Thai golf trip and villa stay

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• Location: Thailand
• Holiday Type: Sporting

• by: gilped
• on: Wed 23 May 2012

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I own a lifestyle company, so when I go on any vacation I probably expect a bit more in general than most people, and tend to a be a bit critical of service in particular.

Recently I went to Hua Hin in Thailand on a golfing trip with a group of friends and instead of staying at a hotel it was decided to rent a luxury villa on a golf course.

This was actually a preferrable option for me as I prefer a bit more privacy and peace and quiet than some 5* hotels offer.

At the airport we were met by a beautiful Thai girl with a great smile who whisked us away to the villa. It turned out that she was fluent in German as well as English, Thai and French. There were three Austrians in the group and they were very pleasantly surprised and spent most of the trip to the villa chatting to her in German.

Upon arriving at the villa we were met by very friendly staff who were resident but the first word uttered by the entire group was WOW! The size and beauty of the villa was spectaular, set in its own grounds with a huge pool overlooking a fairway on one of the courses we were to play on.

Refreshments were handed out to all and we sat by the pool relaxing and discussing the usual golf tactics and who would be allowed what handicaps for the next few days.

Everyone agreed that they had never stayed in a villa quite like this on a golfing trip and were amazed that it even had it's own totally soundproofed cinema with fully reclining leather seats and large screen. Ideal for families with children.

The following morning our beaming girl turned up again to take us to the first of 4 courses we played and all our clubs were already loaded into our bus ready to go.

Over the next few days we played some stunning courses including Black Mountain, Palm Hills and my favourite, Banyan. This is a brand new course surrounded by hills and on one particular par three looks onto the sea. Back at the clubhouse everyone just seemed to be so friendly and we could have stayed there all night chatting and just enjoying the atmosphere overlooking the sunset. Actually we did!

Worthy of special mention were the staff at the villa who looked after us so well and its not easy looking after a bunch of golfers, as many will know! We never had to wait for anything and every morning a full breakfast was prepared and laid out for us.

A local chef come in one night to prepare a Thai Banquet for us and we were asked if we wanted it truly cooked in Thai manner or should she lay off on the spices a little bit. Our Indian friend in the party asked her not to hold back but I think even he regretted that later. All in all there were about 10 separate dishes on the table just oozing flavour, including some very special Tom Yum seafood soup. The food was delicious and a highlight of the trip. On a separate night they also prepared a great BBQ by the pool and even went to the length of getting special sausages for our Austrian friends.

This was a fantastic vacation and with nine golf courses within a 30-minute drive from the villa, Hua Hin was paradise for people like our group. The villa option was a real bonus and it was simply sensational with great staff. In terms of cost it was very reasonable and probably worked out less than staying in a 5* hotel.

The worst part about this trip was leaving the place!

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