How Thailand is rediscovering its seclusion

Before the Thai beach became a brand, bamboo huts could still command their own slice of empty bay, the breeze wafting through their woven walls. I could drop my backpack almost anywhere on the Andaman coast and pay a couple of pounds for a dune with a view.

Those times have largely passed with the onslaught of mass tourism, but now resorts are rediscovering this heritage of seclusion. Al fresco bathrooms appear no longer rustic but are regarded as ethno-chic. Increasingly, villas are replacing blocks of rooms.

On a loop from Phuket airport I sampled this new trend in some diverse destinations: Phuket (veteran), Krabi (evolving), Koh Yao Noi (virgin) and Khao Lak (reborn). Everywhere, small is the new big.

Sala Phuket, a recent addition to the Thai scene, is all angular minimalism at first glance, with accents of the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Phuket City, from tile motifs and birdcage chandeliers to pastel retro kitsch. Behind the walls of its severely urban alleyways, glass-shuttered villas open on to eight-stroke pools veiled from the bath by a billowing curtain.

Once couples emerge, glowing, from this seductive boudoir, they can perch on the dunes at the sleek black bar-restaurant and dark-tiled lap and play pools. Sala Phuket largely leaves the national park beach to the "protected" turtles that nest there. Like turtles, many guests will seldom peek out of this exquisite shell.

I arrived with trepidation in Khao Lak, an hour north of Phuket. I'd not revisited since it was scoured by the tsunami. As we rounded the rainforested cape, the camel-hued sands appeared cleaner, the landscape lush, the resorts rebuilt with restraint. "Local owners and NGOs resisted attempts by outsiders to grab land," explained my guide, Wat, lauding locally run La Flora as an exemplar.

Into its compact tropical garden four-star La Flora fits spa, lounge, pool and lawns around villas and spacious studio rooms, emanating contemporary Thai aesthetics. The only dud note was musical requests sung to the strains of a Casio organ in the restaurant.

Reinforcing community spirit, La Flora hires local operators including Khao Lak Eco Adventure to explore the landscape with "small group, more time". Wat took me to an elephant camp without any circus trappings. Seat-belted into a howdah, I lurched through rubber plantations and woodland to a waterfall. There I could clamber through the bracing cascade unpestered. On the subsequent bamboo raft trip, I was punted to a swimmable glade as secluded as any pool villa.

On the picturesque drive south-east to Krabi, my route wound between the jungled karst outcrops that scatter into Phang Nga Bay and lend this coast a primeval tone. As Krabi gets busier, Peace Laguna Resort offers a rare experience: low-density quietude. Just out of earshot from Ao Nang's esplanade – and the longtail boats that shuttled me to Phra Nang cape – the resort hugs a lake by an awesome karst cliff. Styled after shells, the spiral-shaped villas have a lakeside balcony, open-air shower and Jacuzzi. The dining scene echoed La Flora; only the twice-weekly Manohra traditional dance is notably authentic.

Speedboating around broken-tooth karsts, I reached one of Thailand's last island frontiers. Drowsy Koh Yao Noi has leapfrogged from casting nets and tapping rubber to hosting the jet set at Six Senses Hideaway & Spa. As ever, Six Senses marries audacious design with eco-sensitivity, taking the thatched timber stilt house as its pool villa template. It's kept so natural that I was able to spot the resort's resident eagles and hornbills.

Aside from the privacy and space, the high-maintenance details are jaw- dropping. My two-pavilion villa had four sofas, three showers, two espresso machines and a full audio-visual system. For those who travel with an entourage, the hilltop Reserve boasts a private spa, gym and a waterslide from its observatory.

The Hideaway's time zone advances an hour to reinforce the remoteness and ensure guests such as me rise to see the dawn (though I skipped the sunrise yoga). With no central pool and meals also served in villas, solo pavilions and on islet beaches, guests hardly mix, even in the bar. But the staff are gregarious networkers, and at the chef's table guests are introduced over gourmet courses paired with a sommelier's selection. However, each villa has a wine cellar, so you need never leave your hideaway. Neo-Crusoes can summon Man Friday at the press of a button.

How to get there

Philip Cornwel-Smith travelled to Thailand as a guest of Hayes & Jarvis (0871 664 0246; hayesandjarvis. com). A similar eight-night luxury trip costs £1,599 per person, based on two sharing, including return flights to Bangkok with Thai Airways, domestic flights to Phuket with Bangkok Airways, transfers, two nights' B&B at La Flora on Khao Lak, two nights' B&B at Peace Laguna resort and four nights' room only at the new Six Senses Hideaway & Spa at Koh Yao Noi. The price drops to £1,479 in February.

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