Evening view: Looking from the main terrace across the pool toward the bay beyond. - Photo by Alasdair Forbes

Adrian Zecha, the man who owns Aman Resorts and has been described by many as “the world’s best hotelier”, once remarked that the secret of his success was making guests feel as though they were staying, not in a hotel or resort, but in a friend’s home.

It’s a philosophy that Mom Luang Sukhathai Chumbala plainly agrees with, especially since his new Cloud 19 boutique hotel on the west coast of Cape Panwa was, for 10 years or so, home for him and his wife Chanida and their two children.

Eventually, the long trek every day to school and back prompted the family to move closer to the school.”I didn’t want to leave the house just for the staff to live in, so that’s why we decided to make it into a hotel,” ML Sukhathai explains, adding that the family have kept their bedroom for when they are at Cloud 19.

One can’t help feeling it must have been a bit of wrench – this is a gorgeous home in a knockout location; from the terrace, past the pool and over the lawn to the beach is no more than 30 paces. Beyond is the expanse of Chalong Bay – a much more interesting and attractive view than the flat horizons seen from the sought-after villas of Phuket’s west coast.

Keeping it simple: The rooms are comfortable, light and airy, with no fussy extras. - Photo courtesy Cloud 19

But the family still spends a great deal of time at Cloud 19. ML Sukhathai also has plans – “a long way in the future” – to build a larger resort on a plot of land he has acquired close to the Six Senses resort on Koh Yao Noi. So Cloud 19, he says, is a good way for him to learn about hotel management.

He and Chanida added some more rooms to their villa so that  it now has 19 for guests, ranging from two twins on the third floor, each with balconies, to the big suite on the second floor with its own living room, terrace with absolute sea view and large bathroom with Jacuzzi.

Decor also reflects, whether consciously or not, another of Zecha’s philosophies: “Simplicity is the essence of elegance. You don’t achieve elegance by ‘gussying up’ things.” So although the beds are the best that Posturepedic can supply, and the rooms have cable TV and DVD players, there is no gilding of the lily. Decor is simple and friendly.

The food served in the hotel’s  Lainapa restaurant, which has both Thai and international menus, also concentrates on substance with a little elegant style thrown in, but again nothing over the top. Having eaten there, PhuketObserver.com has a particular affection for the jumbo prawns which are as big as, well, jumbos.

Comfortable chairs under a shade sail next to the pool and the beach are a favourite place for gazing at the view. - Photo courtesy Cloud 19

Although Cloud 19 doesn’t officially open until January 23 (also ML Sukhathai’s 41st birthday), the restaurant already draws a steady trade from people living in the grand houses nearby, from the Novotel, which is a few steps away along the beach, and from yachties based in Chalong Bay.  ML Sukhathai has applied for permission to build a short jetty so that sailors can pull in for a meal even when the tide is out.

Now here’s the really good news: Cloud 19 is extraordinarily good value. A night in one of the twin rooms costs just B3,000 at present, while the suite is B14,000 a night – including breakfast, service charge and VAT. Dishes on the Lainapa menu average out at around B200. This is a serious deal.

For more on Cloud 19, visit the hotel website here.

Pool villa at the new Radisson. - Photo courtesy Radisson.

Phuket’s relentless drive up-market (and its drive towards longer and longer hotel names) continued this month with the opening of the island’s first Radisson property, the niftily named Radisson Plaza Resort Phuket Panwa Beach.

The hotel on Makham Bay has 211 rooms including nine ocean villas and 15 pool villas which come with an infinity edge plunge pool. It is managed by Carlson Hotels which has another six properties under development in Thailand.

There are also three meeting rooms, including a ballroom with floor-to-ceiling windows for banquet events which can accommodate up to 120 people, theatre style.

The resort has two main restaurants, Azur, which specialises in Mediterranean food, and Aqua, which is open around the clock with a variety of cuisines. Food and drinks are also available ijn the lobby with its sea views, and at the Edge bar, next to the main pool.

Activities include kayaking, windsurfing, yoga and meditation, a spa, a fitness centre, Thai cookery lessons and a children’s zone with a children-only pool and waterslide. The hotel website is here.

Regent Hotel Cape Panwa

Regent Hotels will launch its newest Asian resort, The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa in Phuket in March 2009. The first Regent resort in Thailand, The Regent Phuket will join other award-winning Regent Hotels Resorts in Asia, including The Regent Beijing and The Regent Shanghai.

The 106-room resort will overlook Cape Panwa’s picturesque secluded bay. The 48 terrace rooms, 22 deluxe villas, 35 pool villas and one presidential villa at The Regent Phuket will all feature private ocean-view balconies.

Resort amenities will include a 180-foot swimming pool, tennis court, and a fully equipped health center and spa with 10 treatment rooms. The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa will also feature two 195-square-foot function rooms for meetings, parties and events.

“We are very excited about this latest resort development in Phuket, which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world,” said Martin Rinck, President and Managing Director of Carlson Hotels Worldwide – Asia Pacific. Regent is the luxury brand of Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa will be located only 15 minutes from Phuket city and 45
minutes from the island’s international airport. The resort will offer private beaches secluded
from Phuket’s extensive developments.

Regent Hotels Resorts in the region include The Regent Beijing and The Regent Shanghai,
both ranked among Travel + Leisure’s top 500 hotels in the world. Regent will open a second Thai property, The Regent Bangkok, in 2009 as well.