Phulay Bay, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Fifty-four villas sit between jungle and the Andaman Sea, each with a private pool and the kind of limestone-cliff view that makes Krabi famous. Phulay Bay is a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, so the scale is intimate but the ambition is not. Banyan trees and a circular infinity pool frame the water; the spa leans into local treatments; and the staff will organize a mountain excursion if lying by the sea starts feeling too easy. A Forbes Four Star property.