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Published on February 23, 2008

Here's your chance to be cast adrift at sea with your sweetheart. Sofitel Phokeethra Krabi Resort & Spa has recently introduced the Ultimate Romantic Escape Experience, which includes a romantic night on a private yacht with your partner.

After setting sail at 4pm, a course is set for Ao Nang, Pranang and Railey bays before the day winds up with a sunset dinner at Tab Island. The next morning starts with breakfast on the sand then a tour of beaches that takes in Maya and Lohsamah bays.

The well-equipped 33-foot yacht offers a cabin with double bed, shower, convertible sofa and TV, as well as a kitchen with microwave, fridge and coffeemaker. There's also a dining area and bar on deck. All the facilities have been designed with a couple's comfort in mind.

A small team that includes an on-call butler and helmsman will leave the couple in private after dinner and retire to their own boat, stationed 100 metres away. "We are on duty to respond at any time to requests from the yacht," says one staff member fresh from attending the whims of two honeymooners. The exclusive surroundings and atmosphere means that everything from the food to the service has to be perfect. Unlike the beaches of Pattaya or Phuket, which have lost their natural touch to a forest of vendors' umbrellas and deckchairs, Krabi has retained its serenity. This is what makes it so perfect for honeymoon trips, says Phokeethra's managing director Suppachai Verapuchong.

Aimed at attracting high-end clients and offering them something different, the Romantic Escape package starts at Bt150,000 and includes one night on the yacht, three nights in a honeymoon suite with direct access to the swimming pool, round trip airport transfers, one set lunch, two dinners and a spa treatment.

The resort also has facilities and activities designed for families, among them a cooking school, games room, playground, nursery and 300-metre swimming pool. And when it's not in the service of romance, the yacht is also available for day trips for groups of four to five.

A eight-hole golf course being built on 40 rai next to the hotel is expected to be completed by June, and 20 pool villas overlooking the course will be available for short or long stays. Suppachai boasts the villas will be the country's first to offer panoramic views that take in a golf course and the sea.

The hotel also has plans to create a pier in front of the hotel for private yachts, and parkland for trekking, jogging and biking on the 300 rai behind the property.

Phokeethra has positioned itself as a leisure business resort, and attracts a diverse range of guests that runs from honeymooners to corporate clients. The hotel's ballroom will cater to 350 guests, making it a draw for weddings and business conferences.

The hotel has seen five corporate get-togethers since New Year, says general manager Ove Sandstrom. Apart from its perfect location surrounded by idyllic islands, the site is good for conferences "because people can't disappear", he says.

But the isolated location is not a problem for conference guests: Sandstrom says they enjoy his Amazing Race-like competitions in which he leaves a trail of clues to help them find their way between the hotel and the market in a tuk-tuk.

Sirinya  Wattanasukchai

The Nation

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