"Be good to nature": Pimalai Resort & Spa

I found Nemo! The Pimalai Resort & Spa offers environmental protection and luxury on 100 acres – Petra Haubner is Hollightly: a green lifestyle blog and a style bible for sustainability fans. Petra traveled around the world in 180 sustainable days and Green Pearls showed her some of its unique eco-friendly hotels, such as the Pimalai Resort & Spa on Koh Lanta in Thailand. Here she writes about her impressions:

„Be good to nature, then nature will be good to you“. The Pimalai is a luxury resort with ecological principles. This philosophy can be experienced on 100 acres of stunning hotel grounds. There is a long list of activities that demonstrate how the Pimalai cares about its environment and the life of the locals in its surroundings. The hotel is involved in all kinds of social projects. For example, it supports the installation of a local hospital, schools and day cares and is part of a joint German and Thai education project.

All of these projects run beside the normal hotel business along with the wastewater treatment plant, their own nursery garden, different recycling projects, glass bottles instead of plastic, biological detergents or the simple fact that no tree can be cut down and nature is made part of the hotel’s architecture.

Because the Pimalai is a luxury resort these projects are just one part of its philosophy. Maybe it is also a heartfelt wish of the owner to protect and care for the local environment – a principle and not an incommodious obligation. Everything that we experience in our days here lets us feel right like at home. The service is discreet, warm-hearted and attentive. Our villa with a private pool is decorated beautifully; the food is light and luxurious without being too opulent. This place relaxes us within only a couple of hours.

This surely has to do with the breath-taking sea view from our outdoor bed. But above all it has to do with the effortlessness that the hotel irradiates despite its high standard. We let go and enjoy our days at the Pimalai.

We take a stroll at the beach, flop down in the comfortable beach chairs and spoon our fresh coconut ice cream. We sit on the balcony and let our eyes wander over the sea. We observe the monkeys swinging from tree to tree in the morning and get closer on the roof of our villa. Sometimes they visit us and seem to hope that the door to our living room is not locked. On the first day we forgot to do so. While we were still busy and enchanted by observing the cute monkey, he had already opened the living room door with his little fingers and stole a banana from our fruit bowl. Shaking with laughter and astonishment we watched him chewing his bait complacently.

Monkeys are not the only animals that call the Pimalai their home. Huge monitor lizards wade through the area, different birds and a frog from time to time. There are snakes too, but we did not get to meet one. “This is totally fine”, I think to myself.

But we saw clown fish. Nemo! Here in Thailand they are almost extinct. Since the movie „Finding Nemo“, the orange and striped fish are popular pets. People realised they can earn money with them and fished the sea dry. The Pimalai tries to settle the little fish back in. Here, we can see Nemo and learn about his home.

To get to the unpopulated island Koh Haa we have to take a boat for a 1-hour trip. Here lives Nemo with other clown fish families. We jump into the turquoise coloured water put on our goggles, and snorkel quietly dabbling past the coral reefs of the island. It’s stunning. Maybe the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The coral reef lays ahead of us, clear as glass and colourful fish swim around us.

Down there by the Sea Anemone bustles a clown fish family. Nemo is not quiet sure what to think of our visit, he stares at us aggressively. This is why we keep a distance. He turns around and continues with his relaxed bustling.

Later on, we sit on our balcony and are still delighted about the chance to see this beautiful place underneath the ocean surface. It is a special world and it is nice that there are places like the Pimalai that want to protect this underwater magic. The protection of the environment is present everywhere at the resort, without playing the main role. I like the way they work discreetly on sustainability instead of hyping every detail.