Ban Suriya

Ban Suriya takes its name from the Thai word for sunshine, and it lives up to it. The villa sits right on the beach at Lipa Noi, on the tranquil west coast of Koh Samui, where a broad lawn under tall palms and flowering shrubs runs down to soft white sand. This is the island’s sunset shore, and evenings here end with the sky turning amber over the sea.

Light-filled pavilions with dark shingled roofs and walls of glass wrap around a twenty-metre infinity-edge pool lined with sunbeds and umbrellas, with an eight-metre plunge pool alongside. One of the villa’s best surprises is the sunken library, where a glass wall looks straight into the main pool, so you can watch swimmers glide past from the sofa. The open living space is bright and breezy, with a sleek white kitchen and breakfast counter, a dining table for twelve and an outdoor dining area with a barbecue that seats eighteen. For downtime there is a media room with a big screen and streaming, a mezzanine lounge with foosball and giant chess, a pool table and table tennis, a gym, a spa room, a beachside treehouse for massages and an open-air cinema in the garden.

All six bedrooms are on the ground floor, each uniquely designed with air conditioning, full-height glass doors and its own bathroom, and three open straight onto the plunge pool. Four have king beds, some of them four-posters, and two have twin beds that convert to kings. Breakfast is included, private chef service is available for Thai or Western dishes, and a villa manager, attendants, gardener and security look after the house and garden.