Amanpuri, Phuket hotels Thailand on go2thailand.com

There is a 'place of peace' nestled amongst coconut palms which leads to a private crescent beach touching brilliant turquoise sea. This place is Amanpuri, on Thailand jade green island of Phuket, where nature and culture harmoniously merge, yielding a pure tranquility where less means more and luxury is found in graciousness.

Amanpuri is Amanresort's flagship property. Guest accommodations consist of 40 Thai-style pavilions and 30 private Villa Homes set within a mature coconut plantation and connected by elevated walkways. All pavilions feature an outdoor sala with a sun deck and dining terrace, a king-size bed, oversized bathrooms and spacious dressing areas. wireless broadband connection are available in all resort accommodations and public areas. Pavilion rates are determined according to view and location. Pavilion 105 and 103 enjoy premium view of the Andaman Sea. Ocean Pavilion also have sea view, while Partial Ocean Pavilions are set further back from the shore with partial ocean view. The 25 Garden Pavilion are interspersed throughout the resort's mature coconut palms while the remaining six Pavilions are set along the resort's internal passageways. Amanpuri also offers 30 Villa Home, many with ocean-front settings. Each villa consists of two to six separate bedrooms finished with Thai furnishings, art and antiques. Villas enjoy private pools plus living and dining salas. Personal housekeeper and cooks are also on hand. Amanpuri villas are ideal for small business meeting, weddings and special events.

All Amanpuri 40 pavilions feature an outdoor sala, a king-size bed, separate bath and shower, refrigerator with mini bar, electronic safe, stereo system, IDD services and air-conditioning. Wireless broadband connections are available in all resort accommodation and public areas. Pavilion rates are determined according to view and location, pavilion 105 and 103 enjoy the best views of the Andaman Sea.

:: Garden Pavilion ::

Garden Pavilions are interspersed among the coconut palms.

:: Partial Ocean Pavilion ::

Partial Ocean Pavilions are set further back from the shore and with partial ocean views.

:: Ocean Pavilion ::

Ocean Pavilions offer sea views.

:: Villa Homes ::

Adjacent to the resort, almost hidden by coconut palms, are 30 Villa Homes, many with ocean-front settings. Each villa consists of two to six separate bedrooms finished with Thai furnishings, art and antiques. Villas also enjoy a private pool plus living and dining Thai salas. A live-in maid and cook attend to all guests needs, including the preparation of Thai cuisine in a private kitchen. Amanpuri villas are ideal for small business meetings, weddings and special events.

:: Restaurant ::

The Terrace Restaurant offers casual all-day dining in an alfresco setting and features Thai and European specialties. The Restaurant serves Italian cuisine and is open for dining year round and lunch during high season. Both are adjacent to swimming pool. Weather-permitting, lunches are served at the Beach Terrace. Set just behind the beach and open during the high season, Naoki serves Chef Naoki Okumura's original French kaiseki which combines the best of French technique with Japenese artistry. The Bar offers poolside drinks and snacks. At last light, half a dozen moulded-brass tables and pairings of teak, rattan-backed chairs are set out along the terrace between the pool and the steps leading to the beach. The view is to the Andaman Sea and the setting sun. A bar and lounge is also available at the Beach Club. From late November to April, weather and tide permitting, evening torch-lit barbecues are help on the beach. Room service is available 24 hours day in the privacy of guest pavilions and outdoor salas.

:: Beach ::

If unwinding usually takes you a day or two, then at Amanpuri it will take seconds; as a perfect, private, soft cream beach waits beckoning, on a sea to dream to. Light refreshments are served all day with water sports on-hand, and when the sun dips behind the horizon, relish a flame-grilled lobster as your toes wriggle contented in the cooling sand.

:: Cruises ::

Amanpuri offers perhaps the best and most extensive selection of boats and cruise options of any resort in Asia, with a comprehensive range of boats from small dinghies for a picnic lunch at a nearby beach to luxury blue water cruises aboard the 60ft Aman I.

:: Spa ::

Aman resorts signature Spa is a holistic sanctuary for body and mind and uses exclusive products created from the purest ingredients.

:: Diving/Snorkeling ::

Perfect conditions in the year-round warm shores of Phuket. Sites for novices and veterans.

- Racha island
- Shark point
- Koh Kai Nok
- Koh Dok Mai

:: Golf ::

Five international standard golf courses are located within 30-40 minutes of Amanpuri, and visits can be easily arranged. Complimentary clubs are available. The Blue Canyon country Club offers two championship layouts - the Lakes Course and the Canyon Course. It is ranked amongst the finest courses in Asia. The Phuket Country Club is an all-round course with good facilities. The Laguna Golf Club, just 10 minutes from Amanpuri is a relaxed resort-style 18-hole course with wide fairways while the farther Mission Hills Golf Resort and Spa, located in dramatic coastal scenery, is more difficult.

:: Island touring ::

When the 'James Bond' team filmed part of Man with the Golden Gun in Phang Nga Bay, Phuket achieved international fame. Soon, hotels were built, small towns rose and the population quadrupled. Talang was the major town until 150 years ago. Today, the most colourful streets can be seen in the capital, Phuket Town, from shopping to dining and resort staff will be pleased to make recommendations and reservations. Its central market bustles from early morning to noon, and the Butterfly Garden and the Aquarium are popular options. Phuket has two museums, one in Phuket Town and the other in Talang, the latter with some excellent maps and, inexplicably, a large collection of artifacts from the Mollucas. There are about 30 Buddhists temples on the island, among them, Wat Chalong, with its gilt statues of two revered monks; Wat Phra Thong with its half-buried Buddha statue and Wat Phra Nang Sang which includes 3,000 year old Buddha heads and some interesting allegorical frescoes. Phuket also has several Islamic Mosques. Private-car tours of the islands countryside sights can be arranged. Hikers and nature lovers will enjoy the four-hour morning trek into the rainforest through the virgin jungle of Khao Phra Thaeo National Park and elephant treks are available.

:: Shopping ::

Souvenirs can be found in shops around the island. Seashells and coconut art are plentiful. Willowware, the black silverware finished with intricate designs, is produced here. Thai silk, antiques and pearls of high quality can also be found.

Amanpuri, which means place of peace in Sanskrit, is nestlrd on a hillside just above Pansea Beach on the west coast of Phuket. The resort fuses elegant Thai architectural cues with luxurious modern amenities and the natural beauty of a private cove.