Where to Cure Your Winter Blues
Chase Travel experts explore the world to help you find the perfect hotel for every situation. Get inspired for your next trip with more curated hotel guides.
The problem with Thai beach resorts? There are simply too many excellent options. From toes-in-the-sand retreats to high-design hideaways, you’ll find them in every size and style in all coastal stretches of the country. There are dozens sprinkled along southern Thailand’s Andaman coast, home to heavy-hitting vacation destinations like Phuket and laid-back Koh Lanta, and you’ll find just as many on the islands—Koh Samui among them—that dot the Gulf of Thailand. And then there are the ones set on the mainland beaches around Krabi, and those lining the miles of honey-hued sand and surf-ready waves of small villages like Khao Lak. Each one delivers beachfront bliss with its own unique flavor, but all demonstrate why Thai hospitality is in a league of its own.
Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui
Koh Samui
Member of The Edit by Chase Travel
Draped over a former coconut grove on Koh Samui’s northwestern tip, this Four Seasons outpost is a tropical playground for all ages. You could spend days—or a whole week—sipping tiki-tinged cocktails by the pool while your offspring bounces around the kids’ club tree house, or get together for a game of coconut pétanque on the palm-lined beach. You might also want to linger around your alfresco flower bath after a body scrub at the spa, or blow off steam with a Muay Thai class in the hilltop boxing ring. That is, if you even feel like leaving your villa at all: With their private pools, spa-like bathrooms and generously sized verandas, they have serious stay-put appeal.
Napasai Samui
Koh Samui
Member of The Edit by Chase Travel
Thai-style stilted villas, dinners under fairy lights strung between palm trees and staff who greet you like old friends: This beach resort in Koh Samui’s quiet north has all the unfussy charm of a family-run retreat, but delivers it with panache. Days here fill up with early-morning yoga sessions, plenty of pool time and Thai cooking classes on the resort’s organic farm, where resident water buffalo roam free. And while the property’s northern location feels miles away from the hubbub of Koh Samui’s busier corners, most of the island’s postcard sights are just a short taxi hop away.
Trisara
Phuket
Perched on a jungle-cloaked bluff in Phuket’s tranquil northwest, Trisara feels blissfully away from the island’s more crowded fray—only the occasional fishing boat sputtering down the turquoise horizon will remind you that you’re not totally marooned. The 39 sprawling pool villas and suites offer privacy in spades, while the palm-tufted beachfront delivers a handful of restaurants (plus, there’s a renowned PRU on top of the hill) and a dreamy 164-foot infinity pool.
(Photo courtesy of Trisara)
The Sarojin
Khao Lak
There are several good reasons why this classic Thai resort in Khao Lak, an easygoing beach town about an hour north of Phuket, has a legion of loyal guests who return year after year. Its breezy teakwood-lined villas are simple but polished, the beach is sugar-white and the smiley staff are somehow able to anticipate your every need. If you manage to tear yourself away from your pool cabana, the resort’s Lady Sarojin yacht is on standby for sunset cruises, snorkeling jaunts and island-hopping trips around the pristine beaches of the little-visited Similan archipelago.
The Tubkaak Krabi Boutique Resort
Krabi
With tasseled hammocks swinging between palm trees, gardens frothy with plumeria and giant limestone karsts dotting the horizon, The Tubkaak is just the type of place you want to find in a tropical dreamland like Krabi. Snag one of the Ocean View Pool Villas, all woven rattan and warm teak, for your own pool and direct access to one of the area’s prettiest stretches of sand. And after a day of beach-lolling yourself into a summery haze, the fiery southern Thai curries at The Arundina restaurant will perk you right up.
Rayavadee
Krabi
It’s almost impossible to outshine the natural splendor of Krabi’s towering karst formations, but Rayavadee comes close. Surrounded by limestone mountains and thick jungle, the property’s collection of two-story, toadstool-shaped villas and pavilions feels like a secret village—and the fact that the resort is only accessible by boat just enhances its hush-hush vibe. You’ll have three beaches to choose from (including the golden sands of Railay Beach), and you’ll want to plan at least one dinner at The Grotto restaurant, set in a limestone cave lit with lanterns, where you’ll dine on grilled seafood with your toes in the sand.
(Photo courtesy of Rayavadee)
Pimalai Resort & Spa
Koh Lanta
Clinging to a hillside in Koh Lanta’s southwest, this dreamy resort, whose name means “little patch of heaven” in Sanskrit, more than lives up to its idyllic promise. If the lush jungle and flower gardens don’t do the trick, the pristine beach hugging the resort’s base surely will. And those are just backdrops to the plethora of other divine features, including two massive pools, a village-sized spa (try the Hot Bamboo Fusion Massage) and a handful of bars and restaurants doling out Thai comfort staples and coconut sorbet at the drop of a hat.
(Photo courtesy of Pimalai Resort & Spa)
Booking With Chase Travel
Chase Travel is the first stop for your next adventure. At chasetravel.com and via the Chase Mobile® app, eligible cardmembers can earn and redeem points for hotels, flights, activities, rental cars and more.
Select cardmembers receive accelerated points earning or cash back when booking through Chase Travel, and Chase Sapphire Reserve cardmembers will earn 8 points per dollar on Chase Travel purchases, including hotel stays booked through The Edit by Chase Travel℠. Sapphire Reserve cardmembers who book through The Edit will also receive special benefits including daily breakfast for two and a $100 property credit, along with early check-in, late checkout and a room upgrade, when available.
Looking for inspiration? Eligible Chase cardmembers can explore hotel reviews and editor-curated guides at chasetravel.com.
Lead photo: Napasai Samui
For Informational/Educational Purposes: The views expressed in this article may differ from other employees and departments of JPMorgan Chase & Co. Views and strategies described may not be appropriate for everyone, and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any individual. Chase is not responsible for, and does not provide or endorse third party products, services or other content. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions, and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results. Participants may be compensated.