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PURANA RESIDENCE @ KOH SAMUI - PURE ENJOYMENT ON THE HILLS OF BOPHUT
There we were, facing one another, holding hands, tightly and staring deep at each other’s eyes. That lovely gaze, which never disappeared and which I love so much. I notice her ‘Yes I do’, shortly followed by mine. On August 4th 2022, Ilonka and I experienced this lovely moment. Right in the country we both love so much, Thailand! This was it, the moment that the love of my life and I got married on the grounds of a splendid villa high on a hill on Koh Samui.
Purana Residence, insanely nice wedding venue that you are! We really enjoyed our stay at your wonderful location! Before, during and after our wedding. The location, the ceremony in the garden, but also the staff, the environment, our master bedroom and guest rooms, everything was just right! We couldn’t wish for more!
Image: Panacea Retreat
The location and area of Panacea Retreat overlooking Bophut and a part of Koh Samui
Tucked high among various colors of greenery and near Bophut, the most famous fishing village of Koh Samui, lies Purana Residence. Bophut is best known for Fisherman’s Village, a lively night market that you can stroll through at your leisure. In this long walking street of Koh Samui you can enjoy delicious snacks and drinks. Of course there are plenty of souvenirs that are sold, but also music performances are held there. A lively place, near the complex of Panacea Retreat, the grounds where our villa is built on.
Purana Residence, part of Panacea Retreat, is a fantastic villa on an area of 1,250 m2 of green lush grounds. The villa is built on a hill, so you can look out far over Koh Samui. From our living room or terrace we saw not only the famous Big Buddha of Samui, but also the Stupa of Chaweng and the descending planes for Samui Airport. By the way, all of these locations are no more than a fifteen-minute drive from the villa. A half-hour drive away is Nathon where most ferries arrive and depart.
Image: Panacea Retreat
Before spending our time at Purana Residence, we were guests at Villa Chi for several nights. This detached villa is located in the region of Maenam and in about twenty minutes, we were at our wedding venue. There is little to discover around the grounds of Panacea Retreat, at least no restaurants and the like. You come here for your peace and quiet, but entertainment and hustle and bustle is always nearby.
Panacea Retreat
The prestigious Panacea Retreat is a phenomenal retreat consisting of five different extraordinary villas. These five villas are spread over a gigantic landscape of no less than 2.000 square meters per villa. All villas overlook the northeastern coast of Koh Samui and towards the Gulf of Thailand. Below are some images and brief explanations of these five Panacea villas. More information can be found on Elite Havens’ site.
Praana Residence
Praana Residence is the crown jewel of Panacea Retreat. This mindblowing villa has six bedrooms and its own recreation, spa and fitness center. It even has a tennis court and a boxing ring. It was in that boxing ring that we did one of our wedding shoots the morning after our wedding. We thought this was a very fun photo session titled “our first fight”.
Avasara Residence and Atulya Residence
Avasara and Atulya are two almost identical villas with each five bedrooms spread over two different buildings. Of course, there is a large swimming pool and great living.
Image: Panacea Retreat
Image: Panacea Retreat
Kalya Residence
Kalya Residence is very similar to Purana Residence, our wedding venue. Below we explain to you what Purana Residence looks like. This was our “elite haven” where we spent several nights on Koh Samui. Purana will always be a special place for us.
Purana Residence, our villa where we said “Yes I do” to each other
Purana Residence accommodates eight adults in four bedrooms with soft comfy beds and ensuite bathrooms. Extra beds for (small) children are available at additional costs. Purana Residence is a perfect haven for families with children of all ages who want to have a carefree tropical vacation. During our stay we included children from eight to sixteen. They had the time of their lives and so did we!
Purana’s main building consists of two floors and next to the main building is another small annex in which the master bedroom can be found. The tropical garden with sun terrace, huge infnity pool and adjacent semi-open sala is quite the end! Not surprisingly, this is where we spent most of our stay.
Image: Panacea Retreat
The gigantic living room with open kitchen at Purana Residence
Villa Purana’s spacious living room flows into the modern open kitchen. In the middle of the living room is a giant square table on which we woke up together every morning. In the sitting area, we shared our (slightly exaggerated) life stories on the large white sofas late into the night. We also did the crisps taste test, with about twenty different flavors we had stocked at the 7-Eleven.
In the seating area a modern TV has been placed including a sound system. For (mobile) entertainment, fast and stable Wi-Fi is obviously available everywhere and guests can watch TV to their heart’s content thanks to Apple TV and a gigantic digital movie library. Games can be played and there is even a small table football table. If you prefer to listen to music, this can be done through the Sonos speaker system connected throughout the villa.
The living room of 18 by 6 meters feels extra spacious because of the extraordinary ceiling. On the other side of the Purana living room, is the villa’s open kitchen containing a wine cooler, cooker faucet and modern double-door refrigerator (including freezer and ice maker). Of course, a high-tech coffee machine cannot be missing! From cappuccino to espresso, everything coffee we wished for came from this built-in system next to the large fridge in the kitchen.
Purana Residence’s open living room is made for wonderful indoor recreation and dining, while the wind blows in through the large open doors. The ideal place to share great memories together. In the end, our stay at Panacea Retreat also became such an insanely beautiful memory!
Image: Thailand Magazine
The guest rooms at Purana Residence
Right below the living area of Villa Purana lies three spacious bedrooms. Each 4.5 x 5.5 meter bedroom has a soft king-size bed and ample closet space is placed. The guest rooms are all equipped with a comfortable armchair, modern flat-screen TV, small safe to safely store valuables and a stocked minibar.
The neat adjoining bathrooms contain the toilet, a washbasin and a rain shower. Thanks to large sliding glass doors, the three spacious rooms overlook the green garden with the terrace and infinity pool beyond.
Image: Panacea Retreat
Image: Panacea Retreat
Image: Panacea Retreat
The master bedroom at Purana Residence
Once inside of our beautiful master bedroom, we were able to open all or part of the large windows via an ingenious sliding door system. This makes it possible to create a three-quarter open bedroom. From our bedroom we overlooked the pool and the valley of Bophut (and beyond). Of course, it was possible to close the long blackout curtains all around for privacy.
Image: Panacea Retreat
Image: Panacea Retreat
The master bedroom is 6.5 x 5.5 meter and has a large and comfortable king-size bed and there are two relaxing chairs placed opposite the window. Like the guest bedrooms, there was a convenient closet in which a safe and minibar had been placed. We sent our final emails regarding arrangements related to our wedding from that desk next to the closet.
Image: Khun Oreo
Image: Khun Oreo
The bathroom with big bath
The adjoining bathroom of the master bedroom really had everything we could wish for those days. From a large bath and separate shower to mouthwash and toothbrushes. Diagonally across from the door the his & her bathroom cabinet was placed, with the toilet next to it and the semi-open shower stall next to the toilet. The towels from Purana Residence are some of the softest we have ever felt!
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
The garden with pool deck
Our guests and us spent most of our fantastic stay in the garden which overflowed into a fine sun terrace and adjacent infinity pool. From here we had a horrifyingly beautiful view. Time and again we were hypnotized by the splendor of the location in which Purana Residence is built.
The garden of the villa consists partly of a lawn surrounded by tropical plants and trees. On the large sun terrace, umbrellas, tables and various types of sun beds with soft cushions were placed. Every now and then someone came to see if we wanted another drink, very thoughtful.
On August 4, 2022, we also got married in this garden, a location to never forget!
The infinity pool with adjacent sala
The huge infinity pool of 20 x 5 meters and with a maximum depth of 1.6 meters offers guests lots of fun and relaxation. To the left side of the pool is a swim-up bar with Purana Residence’s sala behind it. Both the infinity pool and the sala overlook the surroundings of Bophut and the adjacent sea. A complete outdoor kitchen including a barbecue is located in the sala.
The large dining table in the open sala provides ample space for eight to ten people for an enjoyable lunch or dinner. Via the wireless audio system, music can also be listened to in the garden. The (small) children who attended our wedding, had an extremely good time those days with the inflatable flamingo and other toys.
Almost anything is possible
The Elite Havens team at Panacea Retreat can arrange for guests to take advantage of numerous spa and beauty treatments at an additional cost. From foot massages to facials and from traditional Thai oil massage to a full body scrub from head to toe. The team also arranges excursions, outings, dinner on reservation at one of Koh Samui’s best restaurants or at Koh Samui’s golf course, for example. The Elite concierge arranges it all!
Transportation to and from Koh Samui airport or pier is included in the price of the villa. Of course, the helpful team at Purana will also help you if you need a car or cab. In our case, the wonderful team did the shopping for our wedding. Everyone was very thoughtful and we didn’t lack anything at all. Everything was thought of during our stay at this heavenly residence on Samui!
NOTE
Groceries are subject to a 30% handling fee on top of the cost plus a 10% service fee and 7% government tax.
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Food and beverages
The outstanding team helped us very much with dinner during our wedding. And not only the dinner, but also the daily breakfasts were outstanding. Everybody, big and small, enjoyed it very much! Let us know your wishes a day in advance and the great team will take care of it. Think of special dietary needs, children’s menus, barbecues and as we wished, a complete dinner for our magical wedding. What we found very thoughtful and pleasant were the stocked mini bars in all bedrooms. Constantly and free of charge they were replenished with water and soft drinks. There were always cookies and nuts available in the modern kitchen. Great to have a snack like that for those cravings!
Royal breakfast
Breakfast in our villa was so delicious and very extensive! The day before we were served our breakfast, we were allowed to tick off on an extensive list what we wished to have for breakfast the next day. We all enjoyed the selected smoked salmon with avocado, yogurt with granola, fluffy American pancakes, different types of egg dishes, fresh bread with toppings, fruit of the season and so, so much more. Breakfast at Panacea Retreat will be talked about for a long time!
If you prefer a typical Thai breakfast, that can be arranged as well. A good breakfast also includes fresh fruit juices, coffee and tea. Check! We think the images below say more than enough.
Our wedding dinner
Because we LOVE Thailand and Thai cuisine so much, we chose to serve Thai food for our wedding dinner. We had a special menu created by the chefs at Panacea Retreat. As a starter, we chose spring rolls and chicken satay. As a main course we had Pad Krapow, Massaman Curry and Khao Soi, of course, served with jasmine rice. To end our dinner in Thai style, we chose for dessert, how could it be otherwise, mango sticky rice and a scoop of coconut ice cream. A delectable meal that even the kids enjoyed with every bite!
During our visit to Villa Chi, our villa from the days before our wedding on Koh Samui, we received a box of Prosecco as a gift from Martini Thailand. As if that wasn’t enough, we also received a bottle of Prosecco from Elite Havens and from Panacea Retreat. Proost, salute, cheers and chok dee.
Image: Thom
Many thanks to the Purana and Panacea team!
Every minute we spent at Purana was exceptionally good and carefree. It was blissful! This is mainly due to the amazing team at Panacea / Elite Havens. They made sure that everything went like clockwork. From the initial welcome upon our arrival to the blow-out during our departure, everything was 100% perfectly taken care of! During our stay, cleaning was done daily and during our wedding there was great cooperation with Elite Event Thailand (not Elite Havens), the team that took care of our wedding. The team at our wedding location was constantly available for our questions and requests.
Therefore we would like to thank everyone at Panacea Retreat and at our amazing Villa Purana Residence; Khun Beem, Khun Not, Khun Nan, Khun Bee, the chefs of Panacea and of course the villa manager Khun KaTai and Panacea manager Khun Sunny! Thanks for the amazing time we had, you all are amazing!!! We had such a great wedding in paradise-alike Purana Residence. Panacea will always have a special place in our hearts!
For our wedding, we would like this chance to thank some people! Thank you to Khun Toa, Khun Sanuk, Khun Lek Lek, Khun Oreo, Khun Ette, Khun Drone, Khun Tum, Khun Dima, Khun Ploy, Khun Cappuccino & Khun Americano (Tom & Tom) and Khun Best plus his amazing team. You all created an everlasting memory for us. Thanks for being part of our magical marriage! Ilonka & Riel
Image: Thom
As a wedding gift we were allowed to plant a palm tree on the grounds of Panacea Retreat. When we are on Koh Samui again, we will definitely visit the team of Panacea and our palm tree! Of course, we would also like to thank the people at Elite Havens. Also our big thanks to Khun Minnie, Khun Femke and Khun Scott, you have been insanely helpful and advised us. <3
Panacea Retreat is an amazing wedding location in Thailand!
Purana Residence and all other Panacea Retreat villas are ideal for beautiful weddings. Not only because Panacea Retreat villas are built on lush tropical grounds, but also because it is very convenient that you can rent several villas at the same time. That way you can make the wedding as big or small as you wish. You can find more information on the Elite-Havens site. Ilonka and I opted for a small and intimate wedding where we had enough at Purana Residence. Some of our family and friends watched along via the stable live connection, this worked out totally okay!
If anyone would like to receive more information or contact one of our amazingly good companies to help with the wedding, we can give a huge discount on their services. If interested mail to letloverule@thailandmagazine.com.
Image: Thom
General information
Check in is from 3 p.m. and check out is until 12 pm. For current prices of the beautiful Purana Residence and the other stunning Panacea villas on a hillside of Koh Samui, please check EliteHavens.com. In addition, you can get a welcome gift through Thailand Magazine when you book by emailing us, email to elitehavens@thailandmagazine.com, that’s how you support Thailand Magazine. We receive a small commission on the booking you make. This costs you nothing extra and this allows us to continue working hard on our great passion, sharing our deep-rooted love for Thailand and thus promoting the land of smiles.
Address: 51/25 Moo 1 Bophut, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surat Thani 84320, Thailand
Address in Thai: 51/25 Moo 1 Bophut, ตำบล บ่อผุด สุราษฎร์ธานี 84320
Image: Thom
Elite Havens
Panacea Retreat is managed by Elite Havens, a well established name in serviced villa rentals in Thailand. They not only have villas on Koh Samui, but also on Phuket and even in several other countries such as the Maldives, India and Indonesia. The memories after staying in a villa from Elite Havens will stay with you forever.
Bangkok Airways
When we are in Thailand, most of the times we fly with Bangkok Airways. This service-oriented airline is the only one that flies to Koh Samui and from Bangkok you are there in an hour. Very fast and with super service! Our next domestic flight with this “boutique airline” is already planned. In December 2022 we will visit the area around Koh Chang and therefore fly from Bangkok to Trat. We can’t wait!
Image: Thailand Magazine
Image: Thailand Magazine
Some tips for a fun stay on Koh Samui
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