Phuket Pavilions: Keep it very, very private

Pavilions is a fashionable serviced villa environment which opened only twelve months hence on a hillside overlooking Ban Tao Bay (famed for the Laguna complex – whose villa development knows no bounds). The 21 one-bedroom villas here all have infinity swimming pools and sun decks with unfettered views of the Andaman Sea. There are also nine three-bedroom villas, all sold to private owners – mainly Hong Kong-based expats – some of which can be rented out by the resort.

High walls on both sides of each villa ensure 98% privacy. Swim as nature intended you to, this is no-tan-line living. No kids are allowed in the short-stay villas – not as homage to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’s child-less kingdom; it’s a steep fall from the private pools.

With a well-stocked maxi-bar and inspiring in-villa dining, food and spa come to your room; have a robe handy, as waiters, spa therapists, and an array of housekeepers, engineers (who explain WiFi, and where the light switches are located), choose-your-DVDs-for-tonight man etc. make intrusive (but highly appreciated) appearances at your abode of nude luxe living.

Select from an eclectic range of pampering procedures when the spa girls come calling. Payot products are used. I opted for the Detoxifying Body Wrap, which aims to “reduce the appearance of cellulite, water retention and ‘orange peel skin’”. After a thorough scrub (homemade: grounded coconut blended with turmeric and rice), one’s lymphatic circulation is stimulated with Green Stone Mineral Clay and malachite extract. Turn green and bake in the semi-precious clay by the pool.

This is also iPod living. A mini-pod with dedicated playlists suits the mood: Sunset Mix; Poolside Mix; Make-Out Mix; Late-night Mix… they’ve got it all. Groovy tunes are also rolled out at panoramically-appointed, alfresco 360 bar – the MD here must be rather young at heart, we thought, and he was.

Scott Gorsuch doesn’t have much need for his PhD in Psychology anymore, and his photography and archaeology interests are also not too much in demand. However, the lifestyle-choice job which lured him from the States and a planned resort operation in Peru is proving a much-loved, all-hours occupation.

A fan of hotels which offer more of a personal touch, he, like a lot of expats living and working in Asia now, originally came for a holiday. Many years earlier, while working for National Geographic on a trek through Peru, Gorsuch struck up a friendship with another member of the trekking team, Hong Kong-based corporate lawyer Gordon Oldham.

They remained in touch. Oldham was already entrenched in the Asian property investment market. “Gordon told me about the land he had acquired for the Phuket Pavilions… and two drinks later we basically had a deal,” says Gorsuch. “At that meeting we just got on the same wavelength immediately about the ideas and the vision we shared for a resort of this type.”

Six months after that meeting, Gorsuch was onsite in Phuket to supervise the resort’s development. He tries to meet every guest upon check-in – often the only time he will see them, thanks to the exceeding privacy of the place – although sundowner cocktails at 360 are popular with guests blinking from their days of in-villa dwelling. Wolf down the tapas on offer here, and work your way through the extensive range of international vodkas, or even a refreshing Pimms and lemonade.

A pleasant bunch of villa-vacationers and Phuket regulars are normally on hand to chew the mustard. Villas are often rented by those wanting a self-contained party. Australians are particular fans of short breaks to Pavilions, as are Korean honeymooners – but you won’t see the latter betwixt check-in and check-out.

With Pavilions properties now firmly established in Phuket and Bali, Gorsuch will now be overseeing the development of a similar project in Krabi.

Rates from USD 400. Visit www.phuketpavilions.com