Lying flat on the floor of a dimly lit room, I feel a soft vibration ringing in my chest. The sensation gets stronger and louder until chimes break in, releasing any tension and causing me to sink further into my exercise mat. I am taking part in an early morning singing bowl meditation session at Banyan Tree hotel in Phuket.
The serene setting is a world away from the chaotic streets and packed beaches of Thailand’s popular holiday island, where white sand beaches fringed by swaying palms create the perfect postcard scenes. But this is a very different stretch of the South East Asian destination; a hideaway recalling the blissful days before mass tourism arrived. Phuket, which has a population of around 400,000 people, saw more than 11 million visitors in 2023, with around eight million of them from abroad, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
For several years, concerns of overtourism have been bubbling away, particularly when it comes to overloaded infrastructure; in high season, roads can be jam-packed with traffic. But Banyan Tree Phuket, a grand dame of the island celebrating its 30th birthday at the end of October, is making every effort to restore a sense of calm. Humble beginnings Founded on the site of a former tin mine, the hotel is a sustainability success story.
Owner Ho Kwon Ping and his wife Claire Chiang bought the land it sits on due to the remarkable blue colour of its lagoon. However, upon further investigation they realised the colou.