Thailand Architecture Guide: Regions and Stays
Bill Bensley has run his studio from Bangkok for more than thirty years, and his resorts make a good thread for a design trip through Thailand. Go to Phuket and Phang Nga for jungle villas and the Andaman coast, to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan for the Gulf islands, and to Chiang Mai for teak houses from the timber era. Short domestic flights, ferries and private drivers link all three.
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Key facts
- Three regions: Phuket, Phang Nga and Khao Lak on the Andaman Sea, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand, and Chiang Mai in the north.
- Design angle: Bill Bensley opened his own studio in Bangkok in 1989. Thai firms like Architect Space, VaSLab and Habita Architects shape the stays in this guide.
- Getting around: fly between regions, take a ferry to the Gulf islands, hire a driver for the rest.
- Timing: the two coasts get their heaviest rain at different times, roughly May to October on the Andaman side and October to December in the Gulf.
- Five design stays plus Cielo Samui on Koh Samui, a stay we feature, from a rainforest resort above Kamala to a restored 19th-century teak house.
Why Thailand: Bensley and the Andaman coast
Bill Bensley hung up his sign in a Bangkok parking garage in 1989, by his own account. His studio still works from Bangkok and Bali. In Thailand you can sleep in his work from the far north to the Andaman Sea.
His Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle was his first tented camp. It has fifteen tents. Bensley describes the camp as having no walls, no TV and no air conditioning in its public areas. At The Slate on Phuket he went the other way: steel, rusted tin and old mining machinery, set in a big tropical garden.
On the Andaman coast, Thai studios take two very different routes. Some build with clay, thatch and timber under the rainforest, like Keemala above Kamala. At Khao Lak, Casa de La Flora is exposed concrete cubes with local mountain stone and teak, set in a tropical garden by T.R.O.P.
Regions
Phuket, Phang Nga and Khao Lak
Phuket is the gateway, with the international airport in the north of the island. Behind Kamala on the west coast, forested hills look down on the Andaman Sea. Khao Lak lies on the mainland in Phang Nga province, about 75 to 85 km by road from Phuket airport.
Koh Samui and Koh Phangan
Two islands in the Gulf of Thailand, a short ferry ride apart. Samui has its own airport. Phangan can only be reached by boat.
Chiang Mai
The big city of the north, on the Ping River. In the late 19th century British trading companies ran the teak business from here. Some of their houses still stand.
When to go
| Coast | Wettest months (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Andaman Sea: Phuket, Phang Nga, Khao Lak | May to October |
| Gulf of Thailand: Koh Samui, Koh Phangan | October to December |
Getting there and around
Domestic flights
Phuket (HKT), Koh Samui (USM) and Chiang Mai (CNX) all have airports. Samui airport is privately owned and run by Bangkok Airways.
Ferries
Koh Phangan has no airport. From Samui, Lomprayah catamarans cross to Thong Sala on Phangan in about 30 minutes. From Donsak pier on the mainland, the crossing takes about 45 minutes to Samui and about 1.5 hours to Phangan.
Drivers
For Khao Lak, book a private car from Phuket airport. The drive takes about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Where to stay: design stays in Thailand
Keemala, Kamala (Phuket)
Architecture: Architect Space, interiors by Pisit Aongskultong (Pisud Design). Opened December 2015.
38 pool villas in the rainforest on the hills above Kamala, linked by jungle paths. The Clay Pool Cottages have walls of clay-like cement and thatched roofs. The Tree Pool Houses are two-level pods of steel and curved rattan that seem to hang in the trees. Good to know: the thatch and rattan are synthetic, chosen to last in the rain.
Stay page: Keemala
The Slate, Nai Yang Beach (Phuket)
Architect: Bill Bensley.
A tribute to Phuket's tin-mining past, built for the Na-Ranong family on the site of their 1986 resort Pearl Village. Polished concrete floors, blackened steel and rusted machinery meet Thai timber across 25 acres of garden next to Sirinat National Park. At the Coqoon Spa a wicker structure hangs from a giant banyan tree. It sits about 3 km from Phuket airport.
Casa de La Flora, Khao Lak
Completed in 2009 by VaSLab Architecture, reopened in March 2024 after a VaSLab renovation. Exposed concrete cubes with local mountain stone and teak, set in a tropical garden by T.R.O.P.
See Casa de La Flora on Expedia*
Cielo Samui, Bophut (Koh Samui)
A boutique hotel and spa on Bophut Beach, five minutes from Fisherman's Village. White suites and villas with thatched salas and timber decks sit around pools and planted courtyards. Duplex suites and private pool villas. Cielo Samui is a stay we feature.
Stay page: Cielo Samui
137 Pillars House, Chiang Mai
Restoration: Habita Architects, 2011.
The old northern office of the Borneo Company, a teak house in Anglo-Malay style. It was moved to the company compound on the east bank of the Ping River in 1896 and housed the company manager until 1927. The Wongphanlert family bought it in 2005. Habita lifted the whole house and lawn by about 1.5 m to keep it above the floods. The name comes from the 137 teak pillars it stands on. Today it is a hotel with 30 suites.
Stay page: 137 Pillars House
See 137 Pillars House on Expedia*
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle (Chiang Saen)
Architect: Bill Bensley.
His first tented camp, in the bamboo jungle at Chiang Saen. It has fifteen tents, with teak, hardwood and thatched roofs. Bensley describes the camp as having no walls, no TV and no air conditioning in its public areas. The camp works with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF).
See Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle on Expedia*
FAQ
Which hotels in Thailand did Bill Bensley design?
In this guide: The Slate on Phuket and the Four Seasons Tented Camp in the Golden Triangle.
Who designed Keemala in Phuket?
The Thai firm Architect Space, with interiors by Pisit Aongskultong of Pisud Design. It opened in December 2015.
Who designed Casa de La Flora?
VaSLab Architecture designed the buildings and the interiors. T.R.O.P. did the landscape. It was completed in 2009.
How do I get to Koh Phangan?
By ferry. Koh Phangan has no airport. Fly to Koh Samui and cross in about 30 minutes, or take the catamaran from Donsak pier on the mainland.
How far is Khao Lak from Phuket airport?
About 75 to 85 km by road, roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by car.
When is the rainy season in Phuket and Koh Samui?
On Phuket and the Andaman coast the heaviest rain falls roughly May to October. On Koh Samui it falls roughly October to December.
What is 137 Pillars House?
A restored 19th-century teak house of the British Borneo Company in Chiang Mai, now a hotel with 30 suites.
Sources
- Bensley studio: bensley.com/studio/bangkok
- Four Seasons Tented Camp, Bensley project: bensley.com
- Keemala: Architectural Digest and Keemala
- The Slate: The Slate and Design Hotels
- Casa de La Flora: VaSLab Architecture
- 137 Pillars House: Habita Architects
- Climate: Tourism Thailand weather
- Samui airport: Bangkok Airways
- Ferries: Thailand by Ferry
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