Phuket Designer Retreat Road Test – Part Two

Travel – 19 January 2015

In Part One we featured designer resort Point Yamu by Como. In Part Two we profile Trisara, an exclusive and hedonistic hillside hideaway set in a tropical wonderland.

Trisara

We sweep into Trisara’s jasmine-infused lobby a few days after Maria Sharapova’s departure. The tennis ace had just spent a week rejuvenating at the estate, following her victory at the China Open and, according to social media; she’s already planning her next visit. With one in four Trisara guests returning to the luxury resort, it doesn’t come as a surprise. It’s a well known fact that the most private and discerning vacationers, (amongst them celebrities and the international jet-set), consider Trisara their home away from home.

Australian founding director Anthony Lark, who is responsible for cultivating Trisara’s unrivalled reputation and expanding the brand, is well aware that Trisara guests consider privacy the greatest luxury. Each of the resort’s 48 pool suites and multi-bedroom villas are shrouded within a rainforest of bamboo and banana trees that envelopes the lush 40-acre hillside hideaway.

Set over a secluded bay along Phuket’s less developed northwest coast, each villa has its own knife-edge pool overlooking over 2000 meters of pristine ocean frontage. They’re also completely private, infinitely classy, impeccably crafted and serviced by staffers dedicated to satisfying every excruciatingly personal detail of your stay.

But this doesn’t mean that you’ll feel smothered by the top-notch service. On the contrary, most guests prefer to luxuriate in the intimacy of their villas and it’s as if the Trisara team intuitively know when and where to appear with fresh towels, a ginger tonic or a handy golf buggy ride from point A to B. You can also rest assured that your investment includes a range of amenities and services that more than justify the premium price tag.

Now in its second decade, Trisara is still looking remarkably pristine. Its traditional Thai style architectural forms are woven into an intricate landscape that elevates the hideaway to another level. The elevated villas appear to cascade down the hillside culminating in an exquisitely un-hotel-like series of interconnected pavilions which include two restaurants, a library, bar and a gallery shop that flank a large open courtyard with views over the lap pool and beach below.

Take a few steps down towards the lapping waves and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported into a utopian island paradise reminiscent of the Blue Lagoon. If you can tear yourself away from your villa, this is where you’re likely to spend your days as staff configure your deck loungers, adjust your bamboo umbrellas, re-fill your tumblers of osmosis-filtered water and fulfill all gastronomic requests.

If you fancy upping the ante even further, you might request an in-villa barbecue or Thai feast, a private session at the seafront yoga retreat, a personalised cooking class or a world-class spa treatment. (We opted for the 6-hands massage and we’re still talking about it).

If you’re after an off-site adventure, you could hop on a private champagne cruise or take a charter helicopter ride to one of the nearby islands, beachfront restaurants or beach clubs. Or while you’re at it, why not opt for a personal blessing from a monk at the local Buddhist temple?

Just when you think they’d thought of everything, you will also discover that Trisara have the arrival and departure process at Phuket airport seamlessly covered. With fast tracked immigration, customs and check-in services all included in the price, you will arrive and depart in impeccable style. There’s also a kid’s club too, should you wish to bring the children along.

Visit: www.trisara.com

Images and words by: Elana Castle

Visit: http://www.elanacastle.com