Holidays Travel

Located on tranquil Tubkaek Beach, and tiered into a lush hillside facing westward towards the Andaman Sea and the sunset, Banyan Tree Krabi has become one of Thailand’s best-loved venues for Valentine’s Day and romance since it opened its doors to guests in 2020.

Beginning around sunset on February 14th, eight lucky couples are invited to gather on the resort’s beachfront lawn where an intimate candlelit dinner will be served inside a private bamboo gazebo to the accompaniment of live music. The set menu features amorous delicacies such as Crispy Beer Battered Oyster in Rose Jam, Smoked Salmon Gravlax, and Black Caviar, which will be followed by entrees of Roasted Wagyu Beef Tenderloin or Pan-Roasted Black Kingfish with Grilled Krabi Lobster, and rounded off with some sumptuous chocolate-inspired desserts.

Bookings for Valentine’s evening are expected to be at an all-time high this year, not only at Banyan Tree Krabi, but across the lush tropical province which was recently voted “Best Romantic Destination in the World” by readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine India and South Asia.

With its iconic limestone cliffs jutting from a sapphire sea, white-sand beaches and exquisite seafood, Krabi claimed the “Best Romantic” title in a tie with The Maldives and the oasis city of AlUla in Saudi Arabia at this year’s Travel + Leisure awards, beating traditionally dreamy locations such as Lucerne in Switzerland, the Greek island of Santorini, and the Bahamas.

Nowhere along the palm-fringed Krabi coastline is that sense of sensuality more pronounced than at Banyan Tree Krabi, which faces a marine national park, peppered with uninhabited islets, including Koh Hong, famous for its hidden lagoon.

Each of the resort’s 72 suites and villas has its own private pool including a hot jet pool. The rooms are modern and bright; decor is contemporary chic with gentle tones of wood, stone and sand that are easy on the eye.

A freshwater stream winds downhill from the surrounding hillside into the property where Banyan Tree’s innovative design team has sculpted a beautiful tropical canal to ferry the springwater to the sea. The rush of water is a recurrent sight and sound at the floral 10-acre resort, where guests are constantly treated to the trickle of streams or the cascading of waterfalls, from the spectacular water feature gracing the lobby to a small waterpark for kids.

Weddings are, of course, popular at this five-star resort with its spectacular backdrop. Options include a traditional Siamese ceremony or a Western-style white wedding.

Facilities at the hotel include two restaurants and a beach bar, a kids’ club, a fitness centre, meeting rooms, and — in keeping with Banyan Tree’s wellness branding — a rainforest-themed spa, which includes special Couples’ Packages.

Saffron, the hotel’s signature Thai restaurant with its picture-postcard Bird’s Nest tables perched vertiginously among the trees, can be reached by electric funicular.

Bookings in advance are frequently required for Bird’s Nest tables due to their popularity. And only eight reservations will be taken for the gazebos on the beachfront for the Valentine’s Day dinner, as Chef Tum and his team seek to create an ambience of privacy and intimacy.

Banyan Tree Krabi was recently recognised in the prestigious Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, voted No 4 resort in Thailand.