Surely you thought we were clever and hilarious for the "Sea Cow in Si Kao" headline, but we must give credit where credit is due.
To the cute and funny folks over at the upcoming Anantara Si Kao in Si Kao have been using this clever and hilarious line as part of their marketing efforts for their soon-to-open Thailand property.
Located on Chang Lang Beach, the hotel is opening up in December -- hot on the heels of the Anantara Phuket -- in an area famous for its manatees.
Opening up later this year, the Anantara Phuket Resort & Spa is away from the overly-touristed Phuket areas, and will be at the Mai Khao Beach on the northern shore of Phuket instead. They're putting the finishing touches on 83 villas that each have their own infinity pool (we love this) and are arranged around a lagoon in the style of a traditional southern Thai village.
We've just been sent one promoter's opinion of the top ten spa treatments in hotels across the world. We're not inclined to believe everything we read, but some of these spa treatments do sound like just what we need. Right now, please.
Picking the most expensive treatment on the list--on a per-minute basis, that is--would bring us to the Alvear Palace in Buenos Aires. They've just opened a new spa and fitness center and have a special on an "exclusive cellular radiant treatment" facial, guaranteed to make you look younger (of course), at a cost of $205 for just one hour.
Better value can be had at the Hyatt Regency Hua Hin in Thailand, with day packages starting from just $250. Their Barai Spa has light therapy, massage and even "sensual water experiences". If you're after something a bit more physical, the Chuan Spa at the Langham Melbourne offers "a blizzard of therapeutic leg-centric techniques", which almost sounds frightening.
But for proper relaxation, our vote goes for The Tides Zihuatenajo in Mexico which combines a Swedish-style massage with the use of heated tiger clam shells, gently massaging your whole body. $150 for an hour isn't the cheapest on the list by far, but it sounds the most gentle option.
One more luxury resort to tempt us is open on the Gulf of Thailand. Belonging to the Design Hotels portfolio, the Alila Cha-Am just opened on February 1st. It's only two hours south of Bangkok which makes it pretty easy to reach, yet the quiet of the beaches and pool villas sound like more than a world away from the bustle of the city.
Design is, of course, an important aspect of the Alila Cha-Am. Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag, well known in his country, has designed the 79 villas and rooms and there's a focus on "clean lines and strong geometric forms", which sounds pretty modern, but the materials are mainly wood, limestone and marble, and that seems to ground it back in normality, too.
You want to feel like you're somewhere you can relax, not on an architectural hunting expedition. By the way, they're claiming that the beach this resort fronts is the longest beach in Thailand--but we can't confirm or deny this.
Special packages at Alila Cha-Am--and at other Alila resorts--are known as Alila Experiences and they sound intriguing: along with culinary and cultural excursion, they also offer intimate couples' celebrations and "active lifestyle pursuits". We're curious to know more about all of these, but not yet sure that we want to sign up for one. In the meantime, low-season room rates are starting at $176 a night. Not bad at all.
The Langham Hotels group has just added a fancy eco resort to its collection by converting the Rawi Warin Resort & Spa to be the Langham Place Eco Resort and Spa at Koh Lanta, Krabi in Thailand which will open in January 2008. We're talking luxury resort with an eco-friendly policy, which always seems a little bit tricky to manage ... surely really caring for the environment would mean a little less luxury?
Whatever your political opinion, Krabi's Langham Place Eco Resort is definitely a place for a luxurious sunny holiday. The villas at the resort have a private plunge pool, and guests from all rooms have access to the four main pools. There are also six different restaurants and bars to keep the hunger and thirst at bay.
As for the green side of things, the Langham Place Eco Resort runs according to six conservation principles, basically looking at renewable energy, recycling, conserving water, getting involved with local people, protecting the local habitat and purchasing requirements in an environmentally friendly way. From a distance it's hard to tell how strictly these policies are implemented, but it's all got to start somewhere.
Back in 1974 James Bond's The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed on Koh Yao Noi, an island in Phang Nga Bay off of Phuket. Fast forward thirty three years and Six Senses is set to open the fourth Evason boutique-branded Hideaway on that same island.
Evason Hideaway Six Senses Yao Noi, which opens in October, will include 54 pool villas with bay views. All villas have open-style bathrooms,infinity-edged pools with sundecks, and plenty of seclusion. Local building techniques have been adopted, using natural, environmentally controlled, materials to make sure the greenies stay happy. Furthermore, each villa is attended by a butler, and get this, for an additional cost a Bond like helicopter transfer is available from nearby Krabi airport.
Traveling time from the airport from Phuket is around forty five minutes to one hour by motor boat, or 15 minutes by helicopter service.
The resort is running an opening rate special in October. We were able to find villas for under $450.00 a night available throughout mid-October. However, by mid-Novemember these same "pool villas" were well over $800 a night. So the window for this particular hotel opening rate closes fast.
Since this resort will have that new resort smell for the better part of the fall, it will be virtually free of web reviews for the first month or so. Which means you have a chance to check in without preconceptions--imagine that.
Where: 198-199 Moo 5, Had Pak Meng-Changlang Road, Tambol Maifad, Amphur Sikao, Trang, Thailand, 92150
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by Jenna
