(FORTUNE Magazine) – Call it the yin-yang holiday dilemma. On one hand, there's something to be said for packing thick books touted by the New York Times and soaking in spas. On the other, you might be dreaming of something a bit more exciting--like smearing on jungle paint and firing off a few rifle rounds.

At the plush new Evason Hua Hin Resort & Spa, 140 miles south of Bangkok, you can be pampered like a rock star and still play Rambo. Evason blends five stars and six-shooters through an unusual agreement with nearby Thanarat Military Camp, Thailand's largest military base. Guests trade terry-cloth robes for camouflage and spend a few adrenaline-charged hours shooting on the range, experiencing the parachute jump, or running the obstacle course.

"We did the parachute jump and abseiling," says Sander Kok, a 30-year-old ATT project manager from Amsterdam. "It was so great, I did it twice, but it was so fast, my girlfriend couldn't even get a picture." Companion Karine Mouflin, 26, adds: "It was scary at first, but really fun. Holidays are for doing something different from daily life."

The boot camp excursions are part of a bundle of outdoor activities offered by the boutique resort, which opened on an isolated stretch of beachfront last November. Two of Thailand's biggest parks are in the neighborhood, with exceptional birding, kayaking, and caving. Most popular, according to guest activities manager Daniel Remon, is an adventure package of mountain biking, caving, and kayaking--an outdoor marathon totaling 40 kilometers, through mangroves and marshes.

Yet relaxation is the main activity at Evason; it's run by Six Senses, an upscale chain whose Soneva Fushi in the Maldives is considered among the world's best resorts. One of the restaurants seems to float on lily pads, while the bathrooms are ashrams set in gardens of greenery. Best of all are the 40 pool villas, luxurious bungalows, each with a small pool in the enclosed backyard. The resort is already planning to add 50 more.

--Ron Gluckman

Evason Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Pranburi, Thailand. 011-66-32-632-111; fax 011-66-32-632-112; www.six-senses.com; rates $68-$363