High above Phuket: A hillside hideaway for grown-up escapes

Perched above the island’s quiet northwest coast, The Pavilions Phuket offers a secluded, design-forward retreat where privacy, wellness, and effortless indulgence come standard — and sunsets steal the show

It’s dramatic, private, peaceful and – in a word – paradise! The Pavilions Phuket is a luxury boutique resort whose villas seem to gently unfurl from the lush landscape high in the hills of Thailand’s beloved holiday island.

The resort’s design maximises its high perch, featuring infinity-edge pools that indeed look to stretch to the horizon, and open-air dining areas from which to absorb dramatic sunsets.

Just 20 minutes from Phuket International Airport, this small-but-perfectly-formed retreat marries hilltop serenity with an easy proximity to the pristine Layan Beach, 10 minutes away via in-house shuttle.

Layan Beach is a beautiful, under-the-radar stretch on the west coast of Phuket at the northern end of Bang Tao Beach which is home to luxurious resorts that front the Andaman Sea, famous for its natural beauty and vibrant underwater ecosystems. It’s a sheltered beach thanks to the small island, Koh Kala, located at its northern point.

What’s inspiring this year’s travel?

The Pavilions Phuket is as romantic as all get out, a magnetic escape for couples and honeymooners especially. It has 94 luxury Villas and Suites with seven types of Villas and two Suite categories. Among the options, an Ocean View Pool Villa, Garden Suite, Tropical Pool Villa, Tropical View Suite, Spa & Pool Pavilion and a Spa & Pool Penthouse.

A Tropical View Suite, for example, is a generous 81 square metres, and features an en-suite bathroom, separate guest bathroom, a comfortable lounge area with a bar, and modern amenities.

Then there’s the “I deserve it” Spa & Pool Penthouse, 400 square metres of indulgence comprising a spacious two-storey duplex, en-suite bathroom and rain shower, a spa room with a steam room, generous living space, a private pool, sundeck and loungers, breakfast at Alto, and complementary shuttle services.

Rates start at $338 per night and include breakfast for two guests. All Villas are private, luxurious and spacious. Most have their own swimming pool, and spa treatments can take place in-room.The Suites are a showcase in chic serenity. The aesthetic is sleek and minimalist, with a colour palette of chocolate brown, latte and white with pops of hibiscus red.

Last year, The Pavilions Phuket was awarded a prestigious One Michelin Key, a new accolade recognising excellence in hospitality – an acknowledgement of the resort’s design, warm intimacy, and guest-first philosophy.

Spa & wellness wrap

Wellness is, of course, a priority at The Pavilions Phuket, served by a fitness centre, massages and beauty treatments.

Treatments are designed to revive, energise and pamper. Choose from traditional Thai healing therapies or soothing Western rituals, enhanced by signature oil blends and beauty products.

Wellness tourism in 2025

Athletic types seeking relief from sore muscles as a result of sport, stress or injury will love the Pavilions Spa deep tissue massage, drawing on medium to strong pressure and a special blend of rosemary and sweet basil oil. Or select the “Thai Silk” massage, which starts with a refreshing mandarin orange scrub followed by traditional Thai massage guaranteed to untangle energy blockages and restore flexibility.

Non-toxic vegan skin care treatments based on moringa seed oil are used in The Pavilions Spa. Swimmers will find a 25-metre lap pool here.

A date with fine dining

The Pavilions Phuket is home to two award-winning restaurants and two stylish bars that wouldn’t be out of place in The White Lotus.

A rustling, arched bamboo grove announces the lofty out-of-the-way 360° Bar. With its open air ambience and wooden deck, the panoramic 360° Bar is one of Phuket’s hidden gems, and the resort’s culinary hub, known for its cool cocktails and grilled specialties.

Enjoy, in this open-air terrace above the treetops, signature mixology and eclectic bites together with a lounge vibe embracing mellow grooves, DJs, and stunning sunsets over Layan Beach and the Andaman Sea.

Twinned with Alto Roma – the award-winning restaurant by The First Roma – Alto Italian Restaurant & Cocktail Bar specialises in modern southern Italian cuisine. Mindful of dietary requirements, it has a top-notch à la carte menu, as well as both a signature and a vegetarian degustation menu. Its ambient indoor cocktail bar and lounge is the place to chill, enjoying wines and cocktails from Italy and beyond.

The resort’s Firefly Restaurant – on tap all day – serves Mediterranean-inspired wood-fired grill specialties alongside imaginative cocktails. Consider it for special occasion events, lively barbecues, and relaxed family-style gatherings.Note the 60m free-form pool nearby, should you want to burn off excess kilojoules later.

Thailand: up close and personal

As the Michelin Guide assessment suggests, The Pavilions Phuket is for escapees who want to holiday where they don’t have to cook, explore, push through crowds, or even put on clothes in the morning! To that end is the iPod presented on arrival with playlists whose captions include “chill-out” or “make-out”.

If cabin fever symptoms do emerge, however, the Laguna shopping and entertainment centre is a short complimentary car ride away, as are various beaches and golf courses. Some 50 minutes away is that famous antidote to seclusion, the colourful jam-packed Old Phuket Town.

For further information, visit pavilionshotels.com/destinations/phuket/the-pavilions-phuket/