Baan Asan

From the lawn at Baan Asan, the limestone outlines of the Five Islands float on the horizon, and each evening the sun drops into the sea right in front of the pool. This contemporary beachfront villa sits in a gated compound at Taling Ngam, on Samui’s peaceful south-west coast, where the beach is calm enough to swim and the pace is slow.

Clean white walls, dark floors and a floating staircase set the tone inside. The open-plan living room flows into a long dining table for fourteen and a modern kitchen, while a media room with Apple TV, a library and a gym on the upper floor give everyone their own corner. Outside, a seventeen-metre infinity pool with a built-in jacuzzi and shallow end runs between the pavilions towards a beach sala, with daybeds and umbrellas all along the deck.

The master suite takes up the top floor on its own, with a walk-in closet, kitchenette, private terrace and a bathtub looking out to sea. The four other bedrooms open onto the pool at ground level, and two of them connect to bunk rooms for children. Breakfast is included, a villa manager, chef and housekeepers look after the house, and a kayak waits on the sand for still mornings.