[Phuket] Sri Panwa

Sri Panwa

Add: 88 Moo 8 Sakdidej Rd., Tambon Vichit, Phuket 83000
Tel: + 667 637 1000
Website: www.sripanwa.com
Email: chill@sripanwa.com
Price: [pool suite] 22,400 THB/night ~ [5-bedroom villa] 188,000 THB/night
Visited: Feb 2015

Please note that this was a complimentary stay arranged by the resort.

So the reason of my Phuket trip was actually to attend one of my best friends’ wedding. The big day took place at Sri Panwa, a breathtakingly beautiful resort perched on the island’s southeastern coast. I saw the below photo (courtesy of the resort) on my friend’s wedding website, and needless to say that I was in love with this place before I even set foot in it. Dotted amidst the coastal forest, Sri Panwa offers a seductive collection of 52 villas, each with a glass-boxed bedroom that extends right into private infinity pools. A few of the villas, such as Villa 11 where the wedding couple was staying at, boasts an uninterrupted 300° views of the Andaman Sea. There are of course private beach, spa, pool, club, cooking school, games room, gym, tennis courts, jogging and biking trails, yacht fleet, library, free WiFi, limousine service…

Photo credit: Sri Panwa

But let’s take a step back and start from the check in. We arrived at Sri Panwa on wedding rehearsal day, and everything was so pretty that we didn’t know where to look first. From the varying shades of blue to the lush, tropical green, every angle was picture-perfect.

At the reception, we were offered a welcome drink to freshen up from the perpetual Phuket heat and humidity.

Then, a buggy escorted us to our villa, tugged quietly in this secluded surrounding.

We stayed at Sri Panwa’s one bedroom luxury pool villa (37,400 THB/night), which is about 260 sqm in size with its own infinity swimming pool, jet stream Jacuzzi system, outdoor rain shower, steam room, ocean view pavilion, and ultra spacious bedroom and bathroom. There are also smaller options, such as the pool suite (100 sqm, 16,800 THB/night), mega options like the 5-bedroom pool villa (2,000 sqm, 188,000 THB/night), as well as residence villas for sale if that’s something you are considering…not in my budget, alas.

Back in the ocean view pavilion, there’s a huge sofa bed, minibar, fridge, Nespresso machine, preloaded iPod, and home cinema system.

A nicely stocked fridge that even includes a few iced towels, how very considerate.

On the other side is the bedroom, which is surrounded on three-sides by floor-to-ceiling glass doors and opens directly into the infinity pool. The furnishings are contemporary in soothing earthy tones, the drawers and cabinets stocked with all the amenities we needed.

After dark, the villa turns into this charming place.

Breakfast time, followed by explorations of other parts of the resort.

The wedding was held at Baba Nest, which is usually open to the public when there are no private events. It’s a sexy place for cocktails around sunset time, with its wrap-around infinity pool and 360° panoramic views of the surrounding islands, Andaman Sea and Phuket’s Southeastern peninsula. For non-hotel guests, a minimum spend of 1000 THB is required. Reservation available and recommended.

Photo credit: Joanne N.

Sri Panwa also operates Cool Spa, featuring local ingredients like mango, coconut, honey and tamarind, including some herbs that are grown in the hotel’s own garden. I didn’t have a chance to try the treatments this time, but did take a sneak peek of the spacious rooms with private pools and outdoor pavilions – yes, as you can imagine, these are very nice.

If one does get sick of the villa private pools (huh?), there’s also a 25-meter infinity pool open to all villa guests, conveniently lined with shaded sun beds and a poolside bar. A few steps down from here is the private beach for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, or scuba diving.

The resort also has a fleet of vessels, including long-tail boats and luxury private yachts, which can be used to cruise around the island. Our lovely wedding couple booked a private speedboat for us to hop around the Phi Phi islands, and it was a super fun day filled with sun, wind, water, music, chilled beer, fresh fruits, on repeat.

Photo credit: Jerry C.

Now, why would anyone ever want to leave this place? Blogging about Sri Panwa from the still wintry Paris isn’t an easy task. Bring me back to sunny Phuket already!