Mike Gallagher, Bedford, England
We have recently returned from a fantastic two week holiday in Villa Malee, and cannot recommend the place highly enough for either a large family or two families as we were. Contrary to other reviews we found Villa Malee to be very spacious, light and airy, with all the bedrooms on the lower floor and the living space, kitchen and dining room at pool level. This arrangement is really sociable and more than adequate for two families of 4. Although 8 adults might struggle to all sit and watch TV, that being said why would 8 adults want to sit around watching TV in Phuket! The dining area was next to the pool with a nice view of the sunset over the infinity pool and we found that the adults could stay chatting at the dining table or around the kitchen bar after dinner while the kids entertained themselves around the corner which was ideal. The sala is also a nice addition to the villa if you want a quiet space to read a book or enjoy an evening sundowner. The Villa Manager Noi provided an excellent service through the holiday, arranging transport, answering questions and booking restaurants for us either using the house mobile phone provided or WhatsApp. Judging by the quality of the tables she reserved for us in local restaurants including the perfect view at Mom Tri's for our anniversary she, and I suspect Brian, are well known to local businesses and she acts like a personal concierge in a 5 star hotel. Talking of 5 star hotels, the service we received from Nok Noi and Mon in the kitchen was outstanding, and at the same time unobtrusive. As others have said the quality of the food in the villa is up there with the best restaurants in Kata beach. We alternated lunch and dinner so we could experience the local restaurants, culture, sightseeing and stunning views. The price is just the cost of the ingredients which are all fresh and good quality. A wide menu choice is available however we decided after the first night that we would leave the menu selection to the Nok Noi each day and in 16 nights she didn't let us down. Each morning we would wake to a sumptuous breakfast, and after eating would return downstairs to our fully cleaned and made up rooms. The service received from Brian and his team was exemplary. From the initial enquiry, through lots of pre and post booking questions and during our stay nothing was too much trouble. True to his tagline in his various emails it's clear that he wants his guests to enjoy their holiday. My advice is not to agonize over your booking and just do it as you won't regret it. Our two families are certainly planning to return.
September 2016