Phuket - Anantara Resort Part I

This will be my last post on Phuket, and I would like to share with you the most interesting resort I came across on this trip - the Anantara Resort Phuket. Anantara is at Mai Khao Beach, next to the Turtle Village. From the outside, you could be excused for thinking its a prison or some high-security establishment. A 2-storey high imposing wall with no openings is all you see, with only a gap where you enter. Even then you are not very sure where you are going, as the entrance is deliberately obscure. Once you go inside, you realise that the high walls actually hide car parks on one side, and the reception on the other.

Created by the Bill Bensley Design Studio, the concept of the resort is inspired by traditional kampung houses. The villas are arranged somewhat informally around landscaped ponds, creating an overall kampung atmosphere. Like most of Bill Bensley's designs, the landscaping is the star here, and there are lots of quirky touches and details and decorations everywhere.

On the way to the villas. You can't really get good views of the villas from the outside, and they are very well camouflaged by the landscaping.

The villas are a lot like traditional Malay kampung houses - with pitched roofs and mostly timber construction. They have their own luxurious private pools, and look over the landscaped ponds.

Look out for Part II of my post on the Anantara Resort.