Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa

Hotel description

Of all the Evason resorts, the Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa might just be the most back-to-basics. Which is really saying more about the chain’s high standards than it is about the Phuket outpost. This is by no means a second-rate operation, simply a relatively humble one, in a world where five-star resorts grow ever more over-the-top.

It starts with the highly ethical approach. The Evason re-uses its water, composts its food waste, relies almost entirely on local labor and vendors, and donates a share of its revenue to post-tsunami reconstruction efforts — all of which contributes mightily to the smug satisfaction you feel while lounging in the sun.

And lounge you will. For all the do-gooding, the Evason is still a luxury resort, and you won’t soon forget it. The rooms and suites are set amid tropical gardens, and the pool villas await, for those in need of a little extra space, as does the honeymoon suite, on stilts in the jungle on its own private island ten minutes’ sail away.

The Six Senses spa, a handful of pools and sports facilities, and a dive center are at your disposal, as are a range of restaurants and bars. Phuket is home to many a resort, some more decadent, others far less so; the Evason somehow feels not only deeply luxurious but entirely sensible at the same time.