The Racha Resort
Imagine a sunny day of lying on your back in a tropical pool area, counting the sea eagles and a crystal clear turquoise bay and the horizon in front of you. Or a perfect Thai isle night in the middle of the Andaman Sea and your only companions are the lapping of waves and a starry sky above.
The small island of Koh Racha Yai has four beaches with fine white sand, a couple of beach restaurants and massage huts, azure waters stacked with coral and fish, and a quit environment that is the antithesis of over-developed Phuket. It’s only a 40-minute speedboat trip from Phuket’s southern tip until you reach the romantic resort The Racha. This is the ultimate barefoot hideaway for weddings, honeymoons or just lovebirds.
Set over 8 hectares (20 acres) in the embraced of Bay Ba Tok (West Bay), The Racha offers 70 stylish villas with all the facilities today’s disposable-income traveller has come to expect. There’s a PADI dive center, a modern gym, holistic spa, 2 gorgeous pools, star-gazing terrace, innovative cuisine, tennis, beach volleyball, Jacuzzi baths, and more to experience a dream holiday.
Good to know: this place is a bit hard to get to. We’d recommend a stay on Phuket first to break up a long-haul journey. The speedboat ride to and from Phuket can be bumpy. And a very positive thing to know: The Racha aims to be at the fore-front of ecologically & environmentally responsible architecture and development.
The Racha believes that a holiday should be about balancing mind, body and spirit. Of course this may be achieved simply by chilling on the seashore, and if peace is still difficult to find, spend some time at the Anumba Spa or surrender to yoga or healing.
The white zen-like villas (some with private plunge pools) feature clean, cool interiors, a terrace with a small modernist sala to one side, an indoor-outdoor bathroom and the usual amenities. Funky rattan chairs, a coconut-wood lamp, and natural cottons on the daybeds keep you grounded to the environment. Because the environment is really what The Racha is all about. A Robinson Crusoe idyll – but with all the amenities included. Can’t be bad, eh?
