Flat Out on Koh Samui

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The Thai resort island of Koh Samui offers sun, sand, good food and myriad spa options, writes Winsor Dobbin.

At the dramatic Kala Samui resort, on a hilltop overlooking the ocean, Khun Pim gave me an exquisite pummelling at the Agarin spa. My weary back felt rejuvenated, my 150-kmh brain had slowed down to within the speed limit.

The Agarin is just one of dozens of spa options on Koh Samui, an island where the choices range from high-energy holidays on the Chaweng and Lamai beach strips to remote luxury getaways.

The island in the Gulf of Siam, off the east coast of Thailand, is a former backpacker destination that is now blossoming with high-end resorts from top to toe - think names like Anantara, Six Senses, Mercure and Renaissance

Despite this, Koh Samui remains charmingly unrefined once you leave the confines of the resorts.

Even though Koh Samui is the third largest island in Thailand, it only takes a couple of hours to circumnavigate. It has a population estimated at just 40,000 and attracts over a million visitors a year.

If you need to wind down after partaking of the island’s excellent dining and drinking options, just about every resort has its own spa.

The Anantara Resort and Spa Koh Samui, at Bophut, is one of the most striking, the sound of running water soothing those entering the six glass-walled treatment rooms from the lush tropical gardens. A range of treatments encompass Eastern traditions and the contemporary.

Anantara also recently launched a second resort on Samui; Anantara Villa Lawana Resort & Spa on the fringes of Chaweng. The spa here features nine en-suite treatment rooms promising pampering journeys encompassing Ayurvedic, traditional Thai and other classic international therapies.

Other star turns include the Six Senses Hideaway Samui, Silavadee Wellness Spa, Bandara Resort and Spa and the Spa at Four Seasons resort.

Equally captivating are the beautiful beaches, the Ang Thong Marine Park, water sports and off-the-beaten track resorts like luxurious Baan Taling Ngam on the little-visited Virgin Coast, the perfect spot to get away from it all.

Situated on top of a cliff, surrounded by coconut plantations, the hotel has infinity and beachfront pools and just 70 guestrooms feature private balconies with sea or garden views, wooden furnishings, and traditional Thai décor. All rooms have satellite TVs along with DVD/CD players and the service is friendly, slick and unobtrusive.

The spa offers a large menu of spa options, ranging from aromatherapy and four hands massages to body masks and polishes, facials and a range of herbal baths.

This is a perfect escape from the hurly burly; the beaches are all but empty apart from during high season and the lounge is the perfect spot to relax with a cocktail while taking in the magnificent sunsets overlooking the unspoiled and uninhabited Five Islands, or maybe sample dishes like local rock shrimp tempura and five-spice duck breast at the beachfront Sea Chi at The Promenade restaurant.

Just down the road is the Five Islands restaurant, casually chic right on the waterfront and specialising in local seafood (think dishes like baked crab meat and herb curry served in the shell). Long-tail boats leave from here to explore the surrounding waters.

Ultra-trendy jet-set haunt Nikki Beach Club, with its daybeds and spa pools, is another great place for a leisurely drink in the vicinity.

Chaweng and Lamai, two bustling beach strips, are home to most of the bars and restaurants with the shining star the new The Page restaurant at the funky, casually elegant The Library resort – which has garnered acclaim from Conde Nast Traveler and is a member of the Design Hotels group.

The Page boasts its own walk-in wine library of European and New World stars and serves contemporary dishes like stir-fried soft shell crab with yellow curry powder and sea bass Golden fried sea bass topped with chilli and hot basil.

Choose from a range of cocktails or maybe a Californian cabernet, or Chilean sauvignon blanc as you take in the jet skis on the beach and the confronting red swimming pool.

Nearby is long-time fusion cuisine favourite betelnut, now relocated to the beachfront at the boutique Buri Rasa resort. American chef/owner Jeffrey Lord trained under Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in California and he and his team cook up dishes like roast snowfish with crispy rice salad and mild Thai chilli, and wines from France and Italy.

Other Samui standouts for wining and dining in style include long-time favourite Poppies, the Melati Beach resort, the tapas and cocktails at Beach Republic, 26th Degree at the spectacular Kala Samui and Bandara Resort and Spa, where a fusion dish of red snapper with mashed potato/jasmin rice, braised artichoke, fresh carrot and a green curry jus was outstanding.

In contrast to all this luxury, Samui also offers the bizarre. The island is home to not one, but two, mummified monks displayed in glass cases in full view of the public.

The body of Samui's most famous mummified monk, Loung Pordaeng, is on display in a specially constructed case at Wat Khunaram. He's wearing orange robes and much of his face is shaded by his Ray-Bans.

When he died 30 years ago, he was sitting in a meditation position – and he remains in that position today with his body still remarkably preserved. Locals claim that his hair still grows and his nails need regular clipping. There is another mummified monk, Luang Por Ruam, who died in 1966, at Wat Kiri Wongkaram, near Baan Taling Ngam.

There are also reminders of Samui’s agricultural past if you visit the coconut plantations where monkeys are trained to climb the trees and dislodge coconuts, which are then chopped up and sold to the tourists.

It's one of the many diversions awaiting you - if you can drag yourself away from the affordable massages, facials and pedicures of course.

Spa Files

Thai Airways flies 40 times a week from Australia to Bangkok and onwards to over 70 destinations worldwide. Easy connections are available with Bangkok Air flights to Koh Samui. www.thaiairways.com.au and www.bangkokair.com.

Baan Taling Ngam resort and spa offers a range of accommodation options and packages. Phone +66 7742 9100. www.baan-taling-ngam.com.

The writer was a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways.