I had never given a moment’s thought to the slopes and steps of modern life, until the final years of my mother’s life, when she was confined to a wheelchair that turned doorways, curbs and staircases into insurmountable obstacles.
Even so, it takes a while for me to notice that the topography of the Ani Private Resort on the island of Koh Yao Noi in Thailand is entirely level, with slopes softened to gentle gradients and every staircase complemented by an adjacent lift. The facility has not been retrofitted to adhere to any codes and regulations, but instead has been built from the ground up to offer wheelchair users, or those unsteady on their feet — whether the elderly or very young, as well as families with buggies and prams — an easy, stress-free experience.
Rooms are spacious and on one level, with furniture arranged to allow wheelchair users to move around without obstruction. Doorways are made with chairs in mind and even the on-site water slide is designed to be accessible to all.
For the able-bodied, this may sound trivial, but such inclusivity is typical of the view taken by Tim Reynolds, who founded Ani Private Resorts and Ani Art Academies. He devotes his time to building the Ani portfolio, which started with a private resort in Anguilla in 2011, followed by Thailand in 2016 and Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic in 2017.
A dynamic entrepreneur and committed philanthropist, Reynolds has been a wheelchair user since 2000, following a car accident in New York. Despite his life-changing injuries, he is an artist, as well as a patron of the arts, and wants to spread a little joy with the philosophy that “everyone is entitled to a good holiday”.
Taken from the Swahili word “andjani”, which translates as “the journey ahead”, Ani is an apt name for a company that advocates a different perspective. For a start, the resorts are not really hotels and rooms cannot be booked individually. Instead, all are private and sold entirely to one party, which in the case of Ani Thailand, can be up to 20 people. They are conceived as a relaxing, laid-back space where families and friends can come together to celebrate a wedding, a milestone birthday or simply enjoy some time together.
At Ani Thailand, which sits on the east coast of the island overlooking Phang Nga Bay and the Andaman Sea, there are 22 members of staff — two more than there are guests — allowing for a seamless level of service that is exceptional yet intimate. Case in point, when we arrive at the airport on the island of Phuket (the closest to the resort), the Ani team are there to greet us by our first names. After discreetly adding labels to suitcases, our luggage vanishes, to simply reappear in our rooms later.
Inadvertently, I test the team’s hospitality to the limit when I am floored by a migraine on my first day. Feeling out of sorts on the boat between the islands, by the time we reach the resort I can barely see, and as everyone else enjoys a cooling welcome drink, I practically crawl to my room. Being poorly far from home is a grim and lonely experience, but as I lay there semi-delirious, Oil, the team member assigned to oversee our well-being, appears at my bedside with cooling towels and fresh water so quietly, I think I am imagining her. Her watchful presence is comforting, and when I rejoin the land of the living the following day, she greets me with a warm and very genuine hug.
To foster a sense of home from home, everyone is encouraged to be on first-name terms, and the resort is all-inclusive — meaning food and refreshments can be requested whenever and anywhere on the property. To facilitate this, at the time of booking, detailed questionnaires are sent out for each guest to complete, specifying dietary restrictions and allergens, so the kitchen can be fully prepared.
Activities are also discussed ahead of arrival. Do guests want to laze by the pool, or would a trip to one of the surrounding islands be of interest? How about breakfast in a rice paddy? Sundowners on a sand bank? A visit to an elephant sanctuary? Or perhaps feeding the monkeys swimming off the shore of a nearby island? The list of suggestions is long and imaginative (a returning guest, for example, will never repeat an experience unless so desired) so guests can be as busy — or otherwise — as desired. With everything from yoga to Thai massages on offer, there is plenty to do, and every evening, the following day’s itinerary appears in the room, often with a related gift.
When we try our hand at Thai cooking, for example, an apron is laid out ahead of time and, afterwards, a bamboo mortar and pestle are waiting for each of us, to better crush newly discovered ingredients back home. Likewise, when we all venture to a Muay Thai lesson on the beach, we are presented with a pair of brightly coloured traditional shorts as a keepsake.
When we attempt to make garlands from fresh jasmine blooms, or a painting on fabric with batik, the results of our labour are carefully placed in our rooms. Also, it turns out that being terrible at the same things really brings a group together.
Even meals are treated as a reason for adventure. One day, we are whisked by boat to an island for a five-star, three-course meal. As we sit around the low-slung tables, it is difficult to figure out how the chef has conjured up such delicate, delicious food on the beach of a remote, uninhabited island.
Another morning, we are transported in vintage motorbike sidecars, complete with retro goggles and helmets, to have breakfast in a rice paddy. Weaving in a long convoy through small villages and around water buffaloes, it is a magically eccentric start to the day. For another evening meal, tables are placed in the resort’s reflecting pool, leaving us to savour our meal while splashing our feet in the cool water like children.
Yet, while the resort is wonderful, it is only half of the Ani story. Following his accident, part of Reynolds’s rehabilitation was intensive art classes, specifically a curriculum created by Anthony Waichulis, who believes that “great artists are not born, they are educated”. With enough time and by following the structured syllabus, his lessons will, he claims, teach anyone to create photo-realistic paintings. While the method has stirred controversy for placing technique over talent, the results are undeniable, with graduates creating paintings and drawings that are indistinguishable from photographs.
Reynolds was so impressed with the programme, which he credits for enabling him to make peace with his disability, he has since founded six academies — two in the US and four close to the Ani resorts.
Run as not-for-profits, the aim is to “promote creative freedom through logic and discipline”, which, in Thailand, for example, resulted in the art academy being founded before the resort.
With space for 50 students, people can apply from anywhere and it is entirely free to attend, with all tuition, materials, accommodation and even food paid for by the academy. The caveat is that students must commit to four years of schooling, and be prepared to sit at the drawing easel for up to eight hours a day. The study process is slow and laborious, with challenging shading exercises even the dean, Dan Christian, describes as “intensive”.
A visit to the Ani Art Academy from the Koh Yao Noi resort reveals that this, rather than the resort, is the focal point of the company. While the resort offers a visitor experience that is several evolutionary points past luxurious, its primary function is to provide funding for the art school.
Reynolds’s dream is to foster a new generation of creativity and hopes that by training “aspiring artists” across six schools in five countries, it will help foster a community that will express “exciting new ideas, share robust cultures, and pioneer new means of connection and communication through expression on a scale not seen before”.
Reynolds’s vision is unique and inspirational, and while it may take a number of years to come to fruition, it seems he and his team are all committed to andjani, the journey ahead.
