Often named on lists of the most beautiful resorts in the world, Sawasdee Village on Phuket’s Kata Beach won’t likely be a hotel you’ll confuse with any others.
If you have a friend, family member, or partner that’s deeply into Thai art and culture, you might consider booking this spot, located on a semi-remote part of Phuket.
Murals and traditional silk fabrics line the walls in the guestrooms and sit alongside pretty mosquito nets and regional antiques. These features play in all rooms — from the simple Garden Deluxe all the way through the Pool Access rooms and up to the single Baray Villa.
Most common spaces feature dramatic arched doors, domed roofs, and the rich tones of gold and crimson everywhere.
The designers created the space hoping that guests will feel like ancient Thai royalty while lounging around the resort’s many common seating areas or wading around in the lazy river-style pool, complete with underwater fairy lights to make the water look a bit like a starry sky at night.
They offer a high-end restaurant featuring Thai fine dining, as you’d expect of this sort of resort, but if you have a taste for something Western, they have a pizzeria and Western-style restaurant as well. These, weirdly, look nothing like the rest of the resort, so be warned — you might have your fantasy about being in old Thailand ruined by a trip to Abbiocco Pizza Bar.
Pro Tip: Order to your room to keep the Thai fantasy going.
As far as pools, they have two. The 55-meter Baray Villa Zone pool has waterfalls and a uniquely designed and opulent- looking golden swim-up bar with hanging gold lanterns. However, instead of swimming up to this bar, you swim under it, a golden pagoda covers guests who sit at a U-shaped bar, meaning they can get out of the sun while sipping a refreshment.
The Garden Zone pool is the more traditional resort set-up, featuring a jacuzzi, children’s pool, and another pool bar.
To complete the feeling of vintage Thai luxury, guests can try a traditional spa treatment, such as massage, in the dark, cozy, deep pink spa. They also offer treatments such as facials, body scrubs, manicures and waxing.
FIND IT:
Sawasdee Village Resort and Spa
38 Katekwan Rd.
Kata Beach, Phuket
Rooms from THB2,699 (US$83)
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