Awei Pila, an exclusive resort set on a remote tropical island in Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago, will open its doors to guests on December 15.
Owned by the Yangon-based Memories Group, the newly constructed property is a fascinating and magical virgin destination. It is at once enchanting and edgy, and guests may feel delightfully mischievous as they experience the wonder of laying the first footsteps on an untouched paradise.
Discover the majesty of the Mergui – for decades off-limits to visitors – a labyrinth of some 800 islands, atolls and coral reefs, which was until recently a haven only to a handful of mariners, pirates and indigenous Moken or “sea gypsy” fishing families.
It is on the secluded island of Pila that Memories Group has invested alongside a local partner. Pila lies some 50 nautical miles from Kawthaung, the nearest port. It has a single source of fresh water, 10 as yet unexplored sandy beaches, a host of birds, including hornbills, and coves alive with fish, dugongs and turtles. The local village boasts one wooden pier, a Buddhist temple, and a single wooden shack bar with a pool table. You won’t find any pulsating nightlife here, no traffic lights or cars, no high-rise hotels. In fact, there’s very little to remind you that you’re in the 21st century at all.
The 24 tented villas of Awei Pila overlook a long, crescent-shaped white-sand beach and sapphire waters. Each suite is cool, comfortable and spacious with a pitched ceiling, and has a private terrace offering sensuous vistas of the sea, the jungle or both. Though tranquil in nature, the resort does have several activities for guests to choose from: scuba diving, yachting, kayaking, snorkelling, fishing trips, a spa, cooking classes, and evenings of campfire dinners and cocktails.
It is general manger Jon Bourbaud and his team’s primary aim to create minimum impact on this idyllic environment. Solar panels have been installed; water is conserved and wastewater meticulously treated. We do not run day-trips to photograph the local Moken people; instead we are building a school for their children, while our chef negotiates buying some of their daily catch.
It could be said that this is a destination where you can disconnect and, ultimately, reconnect to the world. That’s why we say that Awei Pila is barefoot luxury at its finest.
Awei Pila will be open seasonally (closed June to September every year). All-inclusive packages start at US$750 per day for a villa for two persons.
Address: North Bay, Pila Island, Kawthaung, Myanmar (Burma)
Phone: +95 9 500 5990
