

“My original plan was to do a quick tour of Asia, working in hotels around the region including Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong,” says Jan. “Then I would move to New York.”

But all those plans disappeared like ice on a Phuket beach when he met Ann Pienprasertkul, who is now his wife. Ann was already a well known Phuket resident; she is managing director of the Phuket Gazette, the island’s most respected English-language newspaper.

Le Meridien Khao Lak

“I never dreamed I would have a family of my own [the couple now have a baby boy, David, born on January 11th, 2008]. Life before was all about working hard and playing hard. All that changed when I met Jan,” Ann says.

Ann explains that they swiftly became very close while dating; even though she had not known Jan long, she soon felt she could trust him. And, having been in Phuket for years, Ann know lots of tucked-away romantic places. “Phuket is a small place in many ways, but you can have your privacy if you know where to go,” she says.

When both had a weekend free, they got to know each other better by heading off the island for other resort areas, often in Krabi province. They stayed at the Sheraton Krabi Resort and other places on Rai Lay beach. They also spent time together at Le Meridien Khao Lak. Closer to home, they would sometimes escape for the weekend to the Indigo Pearl Resort in the north end of Phuket, or spend days lazing at their favourite beach, Laem Singh.

Watermark Restaurant

Jan says that their most romantic dinners were at Krajok Sri in Phuket City and Baan Rim Pa restaurant in Patong. “We had our first dinner date at Krajok Sri” he explains. One of Phuket’s trademarks is the huge variety of good restaurants, Ann says. “Phuket is full of romantic dining venues. Sometimes we would start off at the Watermark in the Boat Lagoon, or the 360 bar at Phuket Pavilions for a drink. Then we would move on to somewhere else romantic for dinner,” she says.

After all of this, Jan has lost his itch to see the world. He is now building up his own villa management company and considers Phuket very much as his home. Chalk up two more people snared by the romance of Phuket.

The full-time honeymooners: Eric & Lily Walker

Eric & Lily Walker

Eric N Walker, a former bomb disposal officer with the British Army, first heard of Phuket 32 years ago. He recalls, “I was visiting Bangkok with my late wife and someone told us about a paradise called Phuket island. They told us about this beautiful island which had just opened up to tourists. They explained that this paradise was a place of golden sands, where everyone ate lobsters and turtle eggs.”

The couple decided they had to see the island. The journey was hard, Eric remembers. It was also dangerous. Bandits controlled some parts of the road, so independent travel was not permitted. One had to join a nightly convoy escorted by the army.

When he married his second wife, Lily, in 1997, the couple came to Phuket for their honeymoon. Lily explains, “We were here for several weeks and then went back home to the Channel Islands [south of the UK]. As soon as we arrived home we missed Phuket and wanted to come back. The weather was very cold so, within a week and without even unpacking, we returned to Phuket and stayed for three more months. Since then we have been coming to Phuket every year. It’s become our annual honeymoon.”

Indigo Pearl Resort

The couple are always together, no matter where they are or what they are doing in Phuket. They enjoy going to Kho Yao Yai, an island to the east of Phuket. Another favourite hang-out is the swimming pool at Indigo Pearl Resort on Nai Yang Beach. When not in the pool, they are in the sea. “We’ve found the water at Nai Yang Beach is clean and safe to swim in. You can watch aeroplanes coming in from different parts of the world.” says Eric. “At night time, we always eat out with friends – people we either met here or who live here,” he adds.

And like so many lovers, the couple like to get dressed up to go out dancing, to listen to good music and sometime even to get up on stage and sing. “We often go to the Phukana restaurant on Maeluan Rd in Phuket City,” says Lily. “Sometime we do the same at the night club at the Phuket Pearl Hotel, where we stay.”