Fantastic villa and wonderful staff
Review Submitted: March 16, 2009
Date of Stay: February 2009
We had a fantastic time at Villa Malee. May, the housekeeper, was friendly and discreet and an excellent cook. We ate only Thai food and May was able to meet the different needs of the family: spicy-not too spicy... you know with kids, but still letting them discover a new world in food.
Everything was clean and perfect and we were impressed by the high standard of construction and of design.
The children, aged 11, 14 and 17, loved Thailand. Before arriving at the villa, we spent 3 nights in a remote resort on Phi-Phi island, in Balinese-style wooden bungalows which were very beautiful and comfortable but without any mod-con such as TV or any distractions powered by electricity. The bungalows were buried in the jungle yet by the sea, so snorkelling, looking at corals and chasing fish kept the children busy. We particularly enjoyed exploring the corals around Koh Phi Phi Lee and Bamboo Island, which are outstanding, even better than those seen around the Similan Island (so says my brother who went diving there while we were staying at the villa).
We spent some time in Phang-Nga where we experienced the real Thailand away from mass tourism. We visited the underground cave underneath Elephant Mountain, a temple in another cave with lots of monkeys, went into the jungle and mingled with ordinary Thais. We ate sometimes in little local restaurants for under 400 Bhat for 5 and also in a fabulous establishment by the river popular with the local elite. Guests arriving in large SUVs are served in discreet booths in bamboo at the foot of a huge cliff, high on stilts on the edge of the water with many beautiful exotic plants.
We also visited the marvelous Phang-Nga bay and stayed overnight in Ko Panyi, the fisherman village there, as our guide book recommended. The bay is outstanding but the Muslim village on stilts was for us a painful waste of time. Once cosy now it is a huge tacky souvenir shop and the locals are distinctly unfriendly. If you ever go there, don't take a tour as we did, but try and arrange your own private boat and guide. There is so much to see and enjoy and being rushed around in a group is not nice. We met a Swiss family in Phuket who did just that, and were able to visit all the sites off the beaten track which I saw when I was last there 20 years ago.
Many thanks again to the owner, who gave us lots of useful information making our stay very comfortable
Owner's Response: We are all delighted that Roberta and her family enjoyed their stay in Thailand, and particularly in Villa Malee. A great holiday is really special and we want to provide that special feeling to as many guests as possible. Brian
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