Marriott Hua Hin: Tropical Safari

This red Thai sandstone carving is fashioned after a Southeast Asian millstone, traditionally made from hardwood. Siri and Pong, artists from Bensley Design Studios, painted Malaysian motifs in striking color combinations throughout the property. The infinity-edge lap pool, nestled in the midst of hundreds of mature, shady native trees already on the site, looks towards the man-made lake and the water pavilion. We experimented with the bold and variegated colors of tropical plants against the equally strong colors of the wall paint. A small courtyard is the foyer to the water pavilion. This space would not be as much fun without the detailing of the wall paints selected by the enormously talented interior designer of the club, Jeffrey Wilkes of LTW. Again, the addition of simple Malaysian motifs changes the importance of a small water feature. Designed by Lek Bunnag, the main clubhouse sports a delightful series of aligned brackets to support the library above.

Looking out over the infinity-edge pool to the pond, pier and multifunctional open-air water pavilion in this exclusive clubhouse development. The pond’s pier is flanked by lanterns modeled after the quintessential Malay kampong house.

The striking hipped roof of the three-story multipurpose pavilion is reflected in the man-made lake where giant Victoria lilies (Victoria amazonica) thrive in its warm waters. The pavilion houses a gymnasium on the ground floor, an administration office and multipurpose space on the first floor and, above this, a cosy attic-style reading room-cum-library accessed via a sculptural spiral staircase. Glimpsed through the trees on the right is the two-story open-air dining pavilion. In the foreground is the lake’s pier, an open-air water pavilion.