Meliá Phuket Mai Khao, a 30-suite and 70-villa resort on eight acres of Phuket’s northwestern coastline, is slated to open in December.
Launched by Meliá Hotels International and owned by Thailand’s leading residential real estate developer Phuket Villa Group, the five-star resort is part of a roll-out of the Meliá brand in key destinations across Thailand including Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
The new resort’s saltwater swimming pools, private villa pools, a reflection pond with sunken seating areas, water gardens, vertical falls and irrigation mist evoke a restorative atmosphere. The overarching design pays tribute to contemporary aesthetics and traditional Thai touches.
The contemporary, light-filled and spacious Mediterranean-inspired accommodations comprise 30 one-bedroom suites and 70 one-bedroom villas that each cater for up to two adults and two children. All feature outdoor bathtubs, open-air showers and vast outdoor terraces.
The 78 square metre suites are complemented by cabanas and the 85 square metre one-bedroom villas have private plunge pools. Fifteen “wellness villas” feature an open-air Vitamin C shower, daily massage, ultrasonic essential oil diffuser, GermGuardian air purifier, Tempur-Pedic pillows, fit ball and yoga mat.
Meliá Phuket Mai Khao will explore a diverse culinary landscape from four outlets. Near the beach pool with its cabanas and sun lounges, chic Gaia Beach Club celebrates Spain’s famed gastronomy by serving Mediterranean and fusion cuisine from an open kitchen and an imaginative cocktail selection from a long bar.
Elegant all-day dining restaurant, SASA, specialises in Southeast Asian cuisine. A warm and intimate setting adorned with timber finishes, SASA offers casual fine dining by night. Elyxr Café serves freshly squeezed juices and locally brewed liquors.
Shaded by a broad spectrum of native plants, the resort’s design deploys a neutral palette of colours as a complement to Mai Khao’s sandy shore. Its high ceilings, floor-to-roof glass panels and decorative metal screens take advantage of the natural surrounds and abundance of sunshine.
At 300 square metres, Meliá’s signature YHI Spa is home to five treatment rooms. In addition to its extensive menu of massages, facials, body scrubs and wraps, spa therapists also provide poolside and in-villa treatments.
The fitness centre is equipped with treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and weights machines.