Savour the slow life in Thailand

TREEHOUSE villas in Soneva Kir feature bamboo, rope and even Jurassic-style furniture created from driftwood.

Soneva Kiri resort escape

ON MY third morning at Soneva Kiri I had breakfast in a tree. It was delivered by a waiter on a flying fox. The tea was hot and the pastries warm and enjoyed with all the usual china and cutlery.

The day began at ground level, at a table for four encased in a hot-balloon-basket-meets-lift arrangement. Seatbelts on, we were slowly elevated to the branches on high and then - I will say it again -  I had breakfast in a tree overlooking the Gulf of Siam.  If you want the feeling of being stranded, Soneva Kiri is the place to be. The resort, on Koh Kood, Thailand's fourth-largest island, has been conceived from the imagination of shipwrecked architects and interior designers with nature's colours in their palette and unlimited cash in their budgets. Bamboo, rope and glass come together to create treehouse-inspired villas starting at 510sq m each -  and secluded private residences (yours to own) covering up to 6000sq m of land. Jurassic-style furniture is crafted from driftwood and the kids' club retreat emerges from its jungle roots in the shape of a giant manta ray. Other elements are constructed from leather, canvas and stone and oriented to look upon water or thick leafy gardens and hilltops. Everything smells fresh and lemongrassy. Modern inventions and necessities are cleverly camouflaged to reinforce the eco-vibe. The television (for DVD viewing only as there's no TV reception) is secreted in a large leather suitcase at the foot of the bed; power points are hidden in cupboards; metal taps and fans chicly rusted. Plastic seems virtually non-existent. It's luxury with a green conscience and all adheres to the philosophy of the resort - SLOW LIFE  - sustainable, local, organic, wellness, learning, inspiring, fun and experiences.  In a resort-first for me, there's an ice cream bar that boasts more flavours that I can get through. Virtue reigns in the morning with a scoop or three of pineapple, pomelo-ginger, Thai tea or strawberry yoghurt, then moves to the harder and crazier stuff  - extreme dark choc, frozen whisky or smoked bacon and cream cheese  - later in the day. A coolroom dedicated to all things chocolate, from filled handmade pralines and cakes to fondue, mousse, macaroons and lollipops, is just as joyful and a place for children to go wild. Breakfast in the main building, lunch or seafood evening barbecues on the beach or a traditional Thai curry at Chez Benz are excellent. Not just for the choice  - there are eight types of salt with which to season your food  - but because of the astounding quality. The croissants could be from Paris, the sushi from Toyko and just about every course in the View fine-dining venue would be at home in the gastronomic temples of Europe.  The bed is a four-poster and mosquito-netted with a personal pillow selection from a pre-arrival choice of 18, including buckwheat miracle, linear gravity, snore reduction and four levels of feather firmness. But if all you feel like is a kip or a place to read, a hilltop villa includes 12 other places for sitting or lying: expansive daybeds, banana lounges by the private pool, cushioned couches indoor and out, and so on. They also want you to be clean. In my one-bedroom residence there's an outdoor bath and three places to shower: two in the open air, one with a door that leads to the courtyard. Down by the sea, you can hide all day in canopied double beach beds and wander just a few steps for refreshments or a dip in the clear, waveless waters. From the time you arrive at Bangkok Airport to be flown for an hour on one of the privately owned eight-seater Cessnas, the luxury at Soneva Kiri is subtle but all-pervasive and very little thinking is required. Each villa includes a Mr or Ms Friday who can be called upon at any time to answer questions, arrange jungle trekking, snorkelling or cooking classes and generally make your stay blissful. There is a Six Senses spa if you care for some crystal therapy, reiki or yoga. Each of the villas comes with an electric golf buggy for winding through the lush gardens from beach to gym to breakfast to outdoor cinema to Ever Soneva So Celestial, the resort's observatory. Should you imbibe at dinner you'll be returned to your room and the buggy is back in the driveway when you wake the next day. Hosts  - the title given to all staff in the resort  - materialise with fragrant, icy towels and cool sweetened herb tea. They encourage a "no news, no shoes" policy so large pots of water with bamboo ladles for dousing hot feet are dotted through public areas such as walkways and the beach. Just in case you forget, there's sunscreen at the beach and insect repellent in public bathrooms.  The writer was a guest of Soneva Kiri, Qantas and The Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok. --- Go2 SONEVA KIRI Getting there Qantas operates daily A330 services to Bangkok from Sydney. The one-hour, small-plane flight from Bangkok International Airport to Soneva Kiri's private airstrip is included in costs. Staying there See sixsenses.com/soneva-kiri More: See tourismthailand.org