Butler service, private lifts and in-villa BBQs: Rosewood Phuket’s new pool residences take pampering to the next level

What are the odds that four women could sync up their schedules for a weekend getaway?

Rarer than a super blue moon, I reckon, so the cousins and I lost no time in booking flights before anyone remembered that they had cats, husbands or children. Not that a backout was likely, given that we were going to stay in Rosewood Phuket’s new pool residences, The Coral House and The Palm House.

We were warmly greeted at the Phuket International Airport with a mini-van transfer, which smoothly transported us through 9am rush-hour traffic to the resort in 75 minutes. Opened in 2017, Rosewood Phuket is a secluded stunner from its grand lotus-leaf pond entrance to its 71 sea-facing suites and villas on lush undulating slopes along Emerald Bay. Secluded, beachside, yet only a 15-minute drive to Patong Beach (if you really need to go), the resort sums up the island’s best in one place.

Jaws dropped the moment our butler Khun Aum opened the doors to our split-level Coral House, which sprawled a massive 12,410 sq ft with living and dining rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, three bedrooms and a swimming pool framed by leafy trees. There is even a lift if taking the 20-something steps between both levels was too much.  On the upper floor were king and twin bedrooms while the ground level had a second king bedroom, all accompanied by ensuite bathrooms and walk-in wardrobes.  But wait, there is an even bigger four-bedroom Palm House uphill, spanning 21,420 sq ft with ocean views, a fitness room and two swimming pools.

I’d choose The Coral House for its beachfront location. The back gate led right onto the beach, and because all beaches in Thailand are public, there was a constant backdrop of lively chatter and thumping music. Not that it mattered: For the next three days, it was pool dips, hearty feasts and plenty of heart-to-heart chats from morning to night, often in air-conditioned comfort on sultry afternoons.

STELLAR SERVICE

We left our itinerary in the hands of cheery Aum, who has been with the resort since day one. Any request or query through WhatsApp was quickly and magically fulfilled. Faulty toilet cistern? It was rectified within the afternoon. Not sure what to order for lunch? We let Aum decide and he delivered with a delicious trio of prawn spaghetti, braised beef agnolotti in truffle sauce and asparagus salad.

The other cool dude was Khun Bank. From a balance and stability class on the trampoline to padel tennis, Bank’s experience as a former sports therapist bore out in his precise instructions and focus on form sprinkled with a wry sense of humour. Knowing that most of us were doing stand-up paddle boarding for the first time, he kept a hawk’s eye as we glided around the crystal-clear Emerald Bay and even captured memorable footage as credible proof of an achievement unlocked. After all the activities, it was off to the Asaya Spa where skilful therapists like Picha stretched my limbs and pressed out all my tensed knots with plai essential oil to soothe the muscle aches. I had one of the best sleeps that night.

GOURMET HAVEN

Being a party of four has its advantages. We blitzed through almost the entire breakfast menu at all-day Italian diner Red Sauce, including repeats such as crispy buttermilk waffles, ba mee kiew moo daeng (egg noodle soup with char siew and chicken dumpling) and eggs cooked shakshouka-style. The Shack was perfect for casual poolside lunches with refreshing tropical cocktails and sharing plates like tuna tacos, tom yam talay (spicy seafood soup) and kor moo yang (grilled pork neck in Thai barbecue dipping sauce).

At the signature Ta Khai restaurant, we fell in love with Khun Nun and Khun Yai and their Southern Thai home-style dishes made with ingredients from local producers and the restaurant’s organic herb and vegetable garden. There was something about watching the gentle, unassuming couple stir soup and fry vegetables with warm smiles and savouring hearty flavours that nourished our stomachs and souls. The seven- and eight-course menus included gien tod (deep fried meat-stuffed roll), pla kapong neung manao (steamed snapper fillet) and pad yod mara (stir-fried chayote leaves and shrimps), all served with fluffy jasmine and brown rice. Choosing between “less or normal Thai-level spice”, my YOLO pick of “normal” was quickly downgraded by the second course of tom kha gai (chicken in coconut soup) as beads of perspiration started streaming down my forehead.

To end this rare cousin getaway on a high note, we had the “Gourmeat” in-villa barbecue set on the last night. Besides an assortment of meats such as lamb chops, sirloin steaks and chicken, we could choose four sides and three desserts. The set-up crew magically appeared at 5pm, laying extension cords, setting up the BBQ grill and dressing the table with elegant crockery. Two staff with a bamboo pole slung across their shoulders appeared with baskets of fresh huge coconuts. “With or without alcohol?” they asked, all ready to pour a jigger of Chalong Bay basil- or lemongrass-infused rum into the coconuts. Why are decisions so tough here?

For three hours, two chefs manned the grill as four staff stood by our table, topping up our glasses with champagne and changing our plates as lamb chops, sirloin steaks, sea bass crudo, pomelo salad and mango sticky rice were trotted out. Happily sated, we dithered between staying up or calling it an early night for one more round of paddle boarding the next morning before our flight home. We decided on the latter, and in the name of efficiency, I took the lift back to my bedroom. Why waste a frill, even if it’s a cheap thrill, eh?