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Diamonds and Bombay Sapphire
Destination: Racha Island
My first memories of Racha Island include the most bizarre Christmas
pageant ever, one which featured the Christ Child emerging full-grown,
and covered in tattoos, from beneath Mary's gown.
The production was held at Baan Raya, which was, in 2001, the most
up-market bungalow operation on the island, on a hill beside cliffs
that plunged to the sea. The night's clarity and bright stars were
the only elements of the pageant that rang true to the original
story. Audience members didn't seem to know whether to laugh or
gasp at the sight of the Prince Of Peace, wrapped in swaddling clothes,
standing wobbly upon the grass, having clearly consumed more than
his fair share of the night's grog. As the laughter and shock wore
off, the newborn clutched a staff and shouted in a heavy Finnish
accent, "Follow Baby Jesus to the sea!"
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Down at the base of the hill, where the rocky coastline breaks
to host a small bay, a red light glowed from the water, increasing
in luminosity until a man's head came into focus, crowned in bright
red light sticks, rising from the depths. A diving mask, regulator,
and long, drenched beard followed, then the man's scrawny torso,
clothed in red, a sack of presents clasped in his hand, a dive belt
tight at his waist. This is what happens to Santa Claus in the tropics-his
blubber, so necessary at the North Pole, melts and he makes his
annual visitations with the aid of SCUBA tanks rather than reindeer.
Until recently, one didn't read much about Racha Island, also known
as Raya Island, which was one reason that my family and I had chosen
to visit for Christmas. We spent four days there, snorkelling the
same bay from which Santa had emerged, walking along the dirt and
sand pathways that led through the coconut plantations to other
coves, beaches, and small restaurants. Just 12 miles south of Phuket,
it was small, with but a handful of huts and a few sturdy bungalows.
Water buffalo wallowed about in the mud and the only motorized transport
was a tractor that had been rigged up with a seating platform and
a separate luggage shelf. The beaches, of fine coral sand, practically
glowed in the dark, they were so white. Underwater, the reefs, though
not as diverse as some, flourished; a school of barracuda called
Bungalow Bay home, countless varieties of bright reef fish swam
about, and rumour had it that the occasional manta would put in
an appearance. Its sandy bottoms, clear water and proximity to Phuket
made Racha the perfect training site for beginning divers; most
open water courses conclude with dives here.
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Racha was beautiful, quaint and very quiet, but offered little
more than tranquility. The walks through coconut palms were memorable
and made us feel productive and well exercised. The diving and snorkeling
were good, but without the great abundance of life that draws people
repeatedly to the Similans and other marquee sites. Accommodation
was nice, clean, but hardly luxurious. It was the kind of island
that you left feeling happy for having visited but without any burning
desire to return, unless you were of a reclusive nature. Accordingly,
while Krabi's Phi Phi and Lanta islands have boomed into warrens
of bungalows, reggae bars, roti pancake stands and even luxury resorts,
most people never knew that one could even stay the night on Racha,
let alone find a meal or a pint.
Enter The Racha, the new five-star boutique on the island's most
perfect beach. Overnight, the island that nobody ever mentioned
became the talk of the town. Delays in opening only fanned the flames
of anticipation; the resort had only just got up and running when
it garnered inclusion on the Conde Nast Hot List 2004 as one of
the best new resorts in the world.
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The concept of development divides my thinking. On one hand, when
I hear that a new resort is being built, I cringe and wonder when
is this ever going to end? When is enough? On the other hand, I
get curious. I want to see what is happening, if any progress has
been made since the destruction of such destinations as Patong and
Samui. I want to know if people have learned anything from the mistakes
of the past. In the case of The Racha, I wanted to assess-in my
utterly subjective aesthetic way-the impact upon the island. Since
our Christmas visit, I had thought about returning but always concluded
that I had seen everything and done everything already. Suddenly
everything had changed. Suddenly luxury called. If tastefully done,
I surmised, the transformation of Koh Racha would be nothing short
of exquisite.
The first pleasant change to the island experience made itself
known in Phuket-the resort's speedboat. Most operators run boats
with two benches running fore to aft, like the interior of an army
transport truck, with about as much comfort. In contrast, The Racha's
speedboat has actual forward-facing seats with sturdy backrests,
perfect for couples to sit and and watch the sea and islands pass
by. I chalked this advancement up as an omen of good things to come.
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As the boat decelerated into Ao Batok, or Bungalow Bay, I felt
the surge of excitement that comes upon arrival. Sunlight sparkled
on the water like diamonds on the surface of Bombay Sapphire. Risen
from the creamy white sands, the crisp, clean lines of a white stucco
hotel stood flanked by palm trees and lush hillsides. Upon the rocks
that bookend the crescent beach, a smattering of tasteful bamboo
huts perched. I remembered these little Raya Bungalows from my previous
visit; we had eaten a nice seafood dinner at their restaurant. I
was as pleased to see that they remained unchanged as I was to notice
that the line of huts which had formerly blighted the face of this
dazzling beach had been removed to make way for The Racha. A dash
of local colour seemed to compliment the modern, Zen-like resort,
but an entire mish-mash village of thatch and bamboo might have
diminished its stature.
As someone who spent many weeks island hopping from one tiny bungalow
to the next, who considered $10 per night expensive, the upgrade
to luxury feels almost generational, like the evolution of hippies
to yuppies. I have discarded the mosquito net and undependable sea
breeze for glass windows and air conditioning. The Racha and others
of its ilk-the Pimalai and Rayavadi spring to mind-seem to take
this maturation into account and play to our nostalgia. Reminiscent
of yesterday's beach bungalow complexes, The Racha features a clear
focal centre, a common space or living room where guests can mingle,
only here they call it the library and they set it beside the shimmering
blue-tiled infinity pool. Guests pad barefoot on the cool marble
floor, polished so smooth as to mirror the simple furniture, indeed
to evoke the sea itself. Cool breezes circulate through the open
room; futon sofas invite readers, writers and dreamers to pass an
hour or two, either in conversation or in quiet company. Two air
conditioned rooms with nearly full glass walls comprise the internet
centre, which provides broadband service. I can safely venture that
I have never checked my email in a more picturesque setting.
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The library's marble floors flow out to the pool area; to patterns
of sunlight dancing on the blue water, which then flows over a glass
edge, providing maximum access to the view of palms, the beach and
the bay. The Fire Grill occupies a corner of the pool area, offering
fine Mediterranean cuisine by evening; pizza, pasta and light meals
by day. Just downstairs, The Earth Cafe serves Thai and international
fare, including the sumptuous breakfast buffet. On Saturday night,
we enjoyed a Thai feast that highlighted food of the northeast region:
spicy papaya, pomelo and mixed fruit salads; grilled chicken and
sticky rice. After dinner, we climbed to the roof of the library,
a verandah that doubles as a star deck. I could understand why the
average guest stays for a full week.
The Racha's pool villas are a microcosm of the entire resort. Mirroring
the general hotel rooms, there are no paintings hanging upon the
walls, no decorations or bric-a-brac. The only portrait is the actual
seascape framed by the dark wooden border of heavy sliding balcony
doors. In the pool villas, however, the doors open to not only the
view, but also to their private infinity pool. For those who like
to turn up the heat, the jaccuzzi, though enclosed by a glass wall,
affords the same views of the sea. Already, demand is so high for
the pool villas, management is speculating the need to construct
new ones, most likely on the opposite end of the resort.
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The Racha is managed by Hong Kong based Sanctuary Resorts, who
strive to create holistic environments in which people balance their
bodies, minds and spirits. Already an excellent site for meditation,
contemplation and reflection, the addition of the Anumba Spa, to
open in February 2005, will signal the resort's grand opening. Yoga
will figure prominently, as will massage and other holistic treatments.
The spa will invite visiting teachers of healing arts and maintain
a "Master in Residence."
Since The Racha is meant to be a marriage between modern art and
nature, the resort has been especially active with regard to environmental
conservation, aiming for sustainable tourism. This emphasis upon
eco-friendly practices is an underpinning of Sanctuary Resorts,
who hope that The Racha will serve as a model for future development
in the region. Only seven coconut palms were cut in the construction
of the entire 69 villa resort and for each one, two others have
been planted. Villas have been laid out along the natural profile
of the land; one pool villa was redrawn and built specially around
the contours of a rock, which otherwise would have been dynamited
away. Features such as double exterior walls, a heat recovery system
and energy saving lighting all contribute to energy conservation,
while the ozone treated pools eliminate the need for toxic chlorine.
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One of the most innovative additions that The Racha has made to
the island has been their Reef Conservation Programme, which not
only serves the local community, but may represent an environmental
boon for all of Thailand. The introduction of Reef Balls, constructed
of concrete, dead coral and sea shells, is hoped to prove groundbreaking
in the building of artificial reefs and propagating new corals throughout
the region. Already used widely in Australia and in the USA, these
are the first Reef Balls in the kingdom, launched on 18th September
2004 by His Excellency Khun Suwit Khunkitti, Minister of Natural
Resources and Environment. For USD50, guests can launch a Reef Ball
of their own, with their name written on it.
The Racha has gone to great lengths to enrich the community; to
work with rather than combat the pre-existing businesses and resorts.
The entire island is welcome to use their new garbage incinerator
and everyone benefits from the staff's bi-weekly collection of litter
along interior roads and paths and their daily cleaning of the beach
at Batok Bay. Vendors of beach chairs, who target day visitors from
Phuket, continue to operate. The Racha has installed public toilets
and showers for their customers' use.
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A lot of luxury goes a long way. The Racha has indeed transformed
the island, though from my perspective, in only positive ways. Since
the resort has introduced sea kayaks, sailboats and quality Trek
mountain bikes, I could see spending a week or even a month here,
whereas just three years ago, I was ready to leave after four days.
The spa will enhance their guests' experiences. Although the future
may attract new resorts here, the present offers a charming island
with lovely walking and bike paths, good snorkelling and diving
and one of Thailand's prettiest beaches.
Nearly ten restaurants are open, from The Fire Grill's fine cuisine
to local specialties and seafood at Raya Bungalow and the Hippy
Bar. Many of the small businesses have seen increased volume as
the resort's guests venture forth for dining and imbibing variety.
This was the first year that Racha Father, a small bungalow complex
in the interior, stayed open through the low season, the reason
being that their restaurant continued to do very well. Nearby Siam
Bay, an old Thai cove with but a sprinkling of thatched beach bars,
is popular with staff from all of the island's resorts, who walk
or bike through the coconut palms to escape for a few hours. Currently
both Baan Raya, where I spent that memorable Christmas, and Racha
Father are booked to capacity, though with people from different
markets-primarily divers and backpackers. The mood is cooperative
rather than competitive. As one staff member of The Racha put it,
"It's an island, everyone knows everyone, it's like a big family."
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I didn't ask her if that meant she would participate in this year's
Christmas pageant, nor whether a skinny Santa Claus is expected
to make his appearance, bearing gifts aplenty from the sea.
Addendum: While some of the buildings at The Racha suffered damage
and some villas were destroyed in the tsunami of December 26th,
GM Urs Aebi reports that: "We count ourselves blessed to report
that no lives were lost among our guests and team members. All persons
staying or working at The Racha at the time have been accounted
for and nobody is missing. We remain firm in our commitment to create
Thailand's premier deluxe island hideaway, where people can balance
body, mind and spirit in an environmentally friendly space. We have
set ourselves the target to welcome guests again in the second half
of 2005. We plan to announce the re-pening date of The Racha during
the first week of March, 2005."
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