Villas In Pattaya

The garden view through the big bathroom window was lovely, and the beds were comfortable. The kitchen was good and had lots of different equipment, as did the rooms. They also provided a bathrobe, slippers, shampoo, and gel. It all felt up to VIP standards. And the pool!

It’s convenient for shops and restaurants, and Beach road is within walking distance. The rooms and bathrooms were clean, and Lin was an excellent housekeeper, hardworking and responsive. Construction noise bothered some rooms. There should be keys for every gate, because some roads get closed off with barricaded gates at midnight, leaving some entrances to the property inaccessible.

There was no housekeeping service, and despite what Agoda listed, no complimentary coffee or tea either. The layout was strange: a two-storey unit with the stairs to the upper floor at the back of the building, completely unsheltered, which would be a mess in the rain. Upstairs, what was meant to be a studio with one bedroom and a living room had been turned into two bedrooms. To reach the stairs, the person in the main bedroom has to pass through the living-room bedroom. The location felt deserted, with no supermarket or restaurant within walking distance. The building badly needs upgrading. The pool was filthy with plant spores and insects because the pump wasn’t working. Shower hot water was intermittent, and the furniture was old and stained. A very disappointing stay.

Our pre-booked Christmas lunch was the biggest letdown. The chef arrived 90 minutes late, while the owner didn’t answer the phone or reply to my email asking what had happened. All we got was “please wait, they’ll be there soon.” We eventually cancelled and went out, but it ruined the day, which was the main reason we’d booked the villa. On our first night, I’d already had trouble getting food because the woman who opened the villa for us didn’t answer when I called to order. The place had an uncomfortable feel from the start. A large sign at the entrance warned that guests would be thrown out for breaking the noise rules, and there was another long list of rules on the table. When the woman left, she didn’t explain how to lock up, give us the wireless password, or show us how anything worked. Getting around is difficult. There’s almost nothing of interest or use within walking distance, and rubbish tips and packs of wild dogs surround the nearby areas. There are motorbike taxi stands nearby, but no main roads or passing taxis, so I’d say having your own car is essential, especially for a family. The owners seem to look for every way to charge extra. Staff won’t clean the villa, change sheets, or clean the pool unless you pay 800 THB each time, about $25. We’d initially booked for two days, but after checking the place and seeing its condition, we cancelled. There was nothing for guests to use to clean themselves, not even brushes, tea towels, washing-up liquid, or polish. There was thick dust in many areas, cigarette butts in the pool, and the roof jacuzzi flooded as soon as we turned it on. The pool had a thick scum line all around it. The bathroom smelled overpoweringly of the cesspit, a major design fault from the missing S bends, and frankly revolting. The villa had other problems too. Only the main doors opened. The two other bedroom doors facing the pool were permanently locked. The flat-screen TVs were very old; there was no washing machine or even a clothesline, and no coffee machine in a villa costing over $300 a day. Though it claims to sleep 10, I don’t see how, since there were only one or three of some things, like glasses and tumblers. Basically, everything feels done on the cheap. The towels and bed linen were worn, the towels frayed, and the sheets had holes. You have to sign in to the internet every time you go online. It stopped working completely on the sixth day and stayed down until we left. The phone line didn’t work either. Electricity is limited to 65 units a day, and the house rules threaten that it may be cut off if you go over.