Par Alexandre Arditti
Clinging to the hill on a private peninsula in the north of the island of Koh Samui in Thailand, 66 dream villas look out to sea … Welcome to the mythical Six Senses Samui, a staple of the global hotel industry, halfway between path between the eco-lodge and the design hotel, with the added bonus of one of the most beautiful panoramic views that you will be able to admire … Magic.
Already present in the Maldives (Six Senses Laamu), in Vietnam (Six Senses Con Dao) or in Thailand near Phuket (Six Senses Yao Noi), the prestigious Six Senses Resorts & Spas chain owes its notoriety to its concept of “intelligent luxury “, Namely an” eco-chic “vision of luxury hotels in which establishments must integrate harmoniously into their natural environment and minimize their ecological footprint. A philosophy that can be found of course in architecture, where wood and local natural materials are required, but also in all the small details of everyday life where green solutions are omnipresent.
A little design jewel between sky and sea
Before even discovering the first outlines of the hotel, you will only see her. View. A 180 ° panoramic view of the Gulf of Siam as you rarely see in your life. With the added bonus of a pretty little island in the middle of the decor, which seems to have been placed there deliberately to complete the picture. As for the villas, here we are at the heart of the Six Senses spirit, Robinson chic atmosphere. Dressed with a thatched roof, wood and bamboo, it is accessed by following a pretty little staircase winding gently through the jungle. Widely open to the horizon thanks to huge verandas, they are designed in duplex: upstairs, the bedroom and its two bathrooms (including a superb outdoor shower), bordered by a lounge area that can be converted into a second bedroom and sober and refined decoration from natural and recyclable materials (linen curtains, oiled paper for the lights, light colors enhanced with pistachio green cushion, and for amateurs, Francis Francis coffee maker please); downstairs, a beautiful private infinity pool with daybeds and small cozy spaces to have breakfast or a cocktail facing the sea, or simply to laze around in front of the immensity and enjoy absolute tranquility , rarely interrupted by your personal butler come to inquire about your every wish. We are so comfortable there that we almost forget to leave our villa!
Gourmet dinner under the stars at “Dining on the Rocks”
But it would be a real shame so much the hotel to offer, starting with the spectacular 50 meter long swimming pool which offers perhaps the most beautiful view of the hotel and where it is easy to spend hours contemplating the landscape, while the staff will supply you at regular intervals with a thousand and one sweets: iced tea, fresh fruit juices, flavored ice creams, sweets … For lovers of salt water, head to the hotel’s small beach, which you can reach going down the hill by a wooden staircase, ideal for snorkelling or a lunch with your feet in the sand, and where the water rarely goes below 28 °! But Six Senses Samui is also renowned for hosting one of the best tables on the island, and above all one of the most unusual hotel restaurants. The Dining on the Rocks is in fact, as its name suggests, installed on huge wooden platforms placed above the waves and rocks. Under the stars, you dine at nightfall admiring the sunset, and once darkness falls, thousands of stars sparkle above your heads. It’s hard to get more romantic, so much so that many honeymooners choose Six Senses for this unusual restaurant. On the menu, make way for a revisited Thai and international gastronomy and of course seafood, the distance separating the fish from your plate is here reduced to the strict minimum! For amateurs, a second restaurant “Dining on the Hill” focuses this time on the great classics of Thai cuisine, with in particular a splendid menu of sometimes strongly spiced curries that can be tasted by the most discerning palates.
Six Senses Spa, the quintessence of the Six Senses spirit
Another great specialty signed by Six Senses since the beginning: the spa (the brand also has an institute in Paris). Here, the pretty wooden and bamboo huts housing the treatment cabins are scattered on the side of the jungle. As always at Six Senses, the menu of treatments is particularly sophisticated, which has earned Six Senses Spa Samui several times the “best spa in the world” award. In the heart of nature, let go under the expert fingers of a therapist trained in the best Asian schools, the time for a signature “aromatherapy” massage with essential oils, or why not an authentic Thai massage, more supported for braver ! After the massage, the surprise is huge, the shutters open and you are once again struggling with this incredible view, this explosion of blue and this proximity to the sea and nature that make this hotel one of the most beautiful jewels of the Thai hotel industry.