Thailand is known for luxury travel, great massages and food, unbeatable weather, lots of smiles and miles of beaches. But as inflation rises and the standard of living increases for Thai people, finding luxury on Phuket in your price range won’t be easy.
For about $200 a night you can get a room in a medium+ star hotel close to the beach, the strip of shops that offer mango shakes, pancakes, pad thai. For much less you can travel to the North and visit hill tribes and villagers in the areas of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, which is really not to be missed. We sent our kids to live with a hill tribe in Chiang Mai. You can too!
But if you can increase your budget for a few days, a trip to Keemala, an eco luxury resort in the jungle, offers a mini vacation inside the regular fun of Thailand. It costs about $900 a night for a luxury pod, with two floors, and a private pool, and for a few days you can dream away to the sound of crickets at night and quiet during the day at the large pool or spa.
Daily yoga lessons in a cave and cultural enriching crafts (like weaving plant fronds) are part of the deal at Keemala, along with the regular fare you can find at any Thai spa: massages, facials, and alternative treatments.
Keemala caught my eye from the sea when we were on a boat trip coming home from a hidden beach. It’s not on the beach in Phucket, but a half hour walk or short taxi drive to a small Muslim village down by the coast, and taxis in Thailand, including Thailand car rental with driver, are affordable and convenient.
The concierge gives you a checklist of what you expect before your arrival, including what kind of pillows you like and how many. You will be given hand-crafted luxury soaps and creams and coffee you can grind in an old fashioned coffee grinder in the mini bar area on the first floor of your pod.
Every evening at sunset, some of the crew put on drums and bells and march around the property in a traditional ceremony the likes you won’t find at any beach bar on a strip in Phuket.
Arriving to Keemala is a chance to feel true Thai hospitality and luxury, started every morning with a delicious, healthy breakfast, made to order and on buffet in the restaurant that looks from up high over the sea.
The only complaints are that the hydroponic farm wasn’t operational when we visited, and the kids activities only happened once. There were a couple of Asian influencers busy taking way too many photos eating breakfast and by the pool, but it was sort of funny as well, especially seeing how bored their kids were by it all.
Other than that the kids enjoyed our treehouse in the jungle and three nights was perfect for feeling rested so we could enjoy the festival of Songkran or New Year’s Eve.
Love Thailand? Read my reviews on Akyra on Koh Samui and on Zazen for Buddhist sensibilities.
Then there is The Kala – the only true, intentionally-built eco resort I stayed at in Thailand in the 20 years I have been going there on and off.
