On Location: Koh Samui
A series of work assignments in paradise.
By Gray Shealy
I made two trips to Thailand - and the island of Koh Samui - in the span of three months in the Fall of 2011. I was on assignment for my role as the Global Design Director of W Hotels in the opening of the new W Retreat ('resort') there. [On a side note, knowing how bad transpacific jet lag is, I can only surmise that my much younger self did not quite realize how frequently I was going back and forth across the oceans at the time.]
Being at a resort for work, at first, was a bit like a dream. My eyes were dazzled with palm trees, stunning water with islands in the far distance; by infinity pools perched over said views; by Asian-style breakfast buffets for which I still crave. And then, there was reality: Up at 7am and straight into business meetings over croissants and congee, ensconced in dress clothes despite the sweltering sun, running all over the resort, up and down the hills inspecting the site. Guests had started arriving, and the contrast was jarring. They were the ones actually on vacation - and here I was, juxtaposed against them, not actually a member of resort staff (coming from corporate), but not a guest either. Not that I'm complaining: for this was one of my most memorable and deluxe visits of all the trips I had back then. I just remember the juxtaposition being so poignant. I did take 20 minutes at dawn each morning to take a dip in the Gulf of Thailand, and took a midnight swim in my room's private pool after the long dinner meetings. They were my only moments of solitude. At one point, I dragged a desk off my room's deck, put it on the sand, and set up my laptop facing the sea to do my afternoon's worth of work. It was the best office I ever did have.
While we were there, I took the team on a sweep of "competitive shopping" across the island's most acclaimed resorts. The Conrad (of Hilton notoriety) was just being built, perched in a small cove - cliff side - on the island's remote south; it was sure to be a great property. The Banyan Tree offered exotic charm with its lofty thatched ceilings and multi-tiered reflection pools leading to the spa. The Library Hotel, inside the main town, was the most creative of the hotels - and I remember its red-tiled pool at night, so bold that swimming there looked like an immersion in blood. And of course, we visited the newly-opened Four Seasons, of recent White Lotus filming-location acclaim. It was far less lush back then – but I delighted in watching this Summer's Third Season – and I was actually surprised at how paradisaical and verdant the property has since become. It made me dream again. Dream of returning to these resorts, not as an interloping executive, but rather as a guest, a guest who longs for the simple charm of Thai hospitality on a very hospitality-friendly isle. Oh, if only you weren't so very far away...
Stay: W Koh Samui Retreat
Stay: Four Seasons Resort - Koh Samui
Stay: The Library Hotel
Stay: Conrad Koh Samui
Stay: Banyan Tree Samui
From top left: the Koh Samui Airport's open-air terminal; my "desk" at W Koh Samui Retreat; Plumeria flowers; breakfast table at the W; Away Spa; the W property overlooking the Gulf of Thailand; Four Seasons Koh Samui; beach scene. Above: W's iconic entrance by the infinity pool.
Photo Credit: Syllogi
Syllogi’s ‘On Location’ is a series of trip reports reflecting on our personal travels, as we research and experience the bounty the world has on offer.
