The next step in the Rosewood Hotels & Resorts ambitious Asia expansion plan will be the first quarter 2017 opening of Rosewood Phuket. 

The resort, including 71 villas and 32 residences, will be located on the 1,968-foot (600-meter) Emerald Bay beachfront in southwestern Phuket, one of the island’s last remaining areas for a secluded beach resort enclave. Here, Rosewood’s A Sense of Place® philosophy will celebrate the landscape, culture and sensibilities of its special new home. 

All private and public areas will blend interiors and exteriors with retractable glass walls and “landscaped” rooftops will not only provide energy conservation but uninterrupted sightlines to the Andaman Sea. 

The resort will be designed to integrate organically into the hillside forest surroundings with an environmentally sensitive, contemporary architectural style showcasing the location’s striking natural attributes. 

To preserve the 40-acre (16-hectare) forest, including stately 150-year-old banyan trees considered sacred in Thai culture, Bangkok-based P-Landscape will retain or carefully transplant trees within the site. Any introduced foliage and fauna will be indigenous species. 

Phuket-based lead architect PMC, together with Melbourne-based consultant BAR Studio handling interior design for the villas and restaurants, will incorporate sustainable practices and indigenous materials wherever possible including an abundance of stone and timber. 

Strategic positioning of the one and two-bedroom beach, lagoon and pool villas will provide privacy and uninterrupted ocean views. With a minimum area of 1,300 square feet (120 square meters), hotel villas will include separate lounge and dining spaces, private pool, garden, deck as well as an outdoor shower and bath. The 32 two-to-nine-bedroom tropical mansion residences are set on sites that average one-third of an acre (1,500 square meters.) 

“Within this very special environment, Rosewood Phuket guests will feel ‘at one’ with the land and sea,” says Radha Arora, president, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. “Everywhere, the innovative architecture with subtle Thai influences will blend beautifully with the natural landscape.”

Four restaurants will include a rustic Thai seafood restaurant on the beach, built with recycled teak wood; a casual poolside eatery; a bistro; and a terrace bar. 

Sense, A Rosewood Spa will feature six spa villas, including a VIP villa with watsu pool. The spa garden will provide herbs and ingredients for use in specialized spa treatments. 

The wedding pavilion with private outdoor garden will host celebrations, receptions and banquets for up to 100 people. Steps from the beach, the pavilion will have full height glass wall panels to allow 180-degree bay views and be able to open to the sea breezes. 

Recreational facilities will include beachside organic-form pools, lap pool, a gymnasium, a yoga pavilion and children’s club.