Phuketwan Photo Album Above
THERE'S a timber cube on the beach that just has to take pride of place in most couple's tropical dreams.
Framed like a four-poster, blue billows of material fly in the breeze. It could be a great spot for a massage, or it could provide stylish sleeping quarters under a starlit sky.
That enticing natural blend is typical of Chandara, or more properly now, Absolute Chandara Resort and Spa.
Here's one place where you can actually pick bananas off the tree from your balcony . . . although you may need long arms.
The resort lies on an east coast promontory, among some fairly well-heeled neighbors: Jumeirah sits on an island directly opposite, and down the coast are The Yamu and the Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuketwan's Innovation of the Year 2008.
The east coast of Phuket, home mostly to small Muslim fishing villages and laced with near-perfect seascapes, is taking a leap upmarket.
Absolute, which now has a strong profile in Thailand, is applying its management expertise across the spectrum.
In many ways, Chandara has a lot going for it because it's an ideal spot for checking out what this part of Phuket will have to offer, bearing in mind that Jumeirah and The Yamu are both well-known, but some way from being open.
Enveloped by a tropical garden that spills down to a delightful beach and traversed by golf carts along winding paths, the Chandara offers 49 villas and suites.
The views are stunning, with plunge pools and jacuzzis aplenty, often with views of their own.
What's more, the resort is also developing a new focus on food.
The most futuristic of its restaurants, Eclipse, rounded in shape and outlook, is pretty much perfect for an up-market bonding session at a table for 20, or a full moon cocktail party under those perfect easy coast stars.
More will be heard of Eclipse as its appeal to the island's dining elite becomes honed, then probably sliced and tenderly served.
It's certainly one of Phuket's most elegant entertainment facilities, with plenty of natural advantages. Rooftop parties are not difficult to imagine.
Not far away are elephant rides, rubber plantation glades and the large new local Muslim mosque, which is rising up rapidly.
The Chandara offers some local job opportunities.
As for the Absolute Group, it seems to be absolutely everywhere these days.
There's the Absolute Bangla Suites, with 47 suites and seven penthouses in Soi Bangla, Patong, and the Absolute Beach Resort at Nakalay, with 33 suites and penthouses on Patong Bay.
The company is also investing with the yoo brand, which is seeking to develop a lakeside apartment-penthouse project worth 1.75 billion baht, to open in 2011.
The 256-room yooPhuket will be near the Loch Palm and Red Mountain golf courses and is scheduled for a September launch. Absolute Resort Management will manage the property.
The management portfolio also includes the Absolute Sansabai Resort and Spa (due to open in 2010) , the 54-room Absolute Sea Pearl Resort and Spa in Patong and the 30-room Absolute Patong Ville Resort and Spa.
For more information about the Absolute Chandara Resort and Spa, contact the resort manager, Thanakorn Prasertsri on 076 317800 or email resortmgr@chandara-resort.com
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