Andara Resort sets new standards
One of the enormous pool villas available for large parties at Andara - or for couples who like to rattle around in a lot of space.
The grand Andara Resort has now opened on Millionaires’ Mile in Kamala, following a well-established model whereby developers build villas and apartments, sell them, and then – when the owners are not in residence – rent them out by the night to tourists.
Most agree it’s a win-win model. The developer – in this case Hong Kong tycoon Allan Zeman – sells the homes and then gets to make even more money out of them after they are sold.
The owners (in the case of Andara, most are Hong Kong residents who may spend no more than a few weeks a year in Phuket) get a slice of the revenue to offset the maintenance fees and, in a good month, see a healthy income.
And well-heeled tourists get to stay in splendid comfort in any of the 26 pool villas or 36 suites, at rack rates ranging from US$710 a night for a one-bedroom terrace suite to US$4,480 for a six-bedroom pool villa (that’s US$746 per bedroom).
It has to be said that the design of Andara is stunning. The lobby, with its three-meter-high statues of Buddhist monks and a ceiling so high as to be almost out of view, is awe-inspiring, if a little confusing (are we in a resort or in a place of worship?)
A long, equally impressive corridor with shops on either side leads to the huge gates of the spa, and the stairs or elevator to the upper deck with its enormous swimming pool, palm trees, huge open bar, cocktail bar and restaurant, and wide-open views across Kamala Bay.
Lots of wood trimmings make Silk restaurant cosy despite its size. There's an indoor, airconditioned section, or an outdoor dining area.
The restaurant, Silk, used to be on the top floor of another Zeman Phuket project, the Plaza Surin shopping centre, but has been moved to Andara. It has been staffed with excellent people, many of them – including Chef Supreeda, better known as Oy – poached from that Phuket playground of the rich and famous, Amanpuri. In fact, it is rumoured that Zeman enticed so many staff away from Amanpuri that the other Mr Z, Amanpuri owner Adrian Zecha, is less than amused.
But this certainly ensures excellent food at Silk, as the Observer discovered during a recent delightful evening. The Observer‘s Thai food specialist, who is very hard to please, had only one small criticism – there wasn’t enough penang sauce on the prawns, something that’s easy to fix. Otherwise she pronounced it excellent.
The menu of 81 items offers a choice of Thai or Italian, which should satisfy just about anyone, and prices are not totally out of reach, ranging from B995 for a grilled tenderloin main course or a Milanese lamb shank down to 215 baht for a couple of slices of mango with sticky rice. Comparable mangoes in the market cost around B40 a kilo, but this is, after all, a five-star-plus resort, and they do an excellent job of peeling and slicing the mangoes for you.
We were unable to see any of the rooms; they were all occupied – the result, possibly, of a two-nights-for-the-price-of-one opening offer that lasted for the initial three months after the resort opened. But there are plenty of pictures on the Andara website to drool over.
The beach directly below Andara could not by any stretch of the imagination be classed as beautiful, so the resort has a shuttle service that takes guests to the Andara Beach Club, on the main Kamala beach, which is beautiful.
Nip out to see the sights on a motor yacht. This is the little one, the Andara.
For those who want to get a little further away, the resort also has two motor yachts for charter, the 28-metre Andara, which can take parties of up to 15 people for day trips (or smaller groups for overnighters), and the 35-metre Celebrity, which can manage 20 day-trippers. Trimmings include an onboard chef. Prices range from US$3,000 for a half-day trip.
And of course, no five-star resort these days is complete without a spa. Treatments include traditional Thai massage, Javanese, Ayuraveda, Swiss and Swedish massage, as well as the expected variety of scrubs, detox and body treatments. Six single treatment rooms and two couples rooms – with Jacuzzi. Staff can also provide treatments in your luxurious suite or villa.
In fact, you might want to check out the prices in the spa – it may be more cost-effective to book one of the treatment rooms for your entire holiday. But then, of course, you wouldn’t get the views.
