KEEMALA, THAILAND

GO FOR DESIGN-LED JUNGLE RETREATS

If the thought of waking up in Phuket’s rainforest to the turquoise sparkle of the Andaman Sea has you swooning, just wait: it gets better. Keemala rises in a swathe of stilted basket-like pods and curvaceous clay villas that cup the hillside and float among the canopy. It’s a scene that wouldn’t look out of place in The Jungle Book, though here you’re more likely to come across a water buffalo than Shere Khan. Set on the west coast of the island, it’s Keemala’s design that has won it our vote as the top Thai launch.

The rich, earthy decor throughout is on point. Villas reveal warm mushroom tones and heavy wood juxtaposed with fresh white and olive-green linens. Rustic bathrooms with raw stone tubs merge effortlessly into the natural landscape thanks to retractable floor-to-ceiling windows, while private pools are ideal for languid toe dipping. It’s a tough call when it comes to naming our favourite villas, but the almost 360-degree views afforded by the two-storey, seedpod-shaped Tree Pool Houses just about clinch it. Elsewhere, lofty jungle walkways connect to a communal pool, holistic spa and the glass-fronted restaurant, Mala, which focuses on macrobiotic and slow food. keemala.com

38 pool villas ROOMS

Prices start at £358, including transfers and a villa host

PRICE

Phuket International, 30km

NEAREST AIRPORT

Stylish bohos and the occasional inoffensive blogger THE VIBE Avoid the throng of sunburnt tourists at Patong Beach.

HOT TIP Kamala has clear waters for snorkelling; Laem Singh, five minutes further on, is picturesque and far less crowded