HE SALA Phuket Resort and Spa occupies a secluded corner of Mai Khao beach in the northwest of the island where birdsong and the undulating murmur of waves drenching a glistening beach, are all the sounds you’ll hear. This chic, laundered white, borderline cubist escape is very much in tune with the rustic surrounds despite the stark contrast it presents with its immaculate straight lines, black-tile pools, and neatly shorn grass that borders the grey-stone footpaths.

The resort has 79 contemporary villas, rooms, and suites. Virginal Santorini white blazes at every turn, crying out for a pink bikini, and conjuring up a breezy Grecian feel, albeit without the clutter. This mannerly approach to design, officially referred to as Sino-Portuguese, is part of why SALA is ranked one of the best Phuket beach resorts. Plump white beds gaze out at azure swimming pools (almost every unit has one) set within white courtyards.

Expect 40-inch flat-screen TVs, WiFi, hairdryers, and more. Need an outdoor bathroom? No problem. Pick from a 157sq m SALA Pool Villa or go the whole hog with the 609sq m two-bedroom Presidential Pool Villa. For families carting kids around and for larger groups, there are 13 one and two-bedroom suites with extra stretch space. Overall, the unobtrusive low-rise setting is quietly welcoming and a far cry from the mega-this-that-and-the-other karaoke rumpus that is often passed off as luxury.

Look forward to not one, but three beachfront pools, one for kids, and the SALA Spa, which offers a range of holistic treatments with five indoor rooms and three massage venues by the beach. Try a “sesame herbal scrub” or a “white clay body wrap”. The young and restless can partake of golf, mountain biking, snorkelling, and elephant safaris. Small meetings are a doddle and for a Phuket beach wedding this could be one for your diary. Now think pink. Start with the sandals.