I'm pleased to say I can recognize betel nut palms, Indian coral trees and banana trees with 10-foot leaves. Tall teak trees provide deep shade under their large dark-green leaves. The hotel's bamboo groves boast four types of bamboo, in Asia an important resource, used for furniture and even strong enough for building scaffolding. Hibiscus, frangipani and Veronica grow plentifully. The sweet heady perfume of flowering jasmine and mock orange adds to the pleasures.
Orchids grow on trees.
Ponds hold giant lilies and lotus flowers. Buddhists revere lotus as sacred symbols, offering the buds to the Buddha. The rooms and suites were designed in clusters of pavilions raised on stilts, similar to a northern Thai village. They are connected by walkways and sport elegantly curving roofs. Most striking are the gabled buttresses, a design found on ancient temples.