Pimalai Resort & Spa

The main calculation in traveling to Thailand is where exactly on the continuum between civilization and seclusion you want to end up. Though there’s no real desert-island experience to be had anymore, there’s a compromise to suit just about any taste — from the domesticated ex-wilderness of a Phuket to the nearby and much more tranquil Koh Lanta, home to the Pimalai Resort and Spa. It’s not Robinson Crusoe, but it’s definitely not the big city either. Here the designers had the sense to stay out of the way, and let the gardens, the woods, and the beach take center stage. No bold design statements, just a warm, contemporary and identifiably Thai style, with full-length windows and wraparound terraces or balconies on all 121 rooms, suites and villas. You can score a private pool if you feel like splashing out on a villa, or keep it simple with a standard room — even the latter affords plenty of space, close proximity to the beach, and it’s no great hardship sharing the hotel’s central infinity pool. Spa treatments and snorkeling or diving expeditions are an option, as always, and the restaurants offer not just fresh seafood-based Thai cuisine but cookery classes as well. How to get there: Pimalai Resort & Spa is approximately a 50-minute drive from Krabi Airport, 3 hours from Phuket Airport, and 1½ hours from Trang Airport. Pimalai offers a complimentary round-trip transfer service from Krabi Airport to the resort. In each case this takes you to Baan Huahin pier where, adjacent to the public pier, the resort maintains a private jetty and convenience station. Travel time from Baan Huahin to the resort depends on the season.