We had the most fantastic holiday at Villa Arawan. We were very lucky with the weather and had lots of sunshine with the occasional downpour as to be expected in the rainy season.

Jeaw and Joy (the local cook and housekeeper) really looked after us, the food was so good that we requested a pad thai cooking lesson from Jeaw and she was more than happy to oblige. I bought some pad thai noodles in Greenwich today – watch this space! Joy the housekeeper kept the house spotless, and her laundering was efficient and much appreciated. We loved her folded towel displays , it is this attention to detail that makes such a difference. I had a 'generation game' towel folding session with Joy much to the amusement of both of us.

Tan (the local concierge) popped in the first couple of days, but as we were not planning many outings we didn't see her the rest of the week but we knew we could get her by phone if we needed to. We were more lazy this time, less sightseeing although we did a tour of the island which incorporated a visit to Wat Chalong and the White Buddha on the hill – it doesn't seem to have progressed that much from the last time but then it is a huge project. We enjoyed the local beachclubs on both Surin and Bang Tao – great for sundowners.