Anantara Rasananda Is Thailand's Timeless Answer To Paradise

Harpers Bazaar Arabia

20-05-2025

Move over backpackers and Full Moon parties; Koh Phangnan is embracing quiet luxury steeped in culture
I still remember that initial visit to the Land of Smiles, sleeping in windowless, box-like hotel rooms in Bangkok, paying small change to visit the ancient North on a creaky overnight bus. But as I sat on the Turkish Airlines business class flight, sifting through the gifted Lanvin toiletries bag, I wondered if Thailand had changed as much as I have?
My first trip was in 2002, with my then very new partner, we fell in love on that trip. In 2004, we went back for six months of backpacking – we were there when the tsunami hit and ravaged the country. Since then we've visited countless times together, and with family, and we even got engaged on a beach in Koh Phangnan in 2010. There was one final visit in 2014, but for the last decade, life, work and other beach destinations have got in the way of returning to our 'happy place' – but here we were…
After a quick stopover in Bangkok, which with its myriad of skyscrapers, luxury hotels, edgy bars, plus the total clean up of the city's streets, now feels more Dubai than the Thailand of old, we headed to the Anantara Rasananda resort on the eastern island of Koh Phangnan. It's a quick flight to Koh Samui island, then a 45-minute speedboat to the Anantara Rasananda's private beach on the adjacent isle. The waters were unusually choppy around the resort on travel day, so instead, drop off was at a port in Koh Phangnan, and the drive through lush rainforest and traditional villages became a trip down memory lane, although the road itself had been upgraded from the orange dirt track of years gone by.
The Anantara Rasananda is located on Thong Nai Pan Noi beach, on the far north east of the island. I remember when it was just a small handful of hotels on a secluded coastline. Now, pulling up to the resort's giant gated entrance, nail shops, grocery stores, hipster cafes and a rustic Reggae bar lined the street – it all felt novel but still authentic.
Once inside the tropical haven that is the Anantara Rasananda, with it's 64 pool suites and pool villas, you instantly feel a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. After a traditional Thai welcoming ceremony, you're introduced to your personal butler and guided to your villa, via verdant gardens and bridged waterways that are teeming with coloured koi.
We were checked into an ocean pool villa, entry to which is through it's own private gate, then the front door opens out onto a colossal indoor/outdoor bathroom and dressing room area. The vast space is a breathtaking mix of highgrade polished surfaces and finely-crafted wicker furniture, where a double sink, designer banquette seating, a toilet cubicle, rain shower and a magnificent free-standing bath teeter on the outside.
Owing to two exterior walls that have been swapped for retracting screens, vegetation and high walls surrounding the villa mean no privacy is lost. Walk through the nearperfect, contemporary bedroom-cum-living area and the outdoor feels continue onto a large decking platform, complete with daybed, seating area and gorgeous private plunge pool. Step down to personal sun loungers which sit on a stretch of white sand just a few feet from the turquoise water. The villa has everything you could possibly need, it exudes a kind of privacy and serenity that is luxury in itself – before you even start ticking off its carefully considered decor, furnishings and amenities.
This bliss continues into the wider resort too. Two infinity pools hold court at the centre of the resort, surrounded by food and beverage options to rival the finesse of Bangkok's finest kitchens. The teppanyaki grilled dishes, sushi and sashimi at the Yukinoya Japanese restaurant are the resort's pride and joy, where organic meats, sustainably caught fish and regeneratively farmed local rice and vegetables are always the order of the day. For more relaxed dining, opt for The Bistro at the Beach or Edge20 pool bar where bare feet and swimwear are always welcome. The resort also hosts fresh seafood buffets and Thai nights with music, dance and fire performances.
For the most special of occasions there's Designer Dining, a bespoke menu served in a specially assembled hideaway bamboo gazebo on the beach. We took this romantic option to celebrate our return to the beach where we'd got engaged 15 years earlier. We were easily beaten by the five-course meal; raw salmon salad, breaded shrimp cakes and marinated chicken skewers, followed by Tom Som Hoy Shell – a traditional scallop soup with ginger and spring onion – were just the starters.
For those looking to add an element of fitness and wellness to their stay, the property has it's own small gym, free SUP and sea kayaking hire and offers private yoga sessions on a sensational hillside wooden platform that overlooks the coast. It's also home to a stunning Ayurvedic jungle spa. Teak treatment suites blend into the limestone landscape, while outdoor showers and a tropical steam cave are hidden from view. There's also a traditional outdoor Thai massage Sala offering calming sea vistas.
The Anantara Rasananda is a sanctuary of peace and serenity, away from the noisy bars and broken beach huts that gave me so much joy ten or twenty tears ago, but it still has the barefoot paradise feels and Thai charm that had me returning year after year.
It doesn't feel like the heart of Thailand has changed at all. I think, much like me, it's just matured into something different.