The Lodge, Koh Samui by Terry Blackburn

Boutique elegance doesn’t come at a more bargain basement price than this - even in Thailand. For less than the price of a decent meal at the Italian restaurant next door, or at the Aussie sports bar down the road for that matter, The Lodge offers charmingly decorated rooms, with polished hardwood floors and ceilings, colonial style wooden ceiling fans, air-con, decent sized baths and comfortable balconies which look directly out to the sea less than 10 metres away.

The two possible downsides are the lack of a pool (though the sea shelves quickly and is good for swimming), and the fact that there’s no restaurant. The attached beach bar serves good snack food though and the elegant street outside is lined with restaurants, mainly converted from wooden Chinese shophouses, and is the only place on the island that can really claim to have a true family atmosphere.