Ao Nang Mountain Top Villa

The pictures of the view from this villa is what sold us on this property and we were not disappointed when we arrived. We spent a lot of time just relaxing on the veranda and watching the sunset. It was incredibly relaxing to be on the mountain top, away from the hustle and bustle of the city below (Ao Nang was a bit too touristy for our taste but it was a great jumping-off point for boat tours and trips to Railay Beach, a 15-min boat taxi ride away). The accommodations in the villa were nice - mostly simple but just what we needed for our stay (it was just me and my boyfriend). The bed was incredibly comfy and the showers were nice and big. There was a refrigerator and cooking supplies - but, honestly, we opted to not cook on our vacation :). We mostly kept the air conditioning off, with all of the windows, which sometimes made it a bit humid and we did notice a few bugs but that's to be expected with the heat (note that we were here in December, a "cool" month in Thailand). The Property Managers - Joe and Swen - are very accommodating and friendly. Joe greeted us at the villa and walked us through some of the basics of the villa and things to do around Ao Nang. Swen helped us set up an awesome sunrise boat tour to Ko Phi Phi islands - which was a highlight for us - and it was so nice to not hassle with the organization of it at all. Here is my constructive feedback: The communication leading up to the stay was spotty at best - in fact, my original booking request was denied due to no response; the pickup at the airport was not entirely clear price-wise (it was 700 bhat ($20 or so), which is a bit expensive by Thai standards but not bad considering the hills they drive up; the driver was very nice and it was air-conditioned but would have liked to know that up front vs. after we got the ride. Lastly, it's important to note that you basically have no choice but to rent a motorbike to get in and out of this property. Joe and Swen will help you arrange a motorbike rental for 200 bhat/day, which we felt was very reasonable. We ended up having a blast riding it but it's just something you'd want to be aware of going into the stay. There are four very steep hills to access this property and it was simply not feasible to walk it each time you wanted to leave (there are only two restaurants on the hilltop, everything else is below the 4 hills). The cost for a van (taxis/tuk tuks will not drive it) was 300 bhat each way.