Villa Jia at Jivana

Villa Jia stands on the long, pale sweep of Natai Beach, just north of Phuket, one of a small group of beachfront homes in the Jivana estate. Its pavilions are crisp and contemporary Thai in style, with warm timber ceilings, white walls and walls of sliding glass, set around more than six thousand square metres of clipped lawns and coconut palms. From the air you see how it works: green gardens, a long ribbon of blue pool and then nothing but sand and the Andaman Sea.

The twenty-five-metre infinity pool runs out across the lawn towards the shore, lined with loungers and umbrellas, and a raised sunset sala on the beach edge is the spot for an afternoon massage or a quiet hour watching the light fade. A second sala in the gardens holds a shaded dining table, and kayaks are on hand for paddling off the beach. Inside, the Great Room opens to the breeze with deep white sofas and a wall of books, while a separate games wing brings a lounge for films and a full-size billiard table for rainy afternoons.

The six air-conditioned bedrooms are split between two pavilions of three, each opening directly onto the garden or towards the beach, and each with its own television, a sitting area and plenty of wardrobe space. Four have queen beds and two are twins that can be made up as kings. Bathrooms come with rain showers, four have soaking tubs, and some open onto stone-walled garden showers. A villa manager, an in-house chef cooking Thai and Western dishes, housekeeping, gardeners and round-the-clock security look after the house, and breakfast is included.