6/10 Okay
Samantha S.
21 Feb 2024
Liked: Cleanliness
Unexpected checkin experience
This villa is funky and unique just as the listing describes and definitely matches the pictures. The pool was great and the art work/decorations were interesting. However, on arrival we were asked to leave a passport with the owner as a deposit for the entirety of our stay, therefore one of us would have not had our passport on us whilst in the country which is not allowed for foreigners. In the listing it states that identification may be required on arrival and, which is normal when staying in hotels and houses and they will usually take a copy, however, I have never been asked to leave them as collateral. We were not made aware of this before the stay otherwise we would not have booked. After refusing to leave the passport, we instead agreed to leave a 20,000 baht ($850 aud) deposit in cash, leaving us unable to use this money during our stay like we had intended. Again, a cash deposit is completely normal whilst travelling, however, I have always been told an amount BEFORE checkin if it exceeded $300. This negative checkin experience overshadowed the whole stay and we were stressing that we were not going to receive our deposit amount back as the whole interaction seemed irregular. The owner was extremely welcoming and was very prompt with any assistance we needed whilst staying at this villa. Overall, the stay was as expected and the villa matched its’ description. The only downfall in the villa is the lack of privacy, as some of the showers are only curtained off.
Samantha S.
Stayed 4 nights in Feb 2024