Explore the Villa
Villa Layout
Ban Suriya faces west across the sea, it’s elegant sleeping and living pavilions set within palm-tree shaded gardens, oriented around the 20-metre swimming pool. Entering the two-storey, split-level living pavilion, one arrives first in the dining area. To the right are two lounges (one upstairs and one down) and to the front is the well-stocked library. The modern kitchen lies to the left of the dining area. Enormous glass doors open onto a huge wooden deck, the garden and the pool. Four of the villa’s bedrooms face the pool, the fifth is privately positioned at the front of the garden – almost on the beach. Tucked away to the right of the living pavilion, are the sixth bedroom, the games room and the exercise room.
Living Areas
Indoor living
Ban Suriya’s large, airy, two-storey living pavilion is fronted by huge glass doors looking out onto the gardens and the sea view beyond. Meals are served (unless otherwise requested) at a 12-seat glass-topped table set below a delicate sculpture of a dandelion flower. The room also has a well-stocked drinks fridge and a coffee maker.
A few steps from the dining area is the beautifully equipped kitchen, open on two sides and with a huge worktop and stools for casual breakfasts or Thai cooking lessons from the villa’s supremely capable chef. Guests are welcome to cook if they wish – though, understandably, very few choose to do so.
Down a couple of steps from the entrance hall is the library, with its wide comfortable sofas and a stock of about 300 books. But bookworms may find themselves distracted by the underwater view of the pool through a wide window in the library.
Next to the dining area, the lower-level lounge is furnished with an armchair and soft sofas, and equipped with a huge smart TV with an Apple TV 4K box for use by guests who have Apple movie accounts.
Above the lounge is a mezzanine room of similar size which doubles as a second sitting room or office, with comfortable lounging chairs and a desk for those who simply cannot tear themselves away from their computer. WiFi is available in every room and throughout the grounds and onto the beach. Tucked behind the lounge is a spa room, with full bathroom and massage bed.
The villa’s exercise room, with its wall-to-wall glass doors that open onto a metre-deep plunge pool, is equipped with weights, exercise balls and a punchbag for boxers. Guests can have lessons in Thai boxing, or sessions of yoga, Pilates or other exercise regimes from an expert. Just ask the villa manager to make an appointment for you.
Next to the exercise room, the games room has comfortable sofas but – more important for kids – a foosball table.
Outdoor living
The villa is arranged around a huge wooden deck with sun loungers for all guests, and a sunken area with a tree-shaded table for alfresco eating. This area can be – and frequently is – used for large weddings or other social events.
No villa is complete without a pool, and Ban Suriya’s is large and inviting – a blue-tiled infinity-edge delight measuring 20 metres by five. To one side, between the pool and the deck, is a swim-up bar.
The land Ban Suriya is built on used to be a coconut plantation, and many of the stately trees were preserved, now presiding over the expanse of lawn between the deck and the beach. In one corner is a sacred Tonsai tree while in the opposite corner is the Tree House, the perfect place for an open-air massage or a game of pirates, perhaps.
For those who just can’t lie in the sun or lounge in the pool all day, the villa has a swing hanging over the beach, a ping pong table, a pool table, and a giant outdoor chess set on an upstairs terrace. For the more energetic there are two kayaks and a stand-up paddleboard.
And then there’s the beach. Lipa Noi Beach has to be one of the world’s most delightful yet little known tropical gems. Soft white sand with almost no one on it. Warm blue sea with islands in the distance. And at sunset, the perfect venue for a sundowner or two.
Bedrooms
Suriya master suite
On the polished timber floor of the Suriya Room (the “Sunshine Room”) an uber-comfortable king-size four-poster bed surveys the garden and beach through huge glass doors. Below, down a couple of steps, is the lounge area with an enormous armchair and wide-screen smart TV. The room also has a bluetooth sound system.
To one side of the bed is a massage table and, beyond that, a massive freestanding bathtub. Blinds can be raised so that guests in the suite can enjoy a massage or a soak in the bath with a view of the garden and the ocean beyond. The master’s ensuite bathroom is fitted with an indoor-outdoor rain shower and double vanity.
Butterfly room
There’s no mistaking the cheerful Butterfly Room – the entire wall behind the bedhead is covered in images of butterflies. This room, which is located next to the Suriya suite, has a twin/king bed and an ensuite bathroom with indoor-outdoor rain shower and double vanity. It is equipped with a smart TV and bluetooth sound system.
Shell room
The Shell room lies to the rear of the gardens, next to the games room, exercise room and plunge pool. This marine-themed room has twin beds and an ensuite bathroom with indoor-outdoor rain shower and double vanity, smart TV and bluetooth sound system. It is also connected to the games room and, through another door, to the villa’s exercise room and metre-deep pool. This is an ideal complex for kids.
Aqua and Peacock rooms
These rooms, each with king-size bed and ensuite bathroom, are right next to the pool. In fact, guests in Aqua can simply slide open a glass door and fall into the water. From Peacock a little more effort is required – four or five steps across a sun deck before falling into the water. Both have smart TVs with bluetooth sound systems.
Wave room
Aptly named, the Wave Room is the closest to the sea; shaded by a large sacred tonsai tree, its feet are almost in the sand. It, too, has an ensuite bathroom with rain shower, smart TV with a bluetooth sound system.
