Apartment Villa: This modern holiday rental home on a newly built property has a living room and bedrooms that open up to an above ground sundeck with a private infinity pool and BBQ area.

Decorated in bright and cheery white and light blue, with contemporary furniture and unique objets d’art, the apartment has a bright and breezy Mediterranean feel and is extremely snug and cosy.

It includes open-plan kitchen and living area, a laundry room, and three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Thought there is plenty of space for larger groups, the apartment has an intimate scale, which makes it ideal even for couples or a small family. The full-height glass doors in the living room and bedroom can be opened for better connection with the outdoors, and the panoramic views of the sea and sun on the horizon is absolutely gorgeous.

Amenities: There is a parking lot on the ground level, a large, 42-inch flat screen, wall mounted TV, which is mobile enabled with Netflix and Spotify access. There is a sink, washer, dryer and clothes drying rack in the laundry room. All rooms have air-conditioning and ceiling fans. Bedrooms are equipped with blackout curtains, safe deposit boxes and bathrooms with rain showers, towels, toiletries and hairdryers. The master bedroom has a large dressing area and television, and the third bedroom has two bunk beds that are ideal for kids.

The kitchen has a fridge with freezer, ice and water dispenser, cookers, oven, microwave, fridge and freezer, gas stoves, blender, coffee machine, toaster, utensils, cutlery, a basket of fresh fruit and even food storage containers, foil and glad wrap, which makes it a pleasure to prepare your own meals.

In the outdoor area, there are three sun loungers, a Balinese day bed, outdoor speakers, a BBQ set and wet sink, and an outdoor dining table that sits up to eight people.

Dining: If you have a car or moped, it’s about a 15-minute drive to the Chaweng Beach area and Central Festival Samui – the islands nicest mall. There are also some restaurants closer to the property, but you will need wheels to get to them. You can also order take-in from one of the restaurants listed in the welcome folder in the property. We stocked up on groceries and also had a lovely alfresco BBQ dinner one evening.

Location: Villa Aqua Luna is located in the northeast coast of Koh Samui, in a new luxury residential development. You can walk from the villas to Choeng Mon Beach. The villa is tucked away from the main tourist drags, but close enough that you can still get to the busier areas in a short time.

Service: This is your standard Airbnb, where a villa manager hands you the keys, orientates you and helps you rent a moped if you need one, then you’re on our own from there. Daily cleaning services are not provided. This is the perfect choice if you are looking for that home-away-from-home feel and do not want to be disturbed.

Things to do while here: Soak up the sun on Choeng Mon Beach, take a swim in the sea, swim in your private pool, enjoy a BBQ dinner, lounge with a good book or magazines on the couch. Take a drive to check out The Big Buddha or Wat Plai Laem nearby.

Downside: There was still a lot of construction going on around the property, but thankfully it wasn’t too noisy and didn’t affect the atmosphere once we were indoors. One big annoyance for us was that we could see and hear our neighbours whenever they are in the pool at the same time as us. If they were near the edge of the pool when we were, we’d be in clear vision of each other, which was a bit of a bummer.

Upside: The couch in the living room is super comfortable and the sunlight and fresh air that circulates through the living area makes it ideal for lounging and reading or napping. Though this is a single-level unit, it is built above ground on a sloping site, which gives it a nice lofty atmosphere and great scenic perspectives. Having Netflix to keep us entertained in the evenings was also a big plus.

Room rate: US$258 per night 

Address: Villa Aqua Luna. 2 Plai Laem Soi 7 Bay side Villa No. 1, Tambon Bo Put, Chang Wat Surat Thani 84320, Thailand. Tel: (66) 91 530 0656, bookings@villaaqualuna.com