Phuket, Thailand – Reported by Elite Traveler, the private jet lifestyle magazine
The next step in Rosewood Hotels & Resorts’ ambitious Asia expansion plan will be the end-2014 opening of Rosewood Phuket, as the second Rosewood property in Asia following Rosewood Beijing’s Summer 2013 opening.
The resort, including 87 villas, 20 residences and six hideaway homes, will be located on the 1,968-foot Emerald Bay beachfront in Western Phuket, one of the island’s last remaining areas for a secluded beach resort enclave. Here, Rosewood’s A Sense of Place philosophy will celebrate the landscape, culture and sensibilities of its special new home.
All private and public areas will blend interiors and exteriors with retractable glass walls. Cantilevered structures will meld with the landscape. Green rooftops of living plants will not only provide energy conservation but uninterrupted sightlines to the Andaman Sea.
The resort will be designed to integrate organically into the hillside forest surroundings with an environmentally sensitive, contemporary architectural style showcasing the location’s striking natural attributes.
To preserve the 40-acre forest, including 150-year-old banyan trees considered sacred in Thai culture, Bangkok-based P-Landscape will retain or carefully transplant every tree within the site. Any introduced foliage will be indigenous species.
Singapore-based WOHA, principal architect, and Melbourne-based Bar Studio handling the creation of restaurants and hideaway homes, will incorporate sustainable practices and indigenous materials wherever possible, with ample use of stone and timber.
Strategic positioning of the one and two-bedroom beach, lagoon and pool villas will provide privacy and uninterrupted ocean views. At a minimum total area of 2,600 square feet, villas will include separate lounge and dining spaces, a swimming pool, garden, deck and outdoor shower and bath.
The 20 two-to-nine-bedroom tropical mansion residences are set on sites that average half an acre, while the six two-to-three-bedroom forest hideaway homes are positioned on a steep slope with panoramic views of Emerald Bay, with a private gymnasium, 65-foot lap pool and lounge for exclusive use.
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“Within this very special environment, Rosewood Phuket guests will feel ‘at one’ with the land and sea,” says Radha Arora, president, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. “Everywhere, the innovative architecture with subtle Thai influences will blend beautifully with the natural landscape.”
Six restaurants and lounges will include a rustic Thai seafood restaurant on the beach, built with recycled teak wood; a hillside restaurant offering authentic Asian and Western cuisines; an all-day dining bistro; library lounge; spa café; and sophisticated beachfront lounge and bar deck area.
Sense spa will feature five treatment rooms, seven spa villas with steam and shower, and a swimming and Watsu pool. A labyrinth garden, the central feature of the spa, will provide herbs and ingredients for the spa café and use in specialized spa treatments.
Rosewood Phuket will also feature The Pavilion, a new concept of a residential-style meeting and function venue and a signature for all Rosewood hotels in Asia. Exclusive corporate retreats and social events of up to 300 for cocktail parties, will take place in a free-standing structure offering elegant relaxation areas, a residential-style kitchen, open terraces and a private entrance.
A self-contained rooftop wedding pavilion and private outdoor garden will host ceremonies, receptions and banquets for up to 200 people. Steps from the beach, the pavilion will be encased in retractable glass wall panels which frame 180-degree bay views and can be opened to the sea breezes.
Recreational facilities will include a free-form and children’s pool, a beachside lap pool and a cascading spa pool with naturally filtered waters set amidst forest foliage. Also on offer will be a health club with gymnasium, yoga pavilion, sea sports pavilion, and rooftop tennis court.
