Let’s Blog About Villas

Renting a private house is becoming more and more common as visitors seek Authenticity, privacy, independence, originality and whilst on holiday. And if such a stay also offers the possibility of direct interaction with the locals and costs less than a hotel stay, the attractions are manifold.

In Thailand, more and more properties are now available for rent direct from their owners on a daily or weekly basis. Thailand’s real estate boom has helped develop the number of villas and holiday homes available. It is in general a Pity that these properties still tended to be Huddle together in the mass tourism markets of Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui, which somewhat defeats the original attractions of an independent holiday home.

However, looking more closely, it is not difficult to narrow down one’s search to locate and private properties for rent at highly attractive rates in original destinations. And in accordance with the Thais’ legendary hospitality, these villas are even occasionally rent out more as if friends - rather than paying guests - were being accommodated: meals are cooked for you, transport arranged, and invitations made to local festivals or ceremonies. In short, the Thais have realized that, whilst some guests may prefer privacy, others seek a genuine interaction at the local level with the country’s inhabitants, as they seek a memorable experience instead of locally manufactured to stay.

Our exploration of Thailand’s holiday home rentals led us to several very different properties, and clearly, whilst the supply is not huge, the attractions of these homes, the hospitality of the Thais, the Zing of the delicious food and the promise of sun make all Marvelous these properties to alternative holiday.

We particularly enjoyed our stay at “Gecko Villa.” From the outset, their comprehensive website (http://www.geckovilla.com) gave full details of the property, with numerous photographs and an online availability checker. Our reservation email was responded to rapidly, and helpful suggestions made about getting to the destination.

Upon arrival we were met at the airport by the smiling owners and driven to the large house that was set in the middle of emerald rice paddies, sugar cane plantations and woodlands. The property was set on extensive grounds Guaranteeing privacy by our own pool, and the bedrooms and facilities all lived up to or surpassed what we had seen described on the internet. The kitchen showed up our own kitchen at home, garden and the shower in the master bedroom was a delightful touch.

When we said we loved Thai food, we were delighted to be taken off around the grounds to pick our own herbs and spices - including strange plants that we had never considered using in the pot - before being shown how to make genuine Thai dishes and Northeast . The owners seemed genuinely pleased to be able to impart their knowledge and love of food - and we were equally happy to have this cooking lesson provided at no cost!

The property was fully serviced and the rate we paid covered all our meals and even generous quantities of cool beer and fresh fruit juices. And as we were there in the mango season, we were encouraged to simply help ourselves to the fresh fruit straight from the trees …

It was rare to find a house deep in the Thai countryside, and truly off the beaten tourist track, that offered every comfort for a relaxing stay in the real Thailand. The Visitors’ Book was full of Glowing comments and the many repeat guests bore testimony to the visitors’ enjoyment of their stays, not only because of the property itself but because of the genuine welcome they received.

Tips on booking holiday homes:

• Try to book directly with the property site. Searches tended to list global villa rental sites that generally take a commission on your stay, making it more expensive, and in some cases try to prevent you from contacting the owners directly.

• Look for an individual property rather than a house in a village development. The latter are often managed by hotel groups and simply glorified hotel rooms - at hotel rates!

• Travel in the off season, but book early. Better rates can generally be found for travel out of the tourist seasons, but do make sure you book ahead, when as a standalone villa is booked, it is booked!

• Make sure the property you choose has a telephone and address listed.

• Travel somewhere new! Much of the fun of your own holiday house is the way it can take you out of the tourist centers to enjoy a more authentic holiday.

The appeal is part of Orient-Express Hotels, Trains & Cruises: as such, both the town and resort were managed professionally, and we have been able to choose from the kitchen of our own Thai food after a visit to local markets, or to simply walk to the resort’s excellent Thai restaurant in the evening.

The villas are themselves at one end of the property, sandwiched between a steep hillside behind our house and the sea in front. Each of the villas are at levels by the hillside to the sea. We stayed in a villa with two bedrooms, three bedrooms, but also available properties. Well beyond the two rooms, our property has a spacious living / dining room with its own kitchen, a room of the maid, and, at ground level, a private pool and “chill out” area. The main room is well furnished and has a DVD player, satellite TV, and charming balcony overlooking the sea, where we spent most of the afternoon.

The island of Koh Samui is a major center of international tourism and, as such, many activities are available for guests, from the exploration of waterfalls, elephant rides, paintball, water sports, scuba diving, fishing, golf etc. The hotel also offers boating activities, Thai cooking classes, tennis courts, a gym and a spa.

We booked online in the hotel’s own website, taking advantage of a special offer. Rates for a two bedrooms are seasonal and start to the U.S. around $ 850 per night including American breakfast complementary.

Napasai

65/10 Baan Tai, Maenam,

Koh Samui,

Surat Thani

84,330,

Thailand

Tel: (66-77) 42 92 00

Fax: (66-77) 42 92 01

Resort Villas

The appeal focused on villa consists essentially an action top of the room inventory, and will be priced accordingly. In many cases, these villas will have been professionally designed by the designer of the hotel, and then sold to a third party buyer, who in turn joins the rental pool managed by the developer to provide a return on investment in the villa Buyer acquisition.

The advantage here is that the villa in general, the occupants may use the facilities or services provided by the resort, although “resort” prices. The disadvantage is that, for those seeking a more authentic experience, they will find themselves just a guest in a tourist complex, and considered further - if well-paid - “keys.”

Stand-alone private villas

Private villas are usually second homes owned by individuals, which is held in an individual piece of land.

These can be rented “as is” with the guests pick up the keys at the start of the trip and return at the end, either with or without a cleaning or security deposit. Moreover, the village may have its own staff, usually living outside the property, but available throughout your stay to take care of cleaning, laundry, cooking or local visits etc.

Whether you choose a resort villa or private property, you should expect to pay a partial deposit at the time of booking, either by credit card or guaranteed by a bank transfer.

Tried and tested

We have tried a number of town on vacation in Thailand, and below highlight a resort villa and a private villa - each offering a unique holiday, but totally different experiences.

Green Gecko, northeast Thailand

Green Gecko is a privately owned villa situated on a large farm, surrounded by forests, plantations and paddy fields in the heart of Thailand’s rural northeast, near a village called Udon Thani. Free airport transfers were arranged from the airport, which is accessible through a 50-minute flight from Bangkok on Thai Airways, Nok or budget airline Air Asia or Air.

In contrast to most major sites, our stay here has allowed us to discover and experience the real Thailand, off the beaten tourist track.

The town of traditional Thai architecture: an impressive wooden staircase leading to the closed and raised wooden deck, where our delightful private pool is located, with bucolic views of the surrounding countryside and sunsets in the evening. The tone heavily tiled roofs terracotta gave the house looks almost like a temple. Posed a “room” here are offered protection against the strong midday sun and it became our favorite spot, with its view over the pool.

Accessible from the deck into two separate buildings were the two bedrooms (each with air conditioning) as well as the living and dining room and kitchen. The master bedroom has a solid teak four-poster, king-size bed, with a cotton quilt and feather pillows, a large adjoining bathroom and toilet and a garden outside the shower. The second bedroom has a queen-sized poster of four, again with a spacious adjoining bathroom / WC.

The main air-conditioned houses a dining room with a dining table and seating for six people, a lounge area with comfortable sofas and views on the pool deck, and an area with decorated sunken Futons to rest in front of the big screen LCD TV (complete with a high-end home theater system and international satellite channels). Leading off this area (behind sliding wood panels) was a toilet, a fully equipped kitchen and western (with built in microwave, oven, etc.), which in turn led to a stainless steel kitchen Thai.

We must confess that all this seemed very easy to use, but we’ve never used the kitchen - with the exception of helping ourselves to a few beers ice cream from the refrigerator! As the owner is a former chef, who prepares all the meals to its guests during their stay, varying the spiciness or the composition of these to your guests’ tastes. We are happy to be shown around the gardens to collect a variety of herbs and spices, which show us how the spirit in delightfully fresh and bitter Northeastern dishes. We also tried the classics: Thai food is certainly mouth watering, and staying at a villa such as this, where all meals are prepared for you by a chef who is willing to share their secrets, was a blessing!

We have spent a good amount of time just lazing by the pool in complete privacy, but also enjoy a variety of excursions with our hosts to the experience of some of the sights and sounds of the Northeast. These include a spectacular journey in a small wooden boat, through a lake that was essentially a large lotus flowers pink, interrupted only by the occasional fisherman or water buffalo wallowing (propositioners marriage, take note! ) Also visited a local museum that seemed to refer to Thailand as the home of the Bronze Age, and a number of noisy, colorful festivals and local wet markets, as well as silk and cash holdings. But our lasting impression was one of simplicity and rural areas increasingly friendly, willing to guarantee that enjoyed our stay and displays an endless variety of foods and drinks!

Green Gecko can be reserved for stays of 2 nights or more through its website, where the availability and prices can be checked online (around 280 U.S. dollars including all transfers, service and meals.)

Green Gecko

134 Moo 13

Baan Jaan um

Jaan Tabol um

A. Prajak Sinlapakhom

Udon Thani

Thailand 41110

Green Gecko

Gecko Green’s sister property, Gecko Villa offers a cheaper alternative to the three bedrooms on a tighter budget (about 160 U.S. dollars).