Phuket and Koh Samui are having a moment this year thanks to several of their photogenic resorts prominently featured on a certain television show. Although plenty of lushly appointed, family-friendly resorts abound in these Southern Thailand destinations, Koh Pha Ngan is a perfect destination for those wanting an immersive Thai experience with smaller crowds and a definitive sense of place.
© Elyse Glickman
The 50-room Chantaramas Beach Resort embraces the island’s character and a quieter version of Southern Thailand, appealing to families with children, couples and single travelers. The beachfront is beautifully maintained, and the restaurant and pool area are rendered in a boho-chic beach club vibe. Amenities include yoga classes, sauna, one-hour complimentary bike rentals, fitness room, hand-crafted soaps in room and traditional cookies replacing mints on the pillows. However, what makes it a perfect amalgam of resort experience and home stay are personal touches the owners incorporate into the resort, including a family of beagles who greet arriving guests.
While there is an activities board with information on hikes, farm experiences and outdoor adventure excursions offered by local tour companies, the on-site experience is devised with a lot of intention and focus on the environment. Its Zero Waste program puts sustainability front and center.
© Elyse Glickman
The resort also offers a shuttle available to take guests into main town Thong Sala twice a day. It’s put to good use during the weekly Saturday Walking Street Market from 4 to 10 p.m. on Thong Sala’s “Chinese Street” near the pier. Like the resort, this market and Sunday Walking Street Market in fishing village Chaloklum run at a slower pace than their counterparts in larger cities, allowing visitors to thoroughly take in the sights, aromas and a beautiful sunset. Food vendors run the gamut from local eateries specializing in one or two specific dishes to produce stands and those selling pastries mixing unexpected Eastern and Western flavors.
On non-market nights, Thai food enthusiasts can walk five minutes from the resort’s front door to check out Nang View.
© Elyse Glickman
In the morning, Chanteramas’ Moon Deck Restaurant serves home-style breakfast fare, while lunch and dinner menus list several western and Thai selections. However, with some advance planning, the space can transform into a date night experience as impressive as any beachside romantic dinner at a 5-star property, down to its shoreline views and fanciful lighting. What sets Chanteramas’ multicourse moonlight meal apart, however, is the added influence of Burmese cuisine based on the owners’ family roots. Highlights include Burmese salad with tea leaves, deep-fried fish with three-flavor sauce, stir-fried squid and brown rice. The staff will also remind guests with a smile that the herbs and organic vegetables used for the dinner come from the resort’s own organic herb farm and feature prominently in the resort’s daytime cooking classes.
Chanteramas Beach Resort
123 Moo 4 Baan Tai
Koh Pha Ngan, Baan Khai 84280
Thailand
tel 66 77 377 663
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