Striking a pose in Thai paradise
Niamh Walsh finds her inner yogi – and a snazzy new wardrobe – on Koh Samui island
As I zipped through the aquamarine waters of the Pacific Ocean on a jet ski on a September morning with the sun on my back and the salty water splashing in my face, I was reminded of the old adage that ‘money can’t buy happiness’.
But at 1,000 Thai baht (€26) for 25 minutes of pure, breakneck joy through the crystal clear waters and waves off the island of Koh Samui, it sure comes close.
As I steered my rented jet ski back towards the shore I could see the full expanse of the Ammatara Pura Pool Villas resort stretching out before me. This was my home for the week.
And what a truly spectacular sight it was, taking regal pride of place on the shores of Koh Samui’s Lamai Beach.
Ammatara Pura translates to Eternal Place and this majestic resort is certainly a little taste of paradise and beauty.
The resort, which opened in 2012, was built in the style of a 1,200-yearold Thai palace and stays true to the culture and history of Thailand.
It took over five years to build with stones, trees and other artefacts and materials shipped in from all over the Eastern world in an effort to capture and embrace the spirit of Thailand.
Having flown over 19 hours to reach Koh Samui the resort was a welcome sight as I pulled up outside the reception.
I was excited to be visiting Thailand, a destination I had heard so much about for its natural beauty and welcoming people – and, of course, I was longing to take advantage of some winter sun.
But, I must admit that long haul flights don’t appeal to me.
So after days trawling for the best offers, seeking out the shortest layover and the best in-flight experience I booked with Emirates, which not only priced the best at €990 but also offered the quickest flight time and the shortest stopovers. Result!
Emirates is known for first-class customer service no matter what class you are flying in and having been upgraded to business class outbound and then experiencing economy on my return I can attest to this.
The airline makes it easy to connect to Bangkok, with just one stop in Dubai.
The layover in Dubai was only two and half hours and after a quick browse through duty free I was back on board and Bangkok bound.
Again, after another short layover in Bangkok, I found myself on board Koh Samui Air, just a short jaunt from my final destination – and utter relaxation.
The tiny airport of Koh Samui is a far cry from the busy bustling airports of Dubai and Bangkok.
It is located in Chaweng, the largest resort town in Koh Samui and the main destination for backpackers.
But noisy hostels and heavy rucksacks were the last things I was thinking about.
I was heading to Ammatara Pura which sits on Lamai Beach, a more upmarket area of the island and just over a 40-minute drive from the airport. Each of the 18 villas within the expansive resort is inspired by a Thai palace. Ammatara Pura manages to blend stylish mod-cons with old worldly design to create an authentic and luxurious experience.
Each villa has its own private area with a patio, balcony, swimming pool, indoor Jacuzzi and outdoor rain-forest shower.
There’s also a kitchen – not that you need it given the varied bar and restaurant menu that ranges from traditional Thai cuisine to international fare if you have noodle fatigue.
For family groups the spacious beach-front pool villa has two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a living/kitchen area and a large terrace and pool looking onto the beach.
The villas and restaurant are set around a stunning temple, swimming pool and gardens for the exclusive use of the guests.
As life in the Western World can be hectic and fast-paced I wanted to indulge in the slow-paced and spiritual side of the Eastern World.
And with a range of activities on offer at the hotel, yoga was top of my list. The yoga teacher, Bowie, was excellent. I had booked a oneon-one, meaning she worked with me personally.
I had only tried yoga once years ago and thought it was too slow and, dare I say, boring… but how wrong I was.
Now that I’ve matured and my body is not as flexible as it used to be I finally began to see what I’ve been missing out on.
We began with Yin yoga – a slowpaced style with long-held postures, or asana – as I was quite tight in the hip area and, through gentle movements and use of correctly positioned ‘props’, I adopted the various
I SAW YOGA AS TOO SLOW AND BORING… HOW WRONG I WAS
poses. It made me realise that while my flexibility is definitely not what it used to be, proper breath work can work wonders.
In just four sessions, I could see an improvement and Bowie’s instruction and help on correct body positioning was great.
She also advised me on what I should do once I returned home and, since then, I’ve been diligently doing my Yin yoga – working on the left side of the brain – which has taught me how to slow down and take time out.
The hotel spa treatments were also on my to-do list.
I opted for a facial and a traditional Thai massage with a body scrub to get me suntan ready.
For the purposes of comparison I also had a massage in one of the many spas dotted along the street of Lamai. And while the prices in these spas were only marginally cheaper, the massage in Ammatara was far superior.
As an avid sunbather, I overindulged slightly on my first day and had a little sunburn on my back.
My therapist Patti, was firm as she worked over my whole body with coconut oil and aloe vera to ease the burn.
Also built and decorated in the traditional Thai style, the spa exudes an air of peace and serenity that is as essential as any oil for a relaxing treatment.
Although I was in Thailand to relax and reinvigorate, I also indulged in the odd tipple.
The hotel had laid on a cocktail-making activity and, while I can’t quite remember how to make a Mojito, they did go down exceedingly well as I sipped them, sitting on the white sands gazing out over the expanses of the Pacific Ocean.
Outside the hotel, Lamai’s streets offered plenty of culinary diversions, with restaurants offering everything from pizza, to Indian and, of course, Thai.
The Sunday market was particularly fun and buzzed with stalls and traders selling everything from street food, to knock-off designer gear and Buddha trinkets.
The hotel Tuk-tuk was on hand to take you anywhere you wanted to go, so getting around Lamai was hassle-free.
As a self-confessed shopaholic I had no choice but to go on a spree while in Thailand.
But, instead of trawling through shops and shopping centres, I decided to try one of the island’s tailors.
Having read up TripAdvisor before I went, I was aware of the many pitfalls of using Thai tailors.
Like all things in life there are some good experiences and some bad, so it pays to do your research first.
On the advice of Jason, the hotel manager, I visited Sunil, whose shop Skandi Collection is just a stone’s throw from the hotel. Luckily Sunil is a talented, experienced and professional tailor. He was also exceedingly patient as I chopped and changed my mind on my new wardrobe additions.
I’d planned to get one dress and one suit – but when I saw the quality and attention to detail that Sunil put into making his garments, I couldn’t resist.
After three trips, I left with a suit, a dress, two crisp white shirts, leather shoes for my father, a bespoke Chineseinspired top and a man’s shirt as a gift – all for under €600. Lucky for me that Emirates’ luggage allowance is a generous 35kg.
The quality of Sunil’s clothes, the fabric and the attention to detail is akin to anything you would find in a high-end shop.
He also keeps your measurements on file should you want future items made up and posted.
Towards the end of my trip the weather turned – it was rainy season after all – and rain and clouds dominated the skies.
But it was still warm enough at times to sit by the main pool and just look out and take in the beauty of Pacific Ocean.
And while money certainly can’t buy everything, the sun being one of those things, a trip to Ammatara Pura Villas, certainly guarantees happiness and serenity – for a short time at least – which, in my book, is money well spent.
I PLANNED TO GET A DRESS AND A SUIT BUT I JUST COULDN’T RESIST