A line from The Carpenters’ song: “I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation” pops into my mind as I lie on a sun lounger by the pool at Panorama Summit. Yet although we’re almost in the clouds, it’s only a short (but admittedly steep) drive to the village and pristine beach below. Nothing obscures the view here – even the hedges of white bougainvillea are perfectly trimmed to knee-height so you look over the pretty blossoms, past the coconut plantations, to the glistening temples and beyond to the sailboats in the bay.

And the view doesn’t fade with the sunset. At night you can see the village lights, a green glow from the squid fishing boats, fireworks from the beach resorts and, if you’re as lucky as we were, spectacular flashes of ‘dry lightning’. One of our favourite places to enjoy the view was from the front edge of the infinity pool, perhaps not ideal for those who suffer from vertigo though.

When we felt the need to pay for our over-indulgence at one of the many excellent local seafood restaurants, a friendly game of tennis (racket and ball hire available at the office) at the estate’s shared court, or a walk down to the beach – and back – did the trick.

We enjoyed delicious continental breakfasts prepared by the resident housekeeper, but if you want a cooked breakfast (or a private chef to prepare any other meal), this can easily be arranged for a reasonable fee plus provisions charged at cost plus 15%. Khun Pee, the villa manager, will gladly help you arrange a chef and can take care of many other concierge services too, be it an in-house massage or a boat trip to one of Samui’s outlying islands.

A line from The Carpenters’ song: “I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation” pops into my mind as I lie on a sun lounger by the pool at Panorama Summit. Yet although we’re almost in the clouds, it’s only a short (but admittedly steep) drive to the village and pristine beach below. Nothing obscures the view here – even the hedges of white bougainvillea are perfectly trimmed to knee-height so you look over the pretty blossoms, past the coconut plantations, to the glistening temples and beyond to the sailboats in the bay.

And the view doesn’t fade with the sunset. At night you can see the village lights, a green glow from the squid fishing boats, fireworks from the beach resorts and, if you’re as lucky as we were, spectacular flashes of ‘dry lightning’. One of our favourite places to enjoy the view was from the front edge of the infinity pool, perhaps not ideal for those who suffer from vertigo though.

When we felt the need to pay for our over-indulgence at one of the many excellent local seafood restaurants, a friendly game of tennis (racket and ball hire available at the office) at the estate’s shared court, or a walk down to the beach – and back – did the trick.

We enjoyed delicious continental breakfasts prepared by the resident housekeeper, but if you want a cooked breakfast (or a private chef to prepare any other meal), this can easily be arranged for a reasonable fee plus provisions charged at cost plus 15%. Khun Pee, the villa manager, will gladly help you arrange a chef and can take care of many other concierge services too, be it an in-house massage or a boat trip to one of Samui’s outlying islands.

A line from The Carpenters’ song: “I’m on the top of the world, looking down on creation” pops into my mind as I lie on a sun lounger by the pool at Panorama Summit. Yet although we’re almost in the clouds, it’s only a short (but admittedly steep) drive to the village and pristine beach below. Nothing obscures the view here – even the hedges of white bougainvillea are perfectly trimmed to knee-height so you look over the pretty blossoms, past the coconut plantations, to the glistening temples and beyond to the sailboats in the bay.

And the view doesn’t fade with the sunset. At night you can see the village lights, a green glow from the squid fishing boats, fireworks from the beach resorts and, if you’re as lucky as we were, spectacular flashes of ‘dry lightning’. One of our favourite places to enjoy the view was from the front edge of the infinity pool, perhaps not ideal for those who suffer from vertigo though.

When we felt the need to pay for our over-indulgence at one of the many excellent local seafood restaurants, a friendly game of tennis (racket and ball hire available at the office) at the estate’s shared court, or a walk down to the beach – and back – did the trick.

We enjoyed delicious continental breakfasts prepared by the resident housekeeper, but if you want a cooked breakfast (or a private chef to prepare any other meal), this can easily be arranged for a reasonable fee plus provisions charged at cost plus 15%. Khun Pee, the villa manager, will gladly help you arrange a chef and can take care of many other concierge services too, be it an in-house massage or a boat trip to one of Samui’s outlying islands.