Palm Villa

Palm Villa is a striking, white-walled contemporary home in San Sai, a quiet rural district just north-east of Chiang Mai, surrounded by rice fields with views towards the mountains. It took more than five years to design and build, and it packs an extraordinary range of indoor and outdoor spaces into a single private estate. With four themed suites for up to eight guests, it suits families and friends who want resort-style facilities without sharing them with anyone else.

There are two pools to choose from. A long semi-outdoor pool greets you as you arrive, framed by dark timber, a living green wall and a pair of woven pod chairs, while a rooftop pool with sculpted in-water loungers looks out over the fields to the hills and makes a wonderful spot at sunset. A rooftop bar sits beside it, and down in the garden there is a thatched bamboo hut, a children’s playground and a pond set aside for fishing.

Indoors, a wine spa with a sauna, a home cinema seating ten with a 4K projector and surround speakers, a fully equipped gym and a replica English pub with a pool table mean there is always something to do, along with foosball, table tennis, board games and video games. The open-plan living room flows into a long dining table and a sleek white kitchen. Each of the four suites, the African, Los Angeles, Moroccan and Master Suites, has its own design, a king bed, soundproofing and an en-suite bathroom, several with freestanding tubs and garden views. Staff are on hand around the clock, the house is cleaned daily, and an arrival transfer from Chiang Mai International Airport is included.