Le Meridien Khao Lak Resort & Spa

If you’ve been to the busier parts of Phuket then you’ve probably, in your less stoical moments, found yourself wishing for a time machine, so that you could see the spectacular Andaman coast as it was in the great Before. Well, we can’t offer you a time machine, but we can offer you something close. The island of Khao Lak, less than 40 miles from Phuket, is like a second chance: Phuket without all the development. Or, to be more exact, without most of the development — there are, fortunately for our purposes, a handful of extraordinary hotels, one of which goes by the name of Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort.

When you’re packed in between seven miles of pristine beach and who knows how many more of virgin rainforest, it’s not exactly necessary to reinvent the hospitality wheel. Here traditional luxury-resort comforts carry the day — the rooms and suites are swank enough, in their minimalist Eastern-chic sort of way, and the villas take it up several notches, with private pools and a wealth of transitional indoor-outdoor space.

Three pools include one lagoon-style, one adults-only, and one kid-style, the latter a bit like a water park. The dining options are similarly comprehensive — it would be tough to eat one’s way to complete familiarity with all six of the restaurants. Not that it wouldn’t be worth trying.

How to get there:

Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach & Spa Resort is located approximately 70 minutes’ drive from Phuket International Airport (HKT).