Island of the seven beaches
Time plays no role here in paradise
The high-end resort Soneva Kiri in the southeast of Thailand makes Siamese vacation dreams come true. Away from the crowded beaches of Phuket and Koh Samui, Koh Kood offers a variety of gourmet experiences, nature and sustainable deluxe comfort as well as unforgettable off-the-beaten-track beach experiences.
When Khun Tuk fires up the wok and swings her wooden cooking spoon, something is happening in the mangrove forest around Klong Yai Kee. The entire resort's own vegetable and herb garden is playfully placed in glowing hot pans in a traditional pile dwelling over the water. We look in vain for a menu. Instead, small bowls with real explosions of flavor, which once prompted Gwyneth Paltrow to sing their praises in the New York Times, gradually land in front of us. Even the journey there is unforgettable: from the Soneva Kiri Resort, we take a motorboat along the coast and then up a picturesque little river to the restaurant named after the culinary artist. Soneva Kiri not only stands for extraordinary experiences, but also for a destination without any overtourism. Far away from civilization and yet easily accessible with a Cessna Grand Caravan. Take-off is from Bangkok, and an hour later the exclusive Soneva Kiri plane lands on a tarmac the size of a towel. From there, it's "cast off and off to barefoot paradise" after a five-minute motorboat ride. The boat cuts through the azure blue of the calm Andaman Sea, warm spray refreshes faces that have been battered by the long-haul flight. And then it quickly comes into view, the islet of Koh Kood, where the lush rainforest stretches right up to the gleaming white sandy beach and the water shimmers turquoise green. From now on, only the sound of the sea, the soft crunching of sand underfoot, the murmur of the jungle and the many voices of the peepers pamper our ears. Thailand's fourth largest island is sparsely populated and hardly developed for tourism.
Interior is exterior
33 villas are surrounded by lush greenery, with large beach villas on the turquoise sea. Private pools and butlers, called "Barefoot Guardians" here, included! Angelina Jolie and Uma Thurman are said to love their villas with living spaces of between 400 and 770 m², semi-open bathrooms with custom-made, leather-covered designer furniture and voluminous crescent-shaped pools so much that they hardly want to leave. The living areas also open onto expansive verandas with daybeds and tent-covered terraces, creating a seamless transition between the light-flooded interiors and the outdoors. In addition, the trendy design has been accentuated with Asian ornamentation, because Soneva resorts are always about the balance between East and West and between straightforwardness and ornamentation. Nothing is exaggerated or artificial. Regional, almost rustic, but chic furniture design and local woods such as bamboo, eucalyptus or pine, basic elements of the sustainable resort, lend the entire complex an organically luxurious character.
What you won't find are golden taps and newspapers hanging on the door in the morning. Instead, there are lush tropical plants such as man-high alocasia leaves, heliconias, lemongrass, frangipani trees and pepper bushes that are so lush green that the chlorophyll almost seems to color the air. Because the Soneva Kiri is a five-star Robinson Crusoe resort where only a small group is allowed to celebrate "intelligent barefoot luxury". Sustainable, natural, environmentally conscious and based on the philosophy "No news, no shoes." If you like, you can always walk around barefoot. And that's what most guests do here. The concept was invented by Sonu and Eva Shivdasani. They founded their first luxury resort in the Maldives in 1995. In the meantime, the Soneva collection has become a small, fine treasure chest. With the jewels Soneva Fushi, Soneva Jani and Soneva in Aqua in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. Once you've been there, you'll be hooked. Not least for the unusual culinary concepts. Childhood dreams come true here. Soneva Kiri's "village square" has its own ice cream parlor, a French chocolatier who changes his repertoire daily, and "dining pods". These are oversized bamboo bowls that allow us to dine in five-metre-high treetops. Then it's off to stargaze in the high-tech telescope observatory or the Cinema Paradiso in the middle of the tropical rainforest.
Want even more superlatives? In addition to excellent wellbeing in the mangrove forest, the narrow powdered sugar sand beach on the west coast is perfect for swimming and bobbing in crystal-clear water. On a beach that matches every catalog image in your head. And yet the new "Seven Days, Seven Beaches" program lures you to untouched beaches and hidden bays. From the jetty, a traditional wooden fishing boat takes you along the coast to a different beach every day, such as Ao Kluai, the Blue Lagoon of Koh Rang, Klong Han Beach or Ao Tapao. As soon as the fishing boat anchors, it transforms into a private beach club. Make yourself comfortable on the cushioned upper deck while the finest Thai food is chopped and fried for lunch in the small galley. Before that, perhaps take a quick sunbath, snorkel over colorful corals or paddle along the coast? This is what a Robinson Crusoe vacation at Soneva Kiri is all about!
