Aspire Villas Koh Phangan

At checkout, they accused us of losing one spoon and held my passport until I paid 200 Baht. We hadn’t even used any spoons. It felt absurd and like a scam. I wouldn’t recommend staying here, given the poor service, what felt like false advertising, and lack of hospitality. There were other problems too. The speakers didn’t work, the A/C remote was broken, and one room wouldn’t lock, which felt serious in an open-style villa without full security. The pool stayed in the shade, and a large tree blocked the advertised view. During our entire 4-night stay, they didn’t change the towels or bed linens. After the beach, coming back sandy without fresh towels or proper cleaning was unpleasant.

The Thai Villa was beautiful and spacious, just like the pictures, and the rooms were serviced every day. Ann at reception was kind and helpful. Mon, our taxi driver, could take us wherever we wanted at a fair price if we gave him 20 minutes’ notice. We spent every morning at the restaurant next door, Tomorrow X. It was a great stay for a family. The open pool made us nervous with our two-year-old, so we had to keep an eye on him constantly. The villa is about a 10-minute drive from the beach, but we liked being tucked away from all the action.

Ann and the local team were great. I still remember the birthday cake they made for me out of towels 😃. It was a peaceful place to spend Xmas and new year as a family of four, away from the party end of the island. The open-plan living area was lovely, and the fresh infinity pool looks just like the photos. Zen villa is at the top of a very steep hill above salaad beach. We usually walked down, then took a taxi back up for 200 bht, about £5, after spending the day or evening at the beach, where there are good places to eat and drink. There are a couple of nearby options for breakfast and evening meals, and we had breakfast at Tomorrow X most days. The kids are still young enough to share a room. The second bedroom is quite dark and humid, though it does have AC and a dehumidifier, and the jacuzzi looked a bit unloved.

The pool tiles were very slippery, and both I and my 2-year-old fell within the first hour. We’d planned to stay four nights but left after one. This villa really wasn’t suitable for our children, aged 2, 3, and 4. There are many places where they could fall into the jungle. It’s a steep climb back from the beach too. Ann told us to get a cab, but we couldn’t find one despite asking several hotels. Ann didn’t answer our call. The people from bay view villa were incredibly kind and brought us and the kids back up to aspire. The owner should consider glass fences instead of the wooden ones. There was no food at the villa. You can call restaurants for delivery, but on the Sunday we arrived, nothing was open. When we told Ann about our concerns, she said we should have known when booking that the villa wasn’t safe for kids, and that we should look after them. Yet they provide a baby chair and cot. Ann said it was our problem and that we should have known before making the reservation. Traveling here with adults would be a different matter, but I’d urge families with small kids to think carefully.