Nuvana

Villa Nuvana opens with an aerial photograph that shows an infinity pool and jacuzzi sitting above the Koh Samui hillside, with the green bowl of the garden falling away below and the Gulf of Thailand on the horizon. From the ground it delivers on that promise. The infinity edge is generously proportioned — the water appears to dissolve into the valley below — and the jacuzzi alongside it is large enough for the whole group of six at once. A covered poolside sala with sun loungers is positioned to catch both the view and the afternoon breeze, and by day two most guests have stopped making any plans that involve leaving it before sunset.

Three king-bedded suites each have a private bathroom — master with a rain shower and soaking tub, second and third with clean contemporary en-suites — so a group of three couples or a family with teenagers can coexist without sharing facilities at any point during the stay. The open-plan living room has the high ceilings and wide glass doors that the Samui climate demands, and the kitchen is equipped for those who want to cook at least some meals rather than eating out every night. The dining area seats the full group, and the connection between interior and terrace is seamless — the kind of layout where the door stays open and the distinction between inside and outside stops mattering by lunchtime on day one.