Seven spots in Asia where clothing is just a chore
By Cynthia Rosenfeld 8 October, 2010
While plunge pools pervade in Asia, very few allow us to disrobe entirely without embarrassing exposure. Here are seven of the most private, most luxurious places to ditch the bathing suit for maximum skinny dip satisfaction.
Also on CNNGo: 15 more sexy skinny dips
1. Phuket Pavilions, Thailand
Roll straight from bed into the wet spot, a deep 40 x 13 foot infinity pool outside each Andaman Sea-facing villa at Phuket Pavilions where the motto “no tan lines, no interruptions” means exactly that for couples yearning for none other than each other.
Stealthy staff live up to that promise, delivering service without a sound. That includes poolside massages where silently giggling female therapists know to leave guests to create their own happy endings.
Raid the maxi-bar stocked with Veuve Clicquot and Hagen Daaz ice cream.
US$629 per night;
thepavilionsresorts.com/phuket-home
2. River House, Sri Lanka
Forget breakfast in bed. Wake each other up in the Menik Suite’s east-facing plunge pool as the sun rises over the coconut palms dappled across Sri Lanka’s River House.
Raise each other’s body heat well above the water temperature then slip back inside to climb atop the pillow strewn four-poster bed.
One dominates each of five antique-filled rooms at this inland retreat on the Madhu River, three hours’ drive south of Colombo’s international airport.
The ancient Greeks didn’t call this island Serendib, Garden of Eden for nothing.
From November to March, play Adam and Eve around this seven-acre slice of tropical paradise, luring one another upstairs and back into the buff.
US$373-485 per night;
www.anilana.com
3. Banyan Tree Lijiang, China
High Naxi tiled walls encourage undressing with abandonment inside the pool villas at Banyan Tree Lijiang some 7,900 feet above sea level.
Outside of May to August when seasonal fields of rhododendrons reach full bloom, expect to raise a few goose bumps while streaking into these pools that are heated but not too hot for a good frolic.
Come up together for air in the shadow of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the climax of this Himalayan panorama.
US$618 per night;
banyantree.com/en/lijiang/overview
4. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan
With every rattle of a palm frond, it is hard not to wonder what other creatures are taking pleasure in this dense bamboo jungle.
That and the occasional screams of rafters thrusting along the otherwise Sacred Ayung River are the only sounds to intrude upon the privacy of each villa at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan.
All 42 thatched maxi-huts come with an outdoor shower that overlooks the river valley and a plunge pool that releases itself endlessly into the jungle’s steamy abyss.
Nudists notwithstanding, no one need fear overexposure. Farmers on the other bank are nearly naked themselves and too far away to make out the state of play.
US$680-850 per night;
Fourseasons.com
5. Trisara, Thailand
Size matters at Trisara on Phuket’s northwest shore where all 39 villas are well endowed for maximum pleasure.
When the urge arises, all glass French doors open onto a longer than average, 10-meter cerulean plunge that appears to drip into the Andaman Sea, seen at its best from December to March.
No swimsuits or cover ups required, thanks to a profusion of jungle foliage expertly tended by 30 Thai gardeners that turn each of these outdoor playpens into secret sanctuaries.
Scattered about are piles of towels to dry each other off before interlacing still damp limbs on the roomy double sun bed.
Between diving in and winding down, get your hands wet and sticky by feeding each other from the villa’s daily replenishment of aphrodisiac chocolate truffles and luscious Thai mangoes.
US$600-1,230 per night;
trisara.com
6. Taj Exotica Maldives
Artificial pools would be a ridiculous addition to the swimsuit and bikini-dropping gorgeousness of the Maldives.
The couple’s treatment in the Alepa Suite at the end of a private jetty is as the name of this Taj property suggests; exotic.
Before exposing delicate skin to sun, guests at Taj Exotica can build up to swimming in the buff with four different hot and cold experience showers, and seaside sun beds with Maldivian herbal mud-loving therapists plying their trade.
After being slathered in mud and loosened up on cocktails and exotic fruit snacks, its time to grab the pretty gal or studly guy, drop the pretense and swim with the lion fish and wrasse (don’t worry gents, your better bits won’t be a main target of the local wildlife.)
US$800 per night;
tajhotels.com
7. Soneva Gili, Maldives
Had Robinson set sail with Mrs. Crusoe in tow, he might have gotten lucky and washed up at Soneva Gili in the Maldives.
Balanced on stilts above a shallow lagoon, the Robinson Crusoe Residences are the seven most photogenic over-water villas ever to take the character's name.
With the closest neighbor at least 1,000 feet away and no sign of the butler unless requested, couples are left entirely alone. Splash around the Indian Ocean or even snorkel naked among damsels and Oriental Sweet Lips.
US$1,593 per night;
sixsenses.com
