The Nam Hai

Rooms

Enormous villas are all identical. Whitewashed exteriors give way to divine interiors. They mix wood and stone to magnificent effect and each one is dominated by a raised island of luxurious excess that rises with unimpeachable elegance in the middle of the room. At the front you find your bed, an enormous sprawling sea of white linen, with views that tumble over the sitting room below, cut through a wall of glass, shoot off across white sands and land in the ocean. A swivel TV stands to your left and comes with a library of in-house movies; it is connected to a BOSE sound system that links to your very own iPod. In front of the bed, steps lead down to kingly sofas on which to loll about; huge French windows open onto shaded terraces that come complete with a couple of daybeds, beyond which padded loungers bask in the sun on a trim lawn; in short, there are plenty of opportunities for lying down.

Slip back inside and saunter through your villa and you will pass a lacquered eggshell bath embedded in your island paradise behind the bed; this is exceptionally cool and it is quite difficult to spend a night here and resist the temptation to take a long soak. However, if you do, you will find other ways to cleanse yourself in your huge, super-stylish bathroom at the back (varnished wood floors, lacquered eggshell sinks). There are rain showers in dedicated wet-rooms, but if that sounds a little cramped, slide open glass doors and find a private garden that doubles as an outside shower; the space comes complete with stone statues and abundant plants. Elsewhere, Krups coffee machines, his and her wardrobes, beach bags, bath robes, stuffed minibars and fabulous bath potions. Expect the crispest cotton, the plumpest pillows, the comfiest mattresses. Best of all, come back from dinner in the restaurant and find the entire central island wrapped up in ivory curtains. Perfect.

Now you know what to expect inside, here’s the lowdown on other matters. There are Beach Villas and Pool Villas. Beach Villas ring a horseshoe of sand that runs down to the surf. Most Pool Villas do the same, but one row is set back from the beach, with elevated views and serious privacy. All Pool Villas have their own pool.

Beach Villas are for two adults (the sofa can be used as a bed for a child). Pool Villas are slightly different, ranging from 1-bedroom villas to 5-bedroom villas. If, for example, you take a 3-bedroom Pool Villa, you will find 3 separate villas within your garden walls. One room will be slightly simpler; it comes without a raised bed and is set up to work as an office, but this only applies to 3-, 4- and 5-bedroom villas. You also get a communal sitting room that opens onto a shaded terrace and which comes with its own flat-screen TV, a couple of sofas and a dining table. There are complimentary decanters of whisky and vodka as well as wine fridges. Pools get bigger as the number of villas increases, but all have lawned gardens with daybeds, loungers and parasols scattered around. Finally, you get private barbeques and butlers to fire them up, though room service will deliver, if that’s what you want.