It’s a jungle out there — and that theme continues inside at Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa in Hua Hin. From the moment you enter the open-air lobby, overlooking wooden bridges darting through a lagoon, you start to feel the cares of Bangkok slipping away and feel much farther from the city than just a few hours.
You may have heard of the Asara before. In fact, the highly-regarded resort has been open for a few years but was recently taken over by Mövenpick, who’ve been slowly but surely making updates to the property that make the whole place seem fresh.
We recently got to visit and try out all that’s new at this beachfront haven.
A golf cart came to escort us to one of 52 villas (there are also 44 rooms and suites). We darted down narrow paths, with palm fronds and red birds of paradise brushing the front of our cart, before stopping in front of one of many stately, large, dark wooden carved gates. We lifted the latch to enter a private paradise.
Ours was a Private Pool Villa, (starting at THB 6,785/US$207 per night) which is about 150 square meters and has, of course, its own pool. It was large for a plunge pool, with ledges for sitting and two deep blue fountains spurting from pots. Beyond the pool, we had our own small patio with dining table and two sun loungers and a garden behind that.
Thoughfully, they’ve created a garden path along one side of the villa so that, if you need to go to the door, or have guests coming in, there’s no need to trek through the room. This is especially helpful when you order a room service Aperol Spritz (THB280/US$8.5) or Mandarin and Lemongrass Mojito (THB280/US$8.5) to be delivered to your private pool — the staff can bring them straight around instead of having to wait for you to answer the door.
Inside, the villa is separated into three rooms: bedroom, living room, and bathroom. We’re naming the bathroom as its own room since it’s at least as big as the bedroom with a freestanding tub in the center, which looks out through a picture window to an outdoor shower that’s so pleasant we opted to take all of our cleaning sessions there.
The bedroom and living area have sliding doors that open to the pool, inviting the outdoors in. The living room also has a large comfy, daybed-style sofa perfect for napping the day away.
Also, the room had a working gong, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Within the resort’s grounds, there are two main pools, a lagoon-like larger pool between the Kampu restaurant and the beach and, further away, they’ve got a quieter pool with a swim-up bar. The latter is clearly made for adults, while we imagine the main pool is mostly intended for families.
The resort’s main restaurant, Kampu, impressed us. They have a startlingly large array of European and Thai dishes, though it’s the desserts that hold a special place in our hearts.
The Boeuf Bourguignon (THB580/US$18) was an ultra-traditional take on the classic dish, and tender as any we’ve ever had. The Mediterranean Tuna Salad (THB350/US$11) with seared tuna, olives, capers, green beans, and heirloom tomatoes was tasty and did us proper when we wanted something light before donning a swimsuit for the day.
The Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Cheese Galette (THB320/US$10) was delicious too — layers of flaky, buttery pastry with baked burrata, black olive tapenade, heirloom tomato, and a soft herb salad.
For afters, we enjoyed the Baked Cheesecake with chocolate ganache and caramel (THB180/US$5), and the Chocolate Caramel Delice (THB220/US$7) with the resort’s homemade ganache and berry sorbet.
For those who want a quiet weekend away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok — and even slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of the center of Hua Hin — then the pool villas at the Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin are a solid pick, and pretty sure to soothe even the most stressed-out soul.
FIND IT:
Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin
53 Hua Hin Soi 5
Hua Hin
Rooms start at about THB5,000/US$152
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