Organic Luxury Retreat Opens in Thailand's Khao Sok National Park

  • May 14, 2011
Organic Luxury Retreat Opens in Thailand's Khao Sok National Park
Since Larigaldie began preparing the earth here four years ago, all plantings have been 100% organic and chemical free and today Thanyamundra's organic farm is the only one in southern Thailand with an Agricultural Certificate of Thailand (ACT), part of the International Organic Accreditation Service. Rows of aromatic Thai and Italian basil, dill, coriander and chilies run parallel to white and purple eggplants, red snake beans, winged peas, bitter gourd and morning glory, then onward to avocadoes, papaya, passion fruit, mango and a variety of banana trees.

Reach down to taste ingredients like fresh rocket leaves straight from the earth for sublime edible memories not soon forgotten. Guests are encouraged to pick their produce under the guidance of Thanyamundra's dedicated chef who leads custom organic cooking classes back in the main villa's show kitchen. Learn to make Thai classics like tom yum goong hot & sour soup or kaeng kheow waan green curry from entirely organic ingredients. Linger over all Thanyamundra's fresh from the garden meals enhanced by sommelier selected Old and New World wines on the villa's panoramic terrace as butterflies of kaleidoscopic hues flutter past, in the elegant Chinese style dining room with high back polished wood chairs or at a table specially set up outside among the retreat's rustic natural charms, under the unpolluted, constellation filled sky.

Thanyamundra boasts a variety of invigorating fitness and leisure facilities. Swim laps or sun bathe alongside the 50-metre hilltop infinity pool, stay fit with the latest Technogym equipment in gym open around the clock, or take to the blissfully quiet surrounding roads for running or cycling. Equally restorative and invigorating are Thanyamundra's Thai and holistic spa treatments, meditation, yoga and Pilates sessions.

To take full advantage of the surrounding national park, join Thanyamundra's guided jungle trek with resident and visiting naturalists, in search of the lar gibbon whose females can be heard calling out on mist filled mornings, plus long-tailed macaque monkeys, Malay sun bears, tapirs, monitor lizards and even elephants and the endangered clouded leopard that inhabit Khao Sok National Park.

Guests who want to delve deeper into these exceptional natural surroundings may participate in the Thanyamundra Adventure Experience with river kayaking, tubing, lake swimming and elephant trekking inside the national park, active pursuits equally suited to corporate groups and incentive trips. In addition, individual guests or groups can work alongside the onsite farm team or reserve the entire farm to host uniquely memorable private functions for up to fifty.

www.thanyapura.com