This spectacular resort, nestled amongst coconut palms, is right on the most pristine beach frontage you are ever likely to wake up next to. Bold claim… but we think justified. Indeed, The Sandaway Resort is, without doubt, one of our favourite resort hotels in all of South East Asia.

A famous Italian architect imagined the entire hotel from scratch and everything has been crafted to create a mix of opulent accommodation, lush gardens and carefully considered facilities. And nothing but 400 metres of perfect sand lying between the sea and your luxurious room. It’s a heavenly place to stay.

The Villas, Cottages and  Deluxe Rooms are all understated and utterly unpretentious. Demonstrating an effortless class, none of the rooms in the resort bother with TVs, instead there are HiFi’s with high quality speakers. You do not have to put up with the noise of a refrigerator; instead you have an ice chest which is topped a few times per day! Its that kind of place.

The décor is South East Asian chic, in buildings constructed from local materials including various kinds of hard wood, stone and marble. All rooms are bright and most are split over two levels, with a spiral staircase connecting. The ground level is home to a relaxing lounge area, writing desk and bright, spacious bathrooms, whilst the upper mezzanine level is where the bedroom is located, with large windows offering sea views.

Indeed, most guest rooms are identical in size and layout, only differing by either location and the cheapest rooms are not detached. The cottages are, as the name suggests, stand alone units. The Sandoway Villas are the resort’s best rooms and, indeed, are also most opulent rooms anywhere on a Burmese beach.The hotel has a fabulous restaurant serving classic Italian favourites, but any other style of cuisine is limited. There are, however, several other options along the beachfront and along the village roads behind the resort. The resort’s delightful, airy spa is set within a lush wild gardens and the tranquil mezzanine library, leading on to a sunny wooden balcony, overlooks the sea. When you’re tired of sunning yourself while you read, you could seek out the cool, comfortable 40 seat private cinema screening movies and news channels every afternoon. There is also an ocean front swimming pool, offering a great place to sit back, relax and laze away your days on Ngapali Beach.