Villa Azhara

High above the old fishing village

Villa Azhara sits right at the crown of a hill over Chaloklum, the north-coast fishing village that time has mostly left alone. A hundred and seventy square metres of house, arranged over two floors, it trades the west-coast crowds for something rarer — mountains on one side, the bay on the other, and air that never quite stops moving.

Downstairs is the calm, private half of the villa. Two en-suite bedrooms sit either side of a living room, a full kitchen and a 15 m² saltwater infinity pool. The master wakes to the mountains, slips straight into the water, and hides a double-sink bathroom with a rain shower and a proper soaking tub; the second, lighter and turned toward the garden, keeps its own double-sink en-suite — an easy room to hand to friends or to children.

The living room is unfussy and sociable — a deep sofa, a 42" screen, and floor-to-ceiling doors that pull right back onto the pool. Along one wall, the kitchen runs on a warm timber counter with an induction hob, a big fridge and room to genuinely cook. Nothing is precious here; it's a house built to be lived in, doors thrown open, light everywhere.

Climb the stairs, though, and Azhara shows its hand. The whole upper floor is an open-air room in the sky: a lounge and bar with a second kitchen and fridge of its own, a long timber table for eight, and a broad daybed set squarely against the view. From up here Chaloklum Bay and the surrounding peaks fill the entire horizon — the obvious place to be at breakfast, at sundown, and most hours in between.

Chaloklum keeps its own rhythm: a working harbour, fishing boats coming and going, none of the polish of the busier south. Its 2.5 km beach threads right through the village, edged with easy cafés, bars and kitchens, while the dive shops on the waterfront head out to some of the island's best snorkelling, diving and kayaking — all a few minutes downhill. It suits couples and families in equal measure.

Want to see the rest? Villa Azhara is one of the best-rated villas of its kind on Airbnb — browse our Airbnb listing for the complete photo set, the full details and honest guest reviews.