When the owners built Pimalai Resort and Spa, their vision was to create 'paradise'.
Pimalai Resort and Spa was opened in 2001. It took Charintip Tiyaphorn and her dad ‘Anurat Tiyaphorn’ 4 years to build this expansive resort which spreads out and up across 100 acres of Southern Thailand's most spectacular oceanfront and mountain terrain. While part of the resort is beach-side (with 900 meters long beachfront) another part of the resort meanders up 60 - 80 meters above sea level into the mountains.
Twenty years later, Pimalai is still extremely well-kept and is adored by those seeking something unique.
Service - It’s in the Greeting
In this day of omnipotent international brands and their one-size-fits-all global SOP's, it is so rare to get genuine personalized service - even in Thailand. Many hotels equip their staff with a well-written script which may sometimes be good and appropriate - don’t get me wrong, but when you are on holidays after having been so overwhelmed and just tired of all that is superficial and superfluous including words - a genuine conversation will always win out.
It is heart-warming at Pimalai when you can have a normal conversation with the staff. There's no pretentiousness and they don’t feel that they have to be careful about what they have to say or worried about how many brand keywords they have to fit in one conversation to demonstrate that they are a cool brand. I personally prefer Sa Wat Dee Kaaaaaa over Hi, Sawatdee ka anytime.
Becomes Part of the Nature
From the guest's eye, there are no overly-complex designs at Pimalai Resort and Spa. Everything looks nice and feels really nice.
You don’t have to look deeply into the designs to find hints of hidden meanings which may define its beauty. The place is just simply beautiful. With that being said - years of planning and experience had been put into designing and building this enormous resort. The owner used three large Thai firms for the interior design (P49DEsign), landscaping (Inside Out Design), and architecture (Habitat)
If you book a hillside villa, you will find yourself in the middle of the jungle with uninterrupted views and only the noises of pure nature. You would hear sounds of some animals that perhaps you didn’t even know exist. There were no trees cut down during their construction. We are talking about a 100-acre piece of land - and no tree had been lopped.
The position of each villa has been planned to a 'T', ensuring that your senses and privacy are optimized. You get a view that your eyes don’t get to see that very often, as well as sounds of birds chirping, the feel of the wind on your face, the smell of the forest and the warmth of the sunlight - not to mention a pool that is truly private where the only prying eyes are the local fauna.
Spa
Just getting to the Pimalai Spa is a journey in itself. It is hidden amongst the trees and utilizes everything that the surrounding nature has to offer. No canned bird sounds and tacky spa-music tracks - the only music track that you hear is that of nature.
It sounds strange listening to real birds sing at the beginning but after a while it’s so peaceful. When you are not locked in a concrete box called ‘a spa’ - the open space really does you some good. It’s the luxury of space that allows you to connect with nature.
Pimalai Spa was also the winner of the World Luxury Spa Awards and selected for Conde Nast's Johansens Luxury Spa Collection ... Just in case all the rest hasn't convinced you yet.
Sense of Responsibility
When the owners built Pimalai Resort and Spa, their vision was to create 'paradise' … ensuring that they keep this estate untouched and well-kept. They have done very well in keeping their promise. Their service is second to none, and is both an asset and tribute to the local Koh Lanta community.
It is the first resort in Koh Lanta to have achieved Green Globe certification and commit to become a zero waste resort within five years.
As a regular hotel user, I know that every time we go to a hotel we leave a little bit (or a lot) of our waste behind. It is good to know that our presence during our stay did not play as big a part in destroying nature or the local community as much as it may have in other places.
Despite not having really promoted itself as a sanctuary, so many of Pimalai's guests attest to Pimalai Resort and Spa as truly being their personal sanctuary and want to keep it that way when they return each year.