THE RACHA RESORT, RACHA ISLAND

The Racha, Racha Island

Now I’m back in the UK my trip to Thailand feels like a distant memory away (unless you visit my Instagram that is), so i’m super glad I still have two more travel edits to share with you and on top of that a trip to Hong Kong and the Philippines in only a few weeks too.

Travel is a huge passion of mine, and if you caught the relaunch of mediamarmalade.com last week (if not, WELCOME to the new site) then you’ll know that travel is going to be a huge part of my blog going forward. I get to travel an awful lot in my life through both work and pleasure and I thought it about time I shared some of the wonderful places I see with you too. Kicking off with Bangkok, Koh Lanta and Khao Sok National Park in the last few weeks, and again today with the most beautiful Racha Island.

Oh Racha. If you’re travelling Asia and Thailand and want some luxe, some escapism and just some of the best of thailand then the Small Luxury Hotels resort of Racha on Racha Island is just for you. Just you wait and see …

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE RACHA

The Racha Resort

So lets kick off with the piece de resistance itself. The Racha Resort. One of Thailands upmarket resorts, set on the Andaman Coast not far from Phuket, Racha Resort is the place to go if you want some luxe escapism as part of your Thailand travels, but what really sets Racha apart from the rest is not only the beautiful hotel itself, but the fact its set on it’s very own secluded island. Racha.

We were lucky enough to stay for Two nights & three days as part of our travels, and it was the perfect sanctuary after a few days in Koh Lanta prior to our stay and a more active two days in the jungle afterwards. We stayed in the Grand Deluxe Pool Villa and were lucky enough to have a beach front spot.

Our villa was in my opinion one of the hotels finest, sat on the beach front itself with its own private front garden and private pool in the back garden, the room was just perfect and a real luxury experience at every touch. My favourite thing was waking up, having the blinds lift, and just being sat in bed with an untouched view over the silent beach, and finishing the day with a dip in our own spa pool. It was just heaven.

Our villa was spacious, luxurious, modern and pulled out all the stops (quite the experience when you first enter, I was totally blown away). As part of our visit I was fortunate to see lots of the hotels other villas, all of which feed off the same exclusive, natural (the entire resort prides itself on being eco-friendly), modern and clean design queues, most with their own private spa pool like ours, and some with their own infinity pools and spacious suites. But whatever room you go for, you just couldn’t be disappointed.

The rest of the resort maintains the same standards as the incredible villas, from the stunning beach front, to the very chilled and relaxed infinity pool, to the Spa and even the sports and activity centre where you can borrow bikes, snorkel kit, kayaks and more. Racha spoils you from start to finish.

Travel

Getting to Racha is quite the delight too (which it isn’t often you’d say about travelling). We travelled with the Hotel transportation, having been picked up by chauffeur as we arrived in Phuket by ferry (coming from Koh Lanta via Phi Phi) and taken to The Racha Lounge, their own little ‘airport lounge’ if you will on the mainland. There we were treated to refreshments, a speedy check in and also the opportunity to choose the scent for our room … really setting the standard of what was to come. Following this we hopped on board the hotels own luxe speed boat and was jetted to the resort itself. The experience was incredible and arriving by boat truly showcased the beauty of Batok Bay and the Grand Resort set on the beach front itself.

Eat, Drink, Spa & Snorkel

When it comes to things to do at Racha, the ethos is to relax. Everything about the hotel from the rooms, restaurants, grounds to the spa itself is designed to encourage total relaxation. Which for someone like me, is the exact reason I want to come to a piece of heaven like this.

And you’ll relax like nothing else in the Anumba spa, whether that’s for a special treatment, a free yoga class, or even just to hit the gym. From the moment you set foot in the spa, you’re invited into total serenity. As with any thailand trip, a massage is a must, and the Anumba spa has beautiful little villas dedicated to every treatment.

Food and drink at Racha is delicious, whether its a special dinner at the Fire Grill, the fine dining Mediterranean option with tables set outside around the lit infinity pool (we were treated to a lovely dinner here on our first night and the food and service was impeccable), The Earth Cafe which is the hotels main restaurant and breakfast spot, or the sunset beach bar where you can get some seriously tasty thai food (their Phad Thai Goong Sod was delicious). Regardless of where you eat, you can expect beautiful settings, top notch service (the staff in the whole resort are just lovely), tasty food, at your standard London prices.

Our daily itinerary for the three days we stayed was simple. Wake early and enjoy the beautiful views of the beach at sunrise, take a quick dip in our own private pool before enjoying the hotels seriously delicious breakfast (the only place I managed to eat Dim Sum in thailand, so I was super happy), and then spend the day relaxing at the infinity pool or beach. The snorkelling (and diving) at Racha is a must even for sun worshippers like myself, and provides the perfect chance to cool off from the heat. Before finishing each day with a few sunset cocktails, and a relaxing dinner at one of the hotels two restaurants.

Eat, Sleep, Snorkel Repeat.

Racha Island

The Racha Resort itself takes pride of place on the islands most beautiful white sand beach with absolutely crystal waters (like no other beach you’ll have seen), and come sunrise and sunset feels like your own private island. Batok Bay, for which the hotel takes pride of place, is quite naturally a tourist destination for the beautiful beach and incredible snorkelling, this is the only part of the experience that pulls you back to ‘reality’ as hoards of tourists flock in to experience the beauty.

The island itself, aside from The Racha Resort and a few other  hotels scattered around the other bays of Racha Yai feels like an untouched paradise and once you leave the sanctuary of the hotel grounds whether by foot or bike (we chose bike to really explore) you’ll soon discover the ‘untouched’ side of the island. Whether its locals at work in small areas of paddy fields, small & basic shops on the dirt track roads, or the islands other beautiful bays small enough for two to call their own.

The island is so exclusive we basically cycled the whole thing in just a few hours, but if you want slightly more of an adventure then trekking the small mountain is said to have simply the most beautiful views of the two main bays.

Overall I couldn’t recommend Racha enough, we had an unbelievably relaxing two days at the resort, the island experience is a like none other, the staff make this the perfect stay from start to finish, it’s a luxe sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle and makes the perfect luxury escape or even honey moon destination. A huge thank you to The Racha & Small Luxury Hotels for having us.

Have you visited the Island of Racha? I’d thoroughly recommend it for some luxe escapism if you’re visiting thailand any time soon.