Seavana Beach Resort

English is spoken by the hotel team, alongside Thai, so you can deal with the practicalities without resorting to underwater hand signals. The resort suits divers who want the sea close, a proper place to eat, and enough on-site comfort to make the hours between outings easy.

There is a beachside restaurant, a cocktail bar, a pool facing the sea, massage treatments and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. Add a library, a garden and a terrace, and the mood is more about taking the day at your own speed than filling every minute with organised entertainment.

You are on Ko Mak, Thailand, at a resort directly beside the sea and a white-sand beach. Sun loungers and parasols are set out on the beach, so reaching the water does not require a transfer, a taxi or a long explanation involving hand gestures.

The town centre is about 1 km away. That leaves you close enough to reach local life by bicycle or on foot, while the resort itself keeps the beach and the sea at the front door. Bicycle hire and car hire are available for seeing more of the island, and the excursions service can help arrange outings further afield.

The room range gives you a choice between straightforward accommodation and more fully equipped categories. Standard rooms have a private bathroom, while the Superior, Deluxe and Suite categories add air conditioning and a television. The Superior and Suite options also include a hairdryer, useful when salt water and tropical humidity have had their say.

If the view matters, choose a sea-view category rather than leaving the outlook to chance. A double Superior room with sea view is the clearest fit for a couple wanting air conditioning, a private bathroom, a television and the sea in the picture. The Suite category adds a safe, telephone, toiletries and towels, making it the more self-contained option for a longer stay.

The resort has 22 rooms, and an automatic lift makes the building easier to navigate with tired legs or luggage. Air conditioning is available in the higher room categories.

DayBeds sits on the beach and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu brings together Thai, European and Asian dishes, with BBQ as another strand, so the evening meal does not have to follow the same route as the day's diving. Breakfast starts at 7 am and comes as either a buffet or an à la carte meal.

The daytime service runs from 10 am to 4 pm, followed by dinner from 5.30 pm to 9 pm. That gives you a place for a light meal and a drink without turning every snack into an expedition. Dinner is served beneath the island sky, which is one of the few settings that can compete with a good dive logbook.

There is one named bar, Bitter Sweet, a beach bar built around cocktails, coffee, smoothies, homemade pastries and premium ice cream. The resort also lists a snack bar and a restaurant. Meal arrangements vary by booking, so check what is included with your selected stay rather than assuming the buffet has quietly become full board.

Sea&Sun Pool is an outdoor pool facing the sea, with a depth of 1.2 metres and a sundeck around it. The view takes in Kham Island, giving you somewhere to settle with a book while the last traces of the day's exertion work their way out of your shoulders. The private beach adds white sand, loungers and parasols when a pool feels too much like hard work.

Arom Massage covers the slower end of the programme, with massage, facial treatments, hammam, sauna, jacuzzi, mud baths and body wraps. The products are Thai aromatic products. This is the part of the resort where a serious plan can quite reasonably consist of moving from the treatment room to a lounger and stopping there.

For a more active day, the resort offers kayaking, paddleboarding, windsurfing, snorkelling and boat excursions. On land, you can hire a bicycle, go walking, join a cookery class, look for wildlife or take a cultural excursion. Fishing is also listed among the leisure options, while the library and terrace cover the occasions when you have already done enough.

Reception is open from 8 am to 6.30 pm. Check-in runs from 2 pm to 6 pm, and check-out is by noon, so contact the resort ahead of arrival to arrange the check-in details. Early check-in and late check-out can be requested, subject to arrangements with the hotel.

An airport transfer is available to arrange with the resort, and car hire is also offered. Free Wi-Fi covers the whole hotel. You can use the laundry service, leave valuables in the reception safe, order room service and use the lift. Visa and Mastercard are accepted, as well as cash.

The resort is non-smoking and does not accept pets. Thailand's digital arrival procedure applies to foreign visitors arriving by air, land or sea: complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card online before travelling. If you are bringing a drone, check the Thai registration requirements before using it.