WRITTEN BY
Tyler Roney
PUBLISHED
October 18, 2017
LOCATION
Phuket, Thailand
Rosewood’s considerable salvo into Southeast Asia – which includes both Phnom Penh and Luang Prabang – begins in earnest in November with the launch of their much anticipated Rosewood Phuket.
“Rosewood Phuket is the first Southeast Asia resort for the ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts brand,” Andrew Turner, managing director at Rosewood Phuket, tells Travelogues. “Just a few steps from one of the last remaining secluded beaches in Phuket, our resort […] will offer an experience truly like no other on the island.”
The new resort is found at Emerald Bay, a flat 600-meter beachfront in southwestern Phuket. The rooms, in proper Rosewood style, all feature a private infinity pool and interiors that blend polished contemporary style with rustic notes of Thai tradition.
“All 71 pavilions and villas feature environmentally sensitive, contemporary architecture […] with private pools that blend organically with the tropical landscape,” says Andrew. Rooms start at the 130-square-meter Ocean View Pool Pavilion, all the way up to the lush 796-square-meter two-bedroom Ocean House – all sea facing with tropical garden and ocean views.
This new resort will also premier Asaya, Rosewood’s personalized wellness experience which includes everything from yoga and mat pilates to alternative therapies, such as Chi Nei Tsang and Reiki healing. Asaya has signature “Wellness Ateliers” where guests will blend their own essential oils and ingredients picked fresh from the herb garden.
To cater to small groups of friends, Asaya provides Signature Suites or Villas with dedicated treatment areas, hydrotherapy zones, and indoor and outdoor social spaces.
For meetings and large gatherings, The Pavilion features views over the tropical beachfront – offers an idyllic setting for social events of up to 250 guests. The Glasshouse, Courtyard, and Garden & Beach Lawn encompass 1,288 square meters of indoor and outdoor spaces.
As for dining, visitors on the beach can partake of the fare at Ta Khai, a rustic beachside Thai seafood restaurant with weathered timber pavilions. Featuring an open kitchen and an interactive wine counter, Red Sauce on the first floor is available for those with a taste for Italian. Visitors by the pool can have sea food at The Shack and drinks at Mai, which turns into a sophisticated chill-out lounge after dark.
Those with kids in tow will be interested to know that the Rosewood Phuket comes with the Rosewood Explorer’s Club, an indoor space with activities for the youngsters.
Finding itself on one of the last untouched beach landscapes on Thailand’s largest island, Rosewood Phuket involved sustainable development practices in the construction, including protection of sacred 150-year-old banyan trees and coral reef regeneration.
Sustainable design elements include rain water retention ponds providing the resort’s entire water supply, “landscaped” rooftops for energy conservation, and the largest solar renewable energy system of any hotel in Phuket.
The introduction of the Rosewood Phuket precedes Rosewood’s wider offerings and ambitions throughout Southeast Asia. In Luang Prabang, Rosewood will launch a new luxury tent and villa encampment a 10-minute drive from the city of Luang Prabang. In Cambodia, Rosewood will occupy the top 14 floors of Vattanac Capital Tower, found 188 meters above Phnom Penh’s skyline with views of the Mekong. Also, coming much later will be the Rosewood Bangkok, found in downtown Bangkok’s Ploenchit area.