Purana Residence

Purana takes its name from the Sanskrit word for “stories”, and this four-bedroom residence is a fine place to write a few of your own. It is one of five private homes on Panacea Retreat, an estate on the green slopes above Bophut on Koh Samui’s north coast, and its view sweeps over treetops to the bay and the islands beyond. The lively lanes of Fisherman’s Village and the calmer sands of Mae Nam are both a short drive away.

Bright orange umbrellas shade the deck of the twenty-metre infinity pool, where sunbeds, a pair of bean bags and a round daybed line the water and the edge seems to fall away into the sea view. A covered sala at one end holds a long dining table for ten with built-in stools at a little pool-side bar, and on the lawn below the bedrooms a hammock waits on the grass in front of the covered walkway. Upstairs, the living pavilion pairs a high, wood-lined vaulted ceiling with windows on both sides, deep sofas, and a glass-fronted balcony with all-weather chairs for the afternoon.

The kitchen is a handsome space of pale timber, marble and chrome, with an island breakfast bar and a wine cooler. All four bedrooms have king beds and en-suite bathrooms; the master suite opens directly onto the pool terrace, with a dressing area behind the bed and an oversized terrazzo bathtub under a window looking out to the ocean. Breakfast is included every morning, and the villa team looks after the rest.