A sanctuary of wellbeing

It is rare that immediately upon entering a resort, your body feels lighter and your soul at peace. This is the effect upon entering The Barai Hua Hin. 

A three-hour drive from Bangkok, the resort is well known for its wellness offerings, though what is unknown to some is that an entirely new build has been constructed on the land adjacent to The Barai and is now part of the resort. 

As soon as you enter the mirror courtyard, a sense of tranquillity comes over you and your brain goes quiet and soaks in the visual and meditative feature. This continues into the lobby, which is built beneath a shallow reflecting pool. Rays of sunlight glitter through the water, bathing the lobby in light. 

The new build, expanded from its original footprint of eight spa suites, has 98 guest rooms, including 27 suites, embodying The Barai’s iconic architectural design, reinterpreted in a contemporary style that blends heritage with modern comfort. All rooms and suites are spacious and come with large balconies overlooking the lush forested landscape. What I love the most are the huge bathtubs in all the rooms, because who doesn’t love a good soak before bed?!

Though you can also get a pool access room, which if you’re holidaying with children, seems the best choice for water babies. The Forest Pool meanders through the property and is easily accessible. Leisurely afternoon swims are at their best here, shaded by the flora with adds to the atmosphere. 

The Beach Pool is exclusively for those above the age of 13 and is complemented by two jacuzzi-styled pools. Mornings spent here are the best as the views are of the beach and sea. Though I spent my mornings here simply because it was close to the all-day dining and breakfast restaurant, White Cottage.

A colonial-styled cottage, the restaurant offers beachfront relaxation with a menu to match. Think Mediterranean dining complemented by Thai-inspired flavours. Breakfast is an à la carte fare and the portions are just right so you can try the various offerings. Though, the usual breakfast items like juices, fruit, cereals, drinks are all served buffet style. Unless you’re dining on the terrace, views of the sea and beach are restricted, but that is the price you pay for wanting air-conditioning. 

The lunch and dinner menus vary a little, though they are mostly devoid of any meat and stick to seafood and vegetarian options. Try the Steamed mud crab salad and Khao Khayam pu or fresh blue crab meat rice dish scented with lemongrass, kaffir lime and chilli. For dinner, the Oog pla kapong or marinated and stewed seabass with bird’s eye chilli, coriander and spring onion is a treat. As is the Pla kapong daeng yang bai toei jaew makuea or grilled pandan leaf-wrapped snapper with aubergine chilli dip.

White Cottage is also the place where you are given a taste of what is grown in the organic garden across the property and transformed in the kitchen. Garden walk and fresh-infused tea on a balmy afternoon? Yes, please! The restaurant also makes various vinegars and ice cream for the salads as the chefs will demonstrate once the garden walk is completed. There is also a fermentation workshop offering a glimpse into traditional techniques and the role of fermented foods to support gut wellness and mindful living.

McFarland House is where afternoon tea is served and is also where evenings are best spent. The restaurant is a beautifully restored two-storey, 19th-century pavilion and is a sight to behold with 180° views of the Gulf of Thailand. Named after Dr George McFarland, once superintendent of Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok and dean of The Royal Medical College, the floorboards and beams in the current structure are from the original house Dr McFarland lived in.

It would seem a tad odd that it is a sort of steakhouse, for lack of a better word, but sipping wine and eating steak are just what the grandeur of the structure is meant for, as is taking afternoon tea on the upper floor. Though, the restaurant also serves local seafood for those who don’t eat meat. The sound of the waves and the sea breeze on humid evenings are a treat!

The best bit about The Barai Hua Hin is the Wellness Hub, where various classes are scheduled for guests… for free! Think 40-minute sound healing classes, Zumba, chakra development, yoga, meditation and even a body composition analysis consultation with the in-house TCM doctor, Chuthamat "Dr Cash" Srinoi. The full guest journey follows a structured arc: an arrival wellness questionnaire, the TCM pulse and tongue consultation, the treatment experience, a guideline covering ongoing treatment and lifestyle habits, and a post-treatment personalised tea ritual.

Despite all the above, it is The Barai Spa that will leave you breathless immediately upon entering. “The best spa in Thailand”, a friend described it to me, and I tend to agree. 

Designed by Thai architect Lek Bunnag, the wellness sanctuary is inspired by ancient Khmer architecture and the monumental scale of Cambodia's Angkor Wat. It also reminded me of the traditional houses of southern India and the ancient Indian temples where everything was built around a central courtyard, left open to the elements. Named after “barays”, the design treats water as a primary source of life, peace and spiritual transition.

The monumental ochre and burgundy walls, stone passageways and dim corridors create a labyrinth-like route that naturally slows you down, shifting the experience from outer noise to inner silence. Apparently, Lek famously described light as a "dancing girl" and the architecture as a stage designed to capture and frame natural sunlight dynamically throughout the day. 

The 18 treatment rooms function as private sanctuaries, each featuring outdoor soaking pools, rain showers and dedicated Thai day-bed enclaves. Once on the massage bed and when on your back, do look up and let the heavens shine down on you. You’ll know what I mean once you’re there!

The entire property, the new and the old, is a sensory transition built around traditional Thai healing philosophies tied to earth, water, air and fire. Pick your element and live in your sanctuary where self-care and understated luxury take centre stage.

Within the Barai Hua Hin, the world will seem a planet away.