ANANTARA Phuket Villas is rapidly gaining a reputation for innovation. There's usually one resort on Phuket that is seen as the leader in trying bright new ideas, and for the moment, Anantara tends to be getting there first more often than most.
Just last week it claimed to be the first resort in Thailand to offer the new iPad for the use of guests, and we haven't heard a chorus of other managements saying: ''We're already doing that.''
Anantara may have started something: the iPhone took 74 days to reach one million sales but the iPad has reached that milestone in only 28 days.
Dabbling with the arts in different ways also seems to be becoming a Phuket thing, too, with Mom Tri's Boathouse holding writing seminars and even, a couple of weeks back, Villa Royale staging a dinner with a play.
Now Anantara has as artist in residence at Mai Khao, with Australian painter Christopher Hogan providing a daily art class for guests until June 10. The Queenslander's art is bright, bold, distinctly tropical, and ideal for Phuket.
His passion emerged from the family signwriting business, and his web site reports that Hogan's next door neighbor was Gordon Marchant, the founder of the giant global surfwear company, Billabong. ''If we are just a little bit as successful as Gordon we'll be very happy... maybe it's something in the water or we just live in a creative street,'' jokes Hogan.
Sessions in an art class with Hogan now form the centrepiece of an Anantara Art Class Special, including two nights in a pool villa, with rates starting at 17,100 baht.
What next, ballet for breakfast?
Just last week it claimed to be the first resort in Thailand to offer the new iPad for the use of guests, and we haven't heard a chorus of other managements saying: ''We're already doing that.''
Anantara may have started something: the iPhone took 74 days to reach one million sales but the iPad has reached that milestone in only 28 days.
Dabbling with the arts in different ways also seems to be becoming a Phuket thing, too, with Mom Tri's Boathouse holding writing seminars and even, a couple of weeks back, Villa Royale staging a dinner with a play.
Now Anantara has as artist in residence at Mai Khao, with Australian painter Christopher Hogan providing a daily art class for guests until June 10. The Queenslander's art is bright, bold, distinctly tropical, and ideal for Phuket.
His passion emerged from the family signwriting business, and his web site reports that Hogan's next door neighbor was Gordon Marchant, the founder of the giant global surfwear company, Billabong. ''If we are just a little bit as successful as Gordon we'll be very happy... maybe it's something in the water or we just live in a creative street,'' jokes Hogan.
Sessions in an art class with Hogan now form the centrepiece of an Anantara Art Class Special, including two nights in a pool villa, with rates starting at 17,100 baht.
What next, ballet for breakfast?
The Boathouse's Chao Praya Literary Society was an initiative of Mom Tri way back in the early '90s. The CPLS regularly organised events such as the week-long Baan Kata Arts Fest, monthly art exhibitions and the popular literary evenings with writers and poets for an enthusiastic audience.
The Boathouse Writer's Nights restarted in last year's summer season and have featured novelists, screenplay writers, filmmakers, travel journalists and the like. We haven't had a writing seminar yet but you've given us an idea here. Anybody interested?
Posted by Lisa Sol on May 7, 2010 10:08