PASSPORT
The children’s den
A play hut at the Den.
As night falls, if you’re not keen on the films showing at the open-air theatre you can wander down to the observator y and gaze deep into the night sky through the resort's-telescope.
NOV — DEC 2012
The open air Cinema Paradiso.
Fun anyone?
The way Soneva Kiri has been designed, one cannot help but be taken by its planner’s insistence on the inclusion of discovery and fun at every turn. From the moment you arrive at the sail-shaded resort, a multi-coloured den rises up to house a playful ice cream parlour offering over 60 tantalisingly fresh (and allergen and dairy-free) ice creams and sorbets. Next to it is another cottage reserved for chocolate making. Inspired after a Willy Wonka fashion, guests can help themselves to all the ice cream and chocolate they can eat – for free. Then, perched on a hill towering into the leafy shade of the island’s tall trees, a wondrous children’s den of Japanese cartoon-fantasy proportions welcomes kids (and many adults I’m told) inside its twisted, looping bamboo interiors. Here you can learn about space and nature; indulge in drawing activities, and play with toys and games in the care of qualified childminders. A short distance away in your personal golf cart (every guest is entitled to one of the convenient electric buggies) is an outdoor movie theatre
set on a man-made lake (the resort’s rainwater harvesting reservoir) that shows two films a day; one for kids and the other for adults. As night falls, if you’re not keen on the films showing you can wander down to the observatory and gaze deep into the night sky through the resort’s telescope.
Green living The Six Senses group, founded by Britishborn Indian Sonu Shivdasani and his Swedish wife, Eva (hence the portmanteau ‘Soneva’) has kept green and eco-best practices at the heart of their brand philosophy. It’s a difficult ethos to commit to especially when the island of Koh Kood is not connected to a mainline power source from Thailand.
What this means is that everything here is powered by generator. Still, I’m assured that the resort is doing as much as it can to offset its carbon emissions from planting new trees (over 300,000 so far) to having an ‘intelligent’ outlook on luxury that includes locally-grown produce and sustainably caught fish. The GM of the resort, Frank, only ten days into the job,
tells me that the owners intend to make their properties carbon-neutral by 2020. “And that’s rain water you’re drinking,” he says as I sip some water before we tuck into a Thai and continental lunch on the beach. Under swathes of spindly coconut palms, being told that all the water used at the resort is recycled rainwater, comes as no surprise. And yes they have a sparkling option too.
The island In terms of things to do, Soneva Kiri packs a bountiful itinerary for those who haven’t come here to laze. From power yoga and kickboxing to cooking and chocolate-making lessons, the obligatory watersports and diving, you can stay busy from 9 am to sunset, with a lot of activities being offered within the room rate altogether. A mangrove ride away on a house on stilts is ‘Round the Benz,’ a celebrated fine Thai eatery with eponymous chef Khun Benz at its helm. You can even visit a honey farm on the island of Koh Mai Si, not far from Koh Kood. Aside from my waterfall walk and little tour of the island, I got a glimpse into local