GET/AWAY
From airy beachfront villas to secluded paradises surrounded by greenery, these picture-perfect properties are waiting to join your real-estate portfolio
Turn your holiday dreams into property reality with a selection of picture-perfect tropical hideaways
If you close your eyes and imagine your ideal holiday destination, there’s a remarkably high chance you’re picturing palm trees, unspoilt stretches of sand, divine tropical weather and sea breezes. Even more ideal would be owning a home in one of these dreamy locales, so that you always have a fabulous retreat to escape to with friends and family. Purchasing a holiday home is also a smart way to diversify a city-centric real-estate portfolio, and it can easily become a new income source if you’re interested in renting the property out for weddings and other special events. No matter what your motivation may be, here’s a survey of some of the best holiday homes on the market in Southeast Asia right now.
KOH SAMUI
Thailand’s second-largest island has something to oer everyone, from palm-fringed beaches to mountainous rainforest, from humble roadside eateries to posh restaurants at ve-star resorts. Fortunately, it’s easy to escape the masses and hide away in the luxury villa of your dreams.
Tucked away in southwestern Samui, Villa Sila Varee (59.4 million baht about HK$15.25 million) is a tranquil haven for both nature lovers and privacy seekers. At more than 23,000 square feet, the fully furnished property encompasses a two-storey central building and two stand-alone guest villas for a total of ve bedrooms, all of which boast serene views of the sea, neighbouring islands and surrounding nature. Additional amenities include the requisite pool, a back garden with waterfall and outdoor cooking and dining facilities. The property is located inside Santikhiri Estate, an exclusive community comprising 19 homes that has round-the-clock sta and security, so you never have to worry about your home while you’re away.
For a similar sense of serenity, only with easy access to livelier areas, consider buying a home on laid-back Lamai Beach. Completed in 2012, Baan Hinta (US$3.2 million) is a ve-bedroom beachfront villa with ceilings that soar as high as 10 metres and contemporary decor inected with Thai and Balinese inuences. Well suited to groups of friends or families with older children, the property features a multistorey layout and a structure that’s largely open to the elements, making the most of the sea views and breezes. Naturally, there’s the requisite innity pool overlooking the water, but this is primarily a holiday home for beach lovers, as the villa is equipped with water-sports equipment such as kayaks and stand-up paddle boards.
Sister property Baan Hinyai (US$2.8 million) features the same look and feel, including ve lavishly furnished suites equipped with king-size beds, entertainment systems and free-standing bathtubs in dramatic en-suite bathrooms, which are built into the beach’s natural rock formations. The open-plan gourmet kitchen sits next to a 20-seat dining table, though outdoor dining is also an option at the poolside pavilion. Should you desire a serious beachfront compound, you’d be wise to get your hands on both Hinta and Hanyai, for a combined 10 bedrooms and all the space you could ever want, right on the sand.
PHUKET
Home to some of Thailand’s most popular beaches and one of the country’s most-visited destinations, Phuket needs no introduction. For some, the large number of travellers to this island in the Andaman Sea will bolster interest in buying property here, while others will choose to seek serenity elsewhere.
It’s easy to escape the crowds in the southern part of the island, where Tree Villa (41.8 million baht about HK$10.6 million) stands beneath the hills near one of the most desirable beaches in this part of the island: Nai Harn. At almost 20,000 square feet, this threebedroom, three-bathroom home features ThaiBalinese design and handmade furniture moreover, the location and greenery give residents a great deal of privacy, even within the property, as the three bedrooms are housed in separate buildings.
If you’d prefer to live o the island but still nearby – and you’re in the market for something big – look north to Phang Nga province. Spanning 0.6 of a hectare of prime beachfront, the impressive
Villa Shanti (236 million baht about HK$60.5 million) is made up of ve contemporary Thai-style pavilions which collectively house six en-suite bathrooms.
At the centre of the property is a 25-metre-long, black-tiled innity pool surrounded by an expansive, coconut-palm-studded garden that sits next to the beach. Corridors and walkways connecting the pavilions lend the property a resort vibe, while the immense “great room” and kitchen make this the perfect place for hosting large events such as family reunions and weddings.
BALI
It’s not dicult to understand Bali’s enduring appeal, but given the island’s sheer size, it can be dicult to know where to begin looking if you want to buy property. While the beach clubs, restaurants and bars of Seminyak may be a draw, it’s best to look elsewhere – after all, this is meant to be a holiday home, not a party pad.
Standing near the southern edge of the Bukit Peninsula, just minutes from Pandawa Beach, Villa Dewi Lanjar (HK$13.327 million) is one of just six homes comprising Karang Saujana Estate. Perched on a towering limestone cli overlooking the Indian Ocean, this four-bedroom, ve-bathroom villa spans
more than 5,000 square feet in Ungasan near the so-called “millionaire’s mile”, one of Bali’s most highly sought-after residential areas. The spacious interiors are furnished in Balinese style with a contemporary spin, and the villa oers several fabulous living and dining areas, both inside the house and outdoors as well.
North of Kuta and west of Ubud, picturesque Tabanan has terraced rice paddies, black sand beaches and mountainous backdrops. You can admire the surrounding natural beauty from Villa Vedas (price upon application), an 19,375-square-foot, vebedroom home sitting on more than 3,500 square metres of land, which include 45 metres of beach frontage. This villa possesses some exquisite design features, including frameless Hafele glass wall panels that maximise views in all directions, bathtubs carved from blocks of marble, and a 6x6-metre glass-bottom “sky pool” which is suspended between two of the bedrooms and can go from transparent to opaque at the ick of a switch. (Fear not, there are two additional larger pools.) A central staircase crafted from teak planks suspended on brass rods, and lush vertical gardens only add to the visual allure.
BANG SARAY
You’ve probably never heard of Bang Saray on Thailand’s eastern seaboard, but the area has recently become a hot zone for new property developments inside the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor. A 90-minute drive from Suvarnabhumi Airport, this emerging district features the unspoilt beauty of the Gulf of Thailand without any of the drawbacks found elsewhere on the east coast, such as seedy Pattaya.
If, rather than buying something fully furnished and being forced to make changes, you’d prefer a holiday home designed to your specications, look no further than Sunplay Bangsaray, where you can acquire one of a handful of expansive bespoke villas (66 million baht about HK$16.9 million). Spread across nearly 30,000 square feet including outdoor space, each four-bedroom, ve-bathroom property in The Villa Collection will be designed to the exacting specications of the owner, while the layout of each resembles a series of elegant pavilions with open walls that blur the boundary between inside and outside. At the heart of the development is the Sunplay Club, akin to an on-site country club with dining, tness and recreational facilities meanwhile, a round-the-clock concierge team is there to handle all your requests.
You’ve probably never heard of Bang Saray on Thailand’s eastern seaboard, but the area has recently become a hot zone for new property developments
For more information on these properties, visit luxeliving.prestigeonline.com