The White Lotus Incoming: We Revisit Thailand’s Original Paradise
I first visited Thailand more than 20 years ago and even back then, the development I witnessed surprised me. I wasn’t prepared to see a Tesco branch out here in paradise. Perhaps naively, even the sight of a McDonald’s on the strip in Koh Samui took me aback. I was more on board with the island’s open-air airport, where the rustic conveyor belt, formed from wooden planks, and the alfresco arrivals hall felt like they belonged in the tropical Thailand of my dreams.
Fast-forward two decades and I can only imagine what awaits me when I return, this time bound for Phuket. This island state in the Andaman Sea, connected to the mainland via a bridge, is considered Thailand’s most luxurious enclave, thanks to the presence of many international hotel brands here. But it wasn’t always so developed. Back in the days before the cruise ships and party boats dropped anchor off the coast of Patong, you were more likely to see water buffalo wading by in the neighbouring paddy fields. But then The Beach came out and everyone wanted to go in search of their own idea of paradise. Luckily, high-rise hotels are no longer allowed to be built (though one or two did slip through) and, if you know where to look, you can still find the old Thailand, with its magnificent limestone karsts, wildlife-rich rainforests and pure shores.
Trisara should be top of your Phuket wishlist if you like your holidays to be mostly centred around what you eat. Not only is this hotel home to the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Phuket (the incredible Pru, for which there aren't enough superlatives), but it has a southern-Thai restaurant on hand to dispense heat you thought you could handle. Over on its smallholding, we have a short tour before the main event: lunch in the restaurant, which takes a literal approach to 'farm-to-fork' and serves a mostly plant-based tasting menu that does things you never knew were possible with beetroot. We’re not exaggerating when we say every mouthful was delicious.
Back at our huge, high-ceilinged, mostly teak suite, we whiled away the afternoon on our terrace, dipping in our sea-facing pool to cool off, before a trip to the spa, where the beds are wide enough for the therapist to basically mount you (for beneficial limb-contorting purposes).
Our next stop was Rosewood Phuket. It’s my personal belief that you can’t go wrong with a Rosewood – the hotel group’s empire continues to expand, with a second London outpost coming soon. Rosewood Phuket is just across the bay in Patong, which means you can reach the action if you want to but if that’s a hard pass, as it was for us, you can spend your days right here on the beach, learning how to cook Thai food with Auntie and Uncle (the resident local couple running the brilliant Ta Khai restaurant by the shore), trying out Japanese facials and Thai massages at the spa, or lying prone on the sand.
While it was tempting to stay put in our beautiful beach house at the hotel, we took a cab down to Phuket City to see its colourful shophouses and Sino-Portuguese architecture, and also to try some of its said-to-be-amazing street food. As it transpired, the need for air-conditioning defeated us and we chose to dine at the Blue Elephant, which was delicious if not entirely authentic (it caters more to the tourists than locals; but at least it was cool).
Next, we headed across to the port and picked up our speedboat, bound for Six Senses Yao Noi. If you read The Beach (or watched the film) and are on your very own pilgrimage to find paradise, you won’t be far off with a stay here. The limestone karsts lining up in the bay provide the signature Thai backdrop, for a start – and things only get better hereon in. The resort is so wholesome – it’s The Good Life but tropical, with Surbiton swapped for an archipelago in Phang Nga Bay. I make my own scrub at the spa’s apothecary bar, mixing turmeric, cinnamon and salt and crushing petals, before a sound-bath with the ayurvedic doctor in residence that sends me deep into siesta territory.
At the farm, I feed a few banana leaves to some goats and check up on the chickens, who are having some jazz music played to them, naturally. Guests are encouraged to call by the farm on their way to breakfast each morning to collect their eggs. It’s farm-fresh, taken literally. Days on the island might also begin with a yoga class, or a swim – in your villa’s pool or down at the beach. Golf buggies are on hand to whisk you around the resort, whether it’s to visit the Hilltop for sunrise or sunset, dine at the Thai restaurant or retreat to the spa.
A few days later, we’re returning to the jetty via songthaew (a sort of open-air, uniquely South-East Asian multi-passenger cab) and feeling bereft at the thought of leaving the island. Luckily, our next stop is just as nourishing for the soul. The Sarojin was created by a British couple 20 years ago and their passion and dedication to their community is still evident today.
The hotel is an hour’s drive north of Phuket’s airport in Khao Lak, at the edge of a beach with the rooms set around an immaculate garden and centrepiece pool. The breakfasts here are served until 6pm (we’re fully serious), with free-flowing fizz and pastries on tap, too. From here, you can head out on a boat to dive in the Similan Islands, hike primary forests, or sit back and relax on a river cruise past some ancient banyan trees. We can’t give you the map to the Beach, but we can tell you roughly where to look for treasure. And in Phuket, it’s still there if you know how to find it.
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