Best of the Best
Best of the Best
by Peter Graham
by Peter Graham
There are many spectacular beach resorts around the world, where you can find solitude, luxury and service to meet your expectations. From Cancun in Mexico to the French Riviera and the Gold Coast in Australia, hotels ensure their guests have a great holiday. Yet, it is the Asian resorts that continue to set the benchmark for the ultimate beach holiday. Call it style, call it flair, call it experience - the island hideaways in Asia are still regarded as the best on the globe. These are the best of the best - resorts where your every whim is catered for 24 hours a day.
Nowhere is this more evident than on the island of Bali. The Indonesian paradise still rules the roost as the home of the world's top boutique resorts. Part of this is due to the presence of the Aman resort chain, which has three magnificent properties on the island. This group developed the super-luxury boutique resort concept. Where they have set the standard for exclusive villas and extraordinary service, others have followed.
Bali is also home to two Four Seasons resorts, one on the beach at Jimbaran Bay and the other set in Sayan, overlooking rice paddies. In the latest Conde Nast Traveler Awards, the Four Seasons Resort at Sayan has just been voted the top hotel in the world - and not for the first time. And more boutique resorts keep opening - the latest is in the new Bulgari chain.
The three Aman resorts make the most of the Bali's incredible landscape. Amandari is set in the interior of the island, in the mountainside village of Ubud which is famous for arts and crafts. Built on a ridge overlooking layered rice fields and the Ayung River, 29 Balinese-style villas provide a secluded retreat for the celebrities and moguls it attracts.
As with the Aman resort's other properties, the identity of its guests are always protected, but among those who have stayed here are fashion designer Issey Miyake, super-model Claudia Schiffer, magician David Copperfield, and John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. Its also where Mick Jagger married Jerry Hall in 1990.
The group's beach resort, Amankila, boasts 35 thatch-roofed suites which cling to the hillside overlooking the sea. Located in a coconut grove, the resort's hallmark is a huge three-tiered swimming pool which flows throughout the resort and mirrors the beach down below. The most secluded of the Aman resorts, it is a favourite of Fergie, the Duchess of York.
Princess Diana preferred the charming Amanusa, which overlooks the Bali Golf Club and the distant Mount Agung, Bali's landmark volcano. Guests stay in Balinese villas, each accessed through its own private walled courtyard and featuring canopied four-poster beds. Its location in Nusa Dua means guests are in close reach of the shopping centres and markets of Kuta and Denpasar.
If Bali sets the standard, then Phuket is proving a strong challenger. In the past few years, this increasingly popular island off the coast of Thailand has unveiled a number of resorts that are giving Bali’s best a run for their money. Only a few years back, Phuket’s undisputed resort of choice was the Amanpuri (yes, another Aman resort).
An early challenge came from the magnificent Banyan Tree Resort nearby, but the Aman resorts’ superior beachside setting and polished service ensured it had the edge. Barefoot staff in traditional Thai uniforms make sure that every guest feels pampered, whether they wish to tour the island or just rest in their villas or on the beach.
The Phuket hotel that everyone is talking about now is Trisara, an exclusive 42-villa resort tucked away in a woody headland on the island's west coast. Since it opened in 2004, it has attracted a stream of celebrities and royals to its spectacular beachfront location, which is totally private and restricted to hotel guests.
All villas have ocean views and private dining is available, be it a five-course meal at a table for two set on a secluded stretch of beach or a steak sandwich at 3am. Besides a wide selection of books and magazines, the resorts' library offers a huge selection of CDs, which can be uploaded into an iPod and connected to your villa sound system.
Another resort vying for the top spot is set on Racha Island, a remote tropical hideaway an hour's boat ride from Phuket. The Racha was voted one of the hottest new resorts in the world within months of its opening and it continues to draw admirers to its stunning white villas.
While the service may not yet match Amanpuri or Trisara, its setting on a superb powder-white beach in a coconut grove is unbeatable. The island has few residents, so there's plenty of space to find your own place in the sun. The Racha's architecture is not based on traditional Thai design, but it oozes an informal sense of style that is hard to fault.
Langkawi is Malaysia’s most trendy island. A Four Seasons Resort recently opened there, ensuring it joins the big league of international holiday playgrounds. The Four Seasons Langkawi is a magnificent resort offering stylish rooms in a great oceanside setting. It also features a superb spa.
However, still the most exclusive accommodation is at The Datai, an exotic resort set in tropical rain forest on the beach in the north-western corner of the island. Facilities in this remote location include a spa, two swimming pools and an 18-hole championship golf course. Its restaurant is highly praised. International chef Raymond Blanc is a fan of its Malaysian-Thai cuisine. “One of the best restaurants in South East Asia,” is how he has described it.
When it comes to location, you cannot fault our choice of the “best of the best” in the Philippines. From the moment you enter the Aman Resorts lounge at Manila Airport you know that this is a special resort. Amanpulo is the only resort on the island of Pamalican, an hour's flight from Manila. Guests stay in 40 casitas, modelled after the Philippine bahay kubo dwellings. If you opt for a beach casita, you'll find yourself in "picture postcard" territory.
The beach is pristine, the sea sparkling and the views spectacular. This is where stars like singer Mariah Carey come to "get away from it all". If you want the latest technological gadgets in your room or chic interior design, then Amanpulo is not for you. If you prefer things simple and intend to spend your days on the beach or lounging in a hammock, then this is your kind of place.
These designer resorts don't come cheap. Few can dream of ever staying here, even fewer can afford to. But for those looking for the ultimate beach holiday in Asia, they would be heard to fault. You'll never forget a stay in these resorts. It's the impeccable service you will remember; the moments that make a holiday truly unforgettable.
For reports on luxury hotels in Asia, go to our archive
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Koh Lanta Island, Thailand
Rawi Warin is the newest five-star resort on Koh Lanta and has already established itself as a premier resort on this island paradise. The main focus of the resort is a huge swimming pool right on the beachfront. A number of ocean and pool villas complement the sea view villas built on the hillside. All rooms have air conditioning, satellite television, mini bars and coffee-making facilities.
Sea view deluxe rooms from only US$199 per night, including all taxes and free American breakfast. Stay 5 nights and get 1 additional night free! Stay 10 nights and get 2 additional nights free!
Offer valid from 1 November - 31 December 2006.
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