| By Marie Moon Speeding away from the familiar Phuket
sights, the landscape rapidly took on a deeper more rugged tone. With every kilometre
that passed after the Sarasin Bridge, the mountains became weirder and more wonderful
in shape. These are the limestone crags and karsts for which this area
is famous, in particular, our final destination, Krabi. We were headed to the
Sheraton
Krabi Beach Resort, the first international hotel in the region, opened in
February 2003 and, as we neared it, I wondered what to expect. From an accomplished
chain like Sheraton, which has over 55 years experience in the trade, some things
are a given; five star service, clean, comfortable lodgings and a plethora of
fine food and dining venues are standards that people have come to expect. What
is exciting about this new resort, is the location.
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| "I was a little surprised that Krabi is relatively
undeveloped and that was a nice reality, because I knew that Phuket was well developed.
It was refreshing to come here because there are still a lot of opportunities.
"We are now seeing guests who used to go to Phuket coming to Krabi because
they want to get away to a less busy, more natural and relaxed destination,"
explained Hotel General Manager Mr. Greg Findlay who has been working for Starwood
Hotels and Resorts for 13 years. "Of the Sheraton brand there are definite
expectations. Generally our guests are well travelled with higher expectations
than ever before and demanding more value for money from their holiday. The greatest
challenge is in 'wowing' these guests and that is what we strive to achieve here." As
we pulled into the resort, my colleague and I were both audibly "wowed",
although, probably not in the way you are thinking. The first notable point was
how far the main buildings of the resort were from the beach. From the high elevation
of the reception area, the view spans across treetops to an inexplicably distant
sea. A closer glance at said trees would reveal the uncanny reality that the Sheraton
Krabi Beach Resort is built around a swamp!
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A swamp, it may resemble, but the tropical mangrove forest that this
resort protects, fosters a fragile, yet thriving ecosystem. Mr. Findlay explained,
"The owners' intention was to protect the natural environment. Thailand is
losing many of its coastal mangroves to development, which of course affects the
ecosystem, as the mangroves provide a habitat for many varieties of sea life in
the food chain for coastal fish populations. People from Australia and New Zealand
say "Hey you've got a hotel built on a swamp!" but as soon as we start
talking about it, explaining its beauty, opinions quickly change and most people
really appreciate it." An Aussie myself, I opted to keep an open mind about
this mangrove and its proclaimed beauty. I have grown up learning the importance
of the mangroves,. The resort has 246 rooms spread within eight low-rise
buildings that arc around the mangrove forest. The contemporary architecture of
the resort loosely follows a Burmese style and employs the use of dark woods and
stark white walls, an original concept by Thai design company P 49 Deesign &
Associates. The effect is striking; colour flashes in and out of view in the forms
of giant floral arrangements, simple Thai prints and artworks, the green tones
of the mangroves and the blue of the Krabi sky. The resort is set within a land
area of around eight hectares, including some 500m of beachfront land along Klong
Muang beach, and only half of this has been developed, leaving a substantial amount
of natural terrain in which the mangrove can develop. The expansive area is connected
by a series of ring-roads that are serviced by golf buggies and walkways that
lead through the mangrove garden.
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| An English researcher, Ms. Clare Lees from the Good
Governance for Social Development and Environmental Institute recently conducted
a study of the mangrove to assess the ecosystem and the impact of the resort on
the environment. In her report, she praised the hotel's "extensive replanting
programme, which will stimulate growth and encourage wildlife back into these
areas." Her studies revealed an enchanting world of flora and fauna thriving
in the swampy forest. She described it as "a world where trees stand out
of the water and have roots that breathe, where fish have feet and crabs wave
as you walk past." She refers to the mud-skippers and the thousands of tiny
fiddler crabs that inhabit the marsh. Easily recognizable, with one enlarged pincer,
these crabs are essential to the existence of the mangrove. Feeding on the dead
and decaying matter in the mud, the crabs filter and protect the environment and
in honour of this vital role, the resort has adopted the fiddler crab as its insignia.
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My ground floor superior room was spacious with just over 48 sq.m of
comfortably furnished space. The interior decoration reflects the overall design
concepts, with an abundance of dark wood and white walls with bursts of bright
colour from the bedding and an eggshell coloured feature wall. The room offers
all the modern comforts that patrons expect from hotels with this many stars and
to my delight, the minibar offered a drip-filter coffee maker and generously-portioned
bags of ground Thai coffee, a welcome alternative to sachets of bitter instant
coffee. The privacy that the mangroves provide the rooms was immediately obvious:
point one for the mangroves! Beyond the balcony was a dense patch of forest, populated
by thick strangling vines and hardy trees and the room was completely quiet until
opening the balcony doors allowed the sounds of nature to flood in. I sat on this
balcony at different times over the weekend, listening to the birdsong and the
click-clack of the crickets, marvelling that no manmade sound was evident. I also
spotted a number of animals including snakes, monitor lizards and kingfishers
and with each sighting my appreciation of this wonderful environment deepened.
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| The centre of resort activity, the pool and beachfront
areas, exhibit a pleasant balance between the development of essential resort
infrastructure and a lasting natural beauty. The infinity-edged pool has three
distinct sections; a large portion is shallow, for children, a small niche has
benches under shady trees and the remaining area of the pool is rectangular enough
to swim laps. The decked poolside area has rows of sun-chairs with stark white
umbrellas awaiting the opportunity to offer respite from the hot sun and light
snacks and beverages are provided from the funky poolside bar, Coco Vidas. Also
located in the vicinity is the Watersports Centre, the source of a host of recreational
activities. Snorkelling, sailing, windsurfing and kayaking facilities are all
available and the recreation team provides free scuba diving demonstration lessons
in the pool twice daily. Recreation Manager, 'Khun O', said "people find
the sample lesson so enjoyable that they generally always sign up for a full diving
excursion." The recreation department also runs an interesting daily activity
schedule which includes batik painting, yoga and aerobics classes, a full kids'
club programme and Thai boxing lessons with a bona fide Muay Thai champion.
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For the child in us all, the resort has its very own, very cute and
very cheeky baby elephant named Ra Ra. She came to the resort from Surin province
and now takes daily delight in posing for numerous photographs. Mr. Findlay vaunted
"Guests definitely shouldn't miss meeting Ra Ra our baby elephant, we also
have the rejuvenating Mandara Spa where you will be spoilt and pampered!"
Mandara Spa is a renowned Asian spa leader, offering a sophisticated range of
treatments that provide a nice blend of therapy and indulgence. With six private
treatment rooms and eleven therapists, I highly recommend guests make reservations
upon arrival and after one treatment, book another! In my experience, one massage
is never enough! The Sun Moon Deck is situated right on the beach and so,
is a great place for functions or the Friday night seafood buffet, which we attended.
The buffet was a seafood lover's delight, offering a good range of international
seafood dishes and freshly barbecued items. Those people, like me, whose constitutions
are not agreeable with Neptune's offerings, would be better suited to Gecko, the
resort's Italian restaurant. On the second night of my stay, I dined at Gecko
on pan-fried swordfish, two-way cooked duck and skewers of succulent beef and
lamb. The quality, variety and presentation of the cuisine served in the hotel
was excellent and displayed a contemporary flair with some distinctly Thai twists.
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| I feel, special mention should be made of the hotel's
comprehensive wine and alcoholic beverage menus and the lively bar outlets, in
particular Martinis Cocktail Lounge. Martinis is a great place for high tea, a
sundowner or an intimate nightcap and with over twenty different sumptuous martinis,
it certainly lives up to its name. The bar manager Rose, is perhaps the most persuasive
Thai person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I watched her closely during
my time at the bar; with a manner that exemplifies the resort's polite but casual
ethos, Rose partakes in chatty conversation with anyone that enters. Courtesy
of her guidance and persuasive powers, I tasted the wonderful concoctions of the
parfait martini, lemon-tini, Krabi-tini and the good old fashioned Manhattan,
to sheepishly name but a few. All were superior in taste and very well priced
at THB 220 per glass and all cocktails are shaken and poured tableside by a kneeling
waitress, in true Thai fashion. The Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort presents
a great range of services and facilities that strike a balance between entertainment
and pure relaxation, between light-hearted fun and intimate romance, making it
a suitable destination for families and couples alike. The service is first-rate,
the products, excellent but the ace up the Sheraton Krabi's sleeve is definitely
the mangrove forest for it offers more than a sea view could. For peace, privacy
and the thrill of spotting tropical wildlife right outside your door, consider
the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort for your next vacation in amazing Thailand. |
