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Though this resort opened in 2008, and despite many visits to Hua Hin, we just recently heard about this secret retreat: checking the Tripadvisor listing of the best hotels in this royal sea resort which always was, is and shall hopefully remain our favourite leisure destination in Thailand. Far from the tourists' traps, like Pattaya or Phuket, and close enough from Bangkok for a short -or long!- recharging one's batteries along one of the longest beach in the cool and breezy Prachuap region.

Secret indeed, the V Villas, managed by French group Accor, hides itself behind closed doors, and could hardly differentiate from the neighbouring private properties belonging to wealthy old Siamese families. Even the King of Thailand has a residence in Hua Hin: this is surely why this sea resort is so exclusive, and cleaned from the visible vices which you may find in larger, more famous beaches dedicated to mass tourism. Hua Hin caters families and distinguished travellers: the V Villas pairs this high end image of tranquil, chic holiday.

We occupied one of the 13 exclusive Pool Villas Suites that draw inspiration from the geometric patterns of terraced rice paddies mixing with the sophistication of Italian “villazzos”. Once we opened our door, we felt impressed by the view of the whole villa from the mezzanine-level: modern, cool and lovingly designed, our two-bedrooms villa was divided in three sections. On our left came a  large bedroom with a grand bathroom (featuring Aigner toiletry). Opposite was the spacious living-room with deep sofas, electric wine cooler, Ipad 2 dock-station, a large plasma TV and a very sophisticated Bose home theater piping lounge music. The second bedroom is located next to the living room, and opens on a small garden. The heart of the villa is the “sala”, where we spend all our time: this outdoor living-room is the place for relaxing, chatting with friends and family, and above all enjoying the largest private swimming pool we ever experienced during our repeated stays in Hua Hin. Many five star resorts have pool-villas, as a matter of fact; though in general the pool is either shared by other villas located along a main canal shaped pool, either a few inches larger than a Jacuzzi... At V Villas, the pool has been designed for swimming, and looks like what you might expect when you occupy a Hollywood-style villa in Miami, Saint Tropez or Marbella. Last but not least, we had our 24h private butler. A charming lady, whose office is discreetly located behind the “sala”: she refilled us all day long with soft drinks (excellent roselle juice!), espresso coffee, cakes and snacks. The butler service at V Villas is real and efficient, and from arrival till departure she was here to assist us (note that each guest receives a mobile phone to call butler anytime and anywhere within or outside the resort!), though her presence never got intrusive: service in South East Asia, and particularly Thailand, actually remains the best in the world.

We liked very much the high-tech concept of the villas. Beside the already mentioned Bose sound-system, each villa is individually equipped with high-speed WiFi with Ipad: we didn't need to unpack our PC, and rather used the provided tablet.

Breakfast can of course be ordered in the villa. We rather enjoyed it at Villazzo Restaurant seaside terrace. The ocean view is amazing, and due to the very limited number of guests, even when the hotel is totally fully booked (which was the case during our visit), there is no rush at the buffet. The quality of food and beverage rates far over average. We particularly enjoyed the Asian buffet (yummy choice of seafood Dim Sum!), authentic Japanese sushi, raw fish,  freshly squeezed tropical fruit juices, and fresh bakery which we ate with French marmalade “Bonne Maman” enjoying organic coffee. We didn't experience the restaurant; just arrived in Thailand, we were logically more interested in Thai food than in Italian cuisine; the V Villas obviously mainly caters top class Thai clients, and European cuisine paired with fine wine is part of their distinguished way to enjoy a first class holiday. Though it seems that more and more Westerners heard about this unique address, and start spreading the news after a successful stay. Lots of ACCOR management staff like to come from all over South East Asia to stay at V Villas: which appears to be, on its own, a label of quality.

Among plentiful of  leisure available at V Villas is the V SPA (with massage, aromatherapy and herbal therapies ), the splendid public pool, a hot -really HOT- tub, and off course the Hua Beach. The hotel is located far enough from Hua Hin city centre to allow its guests a safe swimming in clean waters along an immaculate beach. Look on your right: a few kilometers  away stands the Khao Takiap rock, hosting a colony of funny -though not always that friendly- monkeys. This is a tradition for those visiting Hua Hin to visit them, before climbing the stiff stairs driving to a temple with the best panorama over the beach, the green hills home to Southeast Asia’s leading vineyard, and the whole Prachuab region.

The amazing V Villas resort has got a remarquable sister hotel in Bangkok, also managed by Accor (M Gallery Collection): the VIE Bangkok, where we found both the same soul and splendid design.

V VILLAS HUA HIN: 63/39 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan 77110  
PHONE: +66 32 616 039      FACSIMILE:  ++66 32 512 043
E-MAIL: info@vvillashuahin.com