Aside from the concierge, it’s the divine scent of lemongrass-brewed tea and Thai Jasmine fashioned into Phuang malai (floral garlands) for your wrists that greets you upon entrance to Trisara. With such an enticing fragrance – as well as acres upon acres of magically-manicured jungle landscape – it is little wonder the resort’s name translates to ‘The Garden of the Third Heaven’.

Based in the north-west of Phuket in Thailand and overlooking the Andaman Sea, Trisara feels like a hidden sanctuary away from the rest of the world. As a fully-fledged honeymoon destination, you never even have to venture outside the gates if you so wish. And we certainly do so wish!

The rooms can’t help but be romantic. With unobscured ocean views, even Trisara’s standard villas and suites boast at least one pool, outdoor rainfall showers and complete greenery-shrouded privacy; which is fiercely guarded by the angel statue at your gate denoting occupants are in utter ‘do not disturb’ mode.

It’s tempting to languish in your own pool and watch the squirrels commute up and down the trees, listen out for the conversing tree frogs and play spot-the-gecko all day. Yet there are two types of honeymooners that Trisara is particularly adept at satisfying: the foodies and the fitness fans! Here’s how we’d find the balance on honeymoon at Trisara (marriage is all about compromise after all…)!

Take the Plunge

Food: Your introduction to Thai cuisine starts at the Seafood restaurant. Don’t be fooled by the simple name, the local ‘mama’ style of cooking served here sees heirloom recipes like addictive elevated to new heights by the chefs. Curry pastes are all made in-house. Luxurious produce such as just-hauled-in-from-the-sea lobster, black crab, Phuket oysters and plump prawns are anointed with exotic tamarind, Dhala flower and galangal.

Fitness: Never mind the old wives tales of waiting at least an hour after eating. Work it all off with a post-feast dip. Trisara is not one to rest on its laurels. Even the most basic rooms have their own private pool, while some of the grander residences have multiple(!) full sized versions. There’s the option of lazing by the resort’s pristine communal saltwater pool for a change of scenery. And of course there’s also much paddling in the azure Andaman Sea to be done. The beachfront here is virtually inaccessible to the public unless they are in possession of a yacht or a jet ski.

A Little Luxury

Food: Rivalling any degustation restaurant in Sydney or Melbourne, PRU (which stands for ‘plant, raise, understand’) brings world class farm-to-table dining to Phuket. The resort is blessed with its very own sustainable, organic farm dubbed ‘Pru Jampa’, from which it derives herbs, flowers and earthy veggies. The rest of chef Jimmy Ophorst’s delicate menu comes from foraging for goodies like seaweed, sea grapes and mushrooms, and from partnerships with local farmers and fisher people. It’s the only Michelin starred eatery in Phuket!

Fitness: For a different kind of luxury, Trisara’s yogi Khun Miw offers private, custom yoga sessions for one or two people. Naturally your work out “studio” here is nothing so common as a gym. Instead you’ll bend and stretch within the shade of lush vegetation in an open air pavilion overlooking the waves. The only hard part is deciding whether to book an Ashtanga session before dinner to work up an appetite or a Vinyasa the next day to kick-start the metabolism.

An Exploration

Food: Trisara doesn’t offer basic food tours.  Oh no. They prefer multi-day “culinary foraging experiences” involving private yachts, intimate cooking classes out at sea, tasting menus and wine matching. Honeymooners will get the chance to visit their farm and meet and greet with local ‘mamas’ – the keepers of authentic Thai food heritage – at home.

Fitness: Leaving from the Trisara’s exclusive jetty (the only one on the West Coast), private seafaring charters and snorkelling tours are available upon request. The most accessible under-the-sea destination near the resort surrounds Koh Waeo – a tiny island you can spy from your villa. It’s a national park under the sea.

The Couple who Learns Together…

Food: Sure Trisara’s chefs are world class, but there’s nothing quite as nurturing as feeding the one you love yourself. Private cooking classes are on offer at the resort under the watchful eye of the kitchen team. Select which local dishes you’d like to try, whip them up from a bounty of fresh, locally-sourced and exotic produce and then dine on one of your first truly memorable meals as a married couple.

Fitness: Part of any marriage with longevity is understanding how to fight in a healthy way. But I don’t think this is what the experts mean. You’ve got the ring so get in the ring and try a little Muay Thai lesson with you own professional trainer. That’s Thai Kick Boxing, a discipline that’s been around since the 18th century and is a work out and a half for honeymooners.

Hungry or game for even more?

For the foodies there are private in-villa barbeques cooked by your own chef, breakfasts dripping with fresh honeycomb straight from the hive, lazy weekend jazz brunches plus addictive Tom Yam Goong and zesty Pomelo Salad to feast on al fresco underneath swaying palm trees. Who needs room service?

For the fitness fans the benefit of the location is a myriad of water sports at your doorstep. Trisara offers sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and stand-up paddle boards and there are sports cruisers available for fishing expeditions too. Can you hear the Andaman sea (and exercise-driven endorphins) calling to you yet?

Consider honeymoon heaven found!

Photography courtesy Trisara, DDEN & Andrew Maccoll.

Ms Zebra Says: Ohhhh wow! What a resort? Such an incredible line up of food, activites and pure relaxtion. I’ll be on the next flight!

About Ms Fleur De Lys: Aside from being Ms Polka’s Editorial Assistant, Ms Fleur de Lys is also Polka Dot Bride’s Melbourne correspondent so you’ll see her running all over town finding wedding inspiration. As both a lifestyle journalist and cocktail aficionado, Fleur appreciates the power of words whipped up as deftly as a good martini.