Villa Nap Dau Crown

Villa Nap Dau Crown sits high on a green hillside above Chalong, and the first thing everyone notices is the view. From the pool deck the land falls away over palms and rainforest to a ring of forested hills, and in the early evening the whole valley turns soft pink and gold. It is a big, bright, cheerful house with eight bedrooms, built for large families and groups of friends who want to share a holiday without anyone feeling squeezed.

The infinity pool is the centre of everything, a long blue curve with a row of bold red sunbeds lined up along the edge and the hills filling the horizon beyond. Indoors, the style is playful and colourful: glossy dark floors, scarlet chairs around a long dining table for the whole group, a lounge with deep lavender sofas and a large Smart TV, and a sleek cocktail counter with high stools for a sundowner. There is a billiard room with a pool table and an exercise bike, plus a table tennis table, so rainy afternoons are covered too.

All eight bedrooms have king beds, air conditioning and their own bathrooms. Several have big windows looking straight out to the hills, and a few of the most striking rooms are wrapped in curved floor-to-ceiling glass that opens onto the tropical garden, two of them with draped four-poster canopies. Upstairs, airy sitting rooms with desks and balconies give people somewhere quiet to read or work. Two staff keep the house running smoothly, and Chalong’s bay, seafood restaurants and pier for island trips are a short drive down the hill.