Visiting the iconic Lazy Coconut, the landmark first luxury glamping resort in this new wave taking over hospitality
By Mia James
For those of you who haven’t heard of glamping before, it is a portmanteau fusing glamorous and camping – glamping. It is the immersion into quiet nature, away from the world, potentially on a beach, in a jungle, or even a split of both like at the Lazy Coconut. It’s all the pleasures of camping, without the hassle.
You couldn’t have picked a better glamp site than Bangtao, immersed in nature and connected to the various Phuket lifestyle hubs. Its neighbour Surin boasts its own beautiful beach as well as an assortment of luxury resorts and restaurants – a resurgent force to be watched in Phuket. Just inland of Bangtao is the notorious Boat Avenue, known for its eclectic mix of dinner delights, and a range of bars which cater to any cocktail desires. Porto de Phuket is in the same area – the open-plan shopping centre is only growing and now boasts a plethora of dining options from Suay Restaurant to Prime Burger.
The area however, is not a hotspot because of its closeness to these aforementioned places, rather, a hub has been built here around the longest strip of beach on the island – Bangtao. The westerly sunsets are unbeatable, I don’t think there is anywhere I’d rather be in the world from 4-7 pm. Simply perfect. The prelude tends to feature a gradient of bright and vibrant oranges to a deeper ochre almost reaching into the palette and painting purple across the sky. Pink and purple hues start to follow and alight the sea in a matching iridescence, and then suddenly the sun disappears. Just like that. The moment you sit and wait all day for – that leaves you with a moment of “well what now?” as it climaxes exactly as you hope.
I arrived around 4 pm. Just a 20-minute drive from the centre of the island (and that was with traffic) until I landed at the beach. I parked in the lot shared with Catch Beach Club and made my way through to The Lazy Coconut. To describe their beach restaurant/club/beachside bar will do them a disservice, but I will try anyway. The pool was one of the trendy infinity sorts, leading out to a picturesque, almost unbroken ocean view. The materials that made the place were a selection of woods and wicker, even using whole logs as decor, which seamlessly integrated with the palm trees and the overall nature vibe. The palm rooftops allowed natural light to contaminate the shaded areas but not enough to make you overheat.
A beach club restaurant which emphasises all the features that complete a tropical day out. You can read this description 100 times but you won’t know what it’s like unless you’re there in your swim trunks, experiencing barefoot luxury. I strolled around to their reception to get myself checked in. There, I sat in a nice airy tent and wondered if my room would resemble this space, and thought: not bad. Whilst the receptionist tapped away at her keyboard, I was quite happy to lazily lounge on their sofa, stare at the horizon, and enjoy my welcome coconut. When in Rome.
It wasn’t long until my coconut was finished and my help for the night Naz showed me to my tent.
Wow. When I first looked I thought it was going to be a tight space, but it was bigger on the inside than the outside. Airy and with all the amenities you would expect from a 4.5+ star hotel. Nice big windows allowed natural light to streak through the room and brighten the space. It is elegantly decorated with taupe tarping, wooden furnishings and features, and other meticulously chosen details to provide a down-to-earth camping feel. The amenities, however, provided the luxury feel that separates glamping from camping. A nice large ensuite, fit with a waterfall shower and lots of natural light contaminating the room. Their Lazy Coconut flip flops and bathrobe will work as your outfit – found in the wardrobe, available in two sizes for a his and hers set, to match the his and her sinks. In the bedroom, the four-poster bed fit for kings faces the entrance. In one corner find the minibar, safe, and plug sockets, and in the adjacent corner, a desk with a globe atop it, sockets along it, and a seat for me to promptly sit write this article for you. Once in the room, it was easy to forget you weren’t staying in one of the premier hotels on the island (until you see the sea and sand from your doorstep).
Knowing time was ticking and the sun was on its way down, I didn’t dally around, I threw my flip-flops on, locked my tent, and headed down to Bangtao beach (an arduous 20 steps away). From there, I punctually ordered a G&T and contently watched the light show from the sun, sky, and sea. Around 7 pm, it was dinner time.
So choosing from the food menu was not easy. Fancy a salad? Try to pick between the hearty Greek horiatiki salad, vs the hometown som tum papaya salad platter (a best sellers). I was fancying some beef, but even then the Wagyu flank steak pulled me one way, and their steak tacos pulled me another, and that was before I even saw their Wagyu beef burger. If I had come with a group it would have been an easy choice – order the aptly named “Lazy BBQ tray to share”. Alas, with just me here, I indulged in a premium steak, with some juicy Andaman king prawns as a starter – featuring those char marks that you love to see – at the beach, listening to taverna covers of classics I knew every word to. Life could be worse.
After dinner was done, I put my phone in my room, grabbed the book I’d been struggling to read for weeks, headed to the nearest cabana to chill in, and switched off for the evening. 6:30 AM, I intentionally woke with the morning, allowing some natural light to filter in and corral me out of bed, but if you’d prefer the sleep in, the room has black-out curtains which would put the most restless sleeper at ease, but I was excited to be at the beach before any other visitors arrived, to just enjoy the silence of nature. The shores were calm, and the sea called me for a morning swim whilst the world was waking up.
Once the rest of the world caught up, breakfast beckoned. As usual, I started with a cappuccino. From there it was tricky: eggs and smashed avo’ on freshly baked French bread, or… pancakes. I spent a while on this one, I even ordered a second coffee in the meantime. Pancakes felt like such a treat but the eggs & avo’ on toast allured me with its addition of crab meat that sounded too interesting to not try. It was a match made in heaven.
The rest of my day was as lazy as it all was. I lay out in the sun with my book and stayed as long as I could before they kicked me out. Treat yourself to a night under the stars listening to the rolling of the waves in one of their sea-view tents or their garden-view offering. Security and reception work around the clock to ensure your stay is as relaxing as a camping adventure, without any of the hassle.
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