Baan Benjamart's gated entrance opens onto a courtyard car park, which connects via a sand-washed pathway to the spacious, furnished beachside living pavillions and the pool and beach beyond. Both pavillions slide open onto the pool deck, with overwater steps to a quaint, furnished relaxation gazebo perched right above the soft Bophut sands.

The lounge is furnished with plush leather sofas and armchairs positioned around a coffee table and facing a wall mounted flatscreen TV with DVD and satellite channels. Eurasian accessories and artwork add a sense of elegant style to what is also a very practical and comfortable room for guests on a beachside break.

Directly across from the lounge, the spacious dining room is served by a fully fitted western kitchen and breakfast bar with fitted sinks, plus a second, concealed wet kitchen for the personal chef and staff to prepare meals to order from the varied in-villa suggestion menu. An 10-seater wooden dining table is surrounded by high-backed water hyacinth chairs, the perfect place to gather for a family feast, day or night always connected to the views.

To the rear of the lounge, a door from the entrance courtyard opens into a twin bed guest room with ensuite bathroom, ideal for older kids. Directly opposite this bedroom, two large, stilted pavillions are built into the cliffside, surrounded by tropical foliage and housing the villa's three double bedroom suites. The bedrooms sit side by side, connected by a terrace and each one slides open onto a balcony with views over the villa to the beach and sea beyond. The master features a four poster bed, a walk through dressing area to the generous bathroom with tub and shower, and a door that opens onto a small private garden. Both guest bedrooms are equally roomy, with king size beds, tropical furnishings, flat screen TVs and bathrooms with glass walled rainshowers.

Staying at Villa

Benjamart Tropical elegance best describes the ambience at Baan Benjamart. The villa's contemporary, spacious rooms all open right onto the kind island climate and picturesque coastal views, so it's easy to drift between the beach, pool and comfortable living spaces, making the most of the stunning, private location.

Well though-out interiors combine luxury and practicality, encouraging absolute relaxation and allowing guests to enjoy the easy life with every holiday need close to hand. The staff are attentive but discreet, and the added indulgence of a private chef makes leaving the villa a choice rather than a necessity. The beachside pool and gazebo are a natural focus for daytime and evening pleasures, and having the bedrooms set back from the communal areas guarantees privacy and allows guests to balance private and social time during the stay. Being part of a gated, luxury beachside estate makes Baan Benjamart a secure, peaceful haven and the villa's layout, staff and quality facilities combine to offer guests a sophisticated personalised vacation.

The Beach

The beach directly in front of this villa is one of the best on Samui, quiet and secluded when compared to the island's busier tourist beaches, with incredible views over to nearby islands and backed by gentle forested hills. The sea is fine for swimming at high tide and there's an appealing range of watersports options available for active guests, which can be easily arranged through the villa manager.

Dhevatara Residence occupies the northern end of Bophut bay, a wide sweep of sandy beach, which at its centre hosts Fisherman's Village, a quaint, picturesque beachside community that offers an attractive, authentic alternative to the main tourist centres of Chaweng and Lamai. The sleepy seaside lane is lined with a choice of restaurants and bars, many occupying traditional wooden shophouses, but comes alive every Friday as a Walking Street, with local crafts, traditional food and music to entertain the family crowds. Speedboats leave Bophut Pier for nearby islands such as Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Ang Thong National Marine Park and the northern section of the palm fringed bay plays home to a number of boutique resorts.