Poonsiri Resort Aonang, Krabi, Thailand

Poonsiri Resort’s charm lies in its quiet, away-from-it-all location, reached via a series of narrow country roads that wind through a rural community of wooden roadside shacks. With a limestone-cliff backdrop and a horseshoe of rustic-style chalets built around its own lake, the resort offers a generous helping of peace, broken only by the scampering of monkeys jumping from roof to roof and exotic birdsong that could well have come straight from a sound-effects album. Poonsiri comes with a decent-sized restaurant and swimming pool, and guests are free to make use of the available canoes to paddle around the resort’s lake. It compensates for its remote spot by offering a free hourly shuttle service to Ao Nang, and there’s a driver standing by 24/7 for any urgent trips to the nearest 7-Eleven, a five-minute drive away.