M4 Billion Pool Villa Cha-am

We were there as a family for two nights, from 28-29 February. The bedrooms and bathrooms looked beautiful, but there were small issues: the kitchen tap was in bad shape, a kitchen cupboard for plates, glasses, and cups was broken, and the bamboo huts had no lights. We could live with those things. The safety problem was much worse. My nine-year-old son was cut by broken pool tiles. My niece also got a few cuts on her inner leg, though they didn’t go into the flesh. We were lucky it wasn’t worse. There was no first aid kit in the house, and we waited hours for the mate to arrive with basic supplies. The owner took no responsibility and showed no sincere sympathy. She just said not to use the pool if it wasn’t safe, and was rude. We came with kids to use the pool, which is why we booked it. The next morning my son’s wound was still bleeding. A doctor friend said he needed stitches, which ruined his holiday. He cried from the pain and sadness because he couldn’t swim at the new place, and we had to argue hard to get to move. He cried himself to sleep, blaming himself for getting hurt. From a parent’s point of view, how is that acceptable? There was no reimbursement. The mate took a photo of the wound and the doctor’s invoice, saying they’d reimburse us through the Thai tax department. I was okay with the cost for my son, but there was no formal apology. I’m Thai and can speak English, and I’m ashamed to leave this review, but I don’t want this happening to others. The phrase “Thailand only” shouldn’t apply here. This pol villa, or any place with safety below standard, shouldn’t be rented out. I was in shock thinking about my son and regret not reporting it to the police. Don’t use these facilities unless they fix the safety issues, since guests can’t dive down and check the pool. My experience at “4 billion pool vila” was very bad. Never again for me, my family, or my friends.

The pool setup is very slippery, and the water tasted strangely sour. The waterslide had been sitting in the sun so long that it was unusable, even with water on it. Inside the house, there wasn’t a key, and the remote batteries were completely dead. The remotes looked like they’d been smashed repeatedly. There were just two air conditioner remotes for the whole place, though luckily they worked with the units. Kitchenware was limited, and when I asked about it, I was told, “Just ask the housekeeper!” It felt like staying in an ordinary house. Hotels usually provide two bottles of drinking water, soap, and shampoo, but here there was only a bottle of shower gel.

The house is lovely, just like the pictures, clean, and not musty. It has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus parking for two cars inside. We stayed with ten people, though three had to sleep on the sofa bed. It can actually fit 15. Towels are supplied, and you can order a sack of ice for 100 baht. The kitchen has lots of gear, including a rice cooker, electric stove, mortar and pestle, microwave, blender, plates, bowls, spoons, glasses, a campfire grill, pots, and basins. There’s also snooker and a hockey table. Lotus and Makro aren’t far. Bring your own tissue paper, shampoo, and soap, as there aren’t any in the bathroom. The pool has a lot of chlorine, and the children developed rashes all over their bodies. Anyone planning to stay should know about the pool water.

The accommodation was pretty good and had a swimming pool. During my stay, there was karaoke through YouTube in Chrome. Parking only fit two cars, so any extra cars had to stay outside. The kitchen equipment was somewhat limited, and you may want to bring soap and shampoo. Towels were available on request. Each room could comfortably fit at least 12 people, with someone possibly sleeping on the sofa depending on preference.