The Village Coconut Island

We spent two weeks at The Village in November 2012. Transferred to the Resort from the pier (staffed by the resort) by Long Boat water taxi's. Our check-in went fine. Upon arriving at our room we were somewhat surprised with the lack of amenities and sparse furnishings. There are many different sizes of accommodations available, from large homes to a small one bedroom with an outdoor jacuzzi. We were in a duplex unit, our side was adequate, with two bedrooms and two baths. There was only one TV in our unit. The living room sofa was somewhat uncomfortable and stiff with a small sofa table. Our eating arrangement was three bar stools, in the kitchen and a wicker table and chairs outside by the plunge pool. We enjoyed the pool very much, especially in the evenings after the setting sun.

The resort has sail boast and kayaks and additional water items available at the beach for no cost to the guests. There are two very nice pools with a large waterslide. Two restaurants on property, one mainly serving the constant Chinese tour groups that stop by for a one to two day visit and the other serving the additional guests. Nice cocktail bar area with daily happy hour specials from six to eight. The water in this part of Phang Nga Bay is quite cloudy because of the ever changing tides. There is a boat ride to Rang Island a few minutes away from the Resort at no charge, you can enjoy cocktails and swim in nice clear water for a few hours.

We arranged our own activities with the assistance of Trip Advisor. One of our highlights was our tour of Phang Nga Bay with Simba Sea Tours. But number one is our Taxi Driver. On our first arrival at the pier and local taxi dispatch, we were introduced to driver Terry Changlek. For two weeks he never let us out of his sight. We were introduced to all the sights and sounds of the island. Once he was dispatched with us we could hire him for our total time on the island.

We departed The Village with some thoughts, e.g. why were there so many tour groups visiting in clusters for one or two nights and most of the guests were not visiting under a Timeshare arrangement, therefore this felt like a Hotel stay for two weeks.

Our rating is based upon the lack of kitchen amenities, no laundry facilities, without sending the laundry out, maintenance concerns and so on. Our requests were handled in a timely manner. Interval International rates the property a five star, we have stayed in 35 five star Resorts and counting in the last six years and this is lacking our personal rating of five stars.