Baan Puri

Baan Puri sits on the shore of Lipa Noi, on Koh Samui’s peaceful west coast, one of a small group of beachfront villas on the Chai Talay estate. Traditional Thai pavilions with dark shingled roofs and polished teak are set among palms, lotus ponds and flowering gardens, and the sea is right there at the end of the lawn. Lipa Noi’s water is calm and shallow, the beach is rarely busy, and every evening the sun goes down behind the Five Islands in a blaze of colour.

The star of the show is a magnificent pool almost thirty metres long, running from the house towards the beach and finishing in an infinity edge that seems to meet the sea. A shallow children’s zone at one end makes it easy for little ones to splash safely, and a shaded sala on the waterfront is the best seat in the house at sunset. Inside, the living pavilion has carved wood, deep sofas and big windows onto the garden, with a long formal dining table and a sleek, fully equipped kitchen alongside.

The six bedrooms are each named after a flower, from Lotus to Magnolia, and all have their own bathroom, rich timber furnishings and soft linens, with several four-poster beds. The master suite looks out to the sea, and interconnecting rooms make it easy for families to stay close together. Breakfast is included daily, and a villa manager, private chef and housekeeping team take care of everything, while kayaks wait on the beach for a paddle along the shore.