Maekok Villa

The longer I spent at Mae Kok Villa the more irritating it became for me. The owner Mr Lucas was very much a "character" and some what entertaining, but it became apparent he was disgruntled with dealing with foreigners and jaded by the whole experience of running a guesthouse for such a long time. He was sick of haggling over prices but I can't say I blame people for asking for a lower price because some of the rooms really needed a good scrub to make them liveable for human beings.

Mr Lucas proudly claimed they cleaned the rooms "themselves" and that's why they were so clean, but the first room he showed me was so musty and the sheets were stained! However the subsequent room was passable and the third room completely inhabitable and even pleasant. So I recommend you look around first before you make a selection. You may well choose not to stay here at all. Mr Lucas' attitude was also strange when he showed me the rooms, at first telling me there was nothing else available before changing his mind!

The outside areas as a whole were quite nice. You enter in off the main road into a huge compound. The reception, TV and library is in the first building directly ahead. Other buildings behind and to the side of this house the rooms. Two of the buildings were really nice, made completely of wood in old Chinese style. And the garden back here was well tended, while rather bare at the entrance. It seemed to be full of paradoxes.

The library was almost completely made up of Japanese and Israeli books, the nationalities which were Mr Lucas' main customers. But he complained continually that the Israeli backpackers made too much noise so then the Japanese complained which then annoyed him! No happy balance has apparently yet been set.

There were some Japanese here and a Canadian girl when I visited but I don't think anyone felt very encouraged to form any kind of social interaction and the compound was so large I think people generally just retired to their own areas. There's no café or restaurant either to encourage any interaction and I didn't want to ask to watch TV. Mr. Lucas said he no longer has a restaurant because there is a market nearby and just wanted one less hassle to deal with. It seemed to sum up his entire attitude. I think as a whole it would be better to stay somewhere else!

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review