Soneva Kiri

Dream

More than 20 of the largest resort villas in the world and 11 private residences, are located on the idyllic beach or sunny slopes in the rainforest.

All have separate bedrooms, infinity pools, chic furnishings, personal electric buggies and impeccable service courtesy of Mr/Ms Friday private butlers. Villas also have elevated decks, pavilions and spacious pool areas, furnished with cushioned day beds and sun loungers.

For a house party with a difference, the resort offers 3, 4, 5 and 6 bedroom residences by the beach or on the lush hillside.

Eat

The resort offers a wide range of dining options, including a unique tree top dining experience where guests are comfortably hoisted by bamboo dining pod up into the ancient rainforest canopy to enjoy gourmet delights and fine wines delivered via the zip-line by acrobatic waiters.

Perched atop rocky cliffs, the Dining Room offers a delicious dining experience throughout the day from a breakfast buffet to creative Thai and Mediterranean dinners from the Cooking Hut, served straight from the wood-fired rock oven, hot and cold smoke oven and the earthen tandoor.

So Spirited, the poolside bar overlooking the sea, brings the simple joys of sweet sensations in ice cream and chocolate, with concoctions updated for sophisticated and mature palates. Inside the adjoining So Chocoholic has every child’s dream of never-ending chocolate. Freshly made passion fruit, honey and salted caramel infused truffles line up alongside warm pots of creamy mousse and luscious fondue await.

Cantilevered over the cliff, The View offers a selection of dishes made in the slow food tradition where locally sourced produce and Western cooking techniques make the most of the season and each day's harvest.

Klong Yai Kee is an open-air lantern-lit eatery on stilts that offers a nightly changing nine-course menu and Benz's is the resort's signature Thai gourmet restaurant named after resident chef Khun Benz.

Play

Along with the wide range of activities found at most 5 Star resorts, such as tennis, a fitness centre, snorkelling, windsurfing, water skiing, wake boarding, diving and sunset cruises, Soneva Kiri also offers some more unusual experiences.

Join the resort's visiting astronomers in the state-of-the-art Observatory and identify constellations, count Jupiter's moons and peer at Saturn’s translucent ring - the tropical skies, with minimal light pollution, offer a unique opportunity to discover the Milky Way.

Alternatively watch the stars on the silver screen at Cinema Paradiso, where films are screened nightly in the open-air "theatre" - a jungle-enshrouded auditorium of cascading cushions over the waters of the reservoir lagoon.

The resort also encourages guests to embrace local culture and offers excursions that include meeting local fishermen, strolling through a rubber plantation, visiting a local school or tasting honey straight from the comb.

Unwind

Hidden among the island’s wild jungle foliage, guests can sample spa treatments from the Six Senses Spa menu and embark on sensory journeys without leaving the enclave of the resort.

Mud massages, Thai herbal baths, silk facials, warm oils of Ayurveda and a rich selection of wellness rituals await

Family

The Den is a giant moulded bamboo playground shaped like a manta ray, and is dedicated to learning, to excitement and to meaningful experiences. Professional child minders fire children's imaginations, teaching them to play Thai instruments, unleashing their creative talents with painting and the visual arts, and carefully watching them at play.

The Intrepid Explorers Club, aimed specifically at one to five year olds, is probably one of the only Kid Clubs to be found in a resort that offers such comprehensive, age-specific facilities.

At the Explorers Club, the children get to play with toys and take part in activities, both meeting Soneva’s stringent standards of social and environmental responsibility. Throughout, the children are looked after by qualified childcare experts, supported by local child carers. And activities to be shared as a family abound, from dinners amidst the wilds to stolen chocolates from the free and endless supply in the chocolate room.