Nick Walton escapes from the world at one of Thailand’s most esteemed beachfront resorts, Belmond Napasai.
With the dawn comes the silence. In the darkness of night in the expansive Gulf of Thailand, winds had whipped the northern coast of Koh Samui, sending waves crashing into the seawall beneath my room while tall, slender palm trees swayed rhythmically behind closed curtains. But with first light, the tempest has been replaced by vibrantly blue skies, mellow golden sunshine and the tranquillity that comes with being alone in the world.
If there’s any place on Samui that lets the imagination stretch its legs, it has to be Belmond Napasai, a breathtaking estate hidden away down a meandering lane on the island’s northern cusp. Just 30 minutes from the airport and boasting panoramic views towards Koh Phangan and Angthong Marine Park, Belmond Napasai has the timeless refinement of a grande dame hotel, where solitude is encouraged, and where serenity rules supreme. This is a place where travellers can collect themselves, rediscover themselves and then lose themselves all over again.
The first thing you’ll notice about Belmond Napasai is the scale. At almost nine hectares, the resort is expansive, to say the least, and in many ways, the size allows for two different resort personas. At one end is a pristine beach wreathed by sun loungers shaded by driftwood salas dressed in brilliantly white linen that flutters in the breeze. Beyond, an infinity pool captures the reflection of palm trees that march up towards the Thai-styled resort building. Ranks of bicycles wait for the actively inclined while beyond, a pair of sun-baked tennis courts probably inspire more than they motivate. There’s a yoga sala, a Thai boxing ring and a modern fitness centre, as well as a host of themed dinners and events, cooking classes, and spa treatments to keep guests as busy as they please.
This is the Napasai of families and beach lovers, where guests sun worship or try their hand at windsurfing or paddleboarding during the day, and then congregating at the chic Infinity bar for sunset cocktails before dining under the stars at the al fresco Beach Restaurant.
However, there is a different side to Belmond Napasai, one that seduces the city-weary traveller. From the resort’s colonial-styled lobby, two lines of villas extend down the length of the coastline. Belmond Napasai is home to 45 Villas, 10 One-Bedroom Villas and 13 stunning Oceanfront Private Pool Residences, the latter each a little larger as you trace the narrow garden path along the cliff face.
My three-bedroom Ocean Pool Residence clings to a steep incline that tumbles down to the lagoon; stairs straight out of a Penrose dreamscape lead descend past a pair of stand-alone cottages to a master suite and separate living room and kitchen with an expansive terrace. More stairs lead down to a garden and ocean-fronted swimming pool, backed by a shaded sala and another living room and kitchen located below the main building. The villa has a welcoming, residential vibe and instantly becomes home, a simple rope on the door high above all that’s needed to keep the modern world at bay.
Despite showing signs of the weathering that comes with tropical living (and with whispered rumours of a refresh in her near future), Belmond Napasai still retains her grandeur. Residences range from one to five bedrooms and are dressed in dark polished timber, with cavernous stone bathrooms, vaulted rooves, teak ceiling fans and staggering views over turquoise seas from almost every angle. While there are flatscreen televisions, modern appliances in the lower kitchen, and wifi that seems to come and go like monsoon sunshine, the Napasai doesn’t try to compete with the newer resorts of Samui. Instead, she gives an undeniable sense of place, of respite and seclusion – almost like a Thai Bali-ha’i, where everything is lush, and overgrown, and settled, and perfect.
It feels like it’s been some time since the last guest checked out of my residence. While it’s immaculately clean, there’s a sense of emptiness, like a summer house at the end of the winter. The kitchen has a microwave and stove but no cutlery, pots or pans. The cupboards are bare of glasses and plates and the coffee machine does little more than flicker a solitary LED bulb. This is a resort that was built before the first thing guests would do after checking in was ask for the wifi password and look for a wall outlet.
However, once I settle in, I fling open French doors (plural) and let the warm sea air engulf the living room with its ornate writing desk, intricately embroidered couch pillows in faded pink silk, and lingering perfume of fresh fruit and frangipanis.
If I was a novelist, the Belmond Napasai is where I would maroon myself, crafting turns of phrase while soaking in the oversized circular bathtub, musing over plot twists in the shade of coconut palms and bougainvillaea bushes, and conjuring up colourful characters as my heels cooled in the ocean. I’d wave to fellow guests as they sailed past on resort hobbie cats and paddleboards, and smile over my paperback when they passed my alfresco breakfast table at the beautiful little Lai Thai restaurant, but would ultimately retreat to my spacious, isolated villa, perfectly content with my own company. In a world where tranquillity is a rarity, Belmond Napasai offers the ultimate escape, where afternoon naps are de rigueur, and where procrastination is the new religion.
Despite all the space afforded me at my new home-away-from-home, I find myself spending hours on the day bed that lines the wrap-around terrace’s dining table, watching the speed boats zipping back and forward to Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, blissfully unplugged and unhindered. Each day the terrace offers shelter from the relentless sun, its orange terracotta tiles baking and creaking, and each evening, as clouds gather into mountains on the darkening horizon, it offers sanctuary from brilliant thunderstorms, as fat raindrops cool the electrified air and an algid breeze gathers momentum.
It’s moments like this that I descend through thickets of fragrant jasmine and hibiscus to the garden and the swimming pool, to soak as lightning ripples across the sky, setting the peaks of distant Koh Phangan in momentary silhouette. Here in the garden, a pair of sun loungers sit, side by side, at the sea’s edge, begging for moments of whimsical contemplation. A refugium from the modern world, they simply don’t make resorts like this anymore.
Yes, there are as many activities as you could possibly want at the Belmond Napasai, and travellers from around the world with whom to share them. However, the resort’s true beauty is in its timeless elegance, it’s unhurried nature, and its ability to embosom travellers looking to reacquaint themselves with the simplicity of tranquillity.
Belmond Napasai, 65, 10 Baan Tai, Tambon Mae Nam, Koh Samui, Thailand; Tel: +66 77 429 200; www.belmond.com