THE latest addition to Asia’s resort landscape is by world-renowned architect and designer Bill Bensley. Indigo Pearl Resort, at Nai Yang Beach on Phuket’s north-west shore, is a US$21-million fusion of post-modern architecture and Thai traditions, inspired by the island’s historic tin-mining industry.

“What makes the resort special,” says Indigo Pearl’s general manager, Australian Anthony Ross, “is the contemporary and fun way in which the tin-mining theme has been interpreted.”

Based in Thailand, Bensley has worked on many of Asia’s most admired and prestigious resorts, hotels, spas, gardens and residences, including the Four Seasons Tented Camp in Thailand’s Golden Triangle. For this project just 10 minutes from Phuket International Airport, however, Bensley has pulled together post-modern Thai luxury with industrial art. The result is a crisp complex of Thai-style buildings finished with sleek cement floors, exposed timber, swaying punka wallah fans and blackened steel laden with brass rivets, making it one of the tropical island’s most distinctive cultural experiences.

Australian designer John Underwood, now based on Phuket, worked closely with Bensley to create the resort’s industrial-chic artworks and fittings, which make an impression the moment you walk into the main foyer. Underwood scoured the island and South-East Asia for unique and interesting objects, which also feature in the guest rooms, bars, restaurants, antiques gallery and main courtyard. “It was a real treasure hunt, from the backstreets of Phuket to the glassworks of China,” he says.

As well as its amazing design, the resort boasts a cooking school and spa, and a range of activities including tennis, scuba diving, yoga and tai chi. No fewer than seven restaurants, cafés and bars offer top-flight cuisine directed by Kiwi executive chef Dion McGrath, who’s travelled the planet refining his culinary skills. Don’t miss the crowd-pulling, jazz-soaked Tin Mine Sunday Brunch, with its international dishes – everything from barbecue food to divine pavlova – all washed down with free-flowing Duval-Leroy champagne. It’s a long way from the mines!