Whether you’re lazing beside the sun-drenched 15-metre pool, enjoying the breeze in the beachfront sala, relaxing in the comfortable living room, or paddling out to sea in the villa’s complimentary kayak, you’ll feel right at home at Baan Tamarind. Sailors and dog-walkers populate this busy beach scene, while island-hoppers come and go from the pier a few hundred metres along the sand, and many a keen photographer has taken home prized sunset shots taken from this perfectly positioned beach.
At Baan Tamarind, if you don’t fancy having to drive somewhere for a night out, no worries. A walk along either the beach or the road brings you to several bars and restaurants to suit all budgets.. However, should you feel too relaxed to venture out even by foot after a lazy day by the pool, your own private chef is at the ready. Baan Tamarind’s chef will whip up a tasty meal from the villa’s priced menu, which you can enjoy either alfresco in the sala extending your day alongside the beach, or in the air-conditioned dining room. And with so much fresh seafood available right on your doorstep, why not ask him to prepare a seafood barbecue – a great way to spend the evening, island style.
Single storey Baan Tamarind is an easy, worry-free option for families with young children. Kids will enjoy bunking together in the kids’ room, which sleeps five. A big gate onto the road keeps visitors out (and kids in), and another gate leads from the grassy garden to the beach a few steps below. There’s plenty of space for children to run, play, and just be kids on the lawn, in the pool and on the beach below. Although it is not a new villa (built in 2003), Baan Tamarind is very well maintained and has a comfortable, lived-in feel.
Baan Tamarind lies in the middle of Bang Rak beach, with the village’s main road running behind it. Plenty of garden and pathways separate the living and bedroom areas from the road. A walk along the beach will take you past the piers, some private villas and a few resorts – both upmarket and more modest bungalow types. Next door to the left is Dae Tong Resort and Seafood Restaurant. The entrance to what is known as the ‘Ghost Road’ lies almost opposite the villa, between a bank and a 7-Eleven. This is the short cut to Chaweng.
Baan Tamarind’s three pavilions are joined by covered terracotta-tiled walkways set within a walled tropical garden of lawns and established trees looking towards the pool and beach beyond. To the left of the pool lies the main living pavilion, housing a fully equipped kitchen, an open-plan dining room (seats 10) and a lounge with two seating areas. TV junkies will enjoy the 50-inch TV with DVD and satellite connection, a good place to gather over a movie or sports match. Thai artwork, comfortable seating, air-conditioning and a fan suspended from a vaulted ceiling, create a homely feel. This is a great room for socialising, enhanced by views to the sea and the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan.
Two bedroom pavilions lie angled to the left and back of the pool, one housing two rooms with king-size beds and the other with two twin rooms as well as a children’s room with two sets of bunk beds and a fifth singe bed on a mezzanine level accessed by a stepladder. All bedrooms boast ensuite bathrooms with both indoor and garden showers – in the king and bunk rooms the outdoor shower is set over a tiled built-in bath. The rooms are tastefully furnished in teak and feature Thai artwork on the walls. Floors are either of wood or terracotta tiles, and the two king rooms plus one twin room are equipped with TVs and DVD players. Bedrooms offer plenty of cupboard space, which, when opened, reveal not only safes, but little extras such as crisp white dressing gowns, slippers, laundry bags, umbrellas and torches. All rooms are air conditioned, but should you prefer natural cooling, there are ceiling fans and mosquito-screen doors to let the sea breeze in and keep the odd mosquito out.
The swimming pool takes centre stage at Baan Tamarind, with four cushioned sunbeds and a small sala with table and chairs for four, flanking one side. To the front – but angled so as not to obscure the view – is a larger sala furnished with a dining table for eight, as well as a romantic four-poster massage bed, complete with white drapes that flow in the breeze. A further two sunbeds are positioned under the covered patio in front of the living room. From the elevated lawns (just high enough above the sands to keep the garden private), a few steps lead down to the beach, which is swept clean by the villa staff daily.
BEDROOM 1
King
5m x 5m
BEDROOM 2
King
5m x 5m
BEDROOM 3
Single+Bunks
5.5m x 6m
BEDROOM 4
Twin
4.5m x 5m
BEDROOM 5
Twin
4.5m x 5m
