Villa Saranam

Villa Saranam is a three-bedroom garden villa of 282 square metres in the Choeng Mon hills, built around a ten-metre private pool and topped by a rooftop terrace that opens out to the sea. That split is the clever part of the design. Life downstairs is sheltered and green, wrapped in tropical planting so the pool terrace feels entirely private, while the view is kept upstairs as somewhere you go rather than somewhere you simply look at. Guests tend to find their own rhythm with it — coffee up there in the morning, and a drink as the sun drops behind the hills.

All three bedrooms have king beds, served by three bathrooms — two en-suite and one separate. That configuration suits three couples travelling together as neatly as it suits a family of six, and it avoids the usual compromise where somebody ends up in a twin room. The bathrooms are finished in pale stone with twin vessel basins, backlit mirrors and walk-in rain showers behind glass.

The living and dining areas open straight onto the pool terrace through full-height sliding glass, and the kitchen is genuinely fitted for self-catering rather than token — a stone island with bar seating, full-size fridge, oven, hob, microwave, dishwasher and a Dolce Gusto coffee machine. There is a washing machine, and private parking for one car. The interiors are light and contemporary, in white, pale timber and woven rattan.

Outside, the pool runs the length of the terrace with a sun deck alongside and an outdoor shower at one end. The planting is dense and well established, which is what makes a garden villa on this estate feel secluded rather than overlooked.

Guests staying at Saranam have complimentary use of the estate clubhouse and its 24-hour gym, the tennis court by the entrance, and the twice-daily shuttle down to Choeng Mon beach — one of the gentlest beaches on the island and a genuinely good one for young children. The estate is gated with security on site around the clock and its own management team seven days a week, which is worth knowing for anyone weighing a private villa against a resort.

Saranam has a near-identical twin next door in Villa Mimi. The two can be taken together by a larger group who want to be side by side without sharing a roof — six bedrooms and twelve guests across the pair, each party with its own pool, kitchen and rooftop.