Keemala Phuket, Unique Pool Villa Hotel Review

Imagine waking up in an incredible treehouse surrounded by beautiful nature. One of the most photogenic hotels in Phuket, Keemala, was situated near Kamala Beach. It’s one of my bucket list hotels due to its unique architecture which truly stands out from other typical hotels.

Every villa has its private pool designed differently to portray each tribal group. Keemala provides four types of villa consisting of Bird’s Nest Villa, Tree Pool Houses, Tent Pool Villas, and Clay Pool Cottage. These ideas were created by Pisit Aongkultong from Pisud Design Company who has been shortlisted in the International Hotel & Property Awards 2015. His concept is to portray the life of ancient tribes into magnificent architectural design.

Clay Pool Cottages

Clay Pool Cottages reflect the Pa-Ta-Pea (Earth) Clan. The village offers a 126 square meters bedroom with rainforest and resort views. This villa is well-known for its splendid monsoon shower and a stand-alone bathtub. The concept behind this Clay Pool Cottages is resembling the Pa-Ta-Pea (Earth) Clan which consisted of farmers, fishermen, gardeners, carpenters, blacksmiths, and miners. They subscribed to the belief that living together with the earth will bring them well living so these people tend to build every part of their houses with soil and clay. This room type is the cheapest among all four.

Tent Pool Villas

Tent Pool Villas was inspired by the nomadic lives of Khon-Jorn or the Wanderer Clan which resemble the adventurous people including foragers, herders, performers, traders, and explorers. Since these people are wandering around for trading they prefer to live in semi-permanent homes so they can move from place to place. The villa was built from real tent material. Tent pool bathtub zone is the climax of this room type since there is an enormous mirror offering a panoramic view of the forest.

Tree Pool House

Tree Pool House is my favorite room type since its design is truly splendid and unique. This villa offers two floors: a bedroom and master bathroom on the second floor, a dining area, and a private pool on the ground floor. Tree Pool Houses were inspired by the lives of We-ha or Sky Clan, those who believed in advanced understanding of the universe including healers, creators, and architects. They are a creative group of people who want to build their homes elevated from the ground differently from others. I experienced staying in this villa and I absolutely love it. The only weak point is the stairs since it’s quite complicated to climb up and down in the middle of the night so I think the elder guests should avoid staying in this type of villa.

Bird’s Nest Pool Villas

The most expensive room type, Bird’s Nest Pool Villas which was inspired by the Rung Nok (Nest) Clan who portrays an opulent lifestyle and who crave exclusivity. These groups of people value both intellect and creativity including philosophers, poets, and astrologers. These people love to take a bath under the moonlight thinking that their souls would be replenished. The villa is situated on the highest part of the hotel which offers 185 square meters of space including the pool and sun deck. This villa has the most fantastic view and the biggest pool.

The tropical environment offers the feeling of tranquility, impressive architectural designs, and their cultural concept behind. On the other side, the resort is not located next to the sea so the view is not that breathtaking compared to other hotels in Phuket. Moreover, the steep walkways around the hotel make it difficult to transport around but since the hotel provides 24hr golf car service this is not really a major issue.

As a recommendation, the best time to visit Phuket is around November to February since the weather is amazing and there is a low chance of monsoons. Keemala is situated on the west coast of Phuket, around 45 minutes drive from Phuket International Airport.

Those who love enjoying healing retreats or tranquil surroundings will truly fall in love with this place.