Sava Beach Villas - Villa Essenza
A luxury 6-bedroomed villa on Natai Beach, with chic living and dining areas, a games and media room, wide lawns and a 25-metre pool, Villa Essenza is perfect for family holidays and weddings. The villa's contemporary design features floor-to-ceiling windows that bring the outside in, a canopied poolside barbecue area and a peaceful gazebo facing the beach. Staffed with a villa manager, housekeepers and a skilled private chef specialising in authentic Thai flavours and seafood, Villa Essenza is one of seven private luxury villas in the exclusive Sava Beach Villas estate, under half an hour’s drive from Phuket airport.
Villa Essenza offers plenty to keep families and friends entertained without leaving the luxurious and spacious villa grounds, but the idyllic Phang Nga and northern Phuket area is worth exploring, with some of Thailand’s most breath-taking natural sights, excellent dining and leisure activities within easy reach. And for those in search of a bit more holiday variety, the shopping centres, bars, street markets and notable dining scene on Phuket island are just an hour’s drive away.
Here’s a selection of some of the places we’d recommend exploring beyond Villa Essenza:
- Unleash your inner Indiana Jones and cool down in a waterfall pool on a mini jungle trek at one of the nearby Phang Nga parks.
- Discover the rich marine life and stunning white beaches of the Similan islands on a snorkelling or diving day trip (mid October to mid May only).
- Bring your camera and explore the coastal roads of the Natai Beach area by bike. Cycle through lush rural landscapes among coconut and banana plantations.
- Charter a luxury yacht or traditional longtail boat for a cruise around Phang Nga Bay and its dramatically steep limestone islands, and don’t miss the chance to do a sea kayak journey through the caves and dreamy hidden lagoons.
- Embark on a gastronomic tour at the celebrated restaurants of nearby Iniala and Aleenta resorts, or try some of the low-key eateries serving authentic Thai fare on the Natai beachfront or in Kokkloy town.
- Treat the family to a soak-and-slide adventure at Splash Jungle on Mai Khao Beach near Phuket airport, or Dino Sea Water Park, just eight kilometres away.
- Take in the inspiring views over Phang Nga Bay with a visit to the stunning Samet Nangshe viewpoint, best seen at sunrise.
- Golf fans can visit two of the area’s top courses in northern Phuket: the Blue Canyon Country Club (23km away) has two 18-hole courses set on 730 lush acres of former tin mine land, and Mission Hills Phuket Golf Club (29km) is an ocean-view Nicklaus Design course on the east coast.
- For some wildlife encounters with an ethical edge, go to the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, a refuge centre for elephants retired from the tourist trade, or stop by the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project near Bang Pae Waterfall, a rescue and release centre for abused primates and other animals.
- Take a stroll around Phuket Town for its local food, chic cafés, arts and craft studios, street markets and wall murals, and soak up the colourful Old Town atmosphere of the restored Sino-Portuguese buildings and Chinese shrines.
