If you’ve always wanted to experience living in a tree house, how about fine dining in a bamboo nest high up in the trees?
By Pamela Chow. Photos: Soneva Kiri, Thailand
Have your gourmet meal served by a personal ‘flying’ waiter via zip line. (Photos: Soneva Kiri Thailand)
You swirl your drink and gaze out through the trees into the horizon, where the sun slowly sinks into the sea and boats drift for the day. As you soak in the view, your personal waiter approaches with your meal — by zip line.
In fact, you’re suspended five metres above ground in the thick of tropical foliage, enjoying dinner in a bamboo pod overlooking an immaculate beach.
Dine atop the trees in a bamboo pod at Soneva Kiri Thailand.
Haute cuisine at new heights
Located on the untouched and virtually uninhabited Koh Kood (or Koh Kut) island in Thailand, Soneva Kiri is a beach resort that offers this unique “tree pod dining” experience where guests can dine with an ocean view from the treetops.
Guests are gently hoisted high up into the canopy of Koh Kood’s ancient rainforest, where they can enjoy a gourmet meal while gazing out across the boulder-dotted shoreline. A personal ‘flying’ waiter serves each pod, delivering each dish via zip line.
The tree pod, which can house up to four guests, is wrapped in rattan and constructed without the use of bolts or screws, in an ode to the luxury eco-resort’s philosophy. Soneva Kiri also uses recycled rainwater, passive cooling, green roofs and daylighting.
Enjoy other fascinating sights such as a fire performance on the beach.
Trove of unique experiences
Other than tree pod dining, the raw and untamed reaches of Koh Kood make for several exciting discoveries around the area.
For example, you can opt for a tour to the nearby Ao Salad Village on the northeastern coast. One of the oldest settlements on the island, this fishing village built on stilts still boasts a rural subsistence culture.
Guests can meet fishermen unloading the day’s catch, visit a local school for a cultural exchange with Thai students and even taste honey straight from the comb under the supervision of a beekeeper.
Younger guests will also enjoy Soneva Kiri’s giant manta ray-shaped bamboo playground called The Den. Professional caretakers will accompany the children throughout the day and there are activities that include playing traditional Thai musical instruments.
By night, the in-house observatory offers stunning views of constellations, the moons of Jupiter and even the elusive halo of Saturn’s translucent ring.
Getting to Koh Kood Island
The island of Koh Kood is located 350km from Bangkok and 80km off the mainland. It is situated near the Cambodia maritime border.
Koh Kood can be accessed via Koh Kood Speedboat Service, which sails from Laem Sok Pier on the mainland at 9am every day. For afternoon departures, you can catch the Ko Kood Express Ferry at 12pm.
Guests who are staying with Soneva Kiri, however, can arrange for a private flight directly to the resort from Bangkok and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Other resorts on Koh Kood may offer free transfers, making it easier to experience this once-in-a-lifetime destination.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of Weekender, Issue 152, May 13 – May 26, 2016, with the headline ‘Dine in a lofty tree pod’.
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