Cape Yamu

Cape Yamu is a headland on the east coast; on the map it looks like a small Italian boot. Its eastern edge faces Phang Nga Bay and the limestone islands. Its western side looks over Sapam Bay, where boats come home across calm water at sunset.

Until the early 2000s, fishermen lived here and worked the plantations. Then the designer Philippe Starck and the architect Jean-Michel Gathy discovered the headland, and private estates appeared among the groves.

The Italian touch is not only in the outline. The interiors of COMO Point Yamu, at the tip of the headland, are by Paola Navone⁠—her first hotel. Its restaurant, La Sirena, serves Mediterranean cooking with an Italian accent.

For those whose day begins on the water. Three marinas and two piers are within twenty minutes by car. The islands of Koh Naka Yai and Koh Rang Yai, with their sandy beaches, are fifteen minutes away by boat.

For those who come between May and October. In those months the west coast is often under red flags, and captains head into sheltered Phang Nga Bay⁠—the very bay the headland looks out on.

And for those who care who passes the house: the headland is small, the neighbours are few, and we check the security at the gate for each house individually.

There are several estates on the headland: The Cape, The Bay, Baan Yamu Residences, Grove Gardens. Within them are villas and residences with water views and pools.

The choice begins with the compass. The eastern slope has sunrises over the bay and the islands; the western slope, sunsets over Sapam Bay. Early risers and those expecting guests for dinner will want different houses.

Houses on the headland are sold as well as rented. If you are thinking of buying, the choice begins the same way: with the aspect and the view.

COMO Point Yamu is close by, at the tip of the headland. Useful if some of your guests are coming for a couple of days or for a wedding and would rather stay in a hotel.

• Out on the bay. A yacht from the nearest marina, a captain and a route chosen by the weather⁠—from the limestone islands to the sand of Koh Naka Yai. More in Yachts & Voyages.
• A beach for the morning. A boat to Koh Rang Yai or Koh Naka Yai and back by lunch, while the table is laid at the villa.
• Dinner. A table at La Sirena, or a chef on the villa terrace, with a view of the same water.
• The west for an evening. A driver, if dinner is in Laguna or Surin.
• A day away from the sea for children. Bang Pae Waterfall and the gibbon rehabilitation centre in Khao Phra Thaeo National Park.
• Golf. Mission Hills, 15 km from the cape.