Accommodation Review: Villa Baan Chao Lay, Koh Samui

Booking agent:
http://www.samuivillasandhomes.com/

I have talked about this company in a previous post.  You can go for slightly cheaper Boutique villas or more expensive Signature villas that come with chef.  The company are easy to deal with, if you book in advance you get early bird discount and are very family friendly in providing cots, fold out beds, high chairs, childrens cutlery

We were 4 families (8 adults, 4 toddlers, 2 babies) and we chose villa Baan Chao Lay which is located on Lipa Noi beach in Western Koh Samui.

The villa came fully staffed with a villa manager, maid, chef, handyman and it was the staff that made our experience outstanding.  The staff were happy to play with the kids, babysit, offer up cocktails at 5pm and cook the most delicious Thai food ever.

The villa has 4 equal double bedrooms with ensuite of an excellent standard and an enormous master en suite.  This was nice as nobody felt like they got the 'dud' room.  The pool was big and there was a small jacuzzi attached to it that the kids liked to play in.  There was ample living space with DVD player and sound system.  Surrounding the pool was a grassy area for the kids to play on and direct access to the beach.  There was also a lovely outdoor sala with comfy chairs and a great place to enjoy the sunset.

The villa is located on a quiet stretch of beach but you can walk for 20 minutes and enjoy the Nikki Beach Club and other small restaurants.  I truly cannot fault the villa, it is the perfect place for a family holiday.

Villa vs. hotel

If you are lucky enough to be contemplating this debate (I wish I was right now!) then I would say they both have pros and cons depending on size of group and type of holiday you're going for.
I've stayed in private villas in Thailand and Bali and because I was part of a bigger group, it actually worked out a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel.

If I was going away with my family, I think I would prefer to stay in a hotel, take advantage of all the facilities and have the buzz of other families around us.

If I was going in a bigger group, a villa is definitely the way forward.  You can let kids have their midday naps whilst you hang out by the pool, have use of a kitchen, leave all your kid stuff lying around the villa for when they need it, stick them in front of the tv when they're bored.....

We have been to numerous villas in Koh Samui, Thailand over the last few years and always use:

www.samuivillasandhomes.com

You can select either Signature villas which come fully staffed or their (still fantastic) Boutique villas but add on chef etc.

For Bali I have used

www.balivillas.com

You can get some incredible villa deals including chef, driver, maid, babysitter especially in Bali.  Hmmm, it's making me want to get booking my next trip away!