Phuket’s secret hideaway with designer cachet
Find quiet beachside bliss on Thailand’s largest island in this luxury resort tucked away in Pansea Bay.
There’s something almost snug and secretive about Pansea Bay, north of Surin Beach on Phuket’s craggy west coast. It’s so surprisingly quiet that those in the know have jokingly renamed it “panacea”.
To access this arc of golden sand and clear waters, you have to be a guest of The Surin or Amanpuri resorts, the latter perched on the northern peninsula. I’m staying at The Surin and when looking back, and up, from the beach, gain a proper perspective on how its buildings fan out and spill down in an almost zig-zag array.
It’s not a monumental design but one that capitalises on height and views and feels embedded in groves of mature coconut palms, its layout fanned around the slope’s substantial granite rocks and boulders.
Originally opened as The Pansea Hotel in 1982, the property was to become a continuing project in its later phases for American-born architect and interior designer Ed Tuttle, who passed away in 2020. He was widely honoured for his prescient vision and a style that melded the built environment with nature in a respectful manner.
His vision of pitch-roofed Buddhist temple-like pavilions was to prove almost a template for a range of singular resorts.
Tuttle redesigned The Pansea in 1995, when it was acquired by Amanresorts (now Aman) and its name became The Chedi. Tuttle was back on site in 2011 when The Chedi changed ownership and was rebranded as The Surin, and his refresh included replacing thatched roofs with cottage-style teak shingles and creating lighter, brighter interiors, which still work well.
There is, quite frankly, not a bad room in the house, including an enclave of six pool villas opened in November last year as part of a $5m redevelopment, upping the inventory to 109. But I doubt it’s possible to beat the category of nine beach “deluxe” suites.
These feel like the pale grey and white seaside holiday houses most of us dream about owning, with vaulted ceilings, pastel-painted timbers, airy spaces and a free-flow layout that includes a sitting room where a daybed can be converted to sleep two children. Ceiling fans lazily swipe and the airconditioning deals with year-round humidity.
The bathrooms are catalogue-perfect and feature soaker tubs; a furnished deck offers uninterrupted views.
It’s just steps to the sand and the Andaman Sea. This could be the Caribbean or a South Pacific island, were it not for the prospect of tom kha gai for lunch.
Other accommodation categories include the less expensive beach suites with filtered views through tropical greenery, and hillside cottages set high. There are walkways and stairs crisscrossing the upper levels so calf muscles get a workout but golf buggies and drivers can be summoned to access some facilities. Overall, it’s a well-organised estate of uncrowded spaces. Each of its three restaurants is substantially different, and the line-up is augmented by romantic dinners on the beach (with a circle of candle lanterns surrounding the table and a pre-ordered menu), barbecues, and poolside snacks such as burgers, big sandwiches and smoothies.
The simply named Beach restaurant is set between the dramatic hexagonal, black-tiled pool and seashore, and displays a certain sophistication in its fusion of traditional cuisine with on-trend Thai herbs and trimmings. The chef’s signature banana fritters are de rigueur.
Open-sided, high-roofed Lomtalay, overlooking pool and sea, is the spot for a buffet breakfast spread that includes an eggs-to-order station, cheese and charcuterie spread, and a veritable plantation’s worth of tropical fruit, as well as a la carte dishes. It serves from 6.30am so perfect for early exercisers or those off to yoga classes, while latecomers can pitch up any time before 10.30am.
The Sunset restaurant, well-named for its aspect, serves evening meals with an Italian slant as the darkening sky over the Andaman Sea puts on an extravagant blaze of tangerine and gold. Service is faultlessly smart and intuitive, and the vibe is completely relaxed.
There’s a generosity to all the fare served across the resort and children are well catered for at mealtimes, plus there are babysitting and family-oriented activities.
Check with the watersports team for snorkelling equipment, SUPs, kayaks and the like, or just bob in the sea. I wade out multiple times to about 40m and the water is waist-high and warm, although seasonal variations can be dramatic, especially during the wet season, mid-May to October.
And do visit the spa, hidden away on the site’s upper reaches; book a 60-minute Royal Thai massage or invigorating body scrub or choose from a surprisingly varied menu of more elaborate options. All the expected essentials are there, from floral milk foot baths to sunburn easers based on ingredients such as green tea, waterlily and camomile. Like the resort itself, it’s a place to lie back, breathe deeply and rest easy.
IN THE KNOW
The Surin is about 30 minutes from Phuket Town and 45 minutes from the airport. Seasonal rates and package deals apply, from about THB7898 ($346) for two in a one-bedroom hillside cottage.
The resort is a member of the YTL Group and Design Hotels. Guests staying at The Surin can visit ultra-exclusive Amanpuri for a pre-booked restaurant meal, subject to availability, or consider combining a stay across both properties.
Jo Makito was a guest of The Surin Phuket.
