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Clockwise from main image:
Banyan Tree Phuket: the first Banyan Tree has
all you could ask for, from fine dining to floating
weddings; golf to spa. banyantree.com
Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi: if Soneva Gili is
where Robinson Crusoe would have spent his
days as a luxury traveller, Hideaway Yao Noi is for
modern-day Tarzan and Janes. sixsenses.com
Six Senses Destination Spa: based around the
7th Sense Wellness Centre, this is an immersive
experience, with raw cuisine, “edible” gardens,
and a programme of classes and activities
included. sixsenses.com
PHUKET
RESORTS:
Amanpuri: the original Aman, opened more
APRIL’S
than 20 years ago on beautiful Pansea beach.
FAMOUS
Phenomenal villa complexes with incredible
5
space and privacy – as well as rooms clustered
around the main pool. aman.com
The Sarojin: an absolute must for
honeymooners or anyone seeking the sleepy
Thailand of old. Surrounded by five national
parks around Khao Lak and set on a seven-mile
beach on the Andaman Sea. sarojin.com
Saponara says the resort “will realising their dream of running their
probably finish the year 25% down”, albeit perfect hotel. The beauty of The Sarojin lies
off the back of a record year in 2008. He in the staff, who seem genuinely pleased to
says everyone is looking for a deal, but he see you and help you – well above and
would rather offer guests a spa treatment beyond the practiced smiles I encountered
here or there, or a breakfast, rather than at some hotels. concierge
slash rates. Driving me around the resort, And they also have Jowell, a former
Phuket
Saponara proudly tells me of the resort’s dancer in Paris and now the resort’s
When to go Useful contacts
philosophy of treating a guest “as if they “imagineer” – which means he is a super-
Generally a tropical Tourism Authority
are in the home of a good friend”. My imaginative concierge/guest relations climate, with monsoons. of Thailand,
mates don’t live like this, but I got the point. manager and also has constant tricks up
Weather and rainfall vary tourismthailand.org.
One of the hotels in the Laguna Phuket his sleeve to wow the guests. He wowed
widely north-south,
complex, the Banyan Tree is a different me with a boat-trip to the beach for the
average central Time
temperatures are GMT + 7.
experience from the discreet luxury massage, followed by lunch cooked fresh
30-36°C. For milder
of Amanpuri, or the jungle escapism of on the beach and rose wine, for which I
temperatures and less In touch
Six Senses. said he could add mind-reader to his list
chance of rain, go Int dial code: 00 66;
Banyan Tree is big and impersonal, but of skills. The Sarojin likes to pride itself on November to March. good mobile signal in
there seemed few signs of a slowdown here, making lasting memories with guests, and
From April to June, the most areas,
with staff and guests bustling in the lobby. they certainly did that with me.
country is very hot – but broadband/Wi-Fi in
■
less so down south. resorts and lounges.
Anything’s possible at this resort, with
more dining choices than you could try in For more reviews of Thai hotels – and
Getting there Cashflow
a week, including dinner on Sanya Rak, others – go to ttgluxury.com
Thai Airways, Eva Air £1 ≈ 56 baht (THB)
Banyan Tree’s traditional long tail boat, in (see p55), BA and Comprehensive credit
which couples can drift and dine around
Qantas fly to Bangkok card and ATM facilities.
the lagoon. Banyan Tree does romance
EXPERT EYE
from Heathrow. Indirect
very well – and naturally, it does spa very
routes include Etihad, Coming soon
Jet Airways and Gulf Air. Yamu, set to open in a
well, this being the flagship of the group “There is a lot of variety
little over a year, will be
and the pioneer of the tropical garden spa in Phuket – resorts for
Getting around the resort to book in
concept, and it certainly delivered my best families, cool luxury Bangkok Airways flies 2010, with Adrian Zecha,
Thai massage of the trip. places such as Trisara with
between the capital and Philippe Starck and
Coming a close second was a beachside its coastline pool villas,
domestic destinations Jean-Michel Gathy
massage at The Sarojin, a resort in Khao
including Phuket and uniting to create a
and properties that have
Koh Samui. Its ‘boutique’ desirable designer
Lak, north of Phuket over the bridge that real USPs, such as the
airport lounges are destination on an island
links the island to the mainland. double-pool villas at Banyan Tree Phuket.
available to all customers, off Phuket, with 360-
As soon as you cross the bridge, you can Six Senses Destination Spa is such a fantastic bangkokair.com. degree views of Phang
feel the change – the development seems concept and pricing is now more realistic. Nga Bay, Krabi and Phi
to pretty much stop, the vegetation gets Guests tell us they love the tranquillity of The
Wow factor Phi, theyamu.com. An
deeper and greener, the towns more Sarojin. Many hoteliers remain positive and
For money-no-object, Outrigger resort is to
hard-to-please clients, open in Laguna Phuket,
scattered. At the time of the tsunami, Khao there have been good late bookings – clients
suggest the Double Pool joining the likes of Dusit
Lak was said to be one of Thailand’s fastest are cautious of looking ahead but we definitely
Villas at Banyan Tree and Banyan Tree in the
growing tourist destinations, rich in see hoteliers holding rates for 2010 and there
Phuket; the Hilltop 1,000-acre complex,
national parks and are still some big openings to come in the Reserve or The Retreat outrigger.com. Jumeirah
blissful beaches. next year which will raise Thailand’s profile,
at Six Senses Hideaway Private Island Phuket,
The tsunami’s such as the Banyan Tree in Samui or the
Yao Noi; or the villa including a luxury hotel,
Gordon Ramsay and is in the making, possibly
devastation didn’t Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Phulay Bay in Krabi.”
his family fell in love to open by the end of
stop Andrew and Sarah Findlow
28
with at Sri Panwa. next year, tgr-asia.com.
Kate Kemp from worldwide product manager, Carrier
feature thailand
summer 09 ttgluxury.com
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