Bangkok-based developer Montara Hospitality Group (MHG) is investing THB 6,600bn (US$209m, £165m) into Asia’s upcoming largest destination and most comprehensive wellness residential community, Tri Vananda, in Phuket, Thailand.

Scheduled for completion in 2022, the project is being developed with the help of industry figures Sue Harmsworth and Amy McDonald.

McDonald’s wellness consultancy, Under a Tree, has been commissioned to provide wellness for conceptual and technical pre-opening services, while Harmsworth is acting as wellness advisor to MHG.

Spread across 230 acres in a hillside setting, the community will be surrounded by lakes and anchored by a wellness resort specialising in cognitive wellbeing and integrative and functional medicine, with a focus on blending the best of medical and holistic wellness.

Although the project has been ongoing for 15 months and is awaiting construction, the team recently reviewed final plans following the global pandemic to ensure the project is designed to suit the needs and expectations of future guests in a post-COVID-19 landscape.

Tri Vananda’s health and wellness amenities are planned to include a health centre equipped with consultation rooms for medical and preventative treatments and traditional Thai medicine therapies, a cognitive health centre, and facilities for functional health diagnostics aimed at treating residents and guests with tailored programmes.

The destination is going to focus, in particular, on the importance of cognitive health, the gut microbiome, respiratory health and building a strong immune system.

In addition, guests will able to visit a 30-treatment-room-spa with separate-sex thermal rooms, relaxation spaces, a hammam, sauna and private spa suites, as well as a lake-side fitness centre with a swimming pool, gym, juice bar and lake pier for recreational water sports.

The destination has been conceptualised to welcome all ages to experience wellness and will include a dedicated club for young visitors aged 8-13 years, designed to help foster a wellness-led lifestyle.

The club will offer a range of activities such as foraging, cooking and crafting as well as educational experiences to teach younger guests about wellness topics such as skincare, health, meditation and yoga.

“One of the main differentiators of this project is its approach to meet each guest wherever they are on their own wellness journey,” said McDonald. “So often wellness properties cater only to adults and Tri Vananda acknowledges the importance of wellness for younger family members.”

The vision for Tri Vananda is also heavily influenced by spirituality which motivated the inclusion of a dedicated mindfulness centre with visiting monks, situated atop one of the destination’s six lakes, with an indoor hall and outdoor areas for meditation.

“Tri Vananda is a unique next-generation project,” said Harmsworth, speaking exclusively to Spa Business, “often wellness destinations tend to be focused on either medical or holistic wellness, but this project presents a new solution where the two are seamlessly blended together.”

The resort’s accommodation offering will consist of 298 solar-powered villas – ranging from one to four bedrooms – designed by Habita Architects together with Arsom Silp Institute of the Arts. They will range in size from 270 to 750sq m and will be completed with interior design by award-winning P49 Deesign.

70 villas will be designated for wellness destination visiting guests while the remainder will be sold as residential homes, with a pre-sale beginning in August.

The low-density development will be built with sustainability at its heart and aim for carbon-neutrality and LEED certification. It will operate with environmentally-friendly practices including a tiered wetland filtration system with a botanical garden to collect, clean and store water; an organic, non-toxic farm to supply the restaurants onsite; nature trails; and renewable energy facilities such as floating solar panels on the lakes.

“Our residents and guests will enjoy some of the most fundamental and cherished attributes for overall wellbeing like clean air and access to nature – which are increasingly lost in urban settings – while having access to proven health and wellness therapies and programmes,” said MHG CEO Kittisak Pattamasaevi.

In preparation for construction, MHG is currently revitalising the project area and ensuring the quality of land, air and water.