Belle Villa Resort Pai

Getting around pretty much requires a moped. The first room was mouldy from the floor up, with ants everywhere, inside and across the balcony. To their credit, they moved us to a cottage, but there were still lots of bugs in the bathroom and a cockroach. For the money, this place is a disgrace. Maybe it’d be okay if it were really cheap.

It’s a beautiful, quiet place with no town or bar noise at all. You can walk from the front down to the river, and there’s a small farm off to one side doing its thing. The pools are clean, the beds are comfortable, and my room had no smell. This place is great.

The cottages were much nicer, and we had no trouble switching to one after staff kindly offered. They were friendly and understanding throughout. That matters, because the rooms in the main building by the large pool were a real letdown: the walls were damp and smelled strongly, and the alternative room they showed us had the same problem, even worse, with damp spots on the ceiling. The facilities in that building are also very old, and I can’t say anything positive about those rooms. Breakfast was tasty and the service was great, with a lovely view over the calm Pai countryside. Since it was the end of October and perhaps not high season yet, there was no buffet, just a limited menu. It’s about a 20-minute walk from Pai town, though they offer shuttle and pickup services. Keep in mind the photos don’t properly represent the resort, especially the pools and rooms beside them.

The Wi-Fi kept dropping, and when it stayed connected it was painfully slow. The bed was hard, with springs that seemed ready to pop. Around the property, upkeep was poor: rotting wood, doors that wouldn’t shut properly, and things patched together with duct tape. It felt like the hotel had been abandoned 20 years ago. I ended up here because it was high season and nothing else was available. There are better, cheaper places around town, so avoid this one if you can.