In Phuket, Thailand, Bangkok-based developer Montara Hospitality Group (MHG) is busy sinking THB 6,600bn (€177.3m, US$199.7m, £149.2m) into realising Tri Vananda – slated to be one of Asia’s largest and most comprehensive residential wellness communities.
Scheduled for completion in Q4 2023 and ranging across 232-acres, the multi-generational Tri Vananda will be a sister property to established wellness destination Trisara Resort and Spa – also located in Phuket.
Integrative approach
The developers of Tri Vananda – meaning forest of lasting happiness – say they expect it to mature into a community dedicated to living well in a location surrounded by lakes and forest.
The site will be anchored by a wellness resort specialising in cognitive wellbeing and integrative and functional medicine, with a focus on blending the best of medical and holistic wellness.
The project has been ongoing since 2020 and is being completed in phases, with the first phase – comprising residential show villas, a farm and plant nursery and a central community house due to be completed soon. The final phase with the central wellness resort and nature reserve is scheduled for completion in Q4 2023.
Amenities will include a health centre with consultation rooms for medical and preventative treatments and traditional Thai medicine therapies, a cognitive health centre and facilities for functional health diagnostics where residents and guests will be treated via specially tailored programmes.
The destination will have a special focus on the importance of cognitive health, the gut microbiome, respiratory health and building a strong immune system.
In addition, residents will be able to access a spa with 30 treatment rooms, separate-sex thermal rooms, relaxation spaces, a hammam, sauna and private spa suites, as well as a lakeside fitness centre with an Olympic swimming pool, gym, juice bar and lake pier for watersports.
Multi-generational
The development has been designed to support people of all ages in experiencing wellness and will include a dedicated club in the Pru Jampa Community House for young people and children, designed to help them learn about the importance of a wellness-led lifestyle and the cultivation of health and mindfulness.
Encircled by sand dunes, this community house has a bar and lounge, swimming pool, community garden, outdoor playground, function space and club areas designed especially for teens and pre-teens.
The club offers a range of activities such as foraging, cooking and crafting, as well as educational experiences to enlighten younger guests on topics such as skincare, health, meditation and yoga.
Sue Harmsworth and Amy McDonald are consulting on the project, with McDonald’s consultancy, Under a Tree, providing conceptual and technical pre-opening services and Harmsworth acting as a wellness advisor.
“One of the main differentiators of this project is the commitment to meeting each guest wherever they are on their own wellness journey,” said McDonald. “So often wellness properties cater only for adults, but Tri Vananda also acknowledges the importance of wellness for younger family members.”
The vision is heavily influenced by spirituality, which motivated the inclusion of a dedicated mindfulness centre with visiting monks, situated over one of the destination’s six lakes, with an indoor hall and outdoor areas for meditation.
“Tri Vananda is a unique next-generation project,” Harmsworth told Spa Business, “often wellness destinations tend to be focused on either medical or holistic wellness, but this project presents a new solution where the two are blended seamlessly together.”
Accommodation on offer
The resort’s accommodation offering will consist of two- or three-bedroom solar-powered villas designed by Habita Architects (www.habitaarchitects.com) in partnership with the Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts (www.arsomsilp.ac.th). They’ll range in size from 270sq m to 750sq m, with interior design by P49 Deesig (www.p49deesign.com).
70 villas will be designated for visiting guests, while the remaining 87 units will be sold for residential.
The low-density development will be built with sustainability at its heart and the aim of being carbon-neutral and achieving LEED certification. It will operate with environmentally-friendly practices, including a tiered wetland filtration system with a botanical garden to collect, filter and store water; an organic, non-toxic farm to supply restaurants on-site; nature trails; and renewable energy facilities, such as floating solar panels on the lakes.
“Our residents and guests will enjoy access to some of the most fundamental and cherished contributors to overall wellbeing, such as clean air and access to nature – which are increasingly lost in urban settings – while having access to proven health and wellness therapies and programmes,” said MDG CEO Kittisak Pattamasaevi.
