Villa Crystal Nai Harn

Villa Crystal Nai Harn is a calm, single-level pool home on a green hillside above Nai Harn, in Phuket’s laid-back southern tip. Tropical planting and wooded slopes wrap around the house, and in the evening the only soundtrack is frogs and crickets. With four bedrooms and room for up to nine guests, it is sized just right for a family, or two smaller families sharing a holiday, who want peace and privacy without being far from one of the island’s loveliest beaches.

Life here centres on the eight-metre pool, lined with deep blue tiles and set against a backdrop of palms and hills. Sun loungers run along the terrace, and a pitched-roof sala at the end of the pool seats eight for long, shaded lunches. Beyond it, a manicured lawn gives children room to run while adults keep an eye from the water, and it makes a fine spot for morning yoga. At dusk the glass doors glow and the whole villa is reflected in the pool.

Inside, cream walls, dark timber and splashes of red give the living spaces a warm, polished feel. A big leather sofa faces the television and games console, the dining table seats eight, and a well-equipped kitchen with a breakfast counter sits alongside. Two king bedrooms have their own bathrooms, one with a four-poster bed, while a twin room and a bunk room with a queen below and a single above share a generous family bathroom with double basins. Housekeeping is included, and the housekeeper can cook Thai meals with groceries charged at cost.