Phuket, ThailandCape Panwa
Sri Panwa Phuket Luxury Pool Villa Hotel
Forested cliffside estate
Cape Panwa Phuket, Thailand
Renovated
2016
Price
$$$$
Rated for
Wellness Resort LuxeOutside the door
The house
Sri panwaForested cliffside estate
The estate cascades down forty forested acres, trading quiet resort rhythms for private pool living and lively clifftop sunsets.
“It’s here, on a steep hillside dotted with astonishing suites and villas with pools, that you’re just as likely to bump into a celebrity.”
What it’s good at
Remarkable
A Turkish hammam, custom Muay Thai boxing ring, and an integrated medical clinic.
Remarkable
Forty forested acres with private villa pools, tennis courts, and chartered speedboat excursions.
Notable
Staff greet guests by name and restock complimentary Smeg minibars in oceanfront villas.
What they say
Michelin Selected
Michelin
Also in Condé Nast Traveler and Wallpaper*.
Eleven swanky modernist villas survey the seascape through full-length windows, offering a perspective that’s a bit different from the usual beachfront villa fare.
“Set on the grounds of the Sri Panwa resort, the 20 new suites and ten penthouses designed by Bangkok’s Habita Company are being billed as a hotel within a hotel – a super-deluxe club floor lounge set into a wooded, 60m high bluff with bracing views of Panwa Cape and the Andaman Sea.”
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
Cape Panwa anchors the island's quiet southeastern tip, while the Sino-Portuguese lanes of Phuket Old Town sit twenty minutes away.
The rooms
Sliding glass doors lead directly from the bed into a private infinity pool facing the Andaman Sea.
The pools
Bring a swimsuit.
A 25-meter infinity pool borders the Baba Poolclub terrace, and a freeform waterfall pool curls through the rainforest.
The spa
Glass treatment pavilions look across water lily ponds at Cool Spa, and marble suites enclose sunken whirlpools and saunas.
Restaurant
Baba Iki
Chefs prepare sushi and teppanyaki at the counter, and long timber tables sit beside glass doors opening to the sea.
At the table
An infinity reflection pool encircles Baba Nest's timber deck, where guests watch the sunset from plush floor cushions.
How it began
Founder Vorasit Issara rejected plans for a high-rise resort, choosing instead to scatter low-slung modernist villas across the hillside canopy.
Phuket
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The Habita
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.