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Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
For me, a good holiday involves a gleeful traipse across a city’s sidewalk, a waltz by its boulevards, and a mad dash of serious shopping. So you’d probably understand when well-meaning friends, upon knowing the essence of InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, where I’ll be staying for three nights, turn to me, perplexed, and ask, “Why, Zat?”
It’s the same question I posed to myself over and over again during the three-hour car ride from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the resort grounds. I want to chalk it down to a brave sense of adventure — you know the kind, taking the road less travelled all. But if I were to be honest, I just needed somewhere I could unwind without the distraction of a Sephora or a Cos store. Still, I was a tad apprehensive because what if I went crazy out of boredom? What if I fail to be one with nature — what then?
And then there’s the whole thematic slant of using restored train carriages as boarding. The idea in itself could veer on gimmicky — is there anything more cliche than train carriages reupholstered and renewed not to their former glory but to something better, something more fancy?
Yet, under famed architect Bill Bensley‘s capable and exceptionally creative hands, the 19 heritage rail care suites and villas are the picture-perfect example of opulence and luxury sitting at the intersection where history and nature interact seamlessly.
Remaking trains
Set amidst 100 acres of lush tropical landscape, with over 30,000 trees and five lakes (all man-made, though I’d forgive you if, like me, you think otherwise), The InterContinental Khao Yai Resort is a homage to both verdant expanses of green and storytelling. It features 64 rooms and heritage railcar suites and villas, each offering a unique blend of comfort and nostalgia.
These accommodations range from the cosy King Classic rooms to the expansive Heritage Railcar Two Bedrooms Pool Villas, some spanning up to 223 sqm. This exclusive sanctuary captures the essence of Khao Yai’s history while providing modern amenities and comfort, inviting guests to experience a serene and enriching retreat.
InterContinental Khao Yai Resort’s most striking feature (and a reason why it’s a must-visit if you’re into unique accommodations) is its use of old train carriages, repurposed into luxurious suites, an extension of Bensley’s long-held interest in upcycling and a childhood fascination with trains.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Sourcing the carriages, however, was no easy feat. Some had been forgotten for over fifty years, with nature taking over as Ficus trees rooted themselves into the carriages, enveloping them entirely. While extracting these carriages from the landscape was challenging, Bensley saw the beauty in preserving elements of nature, keeping the root systems intact in some areas. The result — train journeys frozen in time, transformed into a form of living history.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Space became the next challenge, as the carriages are only a petite 2.5m wide, limiting how expansive the suites could be. Yet Bensley and his team found ways to stretch the space, ensuring comfort without losing the charm of train travel. The Presidential Carriage, a suite spanning two train carriages, extends for an incredible 66m with an outdoor swimming pool and bathtub. Here, the layout is linear, with bedrooms at the ends and a walkway down the middle that evokes the narrow passage of an old train.
Each suite in the resort tells a story, themed around famous train journeys and named after cities in Thailand and beyond. (Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort)
Locally made luxury
I would be lying if I said all this didn’t have some effect on me because, well, it did. There’s something quite magical about waking up in a train carriage, nature quietly humming outside, the overtures of cicadas and leaf blades rustling against each other like a four-part choir singing an Eric Whitacre composition. And I don’t mean this rhetorically — the train carriages are arranged such that every view is that of some greenery (I’m partial to the ones facing the lake, of course). It’s unreal, really.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Surrounded by all this unselfish and giving nature reminds me time and again that sustainability lies at the heart of InterContinental Khao Yai Resort. Bensley, a known advocate for conservation, followed principles laid out in his white paper on sensible and sustainable solutions, considering how best to preserve the area’s natural beauty.
Here, hundred-year-old trees seeking new homes have been transplanted into InterContinental Khao Yai Resort’s gardens, a testament to the resort’s commitment to nature. The train carriages themselves are perhaps the ultimate example of recycling and upcycling, repurposing what was once seen as junk into something magical and luxurious.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Its culinary offerings are another highlight, bringing the essence of Khao Yai’s fertile lands to the table. Guests can indulge in farm-to-fork dining experiences, with menus crafted from organic, locally sourced ingredients. Somying’s Kitchen, the all-day dining venue, serves a selection of Thai and international dishes, while Poirot — a French fine-dining restaurant — brings a taste of old-world luxury with expertly prepared French cuisine.
Meanwhile, the resort’s tea carriage, Terminus bar, and Papillon bar elevate the dining experience, from traditional Afternoon Tea to exquisite cocktails paired with live jazz. (Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort)
The resort’s location is also ideal for those looking to escape the hustle of Bangkok (and the intense bustling of Singapore), just two and a half hours away. There’s the Khao Yai National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, nearby, offering over 50km of hiking and biking trails through a landscape dotted with waterfalls and diverse wildlife.
But if you’re averse to excessive movements while on holiday, within the resort grounds, you are immersed in a sanctuary that is home to over 100 species of tropical plants and trees, including rare baobab trees from Madagascar. The grounds also host a variety of wildlife, from swans and peacocks to white squirrels and hornbills, adding to the resort’s enchanting atmosphere.
Making wine in Khao Yai
But if you’re an oenophile like me, I insist you take a trip to GranMonte Vineyard and Winery. Nestled in the foothills of the UNESCO World Heritage Khao Yai National Park, this vineyard has been rewriting the rules of tropical viticulture since 1999. What began as a cashew orchard has blossomed into a 40-acre estate where award-winning wines, made from 100 per cent estate-grown grapes, flow freely under the watchful eye of Nikki Lohitnavy, the vineyard’s trailblazing oenologist.
Photo: GranMonte
Walking through GranMonte is like stepping into a new latitude of winemaking, where the lush landscape of Khao Yai blends seamlessly with the cutting-edge technology housed in the Asoke Valley Winery. With a capacity to produce up to 300,000 bottles a year, this state-of-the-art facility is where Nikki brings her vision to life, crafting wines that have garnered the title of “Best National Producer – Thailand” multiple times at the prestigious AWC Vienna competition.
Guests sit on open-air trams as they’re brought around GranMonte vineyards. (Photo: GranMonte)
And when you’re ready for a deeper dive into the GranMonte experience, join one of the property’s vineyard and winery tours where guests can explore the vineyard’s microclimate while a guide explains how GranMonte’s “Smart Vineyard” system ensures the finest quality grapes. It’s as much about learning as indulging, with tastings of four premium wines accompanied by local Thai cheese and snacks rounding off the tour.
Today, GranMonte has become a global ambassador for Thailand’s winemaking industry. By securing the “Khao Yai Wine” Geographical Indication in 2018, GranMonte has ensured that their wines, made according to rigorous global standards, truly reflect the region. You’ll find varieties like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Viognier thriving in the estate’s meticulously cared-for vineyards, each bottle carrying a piece of the Khao Yai terroir.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Khao Yai IHG a journey
The longer I stayed at InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, the further I felt from my city self. At one point, I removed my slippers and walked barefoot from the dining hall to my train carriage after breakfast because why not? It was drizzling softly, and the air was light with the fresh dew of a perfect morning.
Every day, I made it a point to sit by the pool, my legs dangling off the ledge into the waters as I watched the sun’s rays fleet between leaves of trees. I was losing the essence of myself and for once, I did not mind it at all.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
I can’t recall how I spent the hours on the days I spent withinInterContinental Khao Yai Resort. Time becomes such an elastic concept here as the minutes melt into each other, and a quiet sojourn by the lake follows one nap. I did remember starting each morning with a bike ride around the lake, greeting the bank of swans as I whizzed past and ending the day with a soak in the outdoor bathtub, the dim light of night a comforting company.
It’s only in places like this, far removed from the chaos of city life, that you begin to question the constructs we build around ourselves — the relentless schedules, the constant need to be somewhere, do something, and become someone. Here, there’s no agenda but the one nature sets, and it’s a rhythm that asks nothing of you but presence.
Photo: InterContinental Khao Yai Resort
Every day before dinner, as I watched the sky turn from soft morning hues to the deep blues of twilight, I felt a gentle undoing — a surrendering of the self I had meticulously crafted over years of urban living. There’s a kind of freedom in letting the world slow down around you, in rediscovering the luxury of time as a gift rather than a commodity to be spent.
In the stillness of InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, I found something unexpected — a fleeting glimpse of simplicity, a quiet joy in just being, and a reminder that, sometimes, the greatest journeys are the ones that lead us back to ourselves.
