Jim Algie glides through the corridors of  Kho Samui’s Anantara Resort in a pair of Ghost Rider shorts

As I walked into my deluxe room in the Anantara Resort and Spa on Koh Samui, my frst impression was that it seemed a little small and Spartan. But then I noticed there was a monkey sitting on the bed. It had been folded out of towels, the red eyes and mouth formed out of rose petals.

Reappraising the room, I now saw all the strik­ing and artistic details, like the batik-pat­terned cover adorning the bed, which sat atop the wooden platform, and a platter of Chinese pears and wedges of Thai sweets rich with co­conut. Out on the balcony there was a love seat built into the railing for sun-basking during the day or star-gawking at night. From that vantage point, I drank in a slice of sea and a slumbering dragon of an island in the distance.

Checking out the bathroom, my eyes alighted on the big ter­razzo bathtub, the woodcut painting of a red and gold Siamese fighting fish on the wall, a phone beside the toilet, and then the two bottles of mineral water in little rattan containers. There were also some other little surprises and flashes of humor, like the sign above the mini-bar that read, “Need ice for a drink? Dial 6 and we’ll be there in a blink.” Not exactly Paradise Lost, but one doesn’t expect attempts at rhyming couplets from ho­teliers. And that made me wonder if they had a poet-in-resi­dence to compose these lines as well as sonnets for the guests. (Note to the resort’s courteous General Manager Bodo Klin­genberg: If the position is still open I’m your hack for hire, but please, no requests for iambic pentameter.)

Without all the clutter that can crowd an upscale room, all these little touches had the space to stand out more.

But the Anantara also has all the amenities any upscale trave­ler could hope for; a luxurious spa, two on-site restaurants (Thai and Italian), a classy cocktail lounge, as well as an infin­ity pool that affords sea vistas. The resort is nicely situated on Boh Phut, with the rustic Fisherman’s Village just a 10-minute stroll down the beach.

The pool, surrounded by Fiji fan palms, is another watershed of artistry. On the bottom are colorful mosaics of different sea creatures. The undulation of the waves makes it look like they’re swimming along right beneath you. Dotted with two little islands and monkey statues spouting water, the pool has a bar at one end, so you can swim right over for a cocktail or fruit shake, while the other end looks over the beach and ocean. At night they set up tables on the beach for seafood barbecues.

The big  stone archway  leading  into  the  spa gives onto a  wooden  walkway  surrounded  by  water  lilies. Once again,  it  was  the  little  details  that  impressed. In the changing rooms the metal taps for the sink, flled with glass stones, were shaped like silver lotus blossoms. Beside the sink was a tiny gong they told me to bang when I was  ready, briefy  allowing me  to  live out my Chow Yun-Fat/Chinese  emperor  fantasy.  Come  hither  yon
sultry, Oriental handmaidens. (I promise to modernize the poetry on the job, Bodo.)

For  any of you guys who haven’t been  converted  into true  metrosexuals  yet,  here’s  a  sentence  of  advice: Choose your spa-going underwear carefully. I made the mistake of forgoing my usual Tai silk boxers for a pair of shorts emblazoned with the flaming skull logo of the recent Nicholas Cage vehicle Ghost Rider – a garment more beftting a forklift operator than an emperor – and boy did I feel infantile. However, the amiable and attentive spa ladies were kind enough not to have a fit of the giggles when they saw my ludicrous boxers.

The spa’s signature treatment is the three-hour “Culture of Anantara.” It begins with a four-handed massage that really rubbed me the right way. It’s particularly pleasurable when  one  therapist  is massaging  your  feet while the other works on the nape of your neck, resulting in a  full-bodied  treatment  that  includes  elements  of five different massage styles: Tai, Shiatsu, Lomi Lomi, Balinese and Swedish. For  shining up  lackluster muscles and giving the gleam of life to dull skin, the masseuses have  the  Midas  touch. This  treatment also  includes some skin-polishing clay and sea salt scrubs, along with a mud steam bath.

The  spa  has  six magnificent  suites.  Each  is  equipped with floor-to-ceiling windows,  looking out on  lagoons and gardens,  lush with  foliage. But  there are plenty of other treatments to choose from, like the “Elemis Aroma Stone Terapy Massage,” and  even manicures and pedicures and an assortment of elemis facials.

No  less  impressive are the on-site restaurants: the Full Moon which seems to float above the pool and sea, and the  High  Tide,  overlooking  the  lavishly  landscaped grounds  designed  by  the  award-winning Bill Bensley. At  the  latter  restaurant,  I would vouch  for  the Caesar salad, prepared right by the table, and a gourmet pizza, which is big enough to feed a couple, or a single Sumo wrestler.

Another ace in the Anantara’s deck is their “Wine Guru,” Jirachai Sethisak­ko, who writes a blog of the same name on the resort’s website. Jirachai, who speaks both English and French with wit and élan, is a true connoisseur of the grape. His recommendations for a white wine with the salad and an Ital­ian red with the pizza were impeccable. Unfortunately, the wines proved to be so intoxicating that I still can’t decode the hieroglyphics I scrawled about their names. (Don’t worry, Bodo, I’m working on my short-hand now).

It’s also worth noting that the restaurant is one of only eight bars and eateries in all of Thailand that has been awarded a certificate by the well-respected Wine Spectator magazine for its extensive list of 150 wines.

Meetings, weddings, daytrips, sunset cocktail cruises, or even deluxe meals served on your terrace, the grounds, or even up on the roof, are all on the menu at this boutique resort that, besides some 80 Deluxe Rooms, also boasts 18 Suites and six Royal Suites, if you’re really in a Chow Yun-Fat kind of mood.

When I returned to my room for the final night’s sleep, I found another little surprise waiting for me. Next to the elephant sitting on the bed that had been fashioned out of towels and rose petals was an actual leaf. Written on it with a white crayon was: “Tomorrow’s Weather. Sunshine.”

The poet-in-residence had struck again! And topped me once more with his or her minimalism whilst I was gushing purple prose in praise of Italian vineyards.

A member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World Group, which also in­cludes close cousins in Hua Hin and Chiang Rai, the Anantara Resort and Spa proves that sometimes smaller is better – and a whole lot more hospita­ble – even when you’re the hack with the Ghost Rider shorts.