Thailand’s top 5 getaways this January

Slow things down at InterContinental Khao Yai Resort with a curated daypass designed for switching off without committing to an overnight stay. Set among a swan-filled lake and lush landscaped grounds, the experience channels the romance of vintage rail travel while blending wellness, dining and gentle exploration into a single, unhurried escape.

Choose between full or half-day options, both beginning with a welcome drink and time at the spa before a two-course lunch at Somying’s Kitchen. The day continues with pool access at The Water Tank, cycling around Swan Lake and afternoon tea served inside the lakeside Tea Carriage, with a charming tram ride completing the journey. It’s an easy, elegant way to step into Khao Yai’s cooler January air, even if only for the day.

Full-day pass from B2,950, half-day pass from B1,950. Reserve via khaoyai.intercontinental.com. InterContinental Khao Yai Resort.

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai is leaning into the season with an expanded programme of restorative sound-based healing experiences set amid rice paddies and misty mountain backdrops. The resort’s wellness offering now places crystal sound healing and vibration sound baths at its core, designed to restore balance through frequency, breath and deep listening.

Led by the resort’s in-house wellness team, sessions blend sound healing with meditation and breathwork, using carefully calibrated vibrations to ease physical tension and quiet the nervous system. There’s also Reiki healing on a heated crystal quartz bed, where gentle warmth and subtle vibrations encourage profound relaxation and a sense of grounded calm.

Framed by nature and guided by Chiang Mai’s slower pace of life, the experience feels especially attuned to the start of the year, offering a reset that’s immersive, elemental and unhurried.

Prices vary. Reserve via fourseasons.com/chiangmai. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, Mae Rim.

The newly opened beachfront retreat by La Flora Group sits on Bang Niang Beach, designed as a sanctuary where the sun and water shape the pace of each day. Guided by the philosophy of simply being, the resort moves gently from soft-lit mornings to pool-and-beach afternoons and sunset-led evenings, all by the sea.

The 144-room property offers a range of stays, from streamlined deluxe rooms and spacious two-bedroom suites to garden villas, family villas with bunk-bed zones and private pool villas. Days unfold between SOLMARE, the all-day beachfront restaurant, a tropical main pool, SOLBAR’s sunrise-to-sunset beach views and CLUB STELLA, a relaxed social lounge made for easy gatherings.

Effortless, calm and unhurried, La Solaya Khao Lak feels tailor-made for a January reset.

Prices vary. Reserve via lasolayakhaolak.com. La Solaya Khao Lak.

Khao Lak is calling! Avani+ Khao Lak Resort liven things up with two new beachfront hangouts designed to carry guests from relaxed afternoons into sunset-led nights. CoCo – Fire Beach Club arrives as a barefoot playground by the sea, blending spa-facing salas, food trucks, DJ sets and movie nights under the stars into an easygoing, all-day rhythm.

Running alongside it, Mizu Bar introduces a Japanese coastal dining concept with ocean views and a laidback pace. The menu focuses on sushi, grilled skewers and comfort-driven Japanese favourites, paired with sake and Japanese-inspired cocktails suited to long lunches or sunset dinners.

Together, the two openings add a social, sunset-driven layer to Avani+ Khao Lak’s January escape, balancing family-friendly fun with beachside energy.

Prices vary. Reserve via avanihotels.com. Avani+ Khao Lak Resort.

Recalibration needed? Layan Life at Anantara Phuket introduces two new gut-focused wellness programmes designed to restore balance from the inside out. The Detox Cleanse & Gut Reset programme offers a gentle, holistic reset combining personalised consultation, abdominal massage, colonic hydrotherapy and a liver detox IV vitamin drip, alongside a choice of stretching, yoga or pranayama.

For a more clinical approach, the Gut Reset – Precision Diagnostics programme focuses on evidence-based assessment, beginning with consultations with a medical doctor and nutritionist. Advanced testing covers food intolerance, gut microbiome health, micronutrients, vitamin D levels and inflammation markers, forming the foundation for tailored clinical and nutritional guidance aimed at long-term digestive and metabolic wellbeing.

Detox Cleanse & Gut Reset from B20,000, Gut Reset – Precision Diagnostics from B73,000. Reservations via anantara.com/layan-life. Layan Life, Phuket. Until January 31.