Thailand’s top getaways this October

Sea Fire Salt, the beachfront restaurant at Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, hands over its kitchen to guest chef Esca Khoo for one night of cooking by the sea. Born in Malaysian Borneo and now based in Melbourne, Khoo has worked at Noma Sydney and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. His playful neo-Asian approach includes a signature kangaroo skewer glazed with Vegemite and topped with macadamia satay – a dish that gives you some idea of his appetite for the unexpected. Live music accompanies the evening.

The setting is no slouch either. Anantara sits on Mai Khao Beach, Phuket’s longest stretch of sand, in the island’s quieter northwest corner. Behind a tall laterite wall, tropical gardens and lagoons wind through the resort, while Sea Fire Salt has made a name for its flame-grilled seafood and selection of finishing salts. In other words, Khoo is stepping into a kitchen that already knows its way around fire.

October 30, 6.30pm-10pm. B4,900 per person. Sea Fire Salt, Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, Phuket.

Former England striker and 2001 Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen is heading back to Fares Island in Baa Atoll for the third edition of his Kids' Football Camp at Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort. 

Children aged five to 13, whatever their ability, can train with Owen across three 90-minute sessions covering first touch, passing, dribbling and ball mastery, followed by team challenges and a final match. The camp kicks off with Stories with a Legend, in which Owen looks back on a career spanning Liverpool, Real Madrid, Newcastle United and Manchester United. A farewell party, Q&A and shirt-signing session round things off, with every young player receiving a medal, certificate and official football kit.

There’s plenty for the rest of the family, too: beach Olympics, mocktail mixology, a themed movie night, pool party and sunset fishing trip. The resort sits within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll, with snorkelling accessible from its house reef. Younger guests even have their own restaurant, Petit Bistro, where grown-ups aren’t the main attraction.

October 14-17. Football camp complimentary for resort guests. Island Family Adventures from USD688 per night for two adults and one child in a Premium Beachfront Room, half board. Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort, Baa Atoll, Maldives.

Sunday lunch comes with sea views at Beach House, Anantara Layan Phuket Resort’s open-air beachfront venue overlooking Layan Bay. Its weekly House of Brunch spreads out international and Thai dishes, premium seafood and live cooking stations, with music keeping things lively and sparkling drinks on hand for those making an afternoon of it.

There’s an infinity pool nearby, daybeds within easy reach and Layan Beach stretching out in front. Choose from three drinks packages – soft drinks, Prosecco or Champagne –  each including a complimentary sunbed. So once you’ve finished eating, there’s no need to abandon your seaside spot. Simply swap the table for a lounger and let Sunday take its time.

Sundays, noon-3pm. Soft drinks B3,500; Prosecco B4,100; Champagne B4,800. All packages include a complimentary sunbed. Beach House, Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, Layan Beach, Phuket.

The Standard, Hua Hin starts October in a laid-back beach mode before turning up the mischief for Halloween. Not Your Standard Bing: The Wicked Edition brings spooky surprises, prizes and an invitation to dress to thrill. Then, on October 31, Halloween After Dark takes over the The Beachfront Lawn with a costume competition and five-set DJ sets running from sunset to midnight, headlined by Petey.

There’s more on the calendar between the Halloween festivities. Caffeine Social returns to The Juice Café with specialty coffee from BEANS Roaster and live sets from DJ Casio Culture. On Fridays, Praça Playlist supplies sultry beachside beats over dinner at the resort’s Thai izakaya. Daily lunches, afternoon tea and happy hours keep things ticking over for anyone who’d rather take it easy.

Come for a quiet weekend by the sea or pack a costume and stay for the party. Either way, Hua Hin has your October plans covered.

Not Your Standard Bingo: October 22, B250 including one drink. Halloween After Dark: October 31, 5pm-midnight, B450 in advance including one drink or B550 at the door; tables from B5,500. Caffeine Social: October 25. Praça Playlist: Fridays, 6.30pm-9.30pm. The Standard, Hua Hin.

Champagne takes centre stage at FishHouse Restaurant & Bar, where Kimpton Kitalay Samui’s A Toast to the Sea brings together seafood, premium beef and five Champagne pairings.

Dinner opens with a Gillardeau oyster topped with Oscietra caviar, followed by Hokkaido scallop crudo with yuzu and ikura, paired with Drappier Brut Nature Zero Dosage. Next comes Ikejime Songkhla Lake barramundi with roasted tomato and pine nut, accompanied by  Gremillet Blanc de Blancs Brut.

The centrepiece is half a Phuket spiny lobster with saffron risotto, courgette ribbons and Champagne hollandaise, matched with Bollinger Special Cuvée. Australian Black Angus beef tenderloin with black garlic jus follows, poured alongside Demoiselle Vranken Rosé.

Dessert keeps the Champagne theme going: jelly made with the bubbly, vanilla Chantilly and strawberry sorbet, served with Duval-Leroy Edouard d'Eulalie Extra Brut. Five Champagnes, plenty of seafood and a good reason to linger over dinner by the Gulf.

October 8, 6pm-10pm. B4,500++ per person. FishHouse Restaurant & Bar, Kimpton Kitalay Samui, Koh Samui. 

RXV Wellness Village, the sister property of RAKxa Integrative Wellness, has introduced a new Wellness Getaway Programme designed to work in as little as one night. Set on the heritage grounds of Suan Samran, the property takes a more social and approachable angle on wellness than RAKxa's clinical model, though the new programme still opens with a proper medical grounding: a consultation with a wellness doctor and a functional strength assessment, both included when you stay.

From there, activities are built around treatment credit, redeemable against any session or lab investigation at the property's Wellness Jai, Wellness Gaya or Wellness Clinic, alongside full board wellness meals covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and a wellness tea set. You also get one daily group wellness class and a single session of Bor Naam hydrotherapy per night, the perfect reset programme for a long weekend.

Rooms upgrade separately from the package itself, from a Superior Panorama River View Room up to the Presidential Suite and children staying as non-programme guests are priced by age bracket.

Wellness Getaway Programme, from B20,000 per person or B18,500 per person with double occupancy. RXV Wellness Village, Suan Sampran. Stays through October 31, 2027

Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach has launched the Kids on Us Family Explorer Package, built around its beachfront setting on Phuket's sunset coast. Mornings start with breakfast for two adults and up to two children at The Andaman Kitchen and kids get a Nai Yang Explorer Passport to work through resort activities for a reward at the end, alongside complimentary access to the Kids' Club.

There's a pizza or mocktail-making session included, plus one family activity per stay, with options that include a nature walk, a Thai craft workshop, towel folding or a traditional krathong making class. Children eat free from the kids' menu at The Andaman Kitchen and Big Fish when dining with parents, get a daily ice lolly, and the whole family gets 15% off restaurants, bars and Quan Spa.

Kids on Us Family Explorer Package, includes daily breakfast for 2 adults and up to 2 children. Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach. Bookings and stays through September 30

Yue Restaurant & Bar at Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town has released the Mid-Autumn Heritage Collection, a mooncake gift set built around four flavours – Imperial Golden Twin Yolk Lotus, Auspicious Ruby Goji Red Bean, Jade Pandan Lotus Royale and Celestial Matcha Moon – packaged in a keepsake box designed after the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Phuket Old Town. Timed to the festival's tradition of reunion and gratitude, it's built for family gifting with each box meant to carry a bit of Phuket's own heritage along with it. The box itself is built to outlast the festival, perfect for repurposing as chic storage once the mooncakes are gone.

Early bird price B1,288 per box for orders placed August 20-September 20. Yue Restaurant & Bar, Courtyard by Marriott Phuket Town. Pick-up from September 18