The Treehouse, Hin Kong

A two-floor wooden treehouse built around a hundred-year-old tree standing right on the sand at Hin Kong, the mellow stretch of Koh Phangan's west coast. There is one queen bedroom looking at the water, a wet room where the tree trunk runs through the wall, and two terraces — one for eating, one for doing nothing. It is adults-only and capped at two guests, and the hosts are admirably upfront about the quirks: ceilings are low in places if you are over six feet, the beach road behind carries some noise, and the bay swims well at high tide (roughly October to March) but turns to walkable sandflats the rest of the year. Sunsets are the headline event, straight off the deck. Electricity is billed on top at 80–150 baht a day depending on aircon use. It holds a 5.0 rating across 250-plus reviews, which for a rustic build is remarkable.