Paradise, Properly Done: Villa Saanti Natai, Phuket

Few would argue that the coast north of Phuket is paradise made literal: white sand, water of an almost indecent blue, palms leaning in as if eavesdropping, and a pace of life that barely qualifies as one. Everything about a holiday on this stretch of the Andaman Sea should be effortless. Everything, that is, except the flight from Heathrow, which even in business class remains a long way to travel for a sunbed.

It was worth every hour. Checking into Villa Saanti Natai is a luxury experience in itself. The villa is new enough that it still feels box fresh, with the faint smell of cut frangipani where you would expect fresh paint. A huge pool dominates the back of the property, and several of the generous 80-square-metre bedrooms open directly onto it, so that your first act each morning can be to step out of bed and into the water. There is a private gym, properly equipped and not merely decorative, which I admired daily and used on on multiple occasions.

The design is sleek and clean without ever turning sterile. Dark timber, pale stone and soft linens nod to the island’s traditional architecture, so the villa feels rooted rather than imported. That is a rarer achievement than it sounds. Plenty of upmarket villas arrive in Thailand looking as though they were couriered from Dubai and dropped on a hillside. This one belongs where it stands.

And where it stands is the real triumph. The villa sits on Natai Beach Road, just steps from the shoreline. We would swim a length of the pool, climb out, and have sand between our toes in under two minutes. Few places offer that position, and fewer still pair it with this standard of facilities within 20 miles of the international airport, a transfer short enough to leave you with energy for a cocktail on arrival.

We travelled as a party of ten, and the villa absorbed us without complaint. Our first full day ended in the covered sala, which proved the ideal venue for an impromptu celebration. Long table, cold drinks, the sea stretching out beyond the end of the garden, and dusk arriving slowly, as if it too were in no hurry. Throughout, the staff were among the most attentive I have encountered at comparable addresses. Glasses were refilled before they were empty, and requests were anticipated rather than merely answered.

Days at Saanti Natai have a habit of dissolving. It is perfectly possible to lose a whole one without moving further than the sun lounger, and several of us did. But when we finally roused ourselves for an afternoon of activity, the problem was choosing. Some of the group opted for yoga in the 1,800-square-metre garden, arguably the finest place on the planet to discover which of your joints you have been neglecting. The tropical planting muffled the outside world, the sea breeze did the rest, and the instructor coaxed bodies into positions they had not previously agreed to.

Others took the road out to Ao Phang Nga National Park, to the west, a vast sweep of river estuaries, mangroves, limestone islands and yet more spectacular coastline. They returned sunburned, quiet and visibly delighted, which is the correct state to come home in.

I took the third option and led a party of five out to sea by speedboat, a favourite pastime of mine. There is little to match the moment the hull lifts, the shoreline shrinks, and the Andaman opens out in every direction. We stopped at a quiet cove for a swim and a picnic, then raced the sunset home. It was loud, fast and glorious, and the cold drinks waiting on our return felt entirely earned.

Then there was the food. Our chefs never wavered from exquisite, whether the table was set for breakfast by the pool or a long dinner under the sala. The beds, meanwhile, were so comfortable that getting out of them became a daily act of willpower.

As an avid traveller who tries to touch down on as many continents as possible, and who sets a high bar, I did not expect to be easily impressed. Recent stays in the BVI and Bali set demanding benchmarks. Saanti Natai holds its own against both. Even guests with the shortest attention spans would struggle to tire of that view, or of the endless ways to while away a day.

It is no surprise, then, that we have already booked a return visit. I expect to leave equally satisfied, and somewhat more tanned.

https://thenataivillas.com/villas/saanti 
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