THAILAND JUNE 2018
Unique Tourism Thailand Famil June 2018
PIMALAI RESORT & SPA KOH LANTA:
Location: Upon arrival at Krabi Airport you will be transferred by vehicle to the Pimalai Jetty which takes about an hour. From the jetty, you are transferred by luxury speedboat to Koh Lanta which takes about 5 minutes. If the weather is unfavourable then you will be transferred by vehicle ferry which takes about 15 minutes. When you arrive at Koh Lanta Pier you will be transferred by vehicle to the resort which takes about 45 minutes. The main town of Koh Lanta is only a couple of minutes drive from the resort, or you can walk in along the beach if you prefer.
Note: We flew with Thai and our baggage was transferred all the way through to Krabi. We cleared immigration in Bangkok.
Koh Lanta itself is super relaxed, we went for a little stroll through the Old Town, however, due to Ramadan, it was fairly quiet. A good selection of shops, restaurants and bars to choose from if you didn’t want to eat in the resort all the time. The Resort offers a daily shopping tour for a small fee if you wish to join in and explore a bit further. The resort also organized an island cruise for us to take us out to Koh Ngai do some snorkelling and enjoy the stunning scenery. It wasn’t the most amazing snorkelling I’ve ever done but it was still really good and there were lots of beautiful fish! The cruise also included a lovely BBQ Lunch and drinks.
Rooms: 1 Bedroom Hillside Pool Villa (This is the room type we stayed in).
Located in the villa wing of the resort up in the hillside overlooking the resort with uninterrupted views of the ocean. The villas consist of two wings with a plunge pool and day bed in the middle. On the left is the bedroom and huge bathroom with separate shower and a bath which has windows looking out to sea, the bedroom has a huge super king size four poster bed which faces a big sliding door which opens up to a balcony with two sun lounges overlooking the ocean. On the right wing is the living area which consists of a huge day bed type lounge, a fully self-contained kitchen, guest bathroom with shower and toilet and a sheltered dining area on the balcony. The decor is traditional dark timbers with pops of oranges and gold but just feels luxurious. The only thing that lets it down for me is the tiles in the bathroom as they are a little bit dated but it still works and still definitely worth it in my opinion.
Deluxe Room: This is the is the lead in room type and it is lovely and spacious with views of the beach. The bathroom is modern with a free standing bath and bi-fold doors between the bathroom and bedroom which can be opened to see the view from the bath. I wouldn’t hesitate to sell this room type at all!
1 Bedroom Pavillion Suite: This gorgeous suite is right on the beach and is very large in size with a separate living area, bedroom and large bathroom with a gorgeous free standing bath & walk in robe. It also has 2 outdoor decks, one from the bedroom and one from the living area, with a table and sun loungers. Really lovely for those special occasions where they are looking for something a bit fancier, but can’t quite stretch to the pool villas.
We also saw the 2 & 3 Bedroom Pool Villas which are all set out and decorated fairly similarly to the 1 Bedroom Villas which we stayed in, although the 3 Bedroom Villa is split level and would be perfect for a wedding party or small group.
Restaurants: We had dinner the first night at the Rak Talay Restaurant which is on the beach. Gorgeous Thai cuisine which was absolutely delicious. The Seven Seas Restaurant is adjacent to the upper Pool Villa Lobby and it looks out over the infinity pool and ocean, the views are incredible. This is also the breakfast venue for those in the pool villas. The buffet is amazing with delicious fresh pastries, fruit, cereals, pancakes and waffles, as well as your hot selection. They also have hot breakfast made to order (Eggs Benedict etc) it was beautiful food. I was very impressed. We also had dinner at the Seven Seas on the second night which was al à carte style. Once again the food was delicious with a definite seafood speciality and a lovely vibe.
Lobby: The first thing you notice is the uninterrupted views of the ocean. The lobby is open and airy with traditional dark timbers and modern furnishings throughout. A great vibe for the rest of your stay.
Pimalai Spa: Winner of the World Luxury Spa Award and included into Conde Nast Johansens Luxury Spa Collection, Pimalai Spa offers a combination of traditional and contemporary techniques that will rejuvenate your body, mind and soul. It is a stunning space, surrounded by greenery and very serene and peaceful. We were very fortunate to experience their Pimalai Signature Massage and it was exceptional. They also offer a few different complimentary educational spa classes that you can take part in if you wish, such as ‘The Art of Traditional Thai Massage’ or Aromatic Herbal Pouch Making.
Resort Activities: The resort offers a variety of complimentary non-motorized beach equipment for hire such as kayaks, paddleboards, windsurfers etc, however, please note that motorized water sports are not allowed in this area so if you have clients that love jetskiing etc then this will not be the resort for them. Thai Cooking Classes are also offered for a small fee, and you can also complete your PADI Dive Course with their professional staff if you wish. Yoga, Muay Thai Boxing and other fitness classes are also optional.
General: The property is divided up into two sides, the Villa Wing (set up in the hillside) and the Main Wing (closer to the beach). Guests are able to access both sides and each side has its own pool area. On the villa side the pool is a large infinity type which has incredible ocean views and plenty of lounges, and on the main side the pool is again quite large and is located just back up off the beach. There is also a sports centre with a tennis court etc that is located at the entrance of the villa side of the property. I would 100% recommend this property and wouldn’t hesitate to sell it or stay there again. It would be a lovely stay for honeymooners or couples that want a bit of peace and quiet. It would also be a beautiful property for a wedding and the 3 Bedroom Villas would be perfect for a wedding party. 3 nights would be perfect I think and I wouldn’t hesitate to hire a scooter to get around the island. The roads are very quiet and safe. It would also be a lovely spot for a family with young kids who don’t need big fancy kids clubs but are just looking for somewhere quiet and safe with a nice beach for the kids to play.
THE LIBRARY - KOH SAMUI:
The Accommodation: This very chic hotel is located in the heart of Chawang Beach. A modern beachfront property on expansive grounds and the unique library design is beautifully created. Like a book, the suites and studios are known as Page Numbers and the more recently opened pool villas are Secret Chapters. We were very fortunate to experience the Secret Chapter. On arrival, we were taken to The Index, a lounge for guests to enjoy private check-in/check-out facilities and complimentary beverages and refreshments are offered throughout the day. Each villa has a designated Villa Host service available 24/7 which I did have to contact the very lovely Jean to assist with turning off some of the lights!! After being allocated our “Chapter” we proceeded through a special door which was dimly lit and added to the mystery of a secret about to unfold. (Not too much information shared as would spoil the secret!) The design of The Secret Chapter is very discreet and does not appear to look like individual villas from the outside.
Each Pool Villa is different in design and offers a truly unique experience. All villas have an open air patio separated from the living space, an oversized Jacuzzi bathtub, an 8-metre green tiled saltwater swimming pool (stunning) a walk-in closet, a triple king size bed (enough room to sleep a tribe!) and bathroom with a tandem rain shower. I do have to mention the very modern toilet! As you approach this separate area the seat automatically lifts, has varying flushing strengths and you can even adjust the temperature of the seat! The living and entertainment areas are spacious and the dining area with pantry offers complimentary snacks, tea and coffee facilities and bottled water are in abundance.
My main concern after my Villa Host explained how to operate the many controls from the disco changing coloured lights in the bedroom to the outside pool lights was how was I going to remember to operate them all very high tech but I seemed to manage after night one, though I think a few of us slept with many lights on during the night!
The other room categories: Exotic Suites, Smart Suites and The Bookmark are all very unique, with “The Library” theme applied in very original ways. The rooms are spacious, contemporary and well equipped with all kinds of gadgetry.
A highlight and most impressive of all was the service offered by each and every staff member – a credit to the Hotel. A special thanks to the lovely Monica and Jean for their attention to detail and anticipation of the needs of guests.
I cannot say enough positive things about the hotel and look forward to sending many clients to experience a great story in “The Library”. I believe guests have many stories to share about this magical property and even more Secrets!
Dining
Day One: On our first night we had cocktails on the beach, during Happy Hour, watching the sun go down, with a DJ playing some great music. It was really beautiful and a Must Do!
Later we dined at ‘The Page’, which is the iconic restaurant of The Library. It's set on the beachfront and offers menus called The East and The West. We ate from The East and sampled lots of beautiful, delicious, fresh Thai Dishes. Some of the dishes have ‘rare’ next to them, these dishes are from old-kingdom Thai cuisine and are not often found on menus these days. These were amazing.
‘The Page’ also offers “Samrab Thai’ which is an 8-course degustation dinner showing the 8 distinct flavours of traditional Thai cooking.
Day Two: Breakfast was served at ‘The Page’. Beautiful peaceful setting on the beach for breakfast. There is a small buffet but everything else was ordered a la carte so that its served to you as fresh as possible. Highly recommend the French Toast with Banana and syrup!
Dinner this evening was held in the Drinks Gallery which is on the street front, Chaweng Beach Road, of the hotel. The restaurant felt quite casual but also with the sophistication expected from a property like The Library. We started with cocktails, all of which were amazing and very artistic. You must try the cocktail named ‘The Parch’. A mixologist will come to your table to create it for you. It’s very special and delicious. The meal was from The Tapas Bar which is situated outside in the street. The Thai food again was exquisite.
Day Three: Breakfast this morning was served on the beach at sunrise. You can lie or sit on a crisp white mattress, on the beach, while being served your delicious breakfast. Say no more!
Island Tour
Koh Samui is a small Island which has stunning scenery. We had a private tour of the island. We stopped at an amazing viewpoint with fantastic views of the bay of Chaweng and Lamai. Then on to some incredible rock formations named after a folklore story of Grandad and Grandma… you will see why they’re called that when you get there.
We stopped for lunch at a lovely, local restaurant right on the beach for lunch, called ‘Krua Chao Baan’. It's well known for amazing seafood and didn’t disappoint. The food was delicious and not expensive. If you didn’t want to do a tour you could also take a taxi from Chaweng to here for lunch, it’s not too far.
In the afternoon, we visited a temple and a waterfall.
(At the entrance to the waterfall there were elephants, where they were doing elephant rides. This was disappointing to see. The elephant’s feet were chained and they were swaying from side to side. A sign that they were sad. They were in a very small enclosure. I will be encouraging my clients NOT to do an elephant ride. Not to patronise this type of tourism).
Then on to the lovely beach resort of Bo Phut. Here we had a lovely Spa treatment with spectacular views of the bay and an hour for some shopping. Very good selection of shops here.
Location: The location of The Library is perfect. It is set on a very quiet part of Chaweng Beach with beautiful clean sand and sea. The front of the hotel is right on Chaweng Beach Road, giving access to all the shops, restaurants, bars etc. that Chaweng has to offer.
Pools: There are two pools in the hotel. The Red Pool which is for all guests. It's located by the beach and outside the restaurant called The Page.
The Secret Chapter has its own private pool, also red, called the Long Pool.
Each villa in the Secret Chapter has its own private Green Pool.
All of the pools are absolutely stunning. I wasn’t sure what I was going to think of a ‘red’ pool, however, I absolutely loved it!
General: I would recommend this hotel to anyone who would like a different, luxury, experience. If they can stretch to a room in the Secret Chapter, then this is a must. A Page Room is wonderful too but you will not be allowed to see the Secret Chapter area of the hotel. This is exclusive to Secret Chapter Guests. This is a very slick, elegant, quirky, different hotel, with so many surprises.
We can’t tell you too many those, they’re SECRET!
I would have no hesitation to recommend this hotel... I would like everyone going to Koh Samui to stay there… it's very special!
COMO POINT YAMU – PHUKET:
Location: We were met at Phuket Airport and transferred by the resort van to the COMO Point Yamu which is a drive of approximately 20 minutes.
The beautiful COMO is located at the tip of Cape Yamu on a hill so has 360-degree views of the Andaman Sea, Phan Nga Bay and the surrounding Islands. Phuket Town is roughly a 20 minute drive away and it has certainly had a facelift since the last time I was there nearly 10 years ago. It’s super clean and tidy and there are heaps of beautiful boutique shops, souvenir stores, cafes, restaurants and shopping centres. I was really impressed, it’s got a great vibe to it now.
Lobby: From the outside, COMO Point Yamu is very understated with an industrial chic feel which extends into the lobby area. The lobby has polished concrete floors, is open plan with breezes flowing through from three directions, is painted grey with orange highlights. The lobby area is enormous with comfortable lounges, beautiful fresh flowers and gorgeous lights which hang over the centre of the lobby from the very high ceiling.
The Guest Services and Concierge desks are discreetly located to the right after walking up the stairs from the driveway to the lobby.
There is a lobby lounge to the left at the end which is air-conditioned and has amazing views of Cape Yamu. Here there are lounges where you could curl up with a good book as well as a chess set ready to be used.
Upon arrival, we were welcomed by Jesse (Director of Rooms) and Jenna (Sales Manager) who assisted us with our check-in and ensured we had a welcome drink, a garland of beautiful white flowers and a lovely cold, refreshing towel (always very welcome and in abundance everywhere we went).
Layout: There are two wings off the main lobby, one to the left and the other to the right. The wing to the left (when looking at the water), is where most of the Guest Rooms are located. This wing is the closest to the lobby area. The second wing is located a little further away and to reach this wing, you walk along a beautiful wooden walkway where you pass the gift shop (surrounded by glass) on your left and a beautifully manicured lawn to your right. The lawn is a perfect location for an outdoor wedding, renewal of vows, corporate events, cocktail parties etc. COMO Point Yamu offers complimentary ice-blocks every afternoon between 2pm and 4pm to guests which is very popular and is set up just in front of the lawn area and opposite the gift shop.
As you continue along the wooden walkway which has water on each side, a Private Dining room is located on your right. This room is extremely elegant with gorgeous chandeliers hanging over the beautiful white marble dining table and would seat approximately 12 people comfortably. The door handle is an oversized hand with the universal sign for a delicious meal and is unique and impressive.
Restaurants: Located at the end and slightly to your left is Nahmyaa which serves the most delicious food and is open for lunch and private dinners in an intimate setting. The wall on the way in is made of wood and represents the scales of a fish.
Next to Nahmyaa is the Aqua Bar where delicious cocktails, as well as the usual beverages, are served. The Lemongrass and Basil cocktail was a big hit with everyone. This Aqua Bar is a wonderful space with tables, chairs and lounges all overlooking the main pools of the resort.
La Sirena is the main dining area which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner is served. Breakfast is a part buffet and part a la carte. The buffet is set up with the most amazing fresh fruit, fresh juices including wheatgrass, cereals, bread for toast with condiments, pastries and yoghurt. The a la carte menu offers cooked selections such as egg white omelettes with mushrooms, pancakes and waffles. A server takes your order for the a la carte options along with tea and coffee requests. The tables are located both insides, on the terrace and poolside.
Private Dining Room - this room is off the main walkway of the hotel heading towards the pool. It is a stunning room – with huge bright red doors to greet you – Large white glass chandelier over the stunning white marble table. The table settings were beautifully laid out. A beautiful a la carte menu. The food was based on the La Sirena Italian Cuisine – I had beautiful steak as my main course, cooked to perfection.
This would be a fabulous space for a small wedding or special family meal.
Pool Villa BBQ – we were invited to a special evening at one of the Pool Villa’s where the chef cooked us a feast to remember. On arrival at the Pool Villa the chef was already cooking on the BBQ – we started with entrée to die for beautiful Oysters, Blue Swimmer Crab Fishcakes amongst dozens of other options. Main course Lobster, Fish, Beef, Curry, vegetables all cooked to perfection – I am sure they were cooking for 20 instead of 7. There was so much food. Coupled with lovely wines this is a great way to have a group get together in a villa. Highly recommend this as an experience.
Spa: The Wellness Centre (Spa) is located on this side of the hotel and includes a fitness centre, jacuzzi, separate male/female sauna and steam rooms, four Thai massage alcoves and eight treatment rooms. The Resort offers complimentary yoga, pilates, Tai’chi, Thai boxing and beach walks and bike tours through Yamu Village.
The Spa itself is located on two floors and is incredible. The Shambhala massages are highly recommended and are very different from the common massages. The Spa also has a pool area with double lounges where you sit and relax with a Ginger tea after your treatment. We were very lucky and extremely grateful to experience a Shambhala Massage which was absolutely divine.
Rooms: COMO Point Yamu offers 11 different types of Guest Rooms which are situated in the two wings of the main building on either side of the hotel lobby. All rooms are contemporary in design and are predominantly white with either blue or aqua lounge covers and bathroom tiles. The bathrooms in both the Guest rooms and the main bathrooms in the Villas are enormous with a double vanity, a round or oval deep bath in the centre as well as a separate shower and toilet. The lights are stunning, especially the ones hanging above the bath. The wardrobes are directly opposite the bathroom with plenty of hanging space, drawers, a safe and bench for suitcases. We were all allocated Bay Suites for our 3-night stay and they were superb, with a separate lounge area, king bedroom, large balcony with sea views and a very large bathroom with a gorgeous round bath. A second guest toilet was also located next to the entrance. Very spacious and comfortable. If you would like details on any room type in particular then please let us know as we have plenty of detailed information available.
There are also 6 different types of Villas. The Villas are the newest addition and are located a little down the hill from the main hotel building and guest rooms. All Villas have outstanding water views and private pool. The staff will transport you to and from your room in the Rolls Royce of buggies which are incredibly comfortable if you wish or for clients who are less mobile. It is a fairly easy walk if you’d prefer.
COMO Beach Club: As COMO Point Yamu does not have a beach, they opened the COMO Beach Club which is located on a nearby Island off the west coast of Phuket.
This is complimentary including the van and vessel transfer across to the Beach Club. Guests pay for any food and beverage consumption whilst at the COMO Beach Club.
The trip to the COMO Beach Club takes approximately 40 minutes via the hotel van and luxury vessel. COMO had a floating wharf installed at the Island the day prior to our visit which means that no matter what the tide, guests do not need to walk through water from the boat onto the beach.
After disembarking the vessel, it is about a 5-minute walk to the Beach Club where you have exclusive access (along with fellow COMO Point Yamu guests) to the beach, pool, pool deck with sun lounges, individual Salas with their own bathroom and lounges. There is a COMO Shambhala Salas with wellness therapies for those who would like to experience a treatment whilst at the Beach Club.
The COMO Beach Club has an open-air beachside/poolside restaurant and bar serving light meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages which are at the guest’s expense.
Water-sports such as kayaks, paddleboards and windsurfers are available and complimentary to guests.
Wifi is available at the restaurant and pool with a limited reception in the Salas.
Play by COMO: This is COMO’s kids' club which is complimentary for children from 4-12 years old at both the resort and COMO Beach Club.
Babysitting for younger children is also available at a cost.
Final Thoughts: COMO Point Yamu would suit anyone looking for a relaxing, peaceful break with understated elegance and incredible service.
The resort offers complimentary daily yoga, Tai’Chi, Pilates, Thai boxing and bike tours through Yamu Village.
The resort is close to four major golf courses: Blue Canyon Country Club, Mission Hills Golf Resort and Spa, Red Mountain Golf Club and Laguna Golf Phuket.
Old Phuket Town is approximately 15-20 minutes from the property and is definitely worth a visit for a day (or two) for gift and clothes shopping, amazing cafes, bars and restaurants.
Also located nearby are the Wat Chalong which is Phuket’s largest Buddhist temple with a 60m tall ‘chedi’ or shrine, holding what is believed to be a bone shard from the Buddha and The Big Buddha – a 45m tall white marble statue atop the 400m high Mount Nagakerd, renowned for it’s magnificent Andaman Sea views.
COMO Yamu Point was incredible. The staff were amazing and if you needed anything at all, would go out of their way to assist. We had an unforgettable stay and loved every minute. We would not hesitate in recommending it to clients, however, would definitely qualify what type of holiday they are looking for to ensure that ‘perfect match’.