Six Senses Samui: A four-poster bed in the tropical jungle
The CC Thailand tip!
Far away from the island's typical hustle and bustle and even more so from "The White Lotus" pilgrims: At the Six Senses Resort Samui, the emphasis is on privacy, wellness and harmony - all with a sustainable approach that runs through all areas.
With my "Guest Experience Maker" Nook, we head up the hill in a buggy on winding roads. All shades of green glow to the left and right, with hibiscus and bougainvillea speckling the landscape with vibrant colors. Only small, numbered wooden signs indicate that the guest villas are hidden behind the thicket.
As the jungle briefly clears, Nook points to a terrace high above the sea: "That's our restaurant, Dining on the Hill." The view is breathtaking - and heightens our anticipation for the next few days. A few minutes later, we pull up in front of "Villa 50". Through a gate and up a few wooden steps, my own realm opens up: a hideaway made of wood and natural stone, 155 m2 in size, on two levels. Upstairs is the bedroom with an open bathroom, downstairs a spacious terrace with an 18 m2 pool, secluded yet with a sweeping view of the sea.
The resort was opened in 2001 and still bears the signature of Six Senses founders Sonu and Eva Shivdasani: rustic luxury, natural materials, outdoor showers behind bamboo walls and bold color accents in cushions and upholstery. An innovative wellness offering, sustainability and social responsibility were the focus from the very beginning - an approach that Six Senses continues to pursue today. Since the end of 2020, an app has made your stay easier: booking a spa, calling a buggy, reserving a restaurant or making special requests - all digitally. I order a digital resort map from Nook, as I naturally want to explore the cascading grounds on a hill with 67 villas, three restaurants, two bars, two pools, a spa and beach club and many spectacular viewpoints on foot.
High enjoyment from green to blue
The restaurant "Dining on the Hill" keeps its promise at second glance: The huge terrace faces west with a view of the Gulf of Thailand and an uninhabited island off the coast. Spectacular sunsets are practically guaranteed here in good weather. The menu features my favorite Thai street food dishes - from larb gai to pad Thai - as well as vegetarian options and Mediterranean classics. The atmosphere, like everywhere else in the resort, is extremely informal and relaxed. The "big wardrobe" can stay at home, as the picturesque view plays the main role here.
Below the restaurant, a beautifully designed infinity pool shimmers, which can easily compete with the most spectacular pools in Thailand. Nevertheless, the tranquillity is not disturbed by hectic selfie parades. Larger families prefer to gather around the
casual beach club "Drift on the Beach", where there is a very shallow pool directly on the beach with rope hammocks mounted in the pool. They may not necessarily be comfortable, but they are very photogenic!
Although there is no kids' club, the Six Senses Koh Samui is family-friendly, even if the resort is not necessarily barrier-free. There are many steps to negotiate, especially if you choose the small paths that lead through the middle of the jungle and offer considerable shortcuts to the resort's various attractions. What is certain, however, is that the jungle resort is a great adventure playground for young and old: the latter naturally appreciate the unique "Farm on the Hill", an area where plants, herbs and vegetables are grown that are used as ingredients in cocktails, meals and the spa. Even the resort's own organic fertilizer from the garden trimmings is produced here. In addition, a family of goats acts as a grateful petting zoo and consumer of plant branches. In between, chickens and ducks cluck and flutter around: if you want, you can catch fresh eggs from the poultry in the morning and have your loved ones prepared à la carte for breakfast in "Dining on The Hill".
Six Senses Samui offers plenty of activities, so guests don't necessarily have to leave the resort. However, a daily 15-minute shuttle to Fisherman's Village provides the typical Thai flair with a tourist and night market, if desired. The Big Buddha and Chaweng Beach are also popular nearby excursion destinations. Boat charters, island hopping, diving and snorkeling excursions can also be organized by GEM. Some guests may even choose to spend entire days at the Six Senses Spa, and this is easily accomplished with a variety of multi-hour spa rituals, group or private yoga, meditation, reiki and singing bowl therapy. I meet the seemingly tireless therapist Boom, who pampers me with a soothing anti-stress massage in the morning, again in the afternoon during group yoga and the next day in the Alchemy Bar, where we are instructed in how to make herbal inhalers, which can be found in almost every trouser pocket or ladies' handbag in Thailand. We head to the bar for cocktail hour, followed by a spectacular dinner at "Dining on the Rocks", the resort's award-winning gourmet restaurant. As the sun sets and we sip cocktails, heart-rending live saxophone arias waft through the balmy evening air.
Dramatically perched above the cliffs on 10 platforms, couples, families or groups can be enchanted by German chef Kian Wagner's refined creative menu in a private setting. A delight of Thai ingredients with French accents, such as the superb Thai bouillabaisse. Later, Nook gives me a handwritten recommendation and a spray bottle as a "turn down" gift: "Enjoy the spray, not the mosquitoes". The massive mosquito net over the bed proves to be a very effective barrier against flying intruders. My sleep is blissful and I can forget that nature can sometimes be annoying.
www.sixsenses.com
