Credit: Robin Noguier
So, it has been five years since the inception of the pandemic, an era that gradually upstaged the entire state of mind, body and economy. Congruently, much has changed in our expectations of lifestyle. For one, the burnout from modern life, since the early 2000s, intercepted by the digital economy, had finally forced individuals to develop a routine outside the confinements of nine to five shifts, thus forging a deeper appreciation for connection outside the four-walled community, re-altering our state of productivity and neurotic stimulus.
Credit: Sara Dubler
It gives us a chance to seek out societal extravagant comforts, through the art of slow travel, as part of letting go of the burn-out, only to rediscover balance in our well-being. So, as we summon a redirected focus towards Thailand’s wild luxurious escapes, it is a prominent reminder of the country’s cultural affluence within the travel ambit, between illustrious shopping galore in Bangkok, living up the rambunctious night-life in Phuket or simply deliberating poor decision-making whilst stuck in traffic.
Nevertheless, the country’s tropical vibrancy beckons not only the wild-spirited but visitors to unapologetically indulge in slow-living and what it actually means to switch off for the time-being.
Here are our top three Thai-destination picks to help master the art of slow travel.
Mellow in a Bubble Experience at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort
Credit: Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort
At the heart of Chiang Rai’s quintessence and by the pacific territory of the Mekong River, approximately bordering Myanmar and Laos in Northern Thailand is Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort, a lavish haven perched on a mountainous ridge, encased by a light overcast sheltering an elephant encampment valley. More than just a fervent getaway, this golden retreat invites travellers to reconnect with the primal pleasures of nature. Surrounded by bountiful, luxurious lodgings designed to spark wonder, guests are compelled to rediscover a deeper sense of harmony and adventure.
Credit: Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort
Nonetheless, this ambitious vocation driving an exhilarating encounter with the resident friendly pachyderms, is an overnight stay exclusively applicable to the resort’s guests, a worthy added element to complete the traveller’s guide to slow travel.
Credit: Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort
Reminiscent to the Golden Triangle’s bubbly experience, other aspects of the resort offer programs administering wellness therapy via active yoga sessions, the healing practice Yam Khang and the divine intervention of their spa signatures. Ultimately, this submerged gateway makes for a hedonic escape off-the-grid, to boldly discern empathetic luxury, defined not by excess but the intentional journey inward.
In the Grand Scheme of Poetic Wellness, Rest and Revive at Chiva-Som
Credit: Chiva-Som Hua Hin
Provincial to quiet luxury, there is a beautiful irony within the impeccable design of Chiva-Som, an under-lit sanctuary, nestled in hectares of luscious tropical greenery, encompassing coastal tranquility located in Hua Hin, the province of Prachuap Khiri Khan. This season of mastering the art of slow travel, luxury travellers share a natural desire to amputate the chaotic reasoning of bustling puissance, which leads to the hush appeal of Chiva-Som’s potent splendour.
Credit: Chiva-Som Hua Hin
The oasis embodies a delicate stretch of Thai pavilions envisaged of contemporary and exotic blends, sculpting a landscape, personalised for the individual’s rest and leisure. It seamlessly blends the culture’s renowned tradition of wellness and rejuvenation with a forward-thinking approach to subtle, refined luxury. Since its pictorial debut in 1993, Chiva-Som has dedicated a visionary evolution of longevity for travellers to explore immersive programs for personal fulfillment. This is followed by a bespoke series of ultra-therapeutic treatments facilitated by expert wellness advisors offering personalised curriculums for distinct wellbeing, be it mind or body rejuvenation, culminated purely by holistic and nutritious elements.
Credit: Chiva-Som Hua Hin
As purposefully committed to their expansive mission to coalesce benign lessons of positive well-being, the resort boasts delectable culinary equivalents at the The Taste of Siam and The Emerald room, heralding a variety of nourishing cuisines compatible in pursuit of its conceptualised lifestyles. Probed by flavourful organic ingredients felicitously embedded in superfoods, their range of classic Thai gastrome offers richly wholesome cuisines synchronised to match refined palates.
Given its award-winning denominator, Chiva-Som is an upscale target destination for seekers of soulful luxury, beckoning an empathetic sense of wellness, mindfulness, and bespoke hospitality in a sanctuary where transformation is both personal and profound.
The Crowning Culinary Escape of Soneva Kiri Resort
Credit: Jacada Travel | Soneva Kiri Resort
Congenital in authenticity corresponding to utopian nuances, Thailand’s island prodigies are a bolstering benchmark for the unorthodox traveller archetype. Among the many distinct spoils for choice, is the crowning paradise of Soneva Kiri Resort, a paradisiacal escape and undeniably legendary for its immersive experiences. What truly sets it apart is the torrid love affair with gastronomy matched by the rarity of ingenious adventures. From indulging in a delicious Thai barbecue aboard a boat to the surreal treepod picnic dining, there is nothing quite iconic than Soneva Kiri’s atypical ambience.
Credit: Soneva Kiri Resort
Overlooking the unsullied grandeur of Koh Kood’s ancient foliage, and meticulously scrupulous by design, Soneva’s signature treepod dining assembles intricately carved and sturdy bamboo structured pods, suspended high among the treetops. Hence, parallel to its unique ambient of elevated greenery, enjoy champagne and prosecco tastings paired with a piquant course of savoury and sweet bites, attentively personalised and hand-delivered by master acrobatics zip-lining through the air. In contrast to their cloud-nine experience, guests embark on Soneva’s alternative epicurean journey that ventures beyond lush greens and glides along gentle streams toward Ao Salat. There, they immerse themselves in the rich heritage of a local village while savouring a heavenly barbecue, expertly prepared by Soneva’s resident chef.
Credit: AWOL | Soneva Kiri Resort
As the resort’s journey comes to full circle, a gratuitous finish nonetheless, includes a night-in at Soneva Kiri’s private cinema paradiso. Its cinematic experience dotes on the opulence of vintage nostalgia, only to upscale the experience with a gourmet menu for comfort, to pair off with their bountiful servings of culturally-inspired cocktails.
