The day before our scheduled flight to Phuket, Somsri Hansirisawasdi, who represented our resort Trisara, gave me a call from Bangkok.

"You are still coming tomorrow, right?"

She was referring to the military curfew imposed just that day in her country. Many of its Asian neighbors issued travel warnings after the military coup that plastered Thailand across headlines this spring.

Unlike other more politically volatile countries, Thailand's international press coverage seems worse than its bite. I confirmed that we were indeed looking forward to our mini holiday. I could almost see her sigh of relief. Perhaps because we stuck with our plans, we were given more of a royal treatment than usual upon our arrival at Phuket International Airport.

While I've been to Thailand multiple times, it was my first visit to the resort island of Phuket. During the 15-minute drive to Trisara, I was struck by how much the jungle still dominated. It is well-documented that Phuket has become extremely commercial over the past few decades, with vacation home prices surpassing those in the south of France.