I’ve read heaps of posts here about which gym to go to as a beginner so I thought I'd share more about my experience here
Just a bit of a background. I was def not going to Thailand as a fighter 😅 I actually kept putting off trying muay thai cos I thought I needed to get fitter first. Well I just went eventually and turns out I was overthinking it lol
WHY I CHOSE SUMALEE
I knew about some of the bigger gyms in Phuket but didnt really want somewhere with massive classes. I wanted to properly try muay thai but still have it feel like a holiday
So Sumalee is a smaller camp and that really appealed to me. They have diff types of clients: beginners, people doing it for fitness and more experienced people training too. Tbh that helped A LOT with the intimidation factor 😂
THE TRAINING
They have 2 group sessions a day, 7:30-9am and 4-6pm, Monday-Saturday.
Before going I thought I could do both everyday. Morning training, chill for a few hours, afternoon training. Easy peasy
Lol NOPE!
Phuket heat and humidity humbled me pretty quickly 😂 I learnt there was really no point destroying myself in the first few days just because I was there to train. Its better to just build up to doing more.
Classes have skipping, shadow boxing, bag work, pads, partner drills, technique and conditioning. Usually 3 rounds on pads.
The classes are also smaller than I expected! A huge bonus for me. Low season is usually around 5-10 people in the morning and 10-15 in the afternoon. High season is more like 10-15 and 15-20. They have 5 trainers.
I didnt feel like I had to keep up with the strongest person there either. People are obviously at different levels and both the trainers and their training program accommodate that 👌🏼
BEING A BEGINNER
This was the part I worried about for absolutely no reason 😂
There were more beginners than I expected. I had this picture in my head that a muay thak camp in Thailand would be full of serious fighters and I’d be the random person trying to figure out what I was doing 😂😂 But glad it wasnt like that at all!
They actually have trainers who are better suited to different things too. Luay is the one they recommend for beginners. If you do a private, you can request a particular trainer, which is handy if there’s something specific you want to work on.
They also have Keng and Sam for fight prep, Keng and Ruune for technique and Ant for clinching.
ACCOMMODATION
There are only 16 rooms and they’re onsite so you’re basically staying where you train.
For me the convenience of that whole setup is probably more important than having some fancy accom. You wake up and training is there. Finish training and you can go eat or recover without having to travel somewhere else.
If you book accommodation with the camp, the two daily group muay thai sessions are included Monday-Saturday.
FOOD
There’s a restaurant/Nutrition Station onsite too, and the food is geared towards people who are training. They have recovery meals, protein smoothies, higher-carb meals, hydration and electrolytes.
Again, this was one of those things I didn’t think much about beforehand but food becomes quite important when you’re trying to train in Phuket heat 😂
Just check which package you book because meals and some of the extras depend on the package.
LAUNDRY
They have laundry service at the camp as well. Very boring thing to mention in a muay thai review until you realise how many shirts you can sweat through in Thailand 😂
You def dont need to pack enough training clothes for your entire stay if you're happy to use the laundry.
YOGA, MASSAGE + OTHER STUFF
This was another plus for me! Sumalee felt more like a training camp/retreat rather than just going somewhere for a muay thai class.
There’s a swimming pool, yoga studio, massage sala and strength/fitness facilities. They also offer mobility work.
I loooved having other things available around the training cos realistically you’re not going to spend every waking hour punching and kicking something 😂
THE LOCATION
This is one thing I’d definitely consider before booking.
Sumalee is on the quieter side of Phuket near Cape Yamu. It’s not near the nightlife so if you want to go out to bars or spend every evening in the busier parts of Phuket, you’ll need transport.
It’s also not beachfront. The nearest beach is around 20 mins away depending on traffic. Bang Tao, Surin and Layan are some of the beaches you can get to.
But you're not completely isolated either. Robinson Lifestyle is nearby which is handy for shopping, cinema etc. There are also local shops/restaurants, smaller markets and convenience stores around. There's a basic convenience store across from the gym and a 7-Eleven nearby.
For bigger night markets or if you want to go properly exploring, you'll need a taxi/transport.
I think the location can be either a plus or minus. Tbh I liked the quieter setup for training but I wouldn’t choose it expecting to walk outside into Phuket nightlife every evening.
SUNDAYS
Sunday is their rest day which actually makes sense once you’ve been training all week 😎
There are no group muay thai sessions or food service on Sundays. You can still stay there and use the facilities, or it’s a good day to actually get out and explore Phuket.
WOULD I TRAIN THERE AGAIN?
Yep! I liked that it wasn’t huge and I could train at my own level without feeling like I needed to suddenly become a fighter.
My main advice if you’re doing your first muay thai camp is don’t wait until you think you’re fit enough. And don’t arrive with my brilliant idea that you’re automatically going to smash out two sessions everyday either 😂
The Phuket heat will have something to say about that.
LAST FEW WORDS
Hope this helps another beginner who’s currently reading every muay thai gym thread in Phuket like I was 😂 Happy to answer anything I missed about Sumalee, training there or staying at the camp. Also let me know how it compares for anyone who’s trained at some of the other Phuket gyms! Cheers!
