TRAVELLER

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THURS DAY AUGUS T 7, 2008 TO DAY

ISLAND BLISS

Ready for a plush weekend?

Banyan Trees Double Pool Villa is a fantasy getaway for couples
ELISABETH LEE elisabeth@mediacorp.com.sg
THE Banyan Tree Ph uket h as lon g been syn onym ou s w it h an in t imat e villa e xperience. This month, the Banyan Tree t ake s t h at exp e rie n ce on e st e p fur ther w ith the intr oduction of their ne w DoubleP ool Villas, designe d to creat e a sanctuar y for the senses. As w e discovered, the sanctuary con cept is n o m ere m arketing fluf f. My husband and I, sor ely in nee d of some R n R, found that the Banyan Tree tak es the idea of getting a w ay very seriousl y. Ou r getaw ay began as soon as w e landed. We w ere m et at th e gate by a Banyan Tree representative, w ho ushered us through Thai custom s (n o queuein g) an d in to a w aiting BMW 7-series. Tw en ty air-condition ed m inu tes later, w e w ere st an d in g in t h e p rivate sala (an op en air p avilion ) of ou r very ow n Delu xe Dou blePool Villa. Th e vie w w as of a peaceful lag oon, on e of t w o t h at t h e re sor t is built ar ound. Vich y, ou r p e r son a l villa hos t, sho w ed us the amenities: A 10m -lon g in fin ity pool in set with a jacuzzi tub, hug e loung e w it h breat h t akin g view s from t h e flo o r- t o - ce ilin g w in d ow s , m arble bat h room w it h ou t d oor show er and the piece de resistance the b edr oom. The bedroom sit s on a floating pa vilion, se t within a second p o o l t h a t is s u r r o u n d e d b y a lan d scap ed ston e w all for m axim u m p r ivacy. A t e m p le t o rom antic bliss, the king-sized bed is eq uippe d with incense and massag e oils (the glass jars of oils ar e h an d ily n am e d Love an d Bliss, p erh ap s as an a ide memoire for th e m ore forgetful guest). Double glass d oors allow d ire ct acce ss int o t he w ading pool. If all t h is d oesn t m ake you frisky enough, tea lights scattered ar ound the perime ter of th e bedroom pavilion help enhance the sensual mood at night. To b e t t e r e n su r e t h a t o u r every nee d w as cat er ed to, Vichy presented us w ith a m obile phone with his dir ect numb er on spee d d ia l a n d t old u s h e w a s ava ilable 24/7 n o requ est w as too frivolous that it had to w ait until morning.

The highlight of the DoubleP ool Villa is the bedroom, which is surrounded by water like a lily pad on a pond.

A VERYSENSUAL EXPERIENCE The DoubleP ool Villa experience is design ed to be a feast for th e sen ses. Non e of ou r five sen ses w ere neglected during th is w eekend of sensuous delight. Im a gin e b e in g p u m m e lle d by a t rop ical storm , let t in g t h e im p act of each p lu m p rain d rop w e ar aw ay t h e t e n sion in you r muscles. And the Rainf or es t Dew Mist experience, a tw o-and-a-half h ou r bod y scru b, an d w rap a n d m a ssa ge co m b in a t io n in the Banyan Trees aw ardwinning spa did jus t that. Or p ict u r e yo u a n d you r lover on you r p rivate dock at su n dow n , cocktails in h an d , m akin g a sp e cial

w ish as p ar t of a Loy Kra thon g cer emon y perf orme d for ju st the t w o of you . Th is is a t rad it ion al Thai celebr ation of light wher e a lan tern m ade from rolled ban an a leaves and chrysanthem um buds, an d adorn ed w ith a can dle th at represent s you r deepes t wishes, is r elease d int o t he w at er . For m ost Singaporeans though m y h u sb a n d a n d I in clu d e d th e sen se of taste is th e m ost im portant. We enjoyed a delectable five-course Thai dinner in our sala, surrounded by lanterns and under a starry expanse of sky. Part of Banyan Trees Destination Dining series, this spr ead in clu d e d s p icy p o m e lo s a la d , tom yam soup, w ok-frie d lobs ter,

and stic ky roasted banana creme brule pr epar ed by your ver y ow n in-villa c hef. The Double Pool Villa experien ce is n ot som et h in g t h at can be en u m erated in a list or th oroughl y recount ed. Your personal villa h ost is ch arged w ith m akin g every stay unique and m em orable Vichy prom ised h e h ad m any m ore t ricks u p h is sle eve so h eres to an oth er sen su al w eekend of surprises. The Banyan Tree Phuke t has a special rat e for the DoubleP ool Villas starting from US$1,000+++ ($1,380) per villa per nigh t, until the end of November. To book, call 6849 5800 or visit ban yantr ee.com.

Living room area

The glass jars of oils are handily named Love and Bliss, perhaps as an aide memoire for the more forgetful guests.