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Anantara Phuket's Five-Star Version of "Buy One, Get One"

Where: Mai Khao Beach, Phuket, Thailand

There are some places that simply don’t need another hotel. The poor, overloaded, little island of Phuket is one of them. However, we have to give props to Anantara Phuket Resort & Spa, which managed to find an unspoiled place on the island to build its hotel.

The resort opened its doors on October 1, and has actually done so in an environmentally-responsible way--even building around a rare Banyan tree. Plus, despite Phuket's drawbacks, it's a great jumping off point to see the rest of the Andaman Sea and its beautiful resorts (which we'll be telling you about after we finish taking a gander at this week).

So if you fly into Phuket, it looks like there's now an escape from the sleaze. To boot, the hotel is offering a "buy three nights, get one night free" opening special now through December 23. Rates start around $450 a night which is definitely not a bargain, although it is less than the $900 expected room rate we found over the summer. And it's a fair price for the increasingly popular private-pool-villa resorts popping up throughout Asia.

One night at Anantara Phuket: $450. Skinny-dipping mid-day...priceless.