Anthony Lark and Trisara are redefining the high-end hotel in Asia

Anthony Lark is doing something very luxurious this Sunday afternoon. He's going to see Godzilla in 3-D with his son. After 25 years of managing and developing exclusive Asian resort hotels at the market's top end, the Australian native understands true luxury is not pretentious or merely ostentatious.

"To me, privacy is the greatest luxury," Lark says. "To have a suite where you can't see anybody and no one can see you, a sea view, a decent bed, an air conditioner that is quiet - that is luxury. Luxury is the outcome of an experience, not a product."

What he forgets to mention is the private pool with an ocean view. That is certainly a hallmark of Trisara, the Phuket resort he helped build and the first to offer such a feature in each of its private villa rooms.

Over brunch, he discusses the future plans of his widely admired getaway, now 10 years old, but still looking pristine. Sitting at the bar's corner table, Lark is still captivated by the simple beauty of its beach.

Lark first came to Phuket in 1988 after working for Regent Hotels in Sydney. Aman Resorts founder Adrian Zecha hired him to oversee the Amanpuri, a revolutionary concept for hotels at the time: spacious private villas instead of luxury bungalows sharing a lot of common-use space.

Besides being the landmark property's first general manager, Lark was trusted to open four other Aman resorts over the next 12 years. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a young Aussie with only a basic knowledge of the industry. And it all began with a side trip here.