By Govind Dhar
PHOTOGRAPHED BY GOVIND DHAR, SONEVA KIRI
“Watch out for leeches,” shouts my guide Andy Wade as we scale barefoot over moss-laden boulders towards a watering hole in the Klong Chao river. As I keep my eyes firmly on the ground, manically looking for the tiny bloodsuckers, a rumbling noise from ahead seems to get louder. In the cool air of the dense forest, packed with rubber and coconut trees, twisted vines and reticulated pythons, it’s easy to let the imagination get carried away; enough to realise how long I’ve been away from nature. We approach a lull in the river and I spot a Buddha sitting pensively atop a rock. “Some devout Buddhist monks that came here to bathe carried this idol through the forest and set it here,” explains Andy. Offering a prayer to the deity, I’m soon clambering up a tree stretching over a pool of the clear water. Andy is almost at the end of the branch, fetching a well-worn rope to throw to me. “If you swing back towards the rocks, don’t let go,” he warns. In a flash, I am swinging in a speedy arc, holding tightly onto the thick rope, toward the water’s surface. As I let go and plunge into the jade pool below me, the world goes silent and I get a taste of the sweet spring water as I come up for air. My fear of leeches and pythons has dissipated somewhat and all I can think of is getting back to the top of the tree for another jump. “A man over sixty-years old came with me on a trail to the hidden waterfall,” says Andy pointing over the cascade, referring to a new one we had found farther up river. “We were both standing under it and I asked him if he wanted to jump several feet into the river below. The man replied that he was over 60 and not likely to get such a chance again.” Needless to say, the sexagenarian jumped.
If you’re looking to get lost in nature and to forget the frills of resort luxury for a while, Six Senses Soneva Kiri on the little-inhabited island of Koh Kood makes for the perfect getaway. Being located on the overgrown and secluded island makes for the stuff of fantasy holidays and scrap book memories. Of course, five-star hospitality is always at hand – fine dining spots; a butler service; a well-stocked wine cellar; an award-winning spa; myriad recreations and even a private tree-nest attended to by ‘flying waiters’ for romantic dining. But in the end, what enchants you is the way Soneva Kiri magnifies the beauty of solitude amidst its lavish-yet- rustic island nooks. You can get lost here either in nature, or in your own imagination. Being surrounded by so much flora, and open to seascapes and views of smaller islands not far from your deck chair or dining table, Soneva Kiri evokes a powerful sense of child-like wonder for everything you encounter on the island. You’d expect that any place requiring a propeller jet and speedboat ride to reach it, with its expansive villas and crepuscular sunsets might appeal only to romantic honeymooners and A-list celebrities, but you’d be wrong. From the way luxury, good old-fashioned fun and a warm and perceptive service are woven together here, there’s every chance that guests of any description will find it hard to leave this island paradise.
Jungle dens of brush and bamboo
Built from planks of pine and trimmed with bamboo, each stately villa at Soneva Kiri is skirted by lush tropical thicket and brush, with the sort of romantic den-like interiors that incite the will to write one’s memoirs and be photographed doing it. Three types of sprawling residences await mainlanders, some sitting propped up on a beach, or dotted on either side of a hill or cliff (with bedrooms greeting the sunrise or sunset based on your choice).
To complete that luxury safari feel, four-poster beds with mosquito nets, earth -tone soft furnishings, steamer trunks piled high (that actually conceal flatscreen TVs, a DVD player and an iPod dock), and outdoor baths and showers are spread out across each of the 29 villas here. Add to that open-air living rooms with well-stocked wine chillers, well- placed speakers indoors and out, a wrap – around plunge pool and separate cabins for a washroom and dressing room, and you will catch yourself making mental notes about what features to include in your own holiday home blueprints. Of course when you get past all the tick boxes of each luxury villa (their convoluted light panels are likely to be the only source of frustration) you will discover that the most immersive experience to be had at these abodes is with few, if any, lights or speakers on. Draw deep of the sights and sounds at your front door; the symphonies of competing insects; the sudden bursts of merciless tropical showers, or the first sight of dawn as the sun glints off the ocean into your bedroom. Truly, Soneva Kiri’s most abundant gift is unencumbered nature.
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 British- born 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 life by visiting a sleepy fishing village and wandering into a family home that tapped and processed rubber for sale on the mainland. Rubber is a large export from the island with entire families being involved in the processing of the material. With less than 2000 people on the 129 – square- kilometre island, rubber tapping and fishing are conducted essentially for sustenance. The lack of heavy industry, neon-infused tourist traps and fast food outlets that plague neighbouring islands, means that the country’s fourth-largest island is one of the last few bastions of Thai island tourism where you can still experience something resembling true pastoral life. Despite the wide-ranging ‘hotel’ accommodations (a mix of 50-odd cabin resorts, shacks and homestays) on the island, few backpacking travellers make it out here because of how expensive some of the room nights can be. Without an airport, and the only landing strip being on a separate island 15 minutes away by speedboat, Koh Kood’s unspoiled beauty makes the lack of 21st Century modern conveniences, a blessing in disguise.
Signing off
Back at the resort, I head to ‘The View,’ for a rich and delectably wine-paired four-course meal, just in time for an uninterrupted view of sea and sky, and a molten sunset. “We have so many repeat guests mainly because they trust us and we give them complete privacy,” says Alex Jureeratana, the resort manager.
“Whether its Hollywood celebrities, business tycoons or sportstars, what they enjoy most is that they are free to do whatever they like here without being pestered. Most of our staff don’t even know who they are, and they like that.” As I turn off the last switch at the villa, I’m plunged into darkness save for slivers of moonlight peeping in through the shutters around my room. After an action-packed day, sleep comes easily. Restless crickets and frogs kick up some jungle sounds outside and distant rumblings start to fill the night sky. The next day, I awake to my villa covered in a carpet of leaves. The wooden walkways are drenched and island snails have made their way out of the woodwork to peep up at the day. As we drive to the jetty where a motorboat will whisk us away from the island, my butler informs me that a powerful storm had hit the island the night before, causing a few trees to fall around the resort. From the look of the glorious sun on this morning and how soundly I slept, I couldn’t imagine such a violent storm. As we boarded our ferry, dark clouds emerged as if from nowhere and a gusty torrent fell on us from above. It was the perfect farewell from Soneva Kiri – a lashing of temperamental nature, memories of wondrous isolation to relish on the way home, and an umbrella held over me as I took my last photographs of the island. Talk about a holiday in a nutshell.
Travel Tips
Soneva Kiri and Koh Kood…
Book at least a few months in advance as repeat customers tend to book up the best villas and Fridays (butlers) for themselves. The best time to travel is between November and April when weather permits longer days out and clear waters. In the low season, waters can be choppy, skies cloudy and rain a plan-spoiler. If you think you might require cash during your stay, take some along. There are no ATMs on the island. Mosquitoes are a problem and while the resort provides potent lemon-grass infused repellent, you might want to take your own.
Dancing Light Massage
A signature massage unique to the Soneva Kiri resort, the Dancing Light massage won’t be found on the spa menus at any other Six Senses spa. Centred around the the idea of a flickering flame that dances back and forth, this rubdown uses oil from a specially blended beeswax and aromatherapy candle for a full body massage. The masseuse melts the candle and uses the runoff to massage one side of the body, divided along the spine, before attending to the other half. The massage includes the use of thumbs in opposing circular motions; open palms and the heel
of the hand to relieve stress across the body and then longer, sweeping strokes with the use of the forearms and elbows. Perfect for easing tension in the muscles and relieving every day aches and pains.
Couples
Aside from the seclusion, privacy and natural beauty, unique spa treatments, tree top dining, a boat journey to a Thai fine dining restaurant and a 350-label wine cellar will keep most couples spoiled for choice.
Families
In addition to all the family-centred activities on offer, the resort provides top medical facilities. Soneva Kiri regularly gets elderly visitors for its tranquil and rejuvenating locations, excursions and soft sand beaches.
Kids
If you don’t value access to cable television and video games highly, a huge DVD library, a towering chidren’s den, free ice cream and chocolate parlour, an observatory and myriad outdoor activities makes this a retreat kids will not want to leave.