Villa Arteed

Villa Arteed is the family choice among the grand villas on the green hillside above Kamala. Set within a private resort estate, it turns inward to its own garden rather than out to sea: a deep, leafy plot ringed by clipped hedges and tall tropical trees, with flowering vines spilling from the eaves and thatched salas dotted along the lawn. It feels sheltered and unhurried, the kind of place where children run between the pool and the play area while the grown-ups stay put on a shaded daybed.

The pool is the reason to come. At twenty-one metres long and six wide, it runs the length of the garden in a sheet of emerald water, with a broad sun deck, cushioned loungers under cream umbrellas and a bubbling jacuzzi set to one side. Little ones get a shallow pool of their own, and from the open-sided garden sala there is a glimpse of the bay beyond the trees. Indoors, the Thai-inspired lounges are all warm teak, carved furniture and soft lamplight, with a round dining table for long family meals, a games room with a pool table and table tennis, a media room, a gym and a treatment room for in-villa massages.

What really sets Arteed apart is the way it sleeps a big family. Most of the six bedrooms pair up into linked suites with their own private sitting rooms, so parents and children can be next door to each other with space to spread out. There are three king rooms, two twin rooms and a bunk room with two sets of bunks, sleeping up to fourteen in all, each with its own bathroom. A friendly team looks after the villa, and a local chef cooks to order, so days can be spent entirely by the water, minutes from Kamala’s beach and restaurants.