Baan Dalah

The villa had four buildings and was nice in itself, but our stay was disrupted by a long list of problems. It was full of mosquitoes, some sockets didn’t work, and a bedroom door wouldn’t lock. The main entrance lock also failed, and the technician’s repair didn’t solve it. We had to let both cleaning staff and a technician in, which took away from the peaceful stay we wanted. The garden hadn’t been tidied: there were leaves, plastic bags, cigarette butts and an old rotten coconut behind one of the buildings. Inside, the floor and sofa had animal fur, towels were stained, the floors were dusty and sticky in the kitchen, and the plates and cupboards were dirty. We’d contacted the person in charge the day before to say when we’d arrive, but no one was there at check-in. We also had no directions to the villa, Wi-Fi password or other details. The villa itself is nice, but if quality matters to you, pick another one.

A great place, though there’s no service on site.

The ocean view from the little tower was the standout for me. We booked Villa #20 along with the ferry and airport shuttle to wrap up our Samui archipelago trip, and got a very warm welcome and a ride to the property. We arrived early while the cleaners were still working, so we waited in the sala. They brought us cold drinks and even first-aid supplies for a small scrape from the day before 🛵😉, which was thoughtful. We got a helpful introduction to the villas, and there was everything we needed and more: fridges with water and Coke, hot and cold water dispensers, air conditioning and fans. The subtle Balinese style was lovely, and the master house had a fantastic bathroom with a bathtub. The pool and garden were cleaned each day. The villa itself wasn’t, since this isn’t a hotel. 😄

There are around thirty villas in this secure residence on Bangrak Beach, most foreign-owned, with many available to rent. The grounds include a large, well-kept park. To reach the sea, you have to cross a road, and for swimming it’s better to walk about 100 meters to the right. By car, Fisherman's Village is 2 minutes away, the airport 5, Chaweng Beach 12, Central Festival Shopping Mall 10, and Choeng Mon Beach 8.