Splendour At Sea

Simple pleasures of island life mingle with refined indulgence at Belmond Napasai’s villa property on the northern coast of Koh Samui

- Lakshmi Sankaran

After a tiring snorkelling session in the clear waters of Koh Phangan, instructors Captain Pumpui and Captain Poo are shepherding me and five others on a private speedboat to nearby Bottle Beach for a picnic lunch of sandwiches, macarons and fruit juices. I am about 10-12 kilometres from Belmond Napasai’s lush tropical resort in Koh Samui, my home for the last day-and-a-half, and the sun is blindingly bright overhead. This is ideal snorkelling weather; we have had a field day gasping at eels and corals underwater. But the heat has stymied chatter on our boat.

However, the aquamen on board won’t have any lull. Blasting dance numbers from the speakers, Pumpui swivels his hips throughout the ride, Shakira-style, exhorting us to join in. We muster a few, muted rhythmic claps. Sometimes he pulls faces through a snorkel mask and, in another instant, casually hangs from outside the boat window like an impertinent daredevil. When Pumpui tires, he steers the boat and Poo takes over as cheerleader. I crack a bemused smile at their relentlessly sunny Laurel & Hardy routine. Perhaps every resort should have a slapstick comedy pairing on hand to liven up spirits.

In Koh Samui, you can count as many luxury stays as the island’s ubiquitous coconut trees. I imagine a satellite map of its coastline would only show streams of beach umbrellas, striped towels and slope-roofed villas. Belmond Napasai, a 17-acre landscaped stretch situated in the north, has two things to recommend itself—a tasteful Thai countryside-inspired architecture that carves up enough spaces for repose, and a wonderfully unobtrusive atmosphere that allows every guest to be an island unto themselves.