Relaxing by the pool or enjoying the enclosed tropical garden, far away from the bustle of Phuket’s major towns, this contemporary style modern villa is a great place for the family vacation. Vill is one of 18 villas (most being rather unimaginatively named Villa A through R) which make up the gated Layan Estate. Secure and secluded the estate is set back a few minutes’ drive from the pretty Layan Beach, after which it is named, and the resorts which line Bang Tao Beach. The Layan is one of the first of the new breed of modern villa complexes springing up on Phuket Island. Roads lined with mature tropical foliage including pretty fan palms connect the villas, giving each villa a degree of privacy.     

Modern in construction with painted concrete walls, terrazzo floors, large patio doors throughout and wood-tiled roofs, each of the villas follows a familiar theme but with subtle variations in size and layout. From the outside, two huge wooden entrance doors form the focus for each villa, swinging back to reveal a large swimming pool set in lawns and surrounded by decking and terraces. Typically, either side of the entrance are the bright and airy living and dining rooms which open to the gardens through sliding patio doors.  

Villa is two-storey with four large bedrooms (a fifth bedroom, the owner’s master suite, is unavailable and closed off to guests). Picture-lined hallways connect the living spaces with the bedrooms and their ensuite bathrooms. Well equipped with WiFi, stereo, TVs, DVDs and a super-modern kitchen, the villa makes for a great holiday home for a large family or two.    

Managed by the owners, the villa includes a full-time (except Sundays) housekeeper who lives within the staff quarters. She is responsible for cleaning, changing sheets and generally maintaining the villa. Duties can be extended to cooking (mainly Thai), provisioning (food is on guest account) and, for a few extra dollars, babysitting if you want to head out and enjoy the extensive choice of activities in the Laguna Phuket Resort complex.

Villa makes for a very pleasant family holiday home. It benefits from being on a mature estate so avoids much of the construction malaise from which other estates suffer. The villa itself is spacious and very light thanks to lots of glass doors and windows. It is very well set up for families – an outstanding pool with good shallow section, toys, playroom and plenty of outside space to let off steam.

As with many recent construction projects in Phuket, the build is not of the highest standard (patchy paint, light terrazzo cracks, plasterboard walls) but these issues are very minor and would not detract from a great holiday – and the complex has a management company to fix any problems. The privacy is excellent as are the outside options – a lovely sala at the end of the pool, pleasant outdoor dining and good sun-trap terraces with loungers. The kitchen is modern and well equipped – nice touches like iced glasses in the freezer – but comes with almost no provisions so a supermarket shop is essential. Bedrooms are large and comfortable and the bathrooms very practical although note that one queen and twin bedroom share a bathroom – good for a family as access to the twin is either from outside or through the queen room.