editorial

<p class="da-article-byline">Words by Lorria Sahmet<br />June 15, 2026</p>
<p><em>With the opening of Rava Beach Club, Laguna Phuket welcomes a new chapter in developing a luxury lifestyle community that preserves the beauty of its natural surroundings.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><span class="dropcap">D</span>ay breaks at Laguna Phuket on the island’s western coast, still enshrouded in a misty morning haze, with the faint, sweet-smelling fragrance of blossoming frangipani trees carried on the sea breeze. Home to six hotels and resorts, this tropical destination is also a thriving seaside community where daily routines begin like clockwork.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some revel in the luxury of time, shuttling sleepily to breakfast buffets at luxurious five-star resorts, while others return to rituals more ordinary—school drop-offs, dog-walks, or energizing morning jogs. It’s this balance and coexistence that characterize one of Asia’s most prominent integrated resorts, where world-class hospitality projects share the 400-hectare sprawl of lush parkland with ocean-view residential properties to create a distinct sense of place.</span></p>
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/laguna-phuket-before-regeneration-web/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-before-regeneration-web.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Laguna Phuket before regeneration" aria-describedby="gallery-1-157279" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-before-regeneration-web.jpg 900w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-before-regeneration-web-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-before-regeneration-web-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:900px;" /></a>
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				BEFORE. In 1984, the founders of the Banyan Group purchased a 222-hectare plot of land at Bang Tao Bay. At the time, the area was a scarred, cratered “moonscape” left behind by an abandoned open-pit tin-mining operation. The soil was severely stripped of nutrients and highly acidic, and the water in the giant craters had turned an unnatural, toxic cobalt blue.
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/laguna-phuket-after-regeneration-web/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-after-regeneration-web.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Aerial view of Laguna Phuket after regeneration" aria-describedby="gallery-1-157280" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-after-regeneration-web.jpg 900w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-after-regeneration-web-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna-Phuket-after-regeneration-web-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:900px;" /></a>
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				AFTER. Those beautiful, interconnected lagoons that guests ride boats across today to get between the luxury hotels are actually the old, flooded tin-mining pits. Laguna Phuket opened its first flagship resort (Banyan Tree Phuket) in 1994, turning what was once Phuket’s biggest environmental scar into Asia’s first integrated eco-resort complex.
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/lagunalakelands_wfvlvr_aerial01_hires1/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1080" height="765" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna20Lakelands_WFV2020LVR_aerial2001_hires201.webp" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Banyan Group&#039;s Laguna Lakelands residential community offers a front-row seat to this triumph of sustainable design, where luxury living integrates with a regenerated ecosystem." aria-describedby="gallery-1-157589" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna20Lakelands_WFV2020LVR_aerial2001_hires201.webp 1080w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna20Lakelands_WFV2020LVR_aerial2001_hires201-300x213.webp 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna20Lakelands_WFV2020LVR_aerial2001_hires201-1024x725.webp 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Laguna20Lakelands_WFV2020LVR_aerial2001_hires201-768x544.webp 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" style="width:100%;height:70.83%;max-width:1080px;" /></a>
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				Banyan Group’s Laguna Lakelands residential community offers a front-row seat to this triumph of sustainable design, where luxury living integrates with a regenerated ecosystem.
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This was not always the case for Laguna. Once an abandoned tin mine, the derelict land was dismissed as too polluted and too toxic to build upon, let alone live on. Claire Chiang and Ho Kwon Ping, the Singapore-based founders of the Banyan Group and Laguna Phuket, spent seven long years revitalizing the barren landscape, which eventually became the site of the group’s first-ever Banyan Tree resort, officially opened in 1994. Known for breathtaking properties rooted in sustainability, the brand made waves with <a href="https://destinasian.com/partner-content/sanctuary-redefined-spa-pool-villas-by-banyan-tree-phuket">Banyan Tree Phuket</a>, whose pool villas were a clever solution to overcome the resort’s less advantageous location away from the beach. In bringing the water directly to guests by way of private pools, the property inadvertently introduced a new chapter of luxury hospitality, marking the rise of all–pool villa resorts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Almost three decades later, the development has welcomed another milestone with the recent opening of Rava Beach Club. Secreted away in its own quiet 180-meter stretch of Bang Tao Beach, Rava is billed as the longest beach club in Thailand. </span></p>
<p>Laguna Phuket’s managing director, Paul Wilson, tells me, “Rava Beach Club is a new chapter for us; it shows our commitment to creating a luxury beach club experience, while staying conscious of responsible tourism.” Beyond offering devoted Banyan Tree loyalists their long-awaited beachfront access, the opening of Rava also meets another facet of Laguna’s sustainability commitments—building and nurturing strong local connections. “By supporting local artisans, we are actively preserving the beauty of our surroundings.”</p>
<p>Designed to blend into its tropical setting, Rava brings together indoor and outdoor relaxation in soft, earth-toned spaces of organic finishes and natural touches. Warm woods sit alongside smooth stone surfaces, with pebbled pathways leading to breezy pockets that frame the glittering ocean just beyond. At the entrance, a striking bamboo overhang inter-woven with swathes of billowing fabric invites a soothing state of mind. “There&#8217;s really a distinct blend of relaxation and elegance here,” Paul adds.</p>
<p>It’s also here where Laguna’s diverse population is most palpable: a series of social spaces have been designed for various crowds, from multi-generational families to couples, with differing approaches to entertainment from low-key daytime relaxation of Champagne brunches to lively evening events, including a flame-hissing fire show every Thursday evening.</p>
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/rava-beach-club-6908-1/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6908-1.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="A cocktail on the table at Rava Bech Club, Phuket." srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6908-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6908-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6908-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6908-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:1200px;" /></a>
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/rava-beach-club-6687-1/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6687-1.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="The dining room at Rava Beach Club, Phuket." srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6687-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6687-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6687-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-6687-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:1200px;" /></a>
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/rava-beach-club-7006-1/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7006-1.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Chef at the grill of Rava Beach Club Laguna Phuket" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7006-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7006-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7006-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7006-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:1200px;" /></a>
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/rava-beach-club-7104-enhanced-nr-1/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7104-Enhanced-NR-1.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="An overhead shot of the chef plating up a chicken dish at Chef at the grill of Rava Beach Club Laguna Phuket" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7104-Enhanced-NR-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7104-Enhanced-NR-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7104-Enhanced-NR-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7104-Enhanced-NR-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:1200px;" /></a>
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				<a href='https://staging.destinasian.com/editorial/witnessing-the-regenerative-tides-of-change-at-laguna-phuket/rava-beach-club-7275-1/'><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1200" height="800" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7275-1.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full" alt="Two women walk past the striking kitchen canopy at Rava Beach Club Laguna Phuket." srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7275-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7275-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7275-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rava-Beach-Club-7275-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" style="width:100%;height:66.67%;max-width:1200px;" /></a>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thai-inspired touches are evident at the anchoring bar, which serves cocktails infused with foraged ingredients and local influences. At the sculptural grill, dry-aged cuts and chargrilled seafood are seasoned with fresh herbs. Also located within Rava is Prestige, a secluded space reserved exclusively for Laguna residents. Here, traditional residential amenities are redefined with plush daybeds and a glittering infinity pool, set to the soothing soundtrack of the Andaman Sea’s lapping surf.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nowadays, regenerative projects, including the afforestation of pocket forests using the Miyawaki method, make up a large part of Laguna Phuket’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> A focus on community is also staunchly woven into the infrastructure that ties together Laguna’s various facilities, which include an award-winning 18-hole golf course and a wellness and healthcare center by Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, all connected via land-based electric shuttles as well as boats that glide peacefully over the placid waters of the area’s lagoons.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With any mention of sustainable hospitality in Phuket, Laguna undoubtedly comes to mind—it remains one of the island’s most referenced examples of environmental restoration. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Its portfolio continues to evolve with real estate and hospitality developments, in addition to plans that share Laguna’s community-driven concept. F</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">or instance, a new 2.5-kilometer walking trail will soon link expansive parks and wellness spaces to support biodiversity in the area, home to numerous native species including tropical birds and lizards that can grow up to three meters.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">United by glistening lagoons and rolling hills, with Sirinat National Park a short drive to the north, Laguna Phuket draws in a worldly international crowd, whether as a transient traveler or a longer-time resident. There are curious first-timers and eager returnees who come with the hopes of a new holiday abode—all bound by the same shared inclination of slow living in a luxurious slice of paradise.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Photographs of Rava Beach Club by <a href="https://destinasian.com/contributor/christopher-wise">Christopher Wise</a></p>


Rava Beach Club, Laguna Phuket pool and deck chairs

Witnessing Regenerative Tides of Change at Laguna Phuket