CLAIRE LEAHY (3)24 OCTOBER 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
to 60 hours a week. When they really see what
a solitary life it is, they say it’s not for them.”
The day I visit happens to be the first day of
class for Robyn, an Australian who learned
about Ani Art Academy when her daughter had
the first wedding ever at Ani Villas Thailand. A
self-described dabbler, Robyn found herself
“uninspired with my own artwork,” so sold her
house and moved to Thailand this year. That
plus the three pages of lines she’d drawn so far
seems like dedication to me.BEFORE WE MET OUR FELLOW
guests at Ani Villas, the jovial property manager
Chaya told me and Jaysen that everyone already
had been engaging in a bunch of prosecco-filled
raucous antics. “You mean, together?” I asked,
still not getting it. But it is quickly apparent that
everyone’s in this party ensemble—including
the staff, who are plentiful and discreet. If the
bartender’s away, feel free to jump behind the/ backstory /
You could just book a block of
hotel rooms, but there would be
strangers... bills... inhibitions
CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT: Cooking
class with chef
Yao; fairy-lit magic
in Thailand;
togethering by
boat, in Thailand.bar and whip up some piña coladas or pop some
bubbly. It’s all included anyway.
So is the spa, where nearly everyone gets
a treatment per day. Chef Yao makes delicious
classic Thai food served family style—and,
since he’s also a trained florist, he can render
a fairy-lit barbecue banquet magical with
100 chains of hand-strung flowers. (Guests
may, of course, bring their own chefs, or make
special requests. Ani has flown rabbis down
from Bangkok to make the kitchen kosher.)
The art from the Academy that Yos and
other students are creating will perfectly
complement the natural beauty here. The
porches of our suites, the lawns, library and
pool all point towards the mossy, jagged teeth
of Phang Nga Bay, and it’s tempting to just lie
on a sunbed all day, but there are adventures to
be had. “Hollywood,” which my brother takes
to calling the Americans collectively and
affectionately, have already fallen in love with
the beasts at Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, and
earned war wounds from learning to scale a
coconut tree. Their enthusiasm is infectious,
and it’s no chore to share a speedboat to Krabi
to climb Railay Bay’s iconic rocks, or long-tail
boats deep into Phang Nga to examine karsts
up close. In fact, when one of the two long-tail
engines stalls, forcing us to do a mid-ocean
transfer of troops, everyone piles onto one
vessel shouting, “Yay! Together again... Err,
don’t forget that other cooler of beers.”
That Koh Yao Noi is still such a relatively
remote island helps promote togethering. And
while I wish Ani luck creating a strong local
arts community to start galleries, I also hope
the island’s sleepy soul and the hotel’s inclusive
spirit can withstand a tide of tourism. By our
last night at Ani Villas, I’m pleasantly
surprised at how sad I am to part ways with all
of our co-togetherers. “You guys really screwed
with my brother-sister bonding trip,” I tell
Hollywood, wondering how five days flew by so
fast. It’s true: being alone is overrated.Ani Villas Thailand, Koh Yao Noi, sleeps 20 in
10 bedrooms. Rates range from US$5,500 for six
bedrooms in low season to US$15,000 for 10
bedrooms in peak season. All bookings give you
complete buy-out of the resort with all-inclusive
food, drinks, spa, cooking classes, laundry and
round-trip transfers from Phuket or Krabi
airports. Visit anivillas.com for information on
this resort and the properties in Sri Lanka,
Anguilla and Dominican Republic, and
aniartacademies.org to learn about the schools.