Siam Ease

Sophy Roberts went on a tour of Thailand visiting and evaluating different spas & resorts. She writes "Getting it right isn't easy in Thailand. Like Bali it is an ever popular destination, with a handful of well-known hotels that all seem as appealing as each other. The difficulty lies in knowing which to choose." Sophy visted Chiva Som in Hua Hin, the Regent Resort Chiang Mai, The Banyan Tree in Phuket, Amanpuri, and Poppies Samui. The following is an excerpt from her article in the UK edition of Conde Nast, December 2000 issue, retelling a last minute experience in Samui when she happened upon Tamarind Retreat.

" It wasn't until 7a.m. that I managed to get a boat back to Koh Samui. Forced to stay up all night, I headed for Tamarind Springs, a new holistic spa with nine villas to rent in the coconut grove above Lamai - a tip-off from one of the previous night's barflies. With barely a word spoken, I was wrapped in a sarong, ushered up a path and into the herbal steam room, a cavernous den tucked between huge smooth rocks and filled with the scent of kaffir lime and lemongrass. When it got too warm, I slipped out into the rock pool fed by a waterfall. It began to rain, the slow drops hitting the water heavily. Everything came alive: the leaves, the insects, the sky. Of all the hotels I'd visited, only at Tamarind Springs and at the Regent Resort Chiang-Mai did I find myself immersed in the serenity that Thailand can offer."