Villa By The Bay

Villa By The Bay is a modern, three-level home on the hillside at Samrong Bay, Plai Laem, where Samui’s north-east coast curls into a quiet, sheltered cove. From almost every room the view runs down over green slopes to soft sand, turquoise water and the islands on the horizon. The style is relaxed and coastal, with pale floors, washed timber furniture, woven pendant lights and pops of sea blue, so it feels lived-in and easy rather than formal.

The infinity pool sits at the front of the house, its edge lining up with the bay below, and the terrace beside it is set up for lazy days: a deep outdoor sofa, oversized beanbag loungers and a little table for two looking straight out to sea. Mornings start here with coffee and the view, and evenings end with the sky changing colour over the water. When the glass doors are pulled back, the living room and the deck become one long, open space.

Inside, a cream sectional sofa faces a flat-screen TV, and the open-plan ground floor runs past a hand-crafted wooden dining table for six to a modern kitchen with an island and high stools. A floating glass staircase leads to the bedrooms. All three have king beds, air conditioning and their own bathrooms: the master opens onto the pool deck through a full-width window over the bay, the second steps out to the garden, and the third is tucked away for privacy. The sand is a short walk down the hill, and Big Buddha and the restaurants of Plai Laem are minutes away.