Baan Leelawadee

My wife and I have just had the most marvellous holiday at Baan Leelawadee. From the moment we arrived the five star treatment started - nothing was too much trouble for the wonderful staff. The food prepared by Chef Chum was sensational and every mealtime became a culinary treat! The Villa is stunning with living rooms and bedrooms that are beautifully furnished, all adding to the sense of peace and tranquility - its a real oasis of relaxation! Lying by the infinity pool, taking in the sea view with a cold glass in hand is hard to beat, but if you can tear yourself away and feel like venturing out, there are great bars, restaurants and markets all within easy reach. A wonderful holiday and great memories. Highly recommended.

This is much more than a stunning location, although it is certainly that. If you want to chill and relax, it is the perfect place to recharge your batteries. But if you want to party with old friends, it is also ideal. I wanted to do both, which the beautiful layout and interiors can facilitate. The villa's chef and staff provided exceptional service which combined to make for a memorable few days. I will certainly return. Huge thanks for a fantastic holiday.

We had the best time ever here in September. First shout out is to the staff. I can’t imagine in any 5 star hotel on the planet could have the service level we received. Khun Ae, the manager anticipated our requirements, and she booked whatever activities we wanted, car, wines, restaurants (when we went out for dinner which was infrequent-see below!). Chef Joom, created incredible breakfasts daily, suggested menus for any lunches and dinners and cooked the most unbelievable feasts in both Thai and western style nightly. She was great fun, gave me some great thai tips and recipes for future use. Khun Jai, looked after our rooms superbly, served and cleared up all meals and…most importantly…she arrived poolside daily with “bottomless” gin and tonics. The gardener and pool boy Khun Fook (great name!) invisibly cared for the pool and all the gardens that were beautifully manicured. Finally, when there are 4 staff to 4 guests, one would think it would be crowded and a bit intense. Not at all they had the perfect mix of charm, humour along with the professional ability of blending into the background and not crowding out the villa. The villa is beautifully situated on the quiet end of Bo Phut beach. You can walk to the buzzy centre of Bophut but we found it easier to get a Grab taxi when needed and never waited more than 10-15 mins. He villa itself is beautiful. We only used 2 of the 4 bedrooms and both are wonderfully appointed. The reception rooms are great too and the living room can be fully opened out to the pool deck and sala. A solid Sonos music system works through the villa (various rooms and outdoor can be activated) and TVs are in the main lounge and bedrooms. I could not recommend this beautiful villa more. Architecturally perfect, great location with the stunning Thai personality of an outstanding staff team!

An enchanting stay! I had the opportunity to be at Baan Leelawadee in Koh Samui for a week. The location is really perfect on the beach and very quiet, yet close to all amenities (shops, beach bars, restaurants, golf, ...). The staff of 4 is taking care of you every minute (including when I lost the safe key!) and preparing delightgful food from Thailand and elsewhere. The house is very spacious and tastefully furnished with a great covered patio overlooking the beach (my favourite) and a large pool (I like doing laps!). Rooms are large and well furnished with all what you would like to find in a high end hotel. Finally, Baan Leelawadee is ideal if you want to entertain thanks to its large terraces and the fully opening living room - while the staff is taking care of food and beverages. This accomodation is strongly recommended for large families or groups of adults. Finally, the island feels really authentic while offering all the sophistication that you would expect from a high end resort.

Let’s start with everything that makes this place very special. The location. Wake up and see the ocean at your doorstep. It’s a stunning view from the primary suite. Infinity pool blending perfectly with anchored fishing boats in the ocean that you can almost touch. Very special indeed. It’s also far enough from the hustle of Bo Phut Beach, but still a very easy (10 min & 300THB taxi / Grab) straight into Fisherman’s Village. Can you walk to Bo Phut beach and the many restaurants and bars lining the beach? It depends. At low tide, you can do it without really getting your feet wet. At high tide, bring a waterproof wallet. If the sun is shining and it’s between 10am and 4pm, cover up and get ready for the heat. So technically, you can walk. But if you want to arrive at your destination dry and relatively sans sweat, then your windows of opportunity are few. The pool. Hands down, one of the best pools I have ever swam in. Temperature is perfect, deep enough at one end to not touch the bottom (I am just over 6’) and with a sala fitted with Sonos connected speakers. All in all, an epic way to start, break-up, or finish the day. You can even see the glints of the Coco Tam’s fire show at Bo Phut Beach whilst floating with a beverage. The food. Breakfast is vast and cooked fresh. Coffee aficionados beware, it’s hot pot filter coffee. If you’re after anything else, you’ll need to source it from the outside - which there is nothing available within easy walking distance. Lunch and dinner is where it gets interesting. We stayed 10 nights and were able to sample multiple items from the in-house cook (Chef Joom), ranging from a club sandwich to an array of Asian appetizers (chicken satay, won-tons, fried prawns, papaya salad).. then Thai curries, Pad Thai and steamed fish. It was all very good - the standout being the red curry with prawns for myself. The convenience can’t be beaten of having this service available. As it was just the 2 of us, the economies of scale meant the price / head is higher than if you’re traveling with a larger party. For us, ingredients + chef charge meant we paid about 700THB per person for each meal. To put into context, you can get a set menu to accommodate 6 guests for 2000THB (Thai menu), or 3000THB (Italian menu). Not a complaint at all, just something to be aware of when considering your options as a couple traveling. The service. Warm, hospitable, friendly and every effort made to ensure you’re well looked after. It was Lisa’s birthday while we were there, which prompted a custom birthday card at breakfast, a fresh coconut ice cream cake (with birthday song at dinner) and a happy birthday bed decoration in the evening. This is a 4 bedroom villa, and as there was only 2 of us, we always had someone to assist us with what we needed. Just to note here on the type of traveler that would make the most of this, are larger groups and families who can properly relax and have all things tended to. Sounds pretty great! However, if you’re booking a stay and prefer to maintain your privacy and have a little more independence (like cooking for yourself, or walking around at any time without the thought you would be running into someone else except your significant other), then you might be better looking at a location without staff. Again, not a complaint, just something to consider based on who is traveling. What stops this from being 5 stars are a couple of things that aren’t the fault of the staff at all. The water pressure is questionable at best. My hair is thinning with age, but Lisa needs some oomph in a shower to properly wash her epic mane. The air con works well enough, but it is noisy and needs to be serviced in the primary suite. Over our 10 night stay, a leak from the air con contributed to consistent dripping water from the ceiling near the bed. And one last point was having our laundry done (not by the staff, but an external party they outsource to), only to discover after we left Thailand that 4 items that were once white, had turned a shade of pink.