Paresa Resort is truly unique. Perched cliffside, surrounded by lush tropical forest on the “Millionaires Mile” coastal road between Patong and Kamala, with breathtaking uninterrupted Andaman Sea views the norm, wherever you are in the resort. Paresa is a boutique luxury hideaway-style resort worth seeking out for your next Phuket holiday or island escape.
Bangkok-based UKD Architects tapped into Frank Lloyd Wright’s concept of Organic Architecture when designing Paresa. As Wright himself put it, “No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together, each the happier for the other.” And so Paresa sits, blending into the cliff with ancient Banyan trees and native vegetation retained. Green and natural-toned rooftops blend almost seamlessly with their surroundings.
On finding and acquiring the land where Paresa now sits, the resort’s owner saw it as a heavenly place and wanted to personify the Buddhist concept of “Heaven of all Heavens”. That theme manifests throughout the property, including in featured artworks of golden angels inlaid in black.
And more practically, there are no reception, guest service, concierge, or such personnel – there are Angels. And this is not just a change of name badges in some clever marketing ploy. These Angels are empowered to ensure your stay is issue free and, as you would expect in heaven, absolutely memorable from arrival through to leaving. A task they do admirably and with a heart-warming smile.
Paresa offers 42 suites, villas and residences featuring super king-sized beds, spacious bathrooms, balconies, and a private infinity pool with those enchanting sea views. The luxury of space is evident in every accommodation type, with the resorts smallest offering, the Ocean Pool Suites, having a 140 square meter total floor space. Spacious bathrooms with two separate vanities and generous luggage-hanging areas are simple examples of that. Choose from the indoor shower or luxuriate under the private outdoor rain shower with the sky, ocean, birds and butterflies as your companions.
The two-bedroom Ocean Pool Suite easily accomodates four adults and children, while the Grand Residence and 4-bedroom Grand Residence Pool Villas come equipped with full kitchens. Ideal for those extended stays, family or friend get-togethers, or special occasion gatherings.
Regardless of your choice, you will enjoy interiors informed by Southern Thai design characteristics. Soaring pavilion-style ceilings and rich timber finishes produced from locally hewn and sustainable Thai forests. Unadorned and calming off-white walls highlight the airy and spacious atmosphere created within each Paresa villa. Traditional local and Chinese furnishings add a further dimension of eastern-inspired luxury.
Each villa flows seamlessly to the outdoor terrace, complete with sun lounges or day beds and pool. From just about everywhere within your abode, you are blessed with those endless and forever captivating ocean views. You may find it difficult to leave your villa, so compelling is the setting. Waves crashing on the rocks far below, wildlife flitting around the surrounding trees, fishing boats casting nets in the bay, the sea breeze, and a wonderful sense of privacy.
When it’s time for nourishment, Talung Thai is the resort’s signature restaurant and takes its name from the traditional style of shadow puppetry practised in southern Thailand called nang talung.
Choose from the open-air indoor dining space with dramatic fire-red feature walls and black floors, or take in those uninterrupted water views on the spacious dining deck, shaded in part by an ancient Banyan tree. Open breakfast through to dinner, choose from Thai and International dishes focused on quality ingredients sustainably sourced through trusted local farmers, fishers, and producers of fine ingredients. Talung Thai’s deck is a perfect spot to enjoy cooling beverages while enjoying the magnificent drama of the sun disappearing into the ocean at the end of another day.
If wanting to ramp up the romance, consider a private dining experience on your own “island” surrounded by water. Paresa’s infinity pool is the location with staff serving a three-course menu designed especially for you and your partner. Surrounded by candles, a stary night sky above, the pool’s fibre optics adding its light show, and the marine horizon illuminated in green hues of the local squid fishing boats out for their evening’s work. A truly enchanting experience.
Paresa’s purpose-built, state-of-the-art cooking school, Recipe, offers the opportunity to create authentic Thai dishes through their regular cooking classes. Take this idea a step further, applying your newly acquired Thai cooking knowledge to create a dinner celebration for your travelling party, with the help of staff. Recipe can accommodate up to 24 guests for an intimate private dining experience.
Paresa has a selection of other event spaces for tailor-made and intimate functions, including the ‘miracle lawn’, Andaman Gallery, or infinity pool deck. The perfect panoramic settings for proposals, weddings, renewal of vows, birthdays, anniversaries, launches or incentive meetings. Enjoy boutique and elegant events with that Paresa personal touch.
Be it rejuvenation, detox, or indulgent pampering, The Spa by Paresa’s extensive menu of international and Thai treatments have you covered. This is a restful haven with five double treatments suites with baths, steam showers, and private balconies overlooking the ocean. The in-Spa Salon also offers pedicures, manicures and waxing. An on-call team of therapy professionals can provide instruction in yoga, pilates, meditation and tai chi. And for those who need to keep their exercise regime going, a modern on-site 24-hour gym is available.
Paresa’s ideal central west coast location makes Phuket’s beaches and other attractions easily accessible. Complimentary shuttle services to neighbouring Kamala Beach and Town are available if you can pull yourself away from the resort. Catch a wave, stroll the shores, feel the sand between your toes, hang out at one of the Beach Clubs, or explore the cafes, shops and small eateries in the surrounding lanes. The busier Patong is also accessible by shuttle though there is a charge.
Paresa Resort is indeed “Heaven of all Heavens” on Phuket’s west coast. Especially if your holidays or short escapes are about the luxury of space and privacy, surrounded by nature, yet with all the necessary resort facilities and Phuket’s attractions in easy reach, Paresa delivers in heavenly abundance. The most challenging aspect of a stay at Paresa is bringing yourself to pack and actually check out.
Paresa Resort Phuket
49 Moo 6, Layi-Nakalay Road, Kamala,
Kathu, Phuket 83150, Thailand
Telephone: +66 76 302 000
www.paresaresorts.com
By Michael Cullen