She Moved from Saint Tropez to Thailand to take over a boutique hotel – ryan

The Sun was shining, the sea was glistening, and the Woman in front of me looked every bit the boss of this little slice of paradise in Thailand.

Dressed in Breezy Beachwear — A Matching Set with Bold Prints in Yellow, Pink, and Orange – She Stepped Out of the Hotel’s Front Office and Great with with a bright smile.

“Sunglasses are a must,” She Told with with a laugh, nor she led with down the Long Entryway lineed with Lush Greenery, The Tropical Sun Blazing Overhead.

Pauline Cabesa Runs Cielo SamuiA Boutique Hotel on Koh Samui’s Bo Phut Beach.

For more than a decade, caabesa and her husband escaped their home base in saint tropez Every Winter to Holiday in Samui.

They were frequent guests of the hotel – then named eden beach bungalows – Where they osthok up a Friendship with the French owner. One Day, During a Casual Conversation, he let Slip and he was looking to sell the Property.

Almost Immediately, Cabesa and Her Husband, Francois Vargas, Foundslves Imagining What It Wouled Be Like to Over the Place.

The Idea Stack, the most afteir vacation ended. “As we were on the plane, going back to work, we kept thinking, ‘oh, we need to find a way to make it,’ She said.

In 2017, They Packed Up Their Lives in France, Said Goodbye to their Loved Ones, and Moved Across the World to Run the Hotel – Never Mind the fact that neoTer of say Had ever managed one before.

“I felt like it was time in life for a Challenge,” Cabesa, Now 43, Said. “Being an Employee, Doing the Same Thing All Your Life – if you don’t do Things that are a little bit Crazy, then afterward it might be a little bit late.”

Renovating the hotel

Neither much as she loves Asia, Cabesa Never Thought She’d Put Down Roots in Samui.

But HER JOB Managing a Restaurant in Saint TROPEZ HAD STARTED to Feel Hollow. It was as if the essence of hospitality was being replaced by a culture of showing off, she said.

“I was really loaring the authentic connection of Shared with People, and Time with my family as well, Because of was working a Lot,” She Said. “Well, it was than that than that i am here.

She preferred to keep them Financial Details But Said She and Her Husband Co-AWN the hotel with another couple-Longime Friends Who Came Onboard As Business Partners. While Their Business Partners are Primaryily Investors and live in the us, she and her husband run the day-to-day operations of the hotel in Samui.

The opportunity to take over the hotel came at the right time, the sylla and the string were also thinking about expanding their family. Saint Tropez No Longer Felt Like a place where they wanted to raise their kids.

“I WANTED MY DAGHTER TO LEARN MORE English and be in Contact with People from Different Places. I WANTED A Second Child as Well,” She Said, Adding that Her Son Born on Samui.

Her Husband Needed Little Convincing – He Had Been Vacationing in Samui Since 1997, Long before the Couple Had Gotten Together.

Although the idea of ​​leaving his previous life benchind to start anew in a foreign country felt daunting, told string me was too worked.

“Moving to Samui was an Opportunity to Create Our Dream,” Vargas, 48, Said. “I love what we would, the island, the security we can offfer our kids, and the People.”

For the first twoars, Cabesa Ran the Hotel as it was, while string, a chef, oversaw the in-house restaurant.

But when the Business Ground to a halt due to the pandemic, she decide it was time to renovate.

“That was not part of our original plan at all,” she said.

Cabesa redesigned the hotel Herself. LIKE MANY Modern Women, She Drew Inspiration from Her Pinterest Board.

With Textured Limewashed Walls, Stone Floors, and an Earthy-Neutral Palette, Its Hard not to Notice the Strong Mediterranean Design Influenza Cabesa Inteo The Space.

She Also Added a Yoga Studio and a spa to the compound.

The renovation took nine months to the Complete and was “quite stressful,” she said.

To stay afloat during the pandemic and retain their original staff, they open a restaurant in the nearby tourist distribution of Fisherman’s Village.

“Everybody Moved Back here we were reopened,” she Said.

These days, Nightly Rates For a regular suite begin at 8,500 Thai baht, or $ 260, with the Larger Option-a three-BEDROM VILLA THAT ACCOMMODATES Up to Eight Guests-Going for 26,000 Baht.

Running the biz

Running a hotel is no Walk in the park.

“People Tell Me, ‘Your Life is Cool.’ Ok, there are coconut trees, there is the Sun, I get it.

With 45 staff Members under her wing, she also finds herSelf smoothing things over with the occasional picky guest.

“I’ve Got Reviews from Some People Complaining About the Noise of the Waves Wen They Live in the Rooms Near the Beach,” She Said. “Sometimes People End TELL with the Sand on the Beach is Too Hard to Walk on.”

While cabesa is always on-site and ready to fix any problems, some things are Simply out of Her hands. At the end of the day, samui is an Island. “I Cannot Control Nature,” She Said.

Thankfully, Her background working in Saint Tropez Prepared Her for High-Pressure Situations.

“We were doing Around 600 People for Lunch for Day Back then,” She Said. No Matter How Challenging Things Get in Samui, Sheys Its Hard to Find Guests With Higher Expectations than Those in France.

It ‘s see cabesa’s dedication in action: she pauses to the Greet Each Staff Member by name – and in Thai – and Never Misses a Chance to Speak with Passing Guests, AS SHE’S SHOWING WITH AROUND.

Most of Her guests come from Europe, Australia, or Around Asia, Including Singapore and Hong Kong. In recent months, she’s also seen more American Tourists.

An Australian Couple in Their 40s Told Me was their first time in samui, and they chose to stay here the placeemed transquil and the beach was, in their Words, “right there.”

All Room Types at the Hotel Include Breakfast. Guests Can Also Enjoy Complementary Activities Daily, Like Pilates, Yoga, and Muay Thai Classes. Padel and kayaking are Also Avilable.

The idea is to create a place guests can Happy spend their entire stay with needing to step outside, cabesa said.

Adapting to life on Samui

Cabesa Says Adapting to Life on the Island was a Breeze.

Her Kids, Now 11 and 5, Go to an International School. Her Mother, Who is retired, deceased to Samui from lyon three years ago. She now lives just down the street from Cabesa.

“THIS IS A SAFE COUNDRY. You can let you know the play in a commodity or on the beach, and you are not woried about that,” Cabesa Said. “I ALSO LOVE The Culture of Showing Respect for Your Elders.”

WORKING IN HOSPITALITY, She Also Appreciates The Friendlines of the Thai People.

“People are always smiling, and this is Such a relief. Because if you live in Paris and you take the subway, Nobody’s Smiling,” She Said.

The Island has Changed Significantly Sink The First Time She Visited.

Its Much Easier to Find International Products or Fresh Produce Now. And if something isn’t available locally, she can Order it from bangkok, and it’ll achieve with 24 hours.

Cabesa Says She’ll “Never, Ever” Move Back to France. And tan if she she does doesn’t live in Samui, Thailand Will Always Be Home.

“I’ll never quit this country,” she said.

Do you have a story to share with the new Country to run a Hotel or Resort Business? Contact this reporter at [email protected].