It was early morning so the streets were still quiet and the air fresh with the scent of vegetation from the overnight rain. Yet the few locals who were up and about waved vigorously with big grins to our entourage of sidecars as our procession clattered past. 

We must have made quite a sight as we revved through thatch-roofed villages and infinite acres of lush banana and rubber plantations. These soon gave way to flatter landscapes of paddy fields and the odd ox, which told me we were close to our destination: breakfast, but one like no other.

The magical setting was a traditional hut surrounded by endless paddies and verdant peaks in the distance. As I munched on a delicious array of fresh fruit, crab fried rice, local noodles, a chicken wrap and banana muffin (all beautifully presented in a rattan basket embellished with flowers), I marvelled at the mesmerising scene. 

This was not to be the last time I was enchanted during my five-night stay at Ani Private Resorts Thailand. Exceptional bespoke experiences are in the DNA of the company, which sets itself out as “the world’s first private resort collection”, with additional outposts located in Sri Lanka, the Dominican Republic and Anguilla.

Founded in 2010, Ani is an all-inclusive brand catering specifically for exclusive-use groups of up to 20 guests, so it’s ideally positioned for multigenerational families, friends celebrating milestone events together, or perhaps an intimate wedding party.

GETTING TOGETHER

“The theme of Ani is togetherness – to get together with your extended family or friends and have the time to re-solidify those relationships stress-free, because everything is taken care of by staff members who become friends,” explains Tim Reynolds, philanthropist and owner of Ani Private Resorts.

Indeed, with a staff-to-guest ratio of more than 1:1, you can’t help but really get to know the 22-strong team at Ani Thailand. It opened in 2016 but hopes to entice even more guests with its newly revamped programme of experiences. These include meeting entrepreneurial Mah Wah, who owns a fish farm and mini mart and works at night in her rubber plantation, and batik painting and jasmine garland making on-property with women’s groups. The revamped programme of activities is designed to immerse guests more deeply in the local culture and also features that breakfast in the paddies (the hired sidecar fleet is owned by a local businesswoman) and epic bike rides rolling through acres of rubber plantations.

An hour’s boat ride east of Phuket, the resort sits on relatively unspoilt Koh Yao Noi, which translates as “small, long island”, measuring 19 square miles. It is one of the 42 islands in Phang Nga Bay, famed not only as a Unesco World Heritage Site but also as the backdrop for James Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun. You can even see the limestone monoliths of Phang Nga Bay directly from Ani Thailand, owing to its easterly, beachside location. 

Set among two acres of gardens, the accessible resort was designed by Thai architects Naga Concepts, with the team aiming to create a traditional village concept with a temple-like building (the Living Sala) at its core surrounded by guest rooms designed to represent Thai villagers’ homes. The structures evoke the North Thai Lanna architecture of towering, teakwood mansions with ornate stacked roofs, while local limestone form decks, walkways and terraces.

Settle in style 

There are 10 guest rooms, (set around a 43-metre infinity saltwater pool) constructed from teak, all featuring vaulted ceilings, vast bedrooms and equally spacious bathrooms. Two Ocean Villas offer private terraces and double daybeds by the beach, with two-bedroom Family Villas with shared living rooms directly behind. Four Pool Suites complete the room count, one of which I stayed in, and these house 6 x 4-metre private pools and double daybeds on the front terraces that overlook the pristine lawn and out to sea. 

Another three-storey building offers a full gym, double spa treatment room with a hot tub (10 daily treatments of 60 minutes each are complimentary for the stay), a rooftop meditation area and a twisting, 37-metre waterslide for the young and young at heart. 

Breakfast is served buffet-style in one of the dining areas, while lunch and dinner take place in the open-sided Dining Sala or barefoot in enchanting settings in the garden, by the beach or in the sunken lounge deck attached to the pool, where guests can feel the water up to their ankles while feasting. 

Head chef Yao executes a delectable menu spanning Thai, Japanese and Greek cuisine – for me one of the many highlights was a “surf and turf” BBQ dinner of lobster, prawns, crab, fish, squid, beef and chicken with turmeric chicken soup, marinated chicken satay and pineapple fried rice, plus baked Alaska for dessert. 

All of this, paired with the backdrop of beautiful Phang Nga Bay, results in a gorgeous beachside basecamp, from which the rest of Koh Yao Noi can be explored. And it is certainly well worth venturing out into the island, which is rich with wildlife, including rare hornbills, sea otters and green turtles, with the expert team more than happy to curate experiences that also enabled us to meet members of the local community, both in and outside of the resort.

Art appreciation 

As well as the range of local experiences, one of the most notable ways in which Ani expresses its philanthropic ethos is through its non-profit Ani Art Academies, launched in the same year as the hospitality brand 13 years ago with a vision to support the communities it serves through free art schools. 

On a tour of Ani Art Academy Thailand’s two studios, we met Dan Christian, who himself was an apprentice of the rigorous programme in Pennsylvania for four years from 2014. He was offered the position of dean of the Thai branch in 2020 and was tasked with enrolling local students. They currently have six, with a capacity for 50, with work ongoing to seek future artists of the community. 

Dan told me Ani changed his life. “It gave me the opportunity to teach in Thailand. You see the [students’ minds] open up to possibilities they never knew they had. As a teacher, it’s wonderful to see their skill level get better as they become more confident. It’s very rewarding, it brings me a lot of joy.”

If they wish to further support the cause, Ani guests have the opportunity to purchase works of art from the local students. 

Along with the community tours, sunset cruises on traditional long-tail boats, beachside picnics, traditional Thai dance shows, fire jugglers, Muay Thai boxing, yoga, cocktail making and singing bowl healing meditation round off the vast array of experiences on the Ani programme – making a stay feel like an all-encompassing holiday for the mind, body and soul.

How to book it

Summer 2023 rates start from $14,000 for six suites per night, while winter 2023/24 start from $18,000 for six suites per night. All-inclusive, minimum booking for five nights. Ani works with travel agents to provide an in-house concierge service. For enquiries, email reservations@aniprivateresorts.com, aniprivateresorts.com