In the hospitality industry, being one of the few, rather than one of the many, takes more than the simple act of simply flinging luxury and money at guests or potential guests. To be one of the few that mange to merge function with magic, you have to have the ‘vision thing’. The people who created the Pimalai Resort and Spa at the far southern end of Koh Lanta have the ‘vision thing’ coming out of their ears. Pimalai is an industry lesson in environmental awareness, tasteful design and a simple passion for the natural things in life.
The name ‘Pimalai’ is a derivation of the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit and translates, appropriately, as a ‘little patch of heaven’. For those who aspire to incredible
PIMALAI RESORT AND SPA peace, a knowledge that they are not contributing to the degradation of the environment and a vacation spent in understated luxury the name echoes across this beautiful place as a simple truth.
Anurat Tiyaphorn, a successful corporate lawyer from Bangkok, was the man who decided to give his vision a birth. Twenty years ago he came across Kan Tiang Beach in Koh Lanta. It was isolated, remote and indescribably beautiful. Anurat was awe struck. Having purchased the land, he was then left with the choice of what he would do with it. At first, as an enthusiastic yachtsman, he simply wanted to develop the area as a place for himself and other serious sailors to enjoy the great combination of sea and winds that bless this corner of the Andamans. He then realised he also wanted to give something back. “I didn’t want to be selfish. I wanted to give something back to the country and, in particular, Koh Lanta.”