British GQ - 04.2020

Paradise regained

Best all-round experience

Thailand’s trailblazing Chiva-Som returns to claim its place

at the top of the world’s luxury spa resorts

Story by Paul Henderson

ere we to pick one resort as the stand-out

health retreat in the world, at the start of last

year we would have seriously considered Chiva-

Som for the accolade. Asia’s very first wellness

resort opened its doors in 1995 and with a pioneering approach of

combining Western health practises with Eastern philosophies, the

seven-acre beachfront oasis in the Gulf of Thailand quickly estab-

lished itself, attracting a regular and fiercely loyal clientele and celeb-

rity health aficionados (the Beckhams, Kate Moss, Serena Williams

etc). Then in May 2019 it closed.

Rather than the end of an era, however, Chiva-Som used their six-

month sabbatical to complete a major structural refurbishment. The

resulting improvements – to the health and wellness area, the bathing

pavilion, the Niranlada Medi-Spa and the stunning Taste Of Siam sea-

front restaurant – have taken the resort to a whole new level. From

contender to stand-out choice, it really does live up to its name (the

translation of Chiva-Som is “haven of life”).

“The transformation has been hugely popular with visitors,” General

Manager Vaipanya “VP” Kongkwanyuen tells GQ when we arrive.

“We didn’t need to change things or spend as much money as we did,

but we are committed to making Chiva-Som the very best.”

The updated Taste

Of Siam restaurant

features indoor and

outdoor seating

WELLNESS

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136 GQ.CO.UK APRIL 2020