They may be in Thailand, but these pads are a long way from the shacks of gap years past, writes Anne Cuthbertson
Backpackers first started coming in numbers to the Gulf of Thailand islands in the 1980s. In tie-dye T-shirts, they journeyed by coconut boat to the undiscovered beaches of Koh Samui and Koh Pha-Ngan. They stayed in 50p-a-night bamboo bungalows, watched the sunset from their hammocks, and thought they'd found nirvana.
Lap of luxury: This vast private villa, with four bedrooms and an infinity pool, is one of 36 to be built at the Soneva Kiri resort
Those Lonely Planet-clutching gap-year students are now in their late 30s and 40s and some have risen to become hedge fund managers, law partners and corporate leaders. Cash-rich, time-poor, with families in tow, what is their fantasy holiday home now?
The creators of Soneva Kiri think they have the answer. This ambitious villa development on the Thai island of Koh Kood, within sight of the Cambodian mainland, promises to recapture memories of barefoot bliss for former backpackers, combined with the comforts they have grown accustomed to in business hotels.
These are holiday homes with prices to make even a hedge fund manager choke on his pineapple. With villas weighing in at up to $7·5 million (£3.8m), they kick sand in the face of other island developments in Barbados and the Seychelles.
As one who has strung up a hammock outside many a cheap Thai beach hut, I was intrigued to see Soneva Kiri's rather more luxurious version. Residents will eschew the coconut boat in favour of a private jet which takes 45 minutes from Bangkok airport. The fourth largest island in Thailand, Koh Kood is one of the least developed, with threequarters of it cloaked in rainforest. A few small resorts are already tucked into its coves - the delightful Captain Hook bungalows are $60 a night - but any whiff of cheap luggage is kept a safe distance from the 150- acre Soneva site.
more info-> Property in Thailand: Beach huts for the billionaire backpacker - Telegraph
Backpackers first started coming in numbers to the Gulf of Thailand islands in the 1980s. In tie-dye T-shirts, they journeyed by coconut boat to the undiscovered beaches of Koh Samui and Koh Pha-Ngan. They stayed in 50p-a-night bamboo bungalows, watched the sunset from their hammocks, and thought they'd found nirvana.
Lap of luxury: This vast private villa, with four bedrooms and an infinity pool, is one of 36 to be built at the Soneva Kiri resort
Those Lonely Planet-clutching gap-year students are now in their late 30s and 40s and some have risen to become hedge fund managers, law partners and corporate leaders. Cash-rich, time-poor, with families in tow, what is their fantasy holiday home now?
The creators of Soneva Kiri think they have the answer. This ambitious villa development on the Thai island of Koh Kood, within sight of the Cambodian mainland, promises to recapture memories of barefoot bliss for former backpackers, combined with the comforts they have grown accustomed to in business hotels.
These are holiday homes with prices to make even a hedge fund manager choke on his pineapple. With villas weighing in at up to $7·5 million (£3.8m), they kick sand in the face of other island developments in Barbados and the Seychelles.
As one who has strung up a hammock outside many a cheap Thai beach hut, I was intrigued to see Soneva Kiri's rather more luxurious version. Residents will eschew the coconut boat in favour of a private jet which takes 45 minutes from Bangkok airport. The fourth largest island in Thailand, Koh Kood is one of the least developed, with threequarters of it cloaked in rainforest. A few small resorts are already tucked into its coves - the delightful Captain Hook bungalows are $60 a night - but any whiff of cheap luggage is kept a safe distance from the 150- acre Soneva site.
more info-> Property in Thailand: Beach huts for the billionaire backpacker - Telegraph
No comments:
Post a Comment