Bansuriya is amazing. Twelve of us stayed there last October - seven adults and five children (ages 1, 3, 3, 5 and 8) and it truly was 'the holiday of a lifetime'. We still frequently reminisce about it now.

For the first few days we wandered around pinching ourselves - it was like being on the set of an Elle Decoration or Wallpaper* shoot. The design and decor is incredibly stylish - very contemporary, but comfortable with it.

You walk through this huge entrance and there's an amazing view straight down the pool, across the gardens and then onto the villa's private beach. The gorgeous pool has a glass side so people sitting in the viewing den can watch people’s legs as they swim, or swimmers can dive down and wave underwater - it's a really clever design touch. There’s also a swim-up bar at the other end where we’d have nightly sundowner cocktails rustled up by Pom, the villa gardener who used to be a barman at a five-star hotel.

It's such a social space and everything centres around the huge main villa with its big open kitchen; a long breakfast bar looking over the pool (the kids loved to line up there together, swinging on the bar stools and eating their meals); the aforementioned viewing den; a TV den; and an upstairs chill-out lounge. There are lots of dining areas to choose from - a huge square table in the main villa, a table built around a frangipani tree next to the barbecue sala - but we had all our meals at the circular table on the terrace, which was really conducive to good conversation. Also, it was sheltered, so that even during the occasional downpour, we just carried on eating and chatting.

The team of staff were amazing. Chin, the housekeeper, is a former chef and her Thai cooking was as good as, if not better, than much we've had in Thai restaurants. Some nights they'd fire up the barbecue and we'd have fantastic fresh seafood, lobster, grilled meats and great salads.

Before we arrived, I was worried we'd be bored, but the days just whizzed by. We'd wake, have breakfast, swim, have lunch, the kids would nap (as would the adults sometimes), then we'd swim some more, sundowner cocktails, have dinner then chat, watch DVDs or play board games till bedtime.

Everyone had their own villa - in fact there were still a couple spare when we were there. There's so much space (35,000 sq ft apparently) that you never feel on top of each other. If you want some quiet time you just wander off to read a book, have a nap, watch a DVD, take a soak in the Jacuzzi or have a massage on the deck (a masseur comes to the villa). If you’re feeling more active, you can have a workout in the gym, a game of tennis or a shot on the PlayStation, a walk along the beach or take a swim in the pool or a dip in the ocean...

By the end of our stay, we truly didn’t want to leave and we have vowed to go back again one day.