Community Magazine
(Thailand)
April 2003

Tamarind Retreat, an oasis for body & soul

Extracts from Samui Community Magazine April 2003

…….. “Now something of a landmark on Samui, the Tamarind Retreat has an ambience that has intelligently capitalized on retaining as much of the natural environment of original Samui as possible, and has created a garden space that actually fits the description of an exotic tropical jungle oasis.

…… The designers of the spa took clever advantage of the eccentric natural landscape, utilizing the huge granite boulders that can be found all over this part of the island. By preserving the coconuts and the clearing away the wild bushes and then planting plush lawns and laying out garden paths, the builder redefined the naturally rolling landscape. Set at the foot of the local mountains, the site provides a perfect natural amphitheater, protecting the spa from what seems like an ever increasingly busy outside world.

………..Brochures for the spot call it a tranquil oasis of rest and
relaxation, and that's exactly what it is. However, it's got more than that going for it. Hollywood makes a lot of motion pictures every year, and a lot of them have great casts, great directors, big budgets, and good stories, but they don't all turn into truly compelling cinema or Oscar winning movies. It's always a strange and almost accidental combination of hard work, top talent, and the natural chemistry between the performers, the directors, and the writer’s word’s that allows one out of 100 pictures to become a classic. When the different people that were involved with realizing the Tamarind put this together from the bare threads of their inspiration they had no idea that they were making something that would have such a powerful influence over the island.

……….Samui is quickly marching toward becoming one of the premier Spa destinations of the travel world. You could stay here for two weeks and go to a different spa every day of the week and still not do all of them. More and more refined and well-designed spas are opening every day, and as of this writing Samui has close to a half a dozen truly top level ’R&R’ (rest & relaxation) spas. Even with the wide variety of spas, done at all
levels of quality, that are currently operating or will be opening on Koh Samui, I'm sure that the Tamarind Retreat will remain one of the most popular and highly regarded spas on the island.

………..It’s no surprise that this small portion of land of the foot of a rocky mountain at the northern mouth of the Lamai Valley will maintain its widely held reputation of being the most serene spot to get a massage or a herbal steam bath. The location carries its own strange and pacifying energy, one that seems to set it apart from every other spa location.

……….Every time I go there I am reminded why I like the place so much. Something I should mention is that the Tamarind spa really hasn’t changed all that much since it first opened, which is one of the great things about the place. The only thing different is that there are more and more people going there. It was a winning combination to begin within, and it still is. I hope you get a chance to experience for yourself and soon, but please, just don't show up on the day that I'm going to be there!”

By NPR