Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort recently announced the appointment of Kevin Fawkes as the new executive chef. With two Iron Chef Thailand wins to his name, chef Fawkes is also honorary director of the Thailand Culinary Academy and a member of the British Culinary Federation.
Chef Fawkes joins Anantara Lawana from The Bitter End Yacht Club in the British Virgin Islands where he was in charge of restaurant operations as F&B director. Prior to that, between 2017 and 2021, he did two stints as culinary director for the Soneva Group Maldives overseeing all culinary operations in Soneva Fushi and Soneva in Aqua, as well as launching Soneva's artisanal cheese and charcuterie programme and founding the Soneva Food and Drink laboratory.
His previous experiences working in luxury Thai properties include running restaurant operations at The Nai Harn luxury resort on Phuket; Swissotel Nai Lert Park Hotel Bangkok; Soneva Kiri Resort and Residences Koh Kood; and Evason Phuket and Bon Island – A Six Senses Resort & Spa. Under his guidance, the latter won Thailand's Best Restaurant by Thailand Tatler magazine in 2021.
A Noma alumnus, chef Fawkes has worked for many renowned restaurants and properties outside of Thailand as well, including leading culinary teams at Al Faisaliah Hotel – A Rosewood Hotel & Resort in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Kempinski Residences & Suites in Doha, Qatar. He got his first taste of luxury hospitality at The Savoy Hotel – A Fairmont Hotel in London where he started his culinary career.
Visit anantara.com.
Treat yourself to a retreat at Kamalaya spa
Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary & Holistic Spa is set to host a series of retreats scheduled for September and October. Each retreat will be guided by wellness professionals and have been developed collaboratively with retreat leaders who hold a deep appreciation for Kamalaya's philosophy of holistic wellness, combining life-enriching insights with bespoke therapies.
The two group retreats are ideal for guests seeking personalised support and expert guidance within a nurturing setting.
The first one, "Finding Emotional Balance & Freedom", is a six-night, seven-day retreat with prices starting from 258,270 baht for double occupancy in a Hillside View room. This rate includes three meals a day, daily retreat sessions and treatments including Vital Essence Oil Massage, Traditional Asian Hand Massage, Traditional Asian Foot Massage, Indian Head Massage and Chi Nei Tsang abdominal massage. The retreat will be held from Sept 1-7.
The second one, "Yin & Yang Yoga Immersion", which will be held from Oct 6-10 is a four-night, five-day retreat with prices starting from 181,915 baht based on double occupancy in a Hillside View room and includes all meals, daily yoga sessions, one Royal Ayurvedic Massage, one Vital Essence Oil Massage and one Traditional Thai Massage. Kamalaya retreats are limited to a maximum of 12 participants.
Visit Kamalaya.com or email resvervations@kamalaya.com.
Free virtual mantra class
Museflower Retreat & Spa Chiang Rai is offering a new free online mantra meditation workshop titled "How To Use Mantra To Support You Through Transition" on Aug 27 from 10.30am to 12pm.
This workshop teaches participants how to use a mantra to calm their minds, feel more stable, connected with inner peace, mentally lighter and thus more confident and less anxious. This workshop is taught by Tania Ho, Museflower Retreat founder and director, who is a trained holistic practitioner and meditation teacher.
Mantra is a group of words that people chant over and over again. Each word has a specific vibration, which creates a rhythm that relaxes the mind, which in turn helps connect people to their own inner wisdom and peace within. This workshop will teach one mantra, including a group chanting practice and meditation (japa practice), time for journalling and group sharing. No previous experience is required. This workshop is perfect for beginners and anyone interested in exploring the power of mantra.
Visit musefloweretreat.com.
More flights on Bangkok-Seoul route
Thai AirAsia X is increasing its flight frequency for its Suvarnabhumi to Seoul route to 10 flights per week starting in October, just in time for the country's colourful and cool autumn season.
Travellers can now enter South Korea without any quarantine requirements. Guests are advised to check out the full details of entry at k-eta.go.kr and cov19ent.kdca.go.kr.
Visit airasia.com.
